The profession of an actress is difficult and interesting at the same time. It includes many highlights: long-term shooting, frequent tours, new acquaintances with famous actors and directors. A professional actress should be able to play any role perfectly, realistically bring any image to life, be able to control her emotions, emphasize her femininity, sensuality, and beauty on stage as much as possible. But in order to become truly recognizable, the actress has to overcome many difficulties on the way to success, play difficult, and sometimes even dangerous, roles on the stage of the theater or for the film.

Any actress must have a talent for impersonation and a pronounced artistry in order to achieve universal success. In addition, it is important to have some related skills:

• observation,
• great memory,
• diligence,
• photogenic,
• charm,
• bright external data,
• creative thinking,
• oratory,
• good ear for music,
• energy,
• self confidence,
• creativity and more.

If we talk about professional skills, then the actress must possess not only acting, but also some knowledge in the field of literature, psychology, choreography, and musical directions.

In addition to the above, a good actress must have a strong voice, perfect control of her body and have the ability to naturally communicate with colleagues during the filming process or acting on stage.

The history of the profession actress

The origins of acting art originate from primitive times, given the fact that at that time, the very concept of "art" did not exist. Each tribe had its own special dances and rituals, which further contributed to the division of some people into spectators, and others into performers of actions. Such art was passed down from generation to generation, constantly modernized and became more and more interesting.

The appearance of the first actresses is attributed to the period of existence Ancient Greece. But, in those days, only men were allowed to perform on stage (they brought to life both male and female roles), and female actresses performed only in traveling theater troupes, which was a kind of folk theater. Women could start acting professionally only in the Middle Ages, when secular plays began to be staged on the stage.

To date, acting is taught in special institutions, where future actresses have been improving their talent for playing on stage for several years. Since earlier in the professional duties of the first actresses there was a certain stiffness of actions and stereotypes, now the work of actresses includes many talents.

Pros and cons of being an actress

The main positive moment for representatives of the female half of humanity in the profession of an actress is the opportunity to become famous and recognizable. Indeed, the prospect of becoming the second Marilyn Monroe or Julia Roberts is very tempting. Although for such a positive combination of circumstances you need a little: Lucky case, a little perseverance, the desire for self-improvement and a lot of work.

Also, the undoubted advantages of this type of activity can be safely attributed to:

• constant tours, which makes it possible to see all the beauty of the world;
• a lot of communication, which makes life rich and varied;
• high fees, the more popular the actress becomes, the more in demand she is and earns more.

But every medal has two sides. The main disadvantages of this profession include:

• lack of personal life - you need to immediately decide what is more important to you;
• risks to life or health - performing certain roles or stunts often become dangerous;
• frequent hiking conditions, which for some may simply cause discomfort, while others consider this simply unacceptable for themselves;
• huge, constant competition, which keeps the actress in a constant tone and does not allow to relax for a single minute.

Profession actress - salary

The salaries of film actresses and theater actresses can differ significantly. Although it often happens that a theater actress can combine her work with episodic film roles. It should also be remembered that wages domestic actresses slightly lower than foreign colleagues. However, it is possible to single out an average wages workers in this industry, which varies within 5 million dollars. in year. Taking into account the fact that actresses, for participating in extras, can receive only 10 dollars.

Actresses are strong-willed and beautiful people in a word, great. But in order to become a good actress, you need to be able to confidently overcome all the difficulties in your path or just “catch luck by the tail”, which is no less effective.

Almost every girl dreams of trying on different roles. Alas, in real life such an opportunity may not present itself: daughter, wife, mother, sister. But you still want to feel like a special agent, a queen, an exotic princess, a witch ... And the girls of the whole world see no other way out than to become an actress. It is this profession that makes it possible to reveal all the facets of a changeable female disposition.

However, the profession of an actress is not only a constant change of roles and environments, but hard work. We will understand the important nuances of this craft and decide what it takes to become an actress.

Profession of an actress

Being an actress is considered prestigious in all countries of the world where cinema is developed. Good actors receive generous fees, which, of course, we know from the network and other sources. However, acting is hard work, despite the external idleness and brilliance.

Interested in how to become an actress, we must appreciate the following important and especially pleasant feature of this profession: age is not a hindrance. Whether we are very young or already retired, you can always discover your acting talent and become a sought-after professional.

theater actress

The theater is an ancient art form, very specific, but charming. The theater actress is required to create an emotionally rich, extremely vivid image on the stage of the theater, while hundreds of pairs of spectators' eyes look at her. This is the most important feature of working on stage: interaction with the viewer takes place in real time, directly.

