Please Help! Will award points. What should I do next to become an actor?

-Ok, here is the situation; I am an 18 year old male and I want to become an actor. Here is the issue, I don't know what to do next. I live in Maryland and there aren't many theatres to gain experience. My parents don't really like the idea of becoming an actor as they feel it isn't a "real life" job. As a result they won't pay for any classes or training so I don't have any formal training. Ever since then I've been working a day job to make money and I practice speaking, voice, stage movement, dancing, singing, accents, tone, I write scripts and monologues and practice them in front of my family and friends, I talk to my camera and mirror to watch my facial expressions, I've bought theatre books and audition books, I've joined my community colleges film club and was a lead talent in a video that wasn't produced due to funds. I feel that since I haven't done any training, there are no theatres around, and I'm already 18, I might not be good enough to make it in the biz which I already know is tough. So my questions are should I continue to self teach myself the craft of acting and continue my schools film club or would it be better to attend the film academy in New York and take it from there? I mean what should I do? Where to go next? What's the next step? Oh and it irritates me that some people can get famous from lip syncing on youtube I mean anyone can do that, it requires zero skill, and then people who work hard everyday preparing for auditions and breathe, sweat, bleed, cry, laugh talent never make it, that bugs me. But that's the world. So anyway what do I do next? Any comments and answers and suggestions are welcome and please be serious, greatly thankful and much appreciated.hi i dont have any advice im in the same boat but im a few years younger just repost it a couple times until someone answers it
I live in the LA area and I have wanted to be an actress since I was a little girl. Maybe because I live near most of the major studios, my parents have had me in acting classes since I was little. I also took drama for 4-years in high school and I'm enrolled in a really good acting school here in LA now. If you are enrolled in an acting school, the schools (even the high schools) get notified when any of the major studios need Extras or have parts for young actors and actresses. I've been on set as an Extra lots of times and I just recently got a small speaking part in a major motion picture staring Jennifer Aniston.



From my perspective, it's really important to have formal training. The competition is very tough for any small part and only the best get chosen. Kevin Costner came to my high school once to talk to the class and he actually got his start in movies by being an Extra. He had no prior training but, did enroll in school for a while because he felt he needed to be better if he was to succeed. Kevin said it's very important to be easy to work with on the set and if they like you, they will find opportunities for you and if you do a good job, other opportunities will come your way.
Yay Adam! Excellent advice.

And you are SO going to succeed! You're not one of these silly kids who ask 'I've never had a class and never been in a play but I wanna be a famous actor'.

You're realistic and obviously a hard-worker with the will to get there - however long it takes.

A drama school/academy would be just what you need, and with your record they'd probably be happy to have you. They're expensive, but really worth it.



I know what you mean about the kids who get famous with zero talent - but yeah, life isn't fair - whoever said it was meant to be? And only an idiot wants fame anyway - it's a shallow goal for daft kids.



You may well have to move to somewhere more acting-orientated, but that's what actors do. You go where the work is and follow your dream.



My great-great uncle was a young vicar in London. He was bored and set forth for the USA in 1890 and ended up in Maryland at the grand old age of 24 as a padre in an iron mine - he looked for adventure and set out to find it!



Go find your adventure as an actor! I wish you well.

xx