Summary of Jenna Fischer's The Actor's Life

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 I was on a set in England, pretending to be in a plane crash. The fires were real, the sheep were real, and the dirt and blood were not. I was lying in a seat, thinking about how crazy and surreal my life is.
#2 I grew up in a non-showbusiness family. I didn't know what I wanted to do as a child, but I knew I wanted to be an actor. I auditioned for school plays, but I never got the lead roles. I usually got the supporting roles.
#3 As an actor, you must ask yourself two important questions: Why do you want to be an actor. and Why do you want to make a living through acting. If the answer to either of these questions is fame and money, you’re likely to be disappointed.
#4 The path to success for most careers is laid out for you. If you're great at the job, you get rewarded. But with acting, there is no justice, no pecking order for advancement. So why does it work for some and not others. A heavy dose of luck.

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 04 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669349136
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Jenna Fischer's The Actors Life
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I was on a set in England, pretending to be in a plane crash. The fires were real, the sheep were real, and the dirt and blood were not. I was lying in a seat, thinking about how crazy and surreal my life is.

#2

I grew up in a non-showbusiness family. I didn't know what I wanted to do as a child, but I knew I wanted to be an actor. I auditioned for school plays, but I never got the lead roles. I usually got the supporting roles.

#3

As an actor, you must ask yourself two important questions: Why do you want to be an actor. and Why do you want to make a living through acting. If the answer to either of these questions is fame and money, you’re likely to be disappointed.

#4

The path to success for most careers is laid out for you. If you're great at the job, you get rewarded. But with acting, there is no justice, no pecking order for advancement. So why does it work for some and not others. A heavy dose of luck.

#5

The most important thing an aspiring actor needs is training. I graduated with a BA in theater from a small liberal arts college called Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. I got a great education, and I didn’t leave school with a huge debt.

#6

The most valuable thing I learned in school was the process of generating work for myself. Being able to generate work is an essential part of the process of becoming a working actor.

#7

The right acting class is important. All too often, I hear about new actors having horrible experiences with acting classes. A good acting class is about stretching, learning, and discovering in a safe and nurturing environment.

#8

If you want to be a professional actor, you must move to one of the big cities: Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago. These are the cities with the most opportunities for the working actor.

#9

When you move to a big city, you have to be willing to live with a roommate and share a dark apartment with a cat. But it must be done, because sustaining work as an actor starts with the relationships you build with local casting directors and producers.

#10

As an actor, you must be prepared to live without luxuries. You will have to get your furniture from thrift stores, garage sales, or the side of the road. If you work as a waiter, you may eat food that has already been touched.

#11

If your motivation for becoming an actor is to become rich, change careers. Most actors barely earn a living wage from their acting work. According to the Screen Actors Guild, the median income for a working actor is $52,000 a year. But most of the SAG-AFTRA membership earns less than $7,000 a year from acting.

#12

I just started a full-time job and I am freaking out! I am nervous just writing in this journal. No one will ever see it, yet I’m nervous.

#13

I spent a year living in St. Louis with my parents. This was the longest year of my life. I would get home after midnight, and the next morning we’d all pretend like I hadn’t been out having sex with my boyfriend. But I’m grateful to them; they were generous enough to let me live at home and save all my earnings for my voyage to Los Angeles.

#14

I had a goal of moving to Los Angeles in 1996, and after six months, I had only $8,000 left. I tried to network and meet people, but I couldn’t figure out why nobody would meet with me.

#15

I had a chip on my shoulder when I first moved to Los Angeles. I didn’t sign up for acting classes or join a theater company, and I was waiting for the phone to ring. Meanwhile, my roommate was busy writing and shooting his own stuff. I was very self-involved and isolated.

#16

You must live an artistic life to be an actor. You must find ways to express your artistic life with others. Artistic lives are full of risk, but you must take risks to keep moving forward.

#17

When you are just starting out, you won’t be able to book acting jobs. Thus, you must get a day job to pay your bills. Do not sit around doing nothing, spending your savings. Get some income, so you can save the money and only spend small amounts when necessary.