Introduction
Acting (and even theatre acting) are commonly thought of as being careers rather than something you can do for fun, however, it’s worth mentioning that as a hobby, acting can actually help you make lots of new friends and can even help you build a strong identity as a person.
To answer the point, acting can be a hobby for some people especially if they enjoy the perks it can bring or if they have a natural interest in it.
If you feel like you need to force yourself to attend drama class, acting lessons, and even theatre, then it probably isn’t something you would call a hobby; Hobbies are classed as things you do for enjoyment in your spare time.
You may ask then, why would you do acting as a hobby?
Well, acting as a hobby brings many benefits and can even help you develop extremely important life skills such as confidence, public speaking, planning, and organizational skills.
These are just a few of the benefits and truthfully the list is quite huge in terms of the positives it can bring.
Most people enjoy acting because it allows them to meet and make friends with new people whilst also working towards a common goal: to entertain others.
Acting as a hobby can be really fun and we want to explore some of the key points today to help you make the most of it.
To Be or Not to Be: 5 Key Points to Make the Most of Acting as a Hobby
1. Just Start
If you’re wanting to act as a hobby then you’ll need to overcome some hurdles first; for most people, the biggest hurdle will be the confidence to get up on stage or to perform in front of other people.
It’s easier to get started as a kid as you’ll more than likely have to attend drama classes in school which help to break the ice for most people, however, not everyone has that luxury in which case we recommend not deliberating any further.
Sometimes you need to just jump into something to discover whether it’s for you — if you’re already an adult then waiting around longer or questioning whether it’s for you isn’t going to help.
Acting is a practical hobby and one that requires you to partake in a physical sense rather than being able to sit back and learn from afar.
That’s why we say just start – don’t wait to get involved with something wondering “what if” otherwise you’ll never start at all.
2. Choose a specialization
Acting on screen is usually quite different from theatre acting, as such, we recommend deciding early on whether you want to pursue the style of theatre acting or whether you have grander dreams and want to become a big-screen actor or actress.
Once you’ve decided which specialization you want to pursue you’ll be able to hone in on all of the developments you need to make to help you become an expert in that area.
It will also give you a sense of what you can research or who you might need to network with to get you started on the right path.
As they say, a man (or woman) without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.
Don’t be caught drifting, especially in the world of acting otherwise you could be considered a flake.
3. Decide if it’s a hobby or a career
Most people get into acting as a hobby because they enjoy it, however, that can eventually lead to it becoming a career that pays you a salary.
It’s important to consider whether you want to act purely for enjoyment or whether you could really make something of it and turn it into a full-time job.
We think it’s worth addressing this early into your acting activities because you’ll be able to dispel that inner tension if you’ve dealt with that question in advance.
We say this because becoming an actor who gets paid is a time-consuming activity and is something that yields little reward for many years until you hit a big break.
This can be really demoralizing for many people and may lead to feelings of inadequacy or that you’re not good enough.
Not everyone will make it big in the acting world and that’s totally fine, however, you should really prepare yourself psychologically by deciding if you have what it takes to knuckle down through some of the hardest moments of little pay and missing some fun moments with your friends.
4. Join an acting community
As a hobby, we think acting is best enjoyed when shared with other like-minded people.
As such, we recommend looking for an acting community to join or going for theatre lessons as you’ll be able to meet and act with others who are at a similar level as yourself.
Plus, even if they’re more experienced than you then that can actually work in your favor, not necessarily to upstage you, but so you can actually learn some of their techniques or knowledge.
With that said, hobbies should be fun, and being able to make new friends who share in that enjoyment makes it twice as good which is where an acting community comes in handy.
5. Get involved in the acting scene
If you want to act as a hobby then that’s fine, however, if you’re wanting to take it to the next level then it’s important to explore everything that acting encompasses.
That means watching lots of movies, following acting news, subscribing to acting magazines or publications, and even attending acting events around the world.
The more seeds you spread the better the actor you become.
It’ll also help you get connected with other like-minded people and will allow you to network with influential figureheads in the acting industry.
To get ahead in acting you need to not be shy but you also need to be daring enough to do what the 99% aren’t doing.
Key Questions Answered: Acting
Do looks matter in acting?
Looks are a factor when being selected for certain roles but that doesn’t mean there won’t be roles for your particular look.
In fact, your look is what helps you get ahead in the acting industry and that doesn’t matter if you’re traditionally beautiful or if you have a certain quirk.
Just look at Ron Perlman, he has a large forehead with an unusually long, rectangular head shape that gives him a particularly menacing and monstrous look, but this has helped him land roles in Beauty and the Beast and Hellboy.
Basically, you can easily turn perceived weaknesses (by normal societal standards) and turn them into strengths that allow you to carve out a niche for yourself in the acting industry.
Are all actors/actresses good looking?
Not all actors are good-looking or have to be good-looking for that matter; your look is important as we’ve already addressed but that doesn’t mean you have to be traditionally beautiful.
You might just have a certain quirk or really defining facial feature that the industry can’t get enough of; so yes, your look matters but not where beauty is concerned.
Can you be naturally good at acting?
Acting is an intuitive activity that is open to interpretation and much speculation.
Because of this, there’s not a good measuring stick to call someone “good” at acting per se, however, being able to express emotions, cry on demand, and be able to fill the role of multiple personality types can really give you an advantage in the world of acting.
As with anything, some people are naturally better at the aforementioned skills, however, they can quickly be outpaced by someone who learns quickly — therefore the answer is, it depends.
Do actors really drink in movies?
No, actors typically drink substitutes that are of the same coloration as popular alcoholic beverages.
For example, water can be a good substitute for vodka, apple juice for whisky, and grape juice for wine.
We’re not saying that actors or actresses have never drunk on set, however, it’s definitely not an industry practice and would actually be counter-intuitive as they wouldn’t get much work done.
Do actors get tested before kissing?
Yes, actors are regularly tested before engaging in any fluid-exchanging activities and that goes for kissing too.
This is because it helps satisfy the criteria needed for insurance coverage, to prevent lawsuits and because it’s just generally good to know you’re not going to catch herpes.
Conclusion
You should now have a better overview of acting as a hobby and how it can lead to a career within the acting industry.
It’s a great way to engage with other people and can even help develop transferrable skills such as confidence in public speaking and even certain organizational skills.
There are many misconceptions about what it takes to become an actor or actress, however, hopefully, we’ve been able to dispel a few myths too.
As always, if you enjoyed our article, don’t forget to save our homepage for regular hobby updates and discussions.
We also have a massive list of hobbies to browse in case you’re curious about anything else to help fill your spare time with fun and engaging activities.
