I feel like I'm going to explode?

Question:Im 23 and have been sorta holding myself back for a long long time. I have been depressed for a long time too. I know in my heart, that acting and a lifestyle in acting is where i want and NEED to be in my life to truly come out and be who I am supposed to. Is it too late? What can I do to get out of this rut I have been in for so long? Hollywood is a dirty place these days, and I'm not sure what I'm thinking at this point. Help!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Im 23 and have been sorta holding myself back for a long long time. I have been depressed for a long time too. I know in my heart, that acting and a lifestyle in acting is where i want and NEED to be in my life to truly come out and be who I am supposed to. Is it too late? What can I do to get out of this rut I have been in for so long? Hollywood is a dirty place these days, and I'm not sure what I'm thinking at this point. Help!

Well I am 68 & my life has been on hold since my son is out
on House Arrest. Now we are patiently waiting for him to be on Parole .He has been living with me & my exhusband since
April 12,2007.I have met someone & want to start my life over just one more time! Since you are still young I say go for it & live your dream before your life is over also!!! Life is to short
not to be doing what you want to do .

It's never too late. You must break out, express yourself, and pursue a fulfilling life.

Don't make the mistake of thinking there's a dramatic solution to all of your problems if you run off to Hollywood & join the movies, though. The world doesn't work that way. Instead, think about what you want out of life, and find readily available ways to satisfy yourself.

Yes Hollywood is a dirty place,
But you do get to make your own choices!
If acting is something you really want to do then i say go for it,

I just turned 31 and I feel like I've been in a rut as well - playing things too safe and not really doing things that were good for my career. It is definitely not too late to start taking your acting career seriously and proactively taking charge of it.

It has been about one week since I decided to really work on my career, get out of my rut, push myself, and do things that are out of my comfort zone.

It's strange, but once you really get your mind set in the right place and start thinking positively and start doing things you know you should have done a long time ago, somehow things just start falling into place.

In literally one week, I have started taking dance classes again - and already did 2 performances with my dance class (after only a 1-hour lesson), I found a voice teacher, I managed to get 3 appointments for EPA (equity principal audition) auditions - even though I'm not equity yet - including one that is out of state. I have found two new audition songs and 1 new audition monologue. I have been offered a photo shoot. And I have contacted a composer looking for singers for a musical he's writing - so that may be something I will get to do as well.
All this in one week.

I think it's important to do at least one thing for your career everyday - whether it is taking a class, skimming audition ads and submitting yourself for something, finding a new audition piece, updating your resume, etc. That's all I've done and things are just falling into place already.

Start coming up with a plan. What is your goal? What is the most realistic way of achieving it? If it's Hollywood and film or TV, those are the things you want to concentrate on. So, you may not want to audition for theatre as much, but find auditions for all the indy films you can and develop a reel you could market yourself with.

It's never too late, as long as you are committed to your goal and the steps to get there. You have to pursue it actively and not rely on getting discovered - that's how we get ourselves in a rut. Know it's going to be hard and probably long, but if you really work at it - you can be a successful working actor (not necessarily famous or filthy rich.)

I'm really trying hard and I'm proud at what I accomplished in this week. I'm going to see if I can end up on Broadway or a national tour within five years - even if it's in the chorus. If not, that's okay, but I'm going to work hard with that as my goal. I haven't auditioned for a musical in over 10 years - but I have 2 musical auditions lined up. I'm trying to get over my fears and the things I think have been holding me back for so long.

I feel I'm ready now and I feel this is the right time for me.

Are you really ready? Are you dedicated to acting? If yes, then do something good for your career everyday. Keep a positive eye on your goal. For me, I've had to completely alter how I think about things - and already, I think it's opened my up to opportunity.

Feel free to e-mail me - sometimes it's nice to have someone to bounce thoughts off of.

I used to want to be an actor or have something to do with film or theatre and I came to my senses and dropped it. You could call it "throwing away your dreams" but that's what you have to do sometimes. North American culture puts a lot of emphasis on "following your dreams" but it's not always the best philosophy. The people who attain their "dreams" are like in a 5% category of the population.

A lifestyle in acting = being strapped for cash. Actors and actresses work hard. Acting doesn't pay well unless you're an A-list star so get in touch with reality first. If you can handle being a waiter at night and acting in a theatre company during the day, then do that. Just as long as you're comfortable with a "struggling artist" lifestyle.

I know a few people who have purused acting and have landed a few gigs but haven't become stars by any means. They seem happy. One of my friends said he would "try it out" for a bit and just become a teacher if he became unhappy.

Moral of the story: be realistic.