If you’ve ever talked to people about wanting to be an actor, you’ve no doubt heard some variation on the idea of “don’t even bother giving it a go if you can see yourself doing anything else.” And while I don’t necessarily agree with that sentiment 100%, I do think it speaks well to the idea that it’s damn difficult to succeed in the acting business to such a degree that you can support yourself exclusively through your craft.
Which is why, should you be considering the quest to pursue acting full time, this interview with LOOPER star Noah Segan (he played Kid Blue in the film) is well worth the ten minutes it will take you to read it. In the interview, which was given more or less completely by accident, Segan reveals what it’s like to shoot sixteen hour days, the process of aggressively promoting both yourself and your work, just how much money he really makes being fifth-billed in a critically acclaimed sci-fi film, and the difference between public perception and blunt reality in relation to the life and work of an actor.
The interview is long enough that I won’t copy out the whole thing here, but again: having studied acting myself for four years and spoken to many folks at different stages of their careers, I strongly recommend reading what Mr. Segan has to say. You may not save yourself long years of heartache, but you may at least have a better idea of just what you really have to prepare for out there in the sometimes-scary/oftentimes-exhilarating/hopefully-transformative world of professional acting. I will always advocate that someone pursue their passion with all the perseverance they can muster – but I will also always advocate doing so with as many tools in your craft kit bag as can be had. Tools like the insight contained in this interview I keep talking up, which you can read in full right here.
So for any of you out there fighting for your dream – good luck. Break a leg. Merde. Live long and prosper. May the odds be ever in your favor. And if you’re ever afraid, just think about this and the mad man who said it (Geoffrey Tennant on “Slings and Arrows”): your life, your relationships, and your career “may very well be hanging by a thread. Well, my friends, it is my belief that the best things happen just before the thread snaps.”