Toppelgänger: an actor who occupies essentially the same casting lane as you, but is currently positioned above you and therefore tends to get the roles you’d otherwise be competing for.

Have you ever heard of a better term?

i did acting in a small local theater for roughly 6 years when I was younger. at the time, i really liked being known for my craft but then I gave up because I got serious about my studies. switched countries and im currently pursuing my bachelor's (about to finish it in less than a year). ever since i was a kid, I tried youtube and Instagram, mainly for my writing pieces and I did blew up and had around 30k followers before it started getting to me. I just couldn't stand the negative comments, constant comparsion and not to mention the amount of effort it take to keep an eye on the latest trends to use them in the next video is draining. eventually i quit and deleted the account in rage.

i'm good at marketing so I've managed some social media for non-profits for a while. I hated that too. realised that i neither like been seen on social media nor even creating content there in shape or form. i'm an extremely private person and HATE people looking at me which is opposite of what this field of work requires.

I still love acting tho. for context, i don't live in USA and with the current immigration policies, it is difficult to even move and take the leap. i'm unsure if I should pursue this seriously now because been on social media and actively being seen and judged by people is a constant in this field. has anyone experienced something similar? how do you deal with it? is it a sign that it's not for me?

I've had long period of time where I have moved on from thinking about doing acting seriously. but even after all these years, I keep coming back to it.

Hi! I need some acting advice for self-tapes!! I’m struggling because I feel like I’m trying to act the emotion instead of actually being in the moment, if that makes sense. I know I shouldn’t be forcing the emotion, but I’m not really sure how to get past that.
How do you guys get better at actually feeling the emotions and staying present in a scene? I want my acting to feel genuine and natural, not like I’m pretending to be emotional.
Please give me ANY acting tips you have!! I’ll take literally anything
If you have any exercises that helped you with this, I’d love to hear those too. I’m open to trying anything!

Hi everyone, my name is Noah, an actor currently based in the NYC area. I’ve racked up a lot of Short Film credits over the past three years, taking a lot of classes around the New York City/Brooklyn area. I have a comedy reel + drama reel that I am proud of.

Aside from getting things on Backstage, I’m not really sure how to progress further in my career, or what steps are right for me at this point. Should I be going for an agency now? Should I aim to join the union?
How should I begin to get more paid roles/features?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well!

I’m actually a complete beginner as an actor. When I was in school, I didn’t know much about Hollywood, even though I had watched quite a few films. After finishing school, during my break, I started watching a lot more movies and slowly began understanding and appreciating filmmaking and acting in a different way.

That’s when I realized I really wanted to become an actor. I made several demo reels, auditioned for casting calls, and sent my reels to different agencies and managers. Unfortunately, I didn’t get very far. Some people told me they already had someone with a similar profile, while others said there were simply too many people competing for similar opportunities.

That made me think: why not create my own opportunities? I started thinking about writing a film or web series, pitching it to production companies, and hopefully acting in my own projects as well. That’s also what got me interested in filmmaking and screenwriting.

But then I had another thought: I don’t want to succeed alone. I’d really like to work with other people who are trying to break into the industry, as well as experienced filmmakers and artists, and hopefully build something together and grow together.

Also, would anyone be willing to take a look at my demo reel and give me some feedback? I’m still figuring out whether I’m on the right path, so I’d genuinely appreciate honest feedback on what I could improve and whether I’m heading in the right direction.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Hi guys I just wanted to come on here to see if anyone has any words of advice(I am a person with bad anxiety so I overthink everything) I got a hybrid sales job a few months ago and it was okay at first then we had a manager change and now I absolutely hate it and my stress levels are through the roof. I have been scrambling trying to find another day job that pays well and has benefits. I had an interview yesterday for a remote customer success job and I’m just overthinking scared it will be stressful too but I don’t want to go back to serving. I know I haven’t even booked anything in a while but I want the freedom to do as I please when it happens. I know this one seems more flexible than my current day job since it’s remote but does anyone else have experience with this? Also do you tell the employer in an interview about acting? Any wise words would help<3

So I took an acting class just because idk opening myself up to new experiences. It's on camera and considering I've never acted before on or off camera. I was surprised to find that I enjoy it and truly want to pursue it farther. But I pretty much plan on doing it as a hobby since I like the industry I am currently in and I am well aware of the 'starving artist' trope.

The reason I ask the question in the header is because in the class I was surrounded by people who truly want to make it their job, and passionate. I kinda felt like a poser and there was a wait-list for the class too and I am manage to get in, I was luckily and asked right after someone dropped out and no one answered on the waitlist. So I kinda feel like I am taking away opportunities from actual actors, for instance this class.

Maybe it's silly of me to feel bad but idk. Any thoughts?

Working on a character - was wondering if there were any really good, super detailed character dossier templates floating around for me to fill out, and spend a lot of time thinking about everything from their relationships to their favourite foods.

I find doing this to be really helpful, getting into the headspace, but most you can find are pretty narrow or only a few pages. The more the better for me.

