Q&A for How to Strengthen Your Acting Skills

Sit outside and people-watch so you can learn new mannerisms to incorporate into your characters.

Think about falling into the imaginary world of your performance like a child does when playing make-believe. Commit to whatever you're doing as a character without worrying about cluttering your mind with facts and logic. This can free you to become a more emotionally true actor.

Use the dialogue to act out scenes in a book. Determine how the narrator or person speaking is feeling at random points. It may seem useless, but it actually helps immensely with trying to find character depth.

Its not a final exam. Its just a natural thing which everyone has. Just focus on perfect actions on time. Don't think about anything which makes you nervous.

Just try to sound the word out in parts, and then put it all together. If you're able to look at the lines ahead of time, ask someone how to pronounce the words you don't know. If they're very uncommon words, most likely the director/casting agent will understand if you have a little trouble.

When you are under 18, you can still get jobs. Look into community theater in your areas, they often have roles for children.

You don't HAVE to, but New York does have a lot of excellent schools and programs that could do wonders for your acting career. However, that's optional - you can become a successful actor from anywhere, provided there are job opportunities.

You can ask a teacher which areas you need to improve upon. You could also record yourself acting, then watch it back and critique yourself.

Work on facial expressions by practicing them every day in the mirror. Work on articulation and resonance. Speak load and clear, and don't swallow your words. Get your friends or family members to help you with a script, and always take positive criticism well. Enjoy what you do, and look at every role you get to play as an adventure.

Most likely, though they may incorporate different aspects of acting and theatre.

Participate in stage shows and work on your craft. Follow other actors on social media and also pay attention to them to learn from them.

Focus on facial expressions and arm movements. Try performing to an audience starting with small crowds and then move on to larger ones. Ask for honest feedback on ways you can improve.

Try asking the drama teacher at your school.

You can practice, practice, practice! Practice in a mirror, or with a friend. Start with the most exaggerated emotions, such as "sad" and "ecstatic", and then work your way down by degrees to the more subtle emotions, such as "skeptical" or "sneaky". You can practice going from "sad" and "sadder" to "saddest", too. If you have a script that you need to learn, then try seeing how your character would feel after each new piece of information. Overall, practicing is half the battle, and once you're used to making different faces, it may come more naturally and you may not even have to think about it!

You sound skilled in the arts of lying and pretending, but there is always room for improvement in even the best actors.

Ask people who will give you honest feedback to watch you perform? Better yet, try out for a part in a play and get feedback after the fact from the drama instructor or director.

It can be a challenge to get parents to support certain things, and that is okay. I suggest sitting down with them and really talking about it. Tell them why you have this passion and how important it is to you. Compare a hobby they used to do; for example, if one of your parents used to play basketball, ask how they'd feel had they not had the support they had from your grandparents. Get someone to back you up, whether that is a sibling or a friend; have them tell your parents how much you care. Lastly, show them! Try a community show, bring them out to it so they can see your talents. You might find additional helpful tips in Prove to Your Parents You Can Act .

Yes, if you're dedicated, although it's almost certainly easier to start out closer to home.

First, do not be insecure about your appearance, but be proud of how you look and embrace it. This will certainly help you in auditions and help your confidence. If you want to be an actor, follow your dreams and go for it. Casting directors may admire the way you look and select you as suitable for roles.

Remember that acting is reacting. That is crucial in acting, and it is called the Meisner method. You also have to remember to be real, even though you are playing a part. If you overact, you will ruin the scene by being too over dramatic in your role.

Record yourself while acting, and watch movies and try to imitate actor's parts. Practice every day in front of the mirror or in front of a family member.

Sometimes you have to create opportunities! You might try auditioning for voice acting online, as there are often many opportunities for this. You could also rent a venue (try to get sponsorships from local businesses) and put on a show of your own.

No, it's not. Everyone has different skills!

It depends on the scene/character. I suggest finding a way to empathize with your character, this might help you get into their head more. If you were playing a queen, for example, how would you react to someone dropping a teacup in your court? Maybe if this queen is kind, she would help pick it up, or if she were rude, she wouldn't - maybe she would be angry. It all depends on the character.

Of course. There are actors all over the world, you don't need to live in any specific place to become one. However, you will need to be open to traveling for work.

The more experience with acting you get, the better you will become. As your acting skills improve, so will your confidence. Experience and practice is really the best way to gain confidence.

It depends on the course. Some will have age requirements, others will not. Call around to different acting classes in your area and ask them. If you're too young and you're in school, take part in your school's drama program if there is one.

If you are a beginning actor, you probably want to start smaller. Audition for student films near you. Then you can sign up on a casting network that has Hollywood projects. Audition for them! Even if you don't get the part, it will help make you more noticeable to directors.

Imagine yourself actually being the character. Stand in their shoes, feel their feelings and live their life. Do it at home as well as on set, so you can really feel how this character would respond to things. Find out all you can about them too, like the era they come from, the job they had, the people they hung around with. All of these things will help create a real connection and thus a sense of realism when you act the part.

If there aren't many theaters around you, you may be limited on the shows you can do. If your disability isn't necessarily visible (say you're deaf) it shouldn't hurt you, but be sure to let your director know. If your disability is visible (say you're wheelchair bound) it may limit the characters you can play, but you will always get a character that shares your disability.