How to Be a Great Actor

Co-authored by Lesly Kahn, MFA

Last Updated: December 2, 2024 Approved

Although professionals onstage or in your favorite movies might make acting seem effortless, their performances are generally the result of years of effort, intelligent research, and careful observation. You can achieve a higher level of onstage or onscreen grace by doing groundwork with things like practicing and getting a headshot. Audition for parts by choosing one suitable for your style and making bold choices. Perform like a star by doing your research and embodying your character.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Doing the Groundwork

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1
Learn through script reading. Read the scripts of your favorite plays and movies. Familiarize yourself with the classics, like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Anton Chekov, and Tennessee Williams.^{[1]
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Research source} Read these scripts aloud on your own or with friends. With every reading, try to capture the feeling and emotion in the scene.
- By exposing yourself to the "greats" of play writing, you'll build up your knowledge of good scripts and develop an intuition for reading them.
- Many copies of your favorite scripts can be found in part or whole online. Do a general keyword search for your favorite movies to find these.
- The classics, especially ancient ones (like Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus) can usually be found online for free.^{[2]
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Watch great actors. Deconstruct your favorite actors' habits. How do they use their bodies? What facial expressions do they use effectively? Practice these gestures and expressions in a mirror. Exercise your facial muscles by doing things like smiling in uncommon ways, raising your eyebrows, raising one eyebrow at a time, puffing out your cheeks, and so on.
- While some facial expressions, like quirking a single eyebrow, can be difficult at first, as you practice they should become easier.
- Combine your favorite gestures and expressions with a recitation of your favorite lines from scripts, movies, and plays. This is an excellent way to integrate your body with spoken lines.
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3
Develop audition material. Some auditions will require you to read from a pre-selected piece or a portion of the script that will be used in the show. In many cases, however, you'll have to choose your own audition piece.^{[3]
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- Monologues are common requirements for individual auditions.^{[4]
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  Research source} Find books of monologues at your local library or online.
- Try to choose at least two tonally contrasting monologues that are rock-solid home runs and that aren't frequently performed.^{[5]
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  Jim Jarrett
  Acting Teacher
  
  Expert Interview. 28 April 2020.}
- Perform your favorite monologues to friends, family, and strangers. Ask for feedback. Friends and family may be overly kind to you, so it's a good idea to perform in front of people you don't know, too.
- Steer clear of monologues that pop up when you search something like "best monologues," and also try to choose one that isn't from an iconic film or performance. You don't want to be compared to multiple people, and you don't want to be automatically compared to Oscar winners either.^{[6]
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  Jim Jarrett
  Acting Teacher
  
  Expert Interview. 28 April 2020.}
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Get a professional headshot. When you audition, especially for serious parts, a headshot is often required. This is generally an 8x10, high-quality print where your face is clearly visible. While it may be tempting to just have a friend take these, professionally done headshots are essential at any level higher than basic commercial work.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Jim Jarrett
Acting Teacher

Expert Interview. 28 April 2020.} Your name should be on the print, in most cases in the lower right hand corner. To this print, you'll need to staple an acting resume, which includes things like:
- Your basic stats (hair and eye color, height, weight, age, etc.)
- Acting training and experience
- Special skills and abilities the director might find desirable
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Take a class. Community centers and colleges frequently offer acting classes. Take an improvisation (improv) class or stand-up comedy class to work on your stage presence, delivery, and onstage flexibility.
- Beyond simply giving you more experience, you'll also receive professional level critique and advice from the instructor of the class.
- If you're nervous about taking a class by yourself, invite a friend to join you. Many basic acting/improv classes have open enrollment.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Auditioning for a Part

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1
Find a suitable performance. Keep an eye on local theatres. These will post casting calls when planning for a new performance. Join acting related social media groups, like those on Facebook or Twitter, to network with fellow actors and hear about potential gigs.
- When choosing a performance to audition for, keep your personal style in mind. You may be a versatile actor, but oftentimes people are strong-suited for certain roles, like comedic or dramatic ones.^{[8]
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Visit the brick-and-mortar location of local theatres. Drop off your headshot. Talk to staff and let them know you're interested in getting involved. Getting your foot in the door can help you network and land a future part.
- Even if you aren't cast in a performance, ask if you can work as a stage hand or backstage. This will expose you to active talent, directors, and producers.
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Choose a part to audition for. All of your audition choices should prove that you're the right person to play this part. Sometimes, you may be asked to list two or three parts you're interested in. Your main part should be the focus, but have some backups on hand, just in case.^{[9]
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- In some cases, a director may love your ability, but think you're the wrong choice for the part you've selected. By having backups, you'll show that you're really interested in being a part of the performance and not just a single part.
4
Do your homework. What kind of performance are you auditioning for? If it's dramatic, you'll want to showcase your dramatic acting skills. What time period and environment does the performance take place in? This might influence how you act, speak, and treat others onstage.
- Some plays or musicals, like My Fair Lady, are set in a location that requires an accent. In the case of My Fair Lady, which takes place in London, you'd want to show off your British accent.
- Watch famous, popular, or iconic recordings of the performance for which you're auditioning. These can help you identify features you'll want to demonstrate in your audition.
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Select an audition piece. The tone of your audition piece should suit the part you're auditioning for. Try to match your audition piece with the local color of the part you're trying out for. Local color includes things like time period, region, and manner of speech.^{[10]
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- Analyze the performances of other actors who played the part you'll be trying out for. Include your favorite features of their performance in your own.
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Audition boldly. Make big choices with your audition. There may be many people trying out for the same part, and standing out from the crowd will improve your chances of being remembered. Try not to be over-the-top silly, but aim to leave a mark on those watching your audition.^{[11]
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- Come to the audition dressed in period clothing for the audition piece you'll be doing. Be confident. If you're the only person dressed up, that might work to your advantage.
- Choose a pivotal moment in your audition piece. Craft that moment so it has a large impact on those watching. Usually this involves (believably) accentuating a moment of high energy, like a punchline or dramatic climax.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Performing Like a Star

