How does somebody begin an acting career?

No, being in an acting school or half a year won't automatically help someone in an acting career. Now if it was a very well known acting school with very well-respected acting instructors - maybe it would help. But not every acting school is like that. Some "schools" are rip offs.

It is very rare that someone would start with absolutely no experience (unless they're very young and have parents in the industry or something). Most actors will have had some performance experience. For commercial work, experience is less important and having a "marketable" look is often the focus. It's possible that someone with no experience would be cast in something because they basically "are" the character. But then it would be hard for them to continue a career even if their performance was well received since they only have one-not and no versatility.

You also have to be careful of PR around people. PR is about marketing an image and doesn't always tell the whole truth. Like people talk about Jennifer Lawrence not having any training and getting cast in "Hunger Games" but the fact is while she didn't attend formal classes, she did have training and acting coaches. (http://www.ghanamma.com/archive/fresh-faced-jennif... ) She wasn't sitting on some park bench or walking through the mall and get "discovered".

A professional acting career is like starting a company and the actor is the product being marketed and sold. So they need a good product (talent, training and experience), but they also have to have a very good understanding of the business end of things.

To become employable actors need talent, excellent training, experience, enormous motivation, resilience and great networking skills. As there is enormous competition for even the tiniest of roles, eighteen months at an acting school is not one tenth of what is required to be considered "marketable" by agents. The quality of training and level of industry recognition of the school is a major factor in the value any acting school training. Most schools are money making organisations, so you need to be very careful.

Most work comes through agents and they can pick and choose from hundreds and sometimes thousands of drama/acting school graduates, who have all of that and more. You need to understand the business end of acting and that takes time and experience and research.

It is unwise to underestimate what it takes to pursue acting as a career - there are easier ways to earn a living.

No - it takes years of acting school and loads of stage experience.

Commercials are just another job actors have to accept to earn some money.

Hardly anyone ever gets paid work without training and experience - mostly that's just a myth or they have family already in the business.

Well half of it depends on money and where you are. If you're in a big city with lots of opportunities you have a better chance of being recognized. Having experience of being in plays, extras in movies, and like you said parts in commercials will help you.

It's all about being in the right place in the right time.

Get to know people around and if you are just starting out, get every opportunity possible (of course avoiding the bad opportunities). Good luck and break a leg.

i'll bet tom cruise, brad pitt, jim carrey, meg ryan, johnny depp, eddie murphy, and jimmy stewart were all bummed about never having a real career, since none of them ever attended acting school or college, for an acting degree. likewise, all of the working actors, working regularly and pulling in residual checks, despite not being megastars, really wish they had crushing student loan debt, so a casting director can not care if they have a degree.

stage training is wonderful. in america, it's not mandatory. helpful, yes. necessary? not at all.

the time and money spent on a college degree in theater, is better spent on small, quality training for camera, if one does not wish to be a stage actor.

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