To think that acting isn't an especially difficult occupation?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I'm prepared to be met with strong opposition here, which is great and leads to interesting discussion, but both in threads on here and IRL, a lot of people seem to fawn over actors and actresses* and the ones who make it to the top are lauded on TV, BAFTAs, Oscars etc, paid ridiculous amounts of money - and a lot of them seem to think they fulfil such a crucial, serious role in society and should be given huge respect because of their outstanding skills and not just because of their fame/celebrity.

I'm not denying they entertain a lot of people - and that there are other professions, such as top-flight footballers, where they get paid even more money for a relatively frivolous job - but is what they do really so incredibly difficult? Isn't it just pretending to be somebody else and learning and saying words that somebody else has written? A lot of them have body and/or stunt doubles to take over the more difficult or less palatable parts, so they aren't even having to face those challenges.

*I also don't get why the word 'actress' is considered as offensive by many in the profession. There are no complaints that the sexes are separated when it comes to awards, which often include the word 'actress' in their names (and this makes great sense, as there are currently very few cross-gender roles, so the highest-regarded actress in the world most likely would never be considered for traditionally male roles, which are still routinely written as more important, given greater prominence and paid more for reasons of pure historic and enduring sexism).

However, the standard response is usually that we don't call female medics 'doctresses'; no, but we DO call restaurant servers waiters or waitresses, depending on their sex.

Grossly patronising phrases such as 'WPC', 'lady doctor' or 'male nurse' - where it's 'assumed' what the 'normal, expected' sex of the person will be unless you specifically tack on an extra word because you feel the need to draw attention to the 'shock' that 'it's a police officer - but it's a WOMAN!!!!' - have thankfully now been largely dumped except by the Daily Mail.

But when you have two equal-status words, depending on the sex of the person in question, neither of which is considered the default or more or less important - waitress/waiter, man/woman, schoolgirl/schoolboy, postman/postwoman etc. etc. - why should actress/actor be any different?

Fair enough if you just use a neutral word - waiting staff, person, schoolchild, postal worker, member of the acting profession etc. - but why should the male version automatically be considered the default and the female equivalent perceived as somehow of lower status or importance - or even an insult???? If that is somehow the case, then surely the word should be preserved/reclaimed and not just dumped, thus giving in to idiots like the one in Notting Hill, who claimed that the word 'actress' was synonymous with 'prostitute', making them feel validated and letting the ignoramuses win?

fluffedupferretonsteroids

Thank you - very good points.

When I said about stunt/body doubles, I was mainly thinking of the big celebrity names, but of course, many of those who are the least well-paid don't get that luxury (and in live theatre, of course, it's completely impossible) and have to do it all themselves - often over and over again, 6+ days a week.

Not read your full posts. But in response to the title, the vast majority of people actively seeking work as an actor can’t make enough money from acting to be financially independent. So in that sense it is an “especially difficult occupation”.

Not read your full posts. But in response to the title, the vast majority of people actively seeking work as an actor can’t make enough money from acting to be financially independent. So in that sense it is an “especially difficult occupation”.

I badly-worded the title, as previous posts, but purely going by the opening AIBU, would the fact that lots of people want to do the job not arguably suggest that it's NOT difficult?

I imagine there would be a huge long queue of people wanting to become, say, chocolate testers - but that doesn't mean it's an arduous job.

Having said that, though, I doubt that people are clamouring to become bin collectors, but it doesn't make it brain surgery.

Does difficult to get into equal difficult to do? Not that either of those potential understandings was particularly specified in the title, so it's a good point!

No the fact that lots of people want to do it suggests they want fame and are dreamers. Kurran from 2018 the apprentice is a classic example. No skill or training but billed himself as an actor.

Disparity in pay is one of the things Universal Income is supposed to address.
Under UI, everyone, employed or not, is giving enough money to survive on, say £15k per year.
Those who want more, get a job. Those who don't, don't have to.
The rest of the population value that job- so for example if the public value refuse collection, that becomes well-paid enough to attract workers. If the public values actors,then that job attracts a premium.
The theory is that people will get paid what the job they do is worth- if being a non-executive director of a company is thought to be worth less valuable than being a plumber, the director will no longer be able to command a salary many times high than a plumber.

I think your question is inherently misguided and a bit pointless tbh. You frame it as if you thought that actors were admired because what they do is a hard job (I presume in the sense of being physically demanding or requiring of huge responsibility or permanently long hours, rather than requiring skill to be good at it - which definitely is the case).

But tbh that is not why actors are admired. They're admired because they are in the public eye, are often good looking or clearly talented, and they do a job which entertains people.

Of course there are arrogant ones who think they are better than others. You get thosr kind of people in all walks of life, not just acting.

would the fact that lots of people want to do the job not arguably suggest that it's NOT difficult?

No, not remotely. There are lots of hard jobs that lots of people want to do, because the rewards (financial or otherwise) are high.