The theater actress has a great responsibility: you need to perfectly rehearse the role, memorize every word and every movement of the character. During the performance, a professional theater actress cannot make a mistake: get confused in the lines or forget from which corner of the stage the partner will appear. Given that a person can never be wrong, in cases where a mistake is made on stage, professional actresses are saved by the ability to improvise and charisma. The first of these qualities can be developed in oneself when the second is nevertheless laid at birth.

The main task of the theater actress

The task of the theater actress is to create a voluminous artistic image on stage. It must be multifaceted and “alive”, and for this, the actress fully gets used to the image of her character.

However, the most important task of the actress is precisely theater stage- is to cause the reaction of the audience with his game. This is the acting talent, and it also leads to success in this field.

Film actress

Movie actresses are very popular due to the fact that modern viewers mostly prefer cinema. In addition, film actresses receive much higher fees than theater workers.

At the same time, it is no less difficult for a movie screen actress to work than a theater actress. Her professional duties include studying the personality of her hero and his embodiment in front of a movie camera. The only "indulgence" for the film actress is that it is possible to shoot several takes. At the same time, she needs to take care to show herself in a favorable light in front of the camera. It is known that the camera "loves" far from all people, so this factor is important in the career of a film actress.

The film actress has to find a common language with a huge number of people with whom she has to work. Directors, screenwriters, colleagues in the film (series) - everyone needs to work together for the highest possible result.

What does it take to become an actress?

In order to become a successful recognizable actress, in demand for filming or theatrical productions, you need to have a whole bunch of professional qualities and natural talents. A good springboard for starting gives acting education in special educational institutions.

Not every girl can prove herself in professional acting. It will take, again, innate talent, improved by a mass of skills developed on its own.

Yes, the actress successful career, in addition to all of the above, you need natural charm, charisma, a willingness to give yourself completely to work, to get used to the image of another person to the smallest detail, even if you don’t like the person herself. A big plus for the actress is the presence of a well-trained voice, excellent memory for memorizing large amounts of text.

The ability to improvise is valued in actresses, to bring their own zest to each role, even 100% stereotyped. Many great actors are extremely energetic and spontaneous people.

Also, before deciding whether to be an actress, you need to soberly assess whether you can withstand a busy filming schedule, heavy loads on film set or the stage, because according to the scenario, you will have to run, and jump, and, possibly, fly or climb a sheer cliff.

Acting training

Acting skills are taught in special educational institutions. To enter such a higher or secondary educational institution, some preparation is necessary.

At the interview, you will be asked to play a character or recite your favorite poem (fable). You may not be given specific tasks, and then you can present a prepared scene. But most likely, you will be called a very specific character. Here you need to be prepared for any surprises, such as playing Voldemort's attack on Harry Potter or a mushroom in the autumn rain. You will need a rich imagination, public speaking skills and composure.

Based on all this, admission to a theater university is considered a great achievement, and receiving a higher theater education even more significant. With all the importance of education, the comprehensive self-development of the actress, both during its receipt and after, is extremely important. In fact, the training of an actress never ends.

Features of admission to the university

When planning to study acting, it is worth analyzing your capabilities. The predisposition to be an artist is necessary, otherwise even the most competent and diligent training will turn into a waste of time. If you have the right data, you can safely continue on the path to your dream.

Having thoroughly prepared for any tasks that may be thrown by the selection committee, you need to decide where you are better off applying for an actress. The best option is to first choose a convenient city if yours does not have the necessary educational institutions, and then apply wherever you can. Do not miss any theater schools, not a single acting department at universities and cultural institutes. So you can always be in the know, always on the spot and ready for the passage of several qualifying rounds, attending preparatory courses and other situations.

Before the start of the qualifying rounds, visit the departments of selected universities, collect as much information as possible about the upcoming admission, and talk with teachers. It would also be nice to talk to the students of these universities, as they can give valuable advice, like people who have gone through everything that is yet to come. Students of such a challenge can advise how to behave with this or that teacher, if he is in admission committee. No one else will definitely advise you this, including the teachers themselves. While interacting with people, remember to be polite and courteous, but also do not hide your identity in order to be able to get some kind of "credibility".

Is it possible to become an actress without education?

If you do not have the time, desire or opportunity to undergo long-term studies at a university, the question is how to become an actress without education and whether it is possible to do this at all.

Judging by the experience of famous personalities from Western countries, this is possible. You just need to really want and not be lazy.