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1
Research your part deeply. Look into your character's backstory. If it doesn't have one, research similar jobs to that of your character to get a feel for the kind of person your character might be. For example, if you're playing the part of Bert from Mary Poppins, you might look into the life of a chimney sweep.^{[12]
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- Use the information you learn about your character to add depth to the part. This might be reflected in your gestures, delivery of lines, and more.
- Think about how a character's life choices or job affect things like their posture or mannerisms. A military part, for example, would likely have good posture.
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Investigate your part's connection to other parts. Pay careful attention to the words your part exchanges with other characters. These will reveal the inner thoughts and feelings of your part. From these observations, draw conclusions about how your character feels about the world and other people in general.^{[13]
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- For example, in My Fair Lady, the character of Pickering is described as "a confirmed bachelor." You might interpret this to mean the character isn't interested in women.
- In Fiddler on the Roof, the main character, Tevye, sings "If I Were a Rich Man." When playing this part, you might act somewhat self-consciously around successful characters.
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Embody your part. Lose yourself in the character you are playing. Train yourself to think thoughts natural to your character. When in-character, your personal thoughts will likely detract from your performance. As a general rule, if you believe you are the character, so will your audience.^{[14]
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- A good technique for losing yourself in your character involves imagining yourself and your personal experiences burning up in a flame, leaving only your character behind.
Meryl Streep, Actor

There is a little part of you in every character you play. "Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there."
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Take care of your instrument. An actor's body and voice are their instrument. Performing on stage requires energy, speed, and stamina. Exercise so you're up to the challenge of performing. Avoid smoking to protect your voice.
- Avoid drinking alcohol before performing. Alcohol dehydrates you, which can strain your voice before performing.
- Get plenty of sleep before performances so you feel refreshed and at full energy when you go on stage.
- It's common to be affected by nerves before a performance. Take melatonin, which is available at most drug and convenience stores, to aid in getting a good night's sleep.

Expert Q&A

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Question

What are the qualities of a good actor?

Jim Jarrett
Acting Teacher
Jim Jarrett is an Acting Teacher and the Founder of The Meisner Technique Studio based in San Francisco, California. With over 30 years of experience, he specializes in teaching The Meisner Technique and is Sanford Meisner's last teaching protégé. Over the years, Jim has established schools in Los Angeles, California, Hawaii, and Sun Valley, Idaho. He also travels the world annually as a guest teacher at universities, performing art schools, and theater companies throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His flagship school is located in the heart of the Presidio in San Francisco, California.

Jim Jarrett

Acting Teacher

Expert Answer

Strong actors aren't thinking just about serving up moments or playing up ideas or emotion, so much as being truthful. Another hallmark of a good actor is that you can be present and listening within a scene without being distracted by the camera, the audience, or anybody else that might be watching.

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Question

How can I get more into character as an actor?

Lesly Kahn, MFA
Acting Teacher & Coach
Lesly Kahn is an acting teacher and coach based in Los Angeles, California. She is the founder and owner of Lesly Kahn & Company, Actor Training, which focuses on preparing actors for employment in film, television and theatre. With well over 30 years of experience, Ms. Kahn has coached hundreds of actors who have become household names. She also ran the BFA Program in Acting at Marymount Manhattan College, and worked in television as well as New York and regional theatre. Lesly holds a BFA from New York University and an MFA from The Yale School of Drama.

Lesly Kahn, MFA

Acting Teacher & Coach

Expert Answer

The first thing I'd like you to do is not think of it as a character. I'd like you to think of it as a person. When we think of acting as playing a character, we start to act, and acting is actually the absence of acting. We should call acting "not acting," instead of calling acting "acting." When I conduct a search for my character, there's the implication that I am not already that character, but I'm a living, breathing sentient human being, I can already play that character. I don't even need you to understand the character, all I need you to do is think your character's thoughts. We think acting is acting like something else, when in effect, acting is actually thinking the thoughts of the person that we're playing in that genre, in those given circumstances, and in that relationship.

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Question

How do I better understand my character's motivations?

Lesly Kahn, MFA
Acting Teacher & Coach
Lesly Kahn is an acting teacher and coach based in Los Angeles, California. She is the founder and owner of Lesly Kahn & Company, Actor Training, which focuses on preparing actors for employment in film, television and theatre. With well over 30 years of experience, Ms. Kahn has coached hundreds of actors who have become household names. She also ran the BFA Program in Acting at Marymount Manhattan College, and worked in television as well as New York and regional theatre. Lesly holds a BFA from New York University and an MFA from The Yale School of Drama.

Lesly Kahn, MFA

Acting Teacher & Coach

Expert Answer

You want to, of course, read the script and think about what your character would think if they were in the given circumstance or relationship.

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