How difficult is it to make it in acting in hollywood?

how much do you get paid for an aspiring actor? do most actors take second jobs to pay for their living arrangements, food etc?

how difficult is it exactly to make it in hollywood and why? how many people are already there trying to make it big? and what usually happens to them when they dont?How difficult is it to make it in acting in hollywood?Ok let me try to hit these in order:



1. How much do you get paid for an aspiring actor?

A. This assumes you are non-union and just beginning. You'll find that acting is one of the few jobs where people will willingly line up for the chance to work for FREE! I'd say a good 80 to 90 percent of the jobs listed everyday are for no to low pay (25 to 100 usd a day) or defferred pay, which means you get paid nothing unless the movie gets picked up.



2. Do most actors take second jobs to pay for their living arrangements, food etc?

A. Unless they are living off a trust, or a generous g/f or b/f then yes. Since most auditions take place during the day, and you need to be able to make them at the drop of a hat, this forces a lot of actors to take the cliche jobs of working as a waiter or bartender until something else comes through. Gotta pay the bills somehow.



3. How difficult is it exactly to make it in hollywood and why?

A. The running joke when I got to hollywood was every month 500 new actors show up here thinking they'll make it big. And every month 1000 leave. There is no definitive ideal to describe the difficulty. There are so many variables that you have no control over and if that is something you can't handle, then don't even attempt this profession.



This is a little bit more of an "official" answer to this question as well as your next one: Median hourly earnings of actors were $11.28 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $7.75 and $30.76. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $6.63, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $56.48. Median annual earnings were $15.20 in performing arts companies and $9.27 in motion picture and video industries. Annual earnings data for actors were not available because of the wide variation in the number of hours worked by actors and the short-term nature of many jobs, which may last for 1 day or 1 week; it is extremely rare for actors to have guaranteed employment that exceeded 3 to 6 months.



Some well-known actors鈥攕tars鈥攅arn well above the minimum; their salaries are many times the figures cited, creating the false impression that all actors are highly paid. For example, of the nearly 100,000 SAG members, only about 50 might be considered stars. The average income that SAG members earn from acting鈥攍ess than $5,000 a year鈥攊s low because employment is sporadic. Therefore, most actors must supplement their incomes by holding jobs in other occupations.



5. What usually happens to them when they dont [make it]?

A. LA in general is an expensive city and this life is rough. Most people give up after the first year or so and return to where they came from, but at the very least have some good stories to tell. Another addage is that you'll never meet anyone working as an actor in LA that is actually from LA. Kind of scarry but almost always true. A lot of people come out and think they're going to be the one to beat the odds, and god bless em' if they do. But you NEED to be prepared for the other reality that looms much larger. Acting is a long hard road, but when it pays off it's a great ride!How difficult is it to make it in acting in hollywood?Stay home.



Learn a trade.How difficult is it to make it in acting in hollywood?Well, you must know that aspiring actors don't get paid to be just that- aspiring. They get paid for each musical, play, or show or movie they do. And obviously, if you don't get that many plays or movies (and that's most aspiring actors) then of course you have to get a second job. Money comes from somewhere, right?

And- it's extremely difficult, unless you have connections- or you're extremely talented and drop dead gorgeous.

And as for how many? Think every person in drama related activities, all the theatre camps, who's ever auditioned- play, tv show, or movie- etc etc. Many. Millions.

When they don't make it- it's pretty obvious what happens. Unless they play it smart and continue onto college, they don't have anything to fall back on when they fail. So, they live a life of whatever- not so glamorous.



But if you're passionate enough about it- not doing it just because of the fame and fortune- but because you really love acting and the art of acting, then you're fine. It doesn't take a big fat paycheck and armcandy to make acting a great experience.How difficult is it to make it in acting in hollywood?
if you think like that, you never will make it.