Secrets of famous self-taught actresses

The answer to this question is obvious: Western countries most famous actresses do not have a special education. At the same time, they are popular, successful and professional in their field. Their secret, of course, is in their innate abilities and determination. Many of them from early youth, feeling a burning desire to break into the top of the acting world, began to develop the necessary skills, attended auditions and reviews. They took part in the smallest, insignificant project, gradually making their way to more prestigious and paid ones. They might simply not have time for acting education, but they had time to work.

Among our beautiful actresses there are such examples too. These are Alena Babenko, Yuliya Snigir and others. There are many more such examples in Hollywood: Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, Marilyn Monroe. Moreover, these megastars have not received any education (not even a full school education). At first - due to poverty or other barriers, then they simply had no time for it.

Results

Being an actress means a lot, without interruptions, to work on yourself. Before you become an actress, start taking the first steps towards your dream, you need to understand yourself in order to make sure of your prospects.

Preparation for admission to a theater university should be thorough. After all, you have to show your talent in front of a commission that has seen hundreds of such enthusiasts before. Making an impression is the most important task during the passage of all stages of admission to the university for an actress. All the time after graduation, you will also need to improve yourself in order to grow and achieve great success.

Without special education, there are also chances to become an actress. In this case, purposefulness and a natural gift for playing in public should come to the fore.

These are the results of our article. In it, we analyzed some moments of the bright dream of many girls - how to become a film or theater actress, to be successful and in demand. We hope you enjoyed reading the material, and you were able to learn something new for yourself from the article.

There are a huge number of educational institutions in Russia. Some of them are more popular, some less. And this is not always associated with the prestige of a university, college or technical school. For example, the thresholds of all theatrical educational institutions, regardless of whether it is prestigious GITIS or little known theatre studio, every year, an incredibly large number of young people who dream of becoming an actress or actor are invariably beaten.

In Russia, there is a huge number of educational institutions involved in the training of specialists in all areas of activity. Some of them are more popular among applicants, some less. And this is not always associated with the prestige of a university, college or technical school. For example, the thresholds of all, without exception, theatrical higher and secondary specialized educational institutions, regardless of whether it is prestigious GITIS or a little-known theater studio, every year invariably beats an incredibly large number of young people who dream of getting profession of an actress or an actor.

What makes them strive to become one of Melpomene's servants? Everyone has their own goals. Someone is attracted by the prospect of becoming famous and famous. Someone is chasing the "long ruble", because he is sure that all the actors have more than a decent income. And for some, this profession is the only opportunity to show their Creative skills and bring joy to people every day. However, no matter what goals the future actor or actress pursues, few of those entering theatrical universities and studios are ready for the fact that work in the theater or film industry is not only the brilliance of the limelight or popular love, but also hard work that can "break" even the strongest and most persistent. And this is especially true for actresses, whose professional activities we will talk about today.

Who is an actress?

Professional performer of diverse female roles(both major and minor) in theatrical productions, films, video clips or commercials, guided by the script and the instructions of the production director.

The name of the profession comes from the Latin actor (performer), which directly indicates the type of activity of a specialist - to play a role, to play someone. The history of the profession goes back to ancient times, when shamans and fortune tellers played whole performances for their fellow tribesmen in order to achieve their obedience. The appearance of the first actors is usually attributed to the times of ancient Greece.

However, since in ancient Greek theaters only men could perform on stage (and indeed attend a performance in general), female actresses were only in the troupes of wandering comedians, which were an ancient folk theater. Actresses were able to professionally engage in acting activities only in the Middle Ages, when theater stage began to "staging" secular plays.

It is noteworthy that if the professional duties of the first actresses were significantly limited by the stereotyped and one-dimensional character types, then after the appearance of the famous Stanislavsky System (early 20th century) work of actresses went far beyond mere performance. Modern actresses not only learn the texts of the role and create an image through the use of external tools (costume and makeup), intonations, attitudes, facial expressions and body movements, but also take an active part in discussing the character and type of the character. They literally get used to the role, "trying on" the events described in the script and bringing situations from real life into the play.

What personality traits should an actress have?

Since the profession we are describing is creative, any actress, first of all, must have a pronounced artistry and the ability to transform. In addition, succeed in acting career The actress will be helped by such personal qualities as:

If we talk about professional knowledge and skills, then a good actress must possess not only acting skills, but also knowledge in the field of the basics of psychology, modern and classical literature, genre-role specifics, musical trends and choreography. In addition, an actress engaged in theatrical productions must have a strong voice, impeccable articulation and the ability to naturally communicate with colleagues on stage.