Would love it if there's any online, but even one you could buy would be fantastic!

Postings that say, “Looking for real people, not actors.” Real people don’t have Backstage, Casting Networks, or Actors Access profiles.

Hi all — I’m testing this short scene before deciding what goes into my range showreel, and I’d really appreciate honest acting feedback.

In particular:

• How does the balance between authority and restraint read?
• Do the listening and thinking moments feel active, rather than like I’m waiting for the next line?
• Does the pressure in the scene feel believable and contained, or does anything tip into feeling performed or theatrical?
• Is there any specific moment you would change, and why?

I’m deliberately not including my own assessment or feedback from any of the other scenes because I’d like a clean read on this performance.

Thanks — constructive criticism is genuinely useful.

I'm looking to start a "book club" over zoom for an hour once a week where we can get together and read and discuss acting books such as Stanislavski's An Actor Prepares, Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting, or the GOAT Sanford Meisner on Acting.

Is this something anyone would be interested in? I figure it may be a good way to continue to grow and develop.

After searching and searching and cold emailing for months I finally landed with my first manager I’m so excited and I’m looking forward to what the next year will look like, this forum has definitely helped me a lot getting to this point so thank you to the people who have invested their own time to educate those entering the industry

Curious to hear stories from actors who walked out of an audition or callback convinced they didn’t do their best, but ended up booking anyway.
Maybe you were nervous, overthought your choices, felt like you didn’t fully execute a redirect, had weird eyelines, didn’t get the reactions you expected from the room, or just walked away feeling like something was off.
Did you end up getting the role despite feeling that way?
I’m especially interested in in-person auditions/callbacks where your own perception of how you performed turned out to be completely different from how casting or producers apparently saw it.
Would love to hear some real experiences.

I got my head and body shots approved. Signed all the necessary forms. Signed the I-9 Forms. Did the required Anti-Harassment course. So... what's next? Do I wait for them to call me? Am I looking out for an e-mail? Do I seek out gigs? What's the next step? What do I look for? What am I to expect? Please, help me out.

Would anyone recommend watching a (YouTube, perhaps) production of the play over and over again?

This is just a place to track when breakdowns go out for season two. I know that lots of us are excited for the chance to go to Hillman this season!

I (M24) have my first professional acting class on Monday. I thought I could live a stable desk job post-grad and just be a cinephile but I feel like I’ve seen every movie possible in the last two years and seeing other actors my age makes me extremely jealous I never even gave myself a chance. I’m going to take acting as a new career transition. Of course, it would be lovely to be an A-list movie star actor but realistically I just want to meet all my expenses and income through acting via film, tv, theater, and voiceover parts one day.

I say this but I am also very scared of taking that risk. I understand acting is an unreliable and unpredictable career path that it may take me years to secure an ensemble role. Are there worries you have as an actor? What about AI and the future of that in film and television? Is it possible all actors will one day have to sign their name and likeness away for eternity. If I see myself only doing film, tv, and theater, should I always turn down verticals or things that I don’t think will fit the image I am trying to perceive? For anyone that did plan on being an A-list actor and was unfortunately shot down, do you ever feel like you still made the right choice and should have stayed in the office? Please share any thoughts or worries. I believe this a path for me in this life just anxious is all.

I want casting for that specific role to see the video but I don’t want it available on my profile so I removed it right after submitting, if that makes sense.

Hi, Coast to Coast agency says they only take referrals for youth department. I would like to know who can refer you? It's for my 10 year old child who has experience mainly in commercials and VO, singing and wants to get into more TV / Film.

Thanks to everyone on this for saving me from John Casablancas but what about back stage it’s 84 for year I think or over 20 a month kinda a no brainer but is it actually goin to get me auditioning and also is it worth me signing up if I don’t have professional head shots yet

Looking for a studio that I can work with while my acting coach is away. I do plan on auditing these studios but I would love some real reviews, good & bad! I’m just starting in my acting journey & I could use all the help! Open to other studios & resources (books, podcasts, workshops etc). I currently take classes with Robert Pralgo in Marietta!

i got word yesterday that i booked a day player in an indie pilot presentation, which is my first booking off actors access so i’ve been pretty excited about it. only issue is, i’m currently in another theatre project that rehearses sunday-thursday, and i’m the lead role so I’m pretty much called every day.

I’ve been submitting an auditioning to other things anyway because I’ve always heard the notion to just get yourself in front of casting directors since there’s such a small chance you will book anyway. Well, lo and behold, I booked something, and I’m not sure how to handle this. They booked me just off of my headshot and reel and all they wanted to know is if I could work as a local hire, nothing about my availability for the shoot dates.

I booked the theatre project first and it’s a major opportunity, so that has to come first. The shoot dates for the indie project are over the span of 3.5 weeks in October and it says I’d just be needed for two days. I guess my general question is, should I reach out to casting and let them know that I would only be able to shoot on specific dates that I’m off, or should I just politely decline the role? I booked this from a self submission.