Being an actor isn’t hard as such, any more than being a singer is hard. But you do need to have a specific talent in both cases, and not all actors have that. Some are quite frankly shit and delusional about their own talent.

It is strange that actors/actresses are held in such high regard when they spend their days pretending to be other people in a story made up by someone else.

I think they fundamentally must have some type of personality disorder to want to have so much attention on them all the time.

I would think that the journey to getting an acting job and being paid for it is the tough bit.
You have to hone your craft but you also have to work to live. You also need experience to get roles. Agencys need to see you are capable.
It's endless, low paying jobs to have the flexibility to be available for auditions, call backs etc.
Often taking work you wouldn't want to do just to get your foot in the door.
I'm not an actor but I am in a similar field and very good at it. I made a choice 3 years ago to become a full time teacher(which I am also really good at) it was becoming tiresome working 3 partime jobs to keep a roof over our heads and no steady income from my chosen field. It's now my hobby and I do got work a couple of times a month from it but no longer feel the pressure of needing the pay check to live.

Im gonna ignore the actor/actress bit if thats ok

But acting is a hard job, very hard

But i would agree that the fawning over the top 5% (probably less) is dreadful

But so is the fawning over the top business people and top royalty

I think they fundamentally must have some type of personality disorder

It is strange that actors/actresses are held in such high regard when they spend their days pretending to be other people in a story made up by someone else.I think they fundamentally must have some type of personality disorder to want to have so much attention on them all the time.

Wow, it's almost as though some people don't see any value in literature and the arts and think that all actors only go into these things as careers because they are show-off fame-seekers rather than that they've been inspired by things they've read and watched, or by being in plays and drama groups as kids. How incredibly blinkered and uncultured. Maybe people who think this way only watch reality tv and other crap though.

To amswer your main question, while I do value the arts and recognise that some actors are very talented indeed, no I do not believe that it is uniquely difficult compared to a lot of other jobs.

You raise sport as well. I would argue that top level sports is more challenging, and more risky in terms of career ending injuries, as shown by Andy Murray this week. They also have a shorter career span and a very small number of top level athletes will also have additional skills (management, writing, presenting) to continue to work in the field after their 30s.

I think the reason many serious female actors do not want to be called "actresses" is that that, for some, that term has unfortunate connotations. Years ago, the stereotypical actress was a pretty young thing who got small acting roles by sleeping with the producer. "Actress" was often written in quotation marks as a way of suggesting that some called themselves that for the sake of respectability, but were really little different from prostitutes.

Years ago, many smutty jokes ended "... as the bishop said to the actress". The whole point was that they were two extremes.

I don't think it's that it's a difficult job exactly. More that it requires a talent that you either have or you haven't got. I'm a performing arts teacher and, while I passionately believe that anybody can be taught to improve their confidence and skills in acting and everybody can be coached, there are a few people who just 'have it' and are natural performers.

If you have that gift then no, the skills of the job aren't overly difficult (the irregular hours and stress of getting jobs is another matter!) But most people wouldn't be able to do the job. Not well, anyway.

Sure there are some people who have very average acting skills and are successful due to looks or connections. But it isn't fair to judge the majority of the industry on that.

TeachesofPeaches I suspect you're just trying to be mean but I do think it's true that a higher proportion of people working ( or participating as a hobby) in expressive arts have mental health problems than in most other areas of life. Not because of wanting attention though. I don't know why, really. Pressure to look or be a certain way maybe. Or using art as a way to express or deal with existing difficulties. Or something to do with emotional intelligence, over thinking or over feeling. Idk but it's just something I've observed. Might not even be true.

You've one on so many tangents at this point and waffled so much that I honestly don't know even what point you're making. Do you?

It's just word vomit.

Yanbu. It comes easily to people with acting talent, it's like a gift. It's not brain science or rocket surgery!!

Bloody difficult to make a living at though, except for the lucky few.

but certain of them seem to be so full of self-importance and routinely treat ordinary people

Lots of people treat other people like crap. I don't think it's job dependent.

I don’t think acting itself is any harder than many other jobs. If you have the talent and training the actual acting is probably easier than nursing/mining/working in an Amazon warehouse or any one of a gazillion other jobs. I think what makes acting hard as a profession is the uncertainty of finding gainful employment and the constant rejections at the audition stage.

My dad was a fairly successful actor when he was young but when he had kids he had to jack it in and get a ‘proper’ job with a regular income. He couldn’t rely on one well paid film that may or may not materialise in 3 months time or risk taking a theatre role for the production to close early. He always missed acting and certainly didn’t find it any harder than being a postman/security guard or any one of the other things he went on to do.

Well acting properlybus difficult. Many actors simply don’t though. YANBU for being confused OP.

Why does there need to be a different title for a woman as a man doing exactly the same job? AFAIK waiter and waitress is also falling out of fashion as it's completely antiquated. As far as it not being a difficult job, clearly it's not easy or everyone would be good at it. They're not. Acting is an art, as is singing, dancing, painting etc. Art performed well is difficult