Benefits of being an actress

It is not difficult to guess that the main advantage of the profession of an actress without exception, the representatives of the weaker sex consider the opportunity to become famous and popular. And in fact, everyone has the prospect of becoming the second Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Lyubov Orlova, Alisa Freindlich or Irina Muravyova. talented actress. And you need quite a bit for this: a happy coincidence, a great desire and a gigantic capacity for work.

Along with popular love and demand among directors, the actress can also count on an increase in fees, the size of which can cause envy among the average man in the street. If you believe Forbes magazine, then the total income, for example, Anastasia Zavorotnyuk is about $ 1 million, but Svetlana Khodchenkova, who has already managed to conquer not only domestic cinema, but also Hollywood, according to some reports, receives more than $ 4,000 in just one shooting day.

The undoubted advantages of this profession also include:

• frequent tours - allow you to travel a lot and for a long time;
• a lot of communication - and with a variety of people, including those who have already achieved life and professional success;
• diversity - the work of an actress and boredom, concepts are completely incompatible, and therefore the working days of the servants of Melpomene are never "gray" and monotonous.

Disadvantages of being an actress

Let's just say that acting work has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. And the most important disadvantage of the profession of an actress is that the very confluence of happy circumstances can be expected for more than one year (and even a dozen years). A striking example of this is the career of Lyudmila Artemyeva ("Taxi Driver", "Who's the Boss", "Matchmakers", etc.), who went to her professional success for 18 long years.

By the way, the average actress (that is, those who were not lucky enough to be born "under lucky star") cannot boast of large fees. So, according to statistics, the average monthly salary of a theater actress today is about 20-30 thousand rubles. At the same time, most of the earnings are spent on maintaining their attractive appearance, since the artist's "face" is her calling card and one of the main "tools" of the work.

Those girls who decide to choose this profession for themselves should also not forget that behind the external brilliance and well-being of work professional activity actresses hides in itself:

• almost complete lack of personal life - constant rehearsals, filming, tours, script discussions, etc.
• risks to health and life - performing various tricks can cause injuries, and shooting "on location" under adverse weather conditions - the occurrence of acute and chronic diseases;
• camping conditions - during the tour, artists sometimes have to forget not only what coziness and comfort are, but also what hot water in a hotel room or a full meal in a restaurant;
• there is a lot of competition - a huge number of future actresses study at theatrical universities and studios, but only a few achieve success.

And most importantly, popularity is a fickle lady. The history of Russian cinema knows many examples when actresses, who until recently bathed in the rays of popular love, today "drown" in oblivion. Nobody invites them to filming films or to theatrical performances, which means they do not receive fees either.

Where can you get a job as an actress?

To become an actress, it is not at all necessary to have a specialized education, it is enough to be talented and lucky. A lot of well-known actresses (for example, Iya Savvina, Vera Glagoleva or Faina Ranevskaya) either did not have an acting education at all, or received it already being famous and popular.

But it must be taken into account that studying at theatrical universities or studios is not just learning the basics acting skills, but also the opportunity to show their creative potential to leading directors. Indeed, in educational institutions, as a rule, master classes, creative meetings, student productions are very often held, during which directors and famous actors not only share professional secrets, but also look closely at future artists. Therefore, we still recommend that you first graduate from a specialized educational institution, and only then try your hand at acting.

What separates a good actor from a bad one? There is such a well-known expression of T. Edison, which has become winged: “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% diligence”, and its no less famous variation: “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work”. In accordance with the Stanislavsky system, learning also begins with long and painstaking work on oneself. It consists, firstly, of the development of professional acting qualities, and secondly, of training the ability to use special techniques of stage play. The first block will be covered in this lesson, the second - in the next.

Determining the qualities an actor should have

Actor Qualities- these are the personal characteristics of a person, in a complex providing the opportunity to successfully play various roles.

Unlike specific skills, for example, the ability to laugh in time or show surprise, professional qualities combine a whole range of skills and abilities, which makes it impossible to consider each quality in detail in one lesson. Therefore, this lesson will describe common features what qualities and skills a good actor should have. In addition, the stage artist needs not only to have a certain set of personal and professional characteristics, but also to constantly, daily work on himself, improving his skills. Therefore, for each quality, recommendations and exercises for its training and development are given. They will be considered in accordance with the structure, his followers and students:

First group "Qualities of any good actor" These are the skills that anyone needs to apply acting in life, whether they plan to use it to play in the theater or filming a movie, or just want to look believable, explaining their one hour late to work. With regard to these characteristics, you can safely apply the "necessary minimum" - this is what everyone should know and be able to do.

