Aspiring actors quickly realize that making a vocation as an actor isn’t about chasing fame, professionals say.
Everyone has an image of what it’s like to be an actor.
We see actors everywhere. We see them in our favorite films and TV shows. We see them on talk shows and posters. We see them on red carpets — and on their Instagram posts, showing us how they glammed up for the red carpets. We see them win awards. We read their memoirs.
Unlike the hundreds of other jobs in Hollywood that are often so seamlessly tucked behind the scenes that they’re invisible, the job of an actor is hyper-visible.
It’s the job — professionals say — that everyone thinks they understand. But do we?
Hollywood is made of expert storytellers, and it’s not only the fiction on screen that sells. We’re also always consuming the perfectly crafted nonfiction of celebrities, who are usually there to promote their latest project.
As a result, we often conflate the reality of an actor with the fantasy of a celebrity.
“Acting is so misunderstood,” said Rodney To, actor and USC assistant professor of theater practice. “It’s a lot of ‘Oh, you’re not famous? So therefore you must suck at what you do. You must not have ‘made it’ yet.’ ”
We don’t often get to read stories about the hundreds of thousands of actors who are not household names. They don’t get interviewed when they get their SAG-AFTRA card; when that popular commercial they booked gets them a manager; when they find their community of supportive actors; when they finally make enough money to quit their day job; when a fan still recognizes them from their role on “The A Team” in 1983 — or any of the other wins along the way that add up to a successful acting career.
The majority of actors are “what we call ‘working actors,’ ” said Behzad Dabu, whose credits include “How to Get Away With Murder” and “The Good Place.” “They can go to the park and grocery store without getting stopped or mobbed. They bought a house. They raised children. They have a car. And they can afford all of that by being an actor.”
So here are eight actors, in various stages of their career, whose stories and definitions of success might change how you think about what it means to be a successful, working actor.
The job of a Hollywood actor is equal parts creative and business. Professionals demystify what the job is and how to strategize for a long career.
Grew up in: East Los Angeles
First acting job: Hostage girl in “Without a Trace”
Other jobs along the way: Waiter, bartender, barista, usher, theater and dance teacher for kids
You might know her as: Lidia in “Gentefied,” Judy in “Flamin’ Hot”
What is success? Chasing joy and staying true to herself
“Success is just a feeling. I don’t want someone saying, ‘You booked this job’ or ‘We want you on this talk show,’ to be the only thing that gives me that feeling.”
— Annie Gonzalez
Grew up in: San Diego
First acting job: A sheep in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Other jobs along the way: NBCUniversal intern, waiter, Uber driver, brand ambassador, sales associate
You might know him as: Alex in “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” Colin in “Hellraiser”
What is success: Being able to explore the world and meet new people
“What I’m doing right now — this has always kind of been the dream: to travel to places I’ve never seen before and meet people I’ve never met.”
— Adam Faison
Grew up in: Syracuse, N.Y.
First acting job: Akthar in “The History Boys” at TimeLine Theatre
Other jobs along the way: Columbia College’s associate director of international admissions, acting coach
You might know him as: Simon in “How to Get Away With Murder,” Amir in “The Chi”
What is success: Earning financial independence by doing what he loves
“When I was able to support myself fully and solely on acting, it was massive. It was life-changing.”
— Behzad Dabu
Grew up in: Seattle
First acting job: Street vendor in “Partners in Crime” with Loni Anderson and Lynda Carter
Other jobs along the way: Radio and TV host, tour guide, Japanese interpreter for film and commercials
You might know her as: Kumu in “Magnum P.I.,” Sue in “Fifty First Dates”
What is success: Having the respect of her peers and being able to show up for the community
Success can look like “the freedom to say no to jobs that are not interesting. But also to say yes to the small community-driven films that don’t pay very much.”
— Amy Hill
Grew up in: Coatlán del Río, Mexico
First acting job: A role in “Julius Caesar” at the Teatro Tepeyac in Mexico City
Other jobs along the way: English teacher, encyclopedia salesman
You might know him as: Alien Head on Stick in “Men in Black,” Eduardo Villanueva in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
What is success: Mastering the craft and connecting with fans
“They tell me in the streets how much they hate me. But to me, that is my success. Because that means I was able to convince people with what I performed.”
— Sergio Calderón
Grew up in: Littleton and Kiowa, Colo.
First acting job: A regional Toyota commercial
Other jobs along the way: Co-founder of Working.Actor, chief operating officer of the digital marketing company TSMA Consulting Inc.
You might know him as: Officer Dan in “Vengeance,” Young Walter in “9-1-1: Lone Star”
What is success: Supporting future generations of storytellers
“Success is really about, ‘Ultimately, am I happy and living my values?’ And for me, personally, my core mission statement is to be a champion for social change through art and business.”
— Ben Whitehair
Grew up in: Washington, D.C., and Atlanta
First acting job: An off-off-Broadway show in New York
Other jobs along the way: Investor relations, coach, consultant, educator
You might know her as: Deja from “The Chi,” Agnes from “Russian Doll”
What is success: Being an entrepreneurial artist
“The world is going to evolve your perceptions of success. What you see as possible, what you see others achieving — that’s going to keep evolving, so your own picture of success needs to evolve.”
— Carolyn Michelle Smith
Grew up in: Chicago
First acting job: A butler in Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost”
Other jobs along the way: Temp, hotel front desk agent, operations clerk, travel coordinator, USC assistant professor
You might know him as: Typhoon in “Parks and Recreation,” Tito Arthur in “Easter Sunday”
What is success to him: Career longevity
“If I ever use the word success at all, it’s that somebody is able to make a lifetime’s career out of something as mercurial and precarious as being an actor.”
— Rodney To
Photo editing and design by Calvin B. Alagot.
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