The answer is very simple. You are what you APPEAR to be! I have been training and coaching actors for many years, and this question is one of the most troubling ones to those who have not come to terms with the concept that ‘THEY are only concerned with what you appear to be’. If the 40 year old actor appears to be 18 to 23 years old, why would that actor say anything to the casting director, their agent, even their peers about ‘really’ being 40?
Your job is to know what you sell best and sell it (that goes for upscale-vs-downscale and selfless-vs-selfish characters as well as age of character). It is not your job to let everyone know that you are really NOT what they think you are. They will feel like they can’t trust you to deliver the goods if you are not what you appear to be.
Consider the casting director who sees your head shot or composite, likes what they see (meaning they identify your type, your age, your socioeconomic status, your degree of education etc. and you fit the part perfectly). They call you in, and you (or your agent or another actor ‘friend’ of yours) make it a point to tell them you are NOT what they assumed you are. No one likes to be proven wrong, so the CD will simply hire the actor who is in line right behind you or in front of you because they really ARE (at least as far as the CD knows) what the CD assumed they were when the CD viewed their pictures.
The bottom line, is simply: You are what you appear to be in this business. Save all your truthful secrets for that special someone who will love and accept you for who and what you are, no matter what….

For specific help or additional comments, you can contact me personally at:
Ken@SensibleActing.com

“Lucky Actors” are the ones who know their stuff when an opportunity comes along.

It seems that today, everyone is looking for Instant Gratification.  Many actors want to believe that a lucrative performing career is simply a matter of ‘being discovered’.  They think that it is simply a matter of ‘being in the right place at the right time’ or meeting the ‘right people’.

In their haste to attain fame and wealth without bothering to acquire skills and techniques, they usually waste a lot of time and money trying to find an ‘agent’ or ‘manager’ who can “make them a star” BEFORE they learn how to act.   Of course, there are plenty of so-called agents and managers who are happy to praise and feed false hopes to these misguided actors and their parents so they will buy-in to the concept of – ‘It’s Who You Know, Not What You Know’.  They are very good at convincing the starry-eyed novice that they can introduce you to the ‘right people’ for a fee or services that you pay for up front.

The Sensible Actor knows that this is a profession like any other.  They realize that there are skills to be mastered. The Sensible Actor will invest in training as any  doctor, accountant or any other professional does. In other words, THEY PREPARE!!

It is a business that must be promoted. The Sensible Actor will network with those who are already established in the business.  They will join networking groups, volunteer for student films, community theater, join speech clubs, and anything else where they will mingling with others in the profession. In other words, THEY PROMOTE!!!

Sensible Actors know that performing for free in community theater, student films, school and church presentations, and doing extra work is the most effective means of promoting one’s skills.  No one will hire an actor because they SAY they can act.  You have to SHOW them!  Performing is the ONLY way to get more  performing work, so THEY PERFORM!!

Sensible, trained actors learn how to establish contact with legitimate professionals in the industry.  They learn how to maintain those relationships and how to avoid being ripped off.

Sensible, trained actors know that ‘Who You Know’ can only open a door.  Once you open that door and step in, it’s ‘What You Know’ that transforms an ‘opportunity’ into ‘success’.

Sensible Actors know that:

Preparation + Opportunity = A Very ‘Lucky’ Actor