Second group "Professional quality" it is necessary to a greater extent for professionals, for those for whom acting is a craft. These qualities are associated with work on stage, interaction with actors, spectators and many other important components of acting.

Qualities of any good actor

Developed attention

Any person does his job better if nothing distracts him, but only on the subject of the current lesson. Actors are no exception, for whom life on stage is impossible without the ability to observe, the ability to switch and focus attention within the stage environment.

In this regard, one of the foundations of the internal technique of the actor is the selective orientation of perception during the performance. Many of our readers who are familiar with may notice that at a certain level of training, the ability to concentrate becomes arbitrary. This is true, but in the case of the art of acting, everything is much more complicated than it might seem at first glance. The fact is that in everyday life our attention is driven by unconditioned reflexes, in other words, instinctively. During a conversation, we never think about how to stand or sit, how to control our voice, etc. But for an artist, this matters, because in a real stage environment he must pay attention to all aspects of the game - speech, gestures, facial expressions, posture, prompter, and when events change, change the direction of his perception.

The following recommendations will help the actor to achieve success in terms of developing this quality:

1. Don't try to focus on too many details. This leads to so-called acting cramps: involuntary actions on stage that betray your insecurities. Remember that the rule "" works for the attention of any person.
2. Attention and short-term memory are skills that can be purposefully controlled using, for example, game techniques. How to do this, read the special lesson "" on our website.
3. Attention very much depends on the current and physical condition of a person, for example, how much he slept, whether he is worried about personal problems today. Try to always perform in a good mood. For this purpose, you can use yoga and.

K.S. Stanislavsky also believed that the process of improving a skill should be constant: “Watching life, an artist should look around him not like an absent-minded layman and not like a cold statistician who needs only the factual and digital accuracy of the information he collects. The artist needs to penetrate into the essence of what is being observed, to carefully study the circumstances and actions of people offered by life, to understand the mood of the soul, the character of the one who performs these actions. In addition, a set of special exercises has been created to teach stage attention:

Exercise 1. Take an unfamiliar picture, look at it carefully for 5 seconds, and then try to remember all the details. In the future, take large canvases with complex patterns.

Exercise 2. Take a pencil in each hand and start drawing at the same time: right - a circle, left - a triangle. It is important to finish both figures at the same time. You can also write different numbers or letters.

Read more about stage attention, the stages of learning this acting skill in our blog. More useful exercises for its development is possible.

Oratorical skills

“We hate the theatricality in the theater, but we love the stage on the stage ... the voice should sing in conversation and in poetry, sound like a violin, and not knock words like peas on a board”, - wrote K. S. Stanislavsky. The ability to make speeches that have long become rhetoricians (and there are many of them in drama) is an important quality not only for or university lecturers. The same speech can be delivered in such a way that everyone falls asleep, or vice versa, they will catch every word. Much depends on the speaker, so it is important for every aspiring actor to develop his stage speech.

You should also pay attention to the development of your voice, its sound. To do this, you need to perform a set of exercises for setting breathing, articulation, tonality, diction. Here is some of them:

Exercise 1. Development of breathing. Starting position: standing, arms from shoulder to elbow in a horizontal position (parallel to the floor). From the elbow down (forearms and hands) - hang vertically. Inhale through the stomach, on the exhale we pronounce the sound “p” and make a circular motion with the forearms and hands, the shoulder remains fixed. On the next exhalation, we make 2 circular revolutions, then 3 and so on up to 6. Then we reduce the speed from 6 to 1.

Exercise 2. Diction. Try to reproduce the sound of a nail being driven into a wall, a horse stomping on the pavement, a bowstring lowered. You should get not a banal “tsok”, but something along the lines of “svsy”, “tzzu”, “vzsi”, in other words - divide the action into sounds that you hear.

Imagination and the ability to think creatively

Feeling the truth- this is the ability to feel the plausibility (realism) of the action. It is connected primarily with understanding the principles of human actions, the logic and incentives for the actions of the hero being played. Secondly, it is the actor's ability to distinguish between natural emotions and behavior from unnatural ones, and not only those of others, but also their own. "Physical clamps" - conditions that dull realism and naturalness (desire to stand out, stiffness, self-control) interfere with the development of a sense of truth. To get rid of them, K. S. Stanislavsky recommended in 2 stages:

• Development of the truth of simple physical actions. In life, we pour boiling water over tea, stir sugar, drink, without thinking about the nature of these actions, performing them automatically. The simplest physical actions are understandable and close to everyone, so it is worth starting with their training within the stage environment, gradually moving towards the veracity of emotions.
• Development of logic and sequence. Physical actions are instinctive, but events in the theater are fictional and take place, for example, a couple of centuries before our time, and therefore everyday instincts fail. Therefore, actors must subordinate their actions and sequences, performing them as in life, because without this a sense of faith cannot be developed.

