Looking to become an actor at 16?

I don't know what you mean by 'serious acting' and not 'old-time stuff' - Shakespeare IS serious acting, and all good actors can act in all genres, including Shakespeare.

Basically, to make a start as an actor, you'd need to -

1) Have loads of natural talent.

2) Get a few years of training at a good, accredited acting school, going from the basic classes to advanced ones.

3) Get experience in a wide range of stage plays and shows – not regular high school stuff

4) Learn to sing and dance if possible.

5) Train for a good ordinary job as well, one you can work free-lance, as you’ll need it. Almost all actors work at least one other job just to survive.

6) Ideally study Drama at degree-level at drama school or university.

7) After all the above, try to find an agent who will accept you.

8) When you get an agent, which is how you find auditions, try to win a few auditions out of the hundreds you'll have to apply for.

Just bear in mind that all that hard work isn't enough - you also need huge talent, dedication, determination, resilience and luck.

And sadly, the best that almost all actors will ever get is 2 or 3 weeks paid acting work a year - that's the average - and will never get more than a few minor roles in small productions.

Good luck!

There's no one way to become an actor - it's different for each person. And there are no set of steps that you can go through to become an actor. Since you're not willing to do the small stuff to get training and experience (things like drama club or plays) you'll have more of a challenge showing industry professionals that you can actually act and that you're serious about acting (as opposed to just liking the idea of being on TV). The idea that "there's no small roles only small actors" - is based in part on understanding that it's the actor (you) that makes acting "serious" not the type of role. Acting in drama club or in plays can be serious acting - if you choose to approach it as such. And Shakespeare IS serious acting.

And you have an additional challenge at 16 because there are legal restrictions as to when and how long you can work. So in addition to the lack of experience, training, industry connections you have your age - all of which are reasons why production companies prefer to hire adults to play teens. Generally adults have a more professional and mature approach to an acting career.

Professional acting is a business. Companies invest money in their productions and they trust that investment to trained and experienced professionals. There are not a bunch of open auditions for TV shows and movies that anyone can show up at. For most professional work you have to be invited to audition, usually through a talent agent.

And you can't just hire a talent agent. Legitimate agents are paid on commission getting a percentage of what the actor makes. Since they only get money if an actor books a professional, paying job they are picky about who they take on as actors. And they can be picky because there are a lot more people wanting to be actors than there are roles. They are looking for trained, experience, talented, committed and "marketable" actors. Talent agents are not out searching malls for fresh faces - those are scams. So if by saying you want to be an actor you mean that you want to be "discovered" and given an acting career, it's probably not going to happen. Here's an article for you:

http://www.backstage.com/topics/kids/?page=2

So in addition to talent agents there are issues about actor unions, legal restrictions and requirements, some states require an entertainment work permit and a trust account established in their name. You'll need to know how to market yourself and how to network and make connections. But you also have to be a good actor and you need training and experience. And again, since you're not willing to do some of the stuff that is available for you now, I'm not sure how you plan to get that training and experience and figure out if you actually like the work of acting and if you're good at it.

If you're wanting to attempt a professional career as a minor, your parents will have to be involved. Here are a couple of helpful websites for them (and you) to come to a more realistic understanding of what is involved in an acting career:

http://bizparentz.org/gettingstarted/justgettingst...

http://www.backstage.com/actor101/

Good luck.