Many aspiring actors would like to know how old the acting career is to begin. This is a common question because like most professions, you will not always cross a line at a certain age.
Enable me to give you a little teaser on the following: there is no age limit for actors. Everyone can start training or work as an actor at any age. What shifts are the approach to acting and starting acting career at 40.
The incredible thing about the performing career is that it is so flexible and unpredictable. You can start an active career in your twenties and get recognition only in your fifties, or in your sixties and get a big breakthrough in 3-5 years.
First of all, no worker who knows the organization will ever say that anyone is too old to act. It is just not meaningful. The only people who can ever have this “advice” are those who do not know how the entertainment company functions.
Of course, there are benefits of becoming a young actor at the beginning of your 20s, no doubt. However, there are also many disadvantages. And the same goes with being an older actor just beginning – there are benefits and drawbacks to beginning your acting career in your sixties.
It is an interesting time to start playing 50s, 60s and above. While there may usually be less role for this generation, the odd thing is that while you are starting in your 60s, other actors already quit the industry in their lifetime (or left long before that).
The magic here is starting acting career after 40. This means that there will probably be less competition for you than for stakeholders in the 20s and 30s.
That said, if you want to start an acting career older, it is important to learn how the industry works and what you are going to experience.
If you want to excel, to advance continually, to become bigger and better roles and even make more money from your acting abilities that is a horrible advice. If you do not want to do that for fun, then you can enter and do that in the evenings when you have free time – in a nearby community theatre. Do not make it your occupation. Do not make it your occupation.
You have one thing to understand. The acting process is just a fraction of what you will have to do once you begin. Much of it is based on the business side of acting: studying, reading, listening, communicating, networking, marketing, etc. This is all to get the job and enjoy the process.