As mentioned above, not the last role in providing a sense of truth is played by imagination and fantasy - qualities that allow the actor to explain and justify the actions of his character. The sincerity of the role, feelings and emotions is achieved not only through an emotional response, but also through the ability to believe in the actions of the hero, to take his place in order to understand their nature. Without this, a good truthful game does not exist.

emotional memory

stage freedom

They say that a skilled swordsman can always be identified by the way he moves: his gestures are smooth, but skillful enough, confidence is seen in every step, as in any movement - cold calculation. Such a representation, perhaps a little romanticized, but reflects the general essence - people different professions move differently. Actors are no exception: poses, gestures, even the banal walking of which should be distinguished by freedom.

Freedom is understood as the natural behavior of an actor on stage, when he does not play, but lives. It is acquired in the process of developing such a component of acting technique as. And in, and his followers, in particular, the movement was given the place of the main means of the external technique of the actor. At the same time, they argued that there were no special methods for teaching beginners the art of moving correctly: “You cannot teach the creative application of movement, but you can only educate the neuro-physical apparatus in a direction that is especially beneficial for stage work.”

In this regard, the actor should develop such qualities as plasticity and control over muscle tension. Plasticity - the beauty of movement, grace, expressiveness of the artist - the appearance of the movement. The control of tension allows the actor to perform the movements correctly - not mechanically, but not overly exaggerated or sloppy. Since the lack of movement for modern man has become a familiar phenomenon, the actor needs to pay due attention to his own. Here are some exercises:

Exercise 1. Learn to dance. In teaching theater arts, dancing is a classic subject. Nothing develops plasticity better than a waltz or a polka.

Exercise 2. Puppet puppet. Imagine that you are a puppet, which, after the performance, hangs on a hook in the dressing room. Try to portray the pose as close as possible to the position of the doll. Now imagine that you were “hung” by the neck, then by the arm, shoulder, and even the ear - the body is fixed at one point, everything else is relaxed. Performing this exercise several times a day will help develop the plasticity of the body and get rid of muscle clamps.

Exercise 3. Stand on one leg for as long as you can. Usually, focusing on an imaginary object helps to prolong this time. You can, for example, mentally walk the daily path from home to work or to the store. From an excessive load, the muscles will relax after a while, and muscle tension will disappear after returning to a normal state.

Other exercises are described in.

Qualities of a professional actor

Charm and charisma

Think about how many actors you know in total and how many of them you can call charismatic. Not so much, right? Charisma is your own style, something that allows you to stand out from others, a feature and even exclusivity. Charisma is when a role that hundreds of actors have “tried on” is associated with only one name. Ask Bond fans who played James Bond the best and most will answer you - Sean Connery.

Now there is an erroneous opinion that an actor must be beautiful. In fact, this is not so: he must be charming. Remember Adriano Celentano, who, with his play, manner, style, fell in love with a whole generation, while not possessing outstanding external data. Beauty matters, but not nearly as often as charisma and charm, which turn a good actor into a better one.

Sociability

Acting is a continuous process of communication. This is an internal dialogue in order to understand the role, professional communication with colleagues and a perfected skill of verbal and addressing the viewer. That's the point theatrical art and acting skills.

It is not difficult to develop communication skills, it is enough to adopt three simple laws of communication:

• be open and friendly, form an attitude towards mutual understanding;
• smile, show genuine interest in the interlocutor;
• be able to listen.

Ability to deal with fear

The phobia of public speaking is one of the most common among US residents. And most of us have probably experienced a sense of excitement when faced with the need to speak in front of a large audience (and sometimes in front of a couple of people). It is even more difficult for actors, because their performance cannot be diluted with informal techniques, moreover, they are associated not only with making a speech. Therefore, a good artist must be able to in front of the audience and the stage. This quality needs to be developed in oneself, training not only professional skills, but also confidence, concentration,.

Mental balance

Iron nerves are needed not only to overcome stage fright. The costs of the actor's profession are such that he is constantly in the field of view of the director, the public, critics, and journalists. Therefore, he needs to be able to take a hit, adequately perceive and respond to criticism, encourage constructiveness in it, which contributes to the development of talents and qualities, sets the direction for improvement.

