Received an email from Backstage wanting me to write an article on the difference between actors from state to state. Since I have six studios across the east and have taught in 20 states so far and international I have a lot to say.

First question I would like to ask is, does anyone here truly know what it takes to be an actor?

I was taught a long time ago, as a young actor in the mid 1970s, that when you bring your love of the craft to class, you change the way other actors and teachers look at you. Take that same love for the craft and apply it to the stage or set, you change the way the actors, industry and audience look at you and allows you to fulfill your desire to be great.

Anyone can say that they are an actor, but can they deliver what it truly means to be an actor. It’s much more then expensive headshots, more than just smiling for the camera or the way you walk into a room or a red carpet event. It’s about being a part of something greater than just yourself, it is your heart as an actor, the colors of your soul, the way you wake each and every morning and question the universe, your very being as an actor and a person, and this thing we all do and want to be successful at. 

Acting is a process. It is a journey of discovery. It is a living breathing process that happens each and every day and does not happen overnight. Becoming an actor is learning a new way of thinking and about the way you look at life. Just as you make choices in life that determine your success or your failure. It goes the same for your choices you make as an actor.

My article will no doubt offend some people when its finished and some of you will probably block me. There are those of you that truly understand the REAL world of acting and those of you that have some lessons to be learned. Look in the mirror and ask yourself are you doing everything possible to move you craft, career and business forward?

I have been told that at times I can be to REAL, to HONEST, to IN YOU FACE (at times). I am only that way because there is a real world of acting out there that you will never see because you did not take it serious early in the game. 

Be serious, take this serious, be the professional actor that everyone will want to hire - Starting Today!

God Bless.

John Pallotta

www.johnpallotta.com