Diligence and performance

Filming and rehearsals take a very long time in an actor's life and he needs to be prepared to spend much more than a standard 8-hour day on set, sometimes sacrificing rest and personal interests. Here you can not do without patience, endurance and stability in terms of heavy loads.

Knowledge of theories, genres and techniques of theatrical art

It is unlikely that you would entrust plumbing repairs to a person who does not understand the difference between an adjustable wrench and a wrench. The situation is similar with the craft of the actor. This does not directly affect the ability to play a role, but it is impossible to become a professional without a baggage of special knowledge. And the first step for everyone who wants to master the art of reincarnation is to get acquainted with the species and.

Musical and choreographic skills

Music develops the ear - it teaches you to listen, catch the tempo and rhythm, which is necessary for the development of stage speech skills and more. An actor cannot do without choreography, which helps to develop plasticity, achieve naturalness, and overcome stiffness in movements.

Taste, aesthetics, sense of harmony

The playwright A. N. Ostrovsky demanded from his actors a developed aesthetic taste, without which it is impossible to understand either the essence of the theater or the nature of the characters. Without it, without a sense of harmony, the actor himself cannot understand beauty, convey as much as possible what the image and character of the production requires. Aesthetic abilities are guessed in every aspect of technique - speech, movements, emotional content of the game.

Striving to improve

An actor must constantly develop his qualities and skills, progress from role to role, leaving the best and getting rid of the unnecessary. The point here is not only in a competitive environment, where there is a constant struggle for the main roles and success, but also in the desire to be realized, which must be. Experience enriches emotional baggage, and each role is a step up in terms of professional development.

Ambition, desire for success and glory, purposefulness

Ambition is a socio-psychological trait of a person, expressed in the desire to perform actions aimed at achieving goals, self-realization. In fact, this is a stable positive motive that makes a person move towards his dream. Without love for the occupation, without awareness of its significance for yourself and others, without the desire to do what you do well and constantly progress, any work turns into torment, even such an interesting one as an actor.

Other qualities

Here we are not talking entirely about qualities, but rather about the direction of personality development in order to become a good actor.

Oratory. We pointed out above that stage speech and rhetoric are closely interrelated. Classes in the technique of speech are a compulsory subject in all theatrical universities without exception. Therefore, in order to draw up a more complete picture and obtain the necessary knowledge, we recommend that you take a training course on our website.

Logical thinking.- this is one of the main elements of the inner well-being of the artist. All that in life is done instinctively on the basis of everyday logic, in the theater - feigned. But the actor must strive to recreate a logical sequence, not only in actions, but also in the thoughts and aspirations of his hero. “If all areas of the artist’s human nature work logically, consistently, with genuine truth and faith, then the experience will be perfect,” taught K. S. Stanislavsky.

Leadership. an actor must have for a number of reasons. Firstly, being a leader means taking and being responsible for your actions, being proactive, always looking for opportunities to achieve more. Secondly, leadership is inconceivable without the ability to establish effective communication and build relationships with others, which is very important in terms of teamwork. Thirdly, the main roles are quite often images extraordinary personalities, leaders, and to understand them, and, consequently, to play better, can be one who has developed leadership qualities.

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on a topic this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically proceeds to next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.

Every girl, watching some movie with the participation of a famous actress, at least once in her life imagined herself in her place. Being an actress is an opportunity to try on different roles and live dozens of lives of characters from different eras in one life.

But most girls do not dare to make their dream come true. If you are a purposeful person and cannot imagine your life without the attention of others, then you are created for the profession of an actress.

From the outside it may seem that becoming an actress is very easy. But in fact, this is a very laborious process. You need to work on yourself every day and put all your energy into what you do.

Pros and cons of the profession

Before dedicating your life to the world of art, you must weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of the profession of an actress, as it may turn out that this is not at all what you need.

The undeniable advantages of this profession are:

• Glory. People start to recognize you on the streets and in the shops. In some cases, this can help in solving various problems.
• Wealth. Who doesn't want to have a lot of money and spend it on whatever they want? Famous actresses receive multi-million dollar royalties and can afford big houses and fancy cars.
• Opportunity to realize your talent.

This profession has a lot of disadvantages, which include:

• Busy work schedule. The actress does not have an 8-hour working day. She must always stay in shape. Relax a little, and everyone has already forgotten about you. You must always work on yourself. If the actress is not busy in a play or filming a new film, then she must constantly improve her acting talent, and, of course, her body. Theater actresses have to disappear for months on tour, and film actresses are sometimes forced to stay on the set for almost the whole day, spending only a few hours sleeping.
• High emotional and physical stress. To people who are not connected with the world of cinema or theater, it may seem that being an actress is easy. But it is a very exhausting profession. You need to be able to emotionally demonstrate a dry text, while completely reincarnating as a character. Not everyone can do it. In addition, some roles require good physical fitness from the actress. She must perform various tricks or stay in extreme conditions for a long time, for example, swim in cold water, crawling in the mud or filming in the cold in light clothing.
• Lack of privacy. Despite numerous fans, actresses often fail to build long-term relationships with anyone. It's all about busy schedules. Constant filming or rehearsals of the performance take the actress most of the time, because for her work in the cinema or theater is the meaning of her life, and therefore she will always come first. Few lovers will put up with this. If you decide to become an actress, then be prepared for the fact that you will not always be able to be close to your loved ones.
• Obsessive fans and paparazzi. Glory has back side- publicity. The ubiquitous paparazzi will follow your every step, and if you stumble, the general public will immediately know about it.
• Big competition. The profession of an actress is very popular. Be prepared for numerous auditions and rejections. Your whole life will become one continuous competition. Only famous actresses are offered roles by directors themselves, and newcomers have to look for projects in which they can take part. But first they need to bypass dozens of the same girls who want to get the role at the casting.

What does it take to become an actress?

If after all of the above, you still firmly decided to become an actress, then feel free to start making your dream a reality. What is needed for this?

In addition to your desire, perseverance and talent, a big role is played by professional education. In history, of course, there were cases when simple waitresses became world famous. famous actresses, but this most often occurred in Western countries. In our latitudes, education is important condition to start a professional career.

Before deciding to enter an educational institution, try your hand at acting schools or school theater clubs. There you can decide whether the profession of an actress suits you or not? In addition, this is a great opportunity to learn how to speak in front of an audience and overcome your fear of public speaking.

After that, you can try to enroll in any theater school or university. It is best to go to conquer Moscow, since it is there that such famous theatrical educational establishments, as the Moscow Art Theater, GITIS, VGIK, the Shchukin Theater School and the Shchepkinsky Theater School. It is Moscow that is the center of Russian cinema.

So studying in these universities will help you start as an actress. You will be able to learn acting from outstanding teachers and actors. In addition, you will get a lot of skills that you will definitely need during your work.

Preparing for admission to a theater university?

Competition in theatrical universities is very big. Usually more than 200 people per seat. Therefore, you need to be well prepared for admission. Seriously approach the choice of material for entrance exams. Prepare a fable, a poem, and a prose passage.

Rehearse a lot and hard in front of the mirror. Your speech must be clear and loud. Also prepare some kind of dance or song, as the commission may ask you to perform something of the kind. Be prepared for surprises.

Improvise if you don't know what to do. The main thing - do not stand like an idol. It will not be superfluous to pre-work out the choreography and vocals. Also be sure to read at least the main works of classical literature in order not to look ignorant in the eyes of the commission.

In addition, you still need to prepare for a colloquium on the history of theater and drama. You can find the list of literature necessary for this in the booklets for applicants.

Try to apply to several universities at once. This will increase your chances. If you didn’t manage to do it the first time, try again to pass the entrance exams in the next academic year. But remember that the chances of admission decrease with increasing age. A 22-year-old girl has practically no chance of becoming an applicant for the coveted university.

As for appearance? It is not important. A beautiful face will not help you become an actress if you do not have charisma and talent. Therefore, you do not need to adjust yourself to the standards of beauty. Be an individual. There are many cases in the history of cinema and theater when actors, who, according to most people, were far from the usual canons of beauty, achieved incredible success thanks to their talent.

If you failed to enter the theater school, but the desire to become an actress has not disappeared, you can try your hand at television. Even shooting commercials can help you make your dreams come true. There were cases when advertising stars became movie actors without special education.

If you successfully passed the entrance exams, then this is already half the battle. Now you can learn all the subtleties of acting. In addition, students of theater universities are often invited to work in theaters after graduation, and directors are more willing to offer roles to people with a professional education.

However, do not count on the fact that you will immediately begin to receive offers from famous playwrights. At first, you will have to go through numerous auditions, where you will not be rejected even once. But you should not despair. Keep going towards your dream meeting.

Learn from failures and improve. Accept even small roles. Your task is to get on the TV screen. Over time, you will be offered more serious roles, and perhaps someday a famous director will notice your talent and make you an offer that you have dreamed of all your life.