Build Your Credits. The Money Will Follow.

Every so often, someone recognizes me – or a friend – from a TV or film role and asks how much we were paid. I always smile and try to explain that nobody goes into acting for the money.

Sure, the financial rewards can be terrific, but every working actor will tell you there are much easier ways to make a buck. If you add up all the money good, solid working actors earn in their lifetimes, and divide it by the countless hours spent honing their craft, they earn far less than you might expect. Anthony Robbins said we’re rewarded in public for what we practice for years in private. And Emerson said the years teach us what the days can’t.

Enthusiasm for your craft must be your goal. Passion for your profession will keep you going when it feels like nobody believes in you or will ever give you a chance. That’s when you must hunker down, study, and train even harder. That's when it's most important to believe in yourself.

Here's my philosophy on show biz in a nutshell: Nobody really fails as an actor. However, many people decide to give it up much too soon. If you're smart, talented, and very hard-working, you can reasonably expect to achieve some level of success – if you hang in there long enough. Not everyone can be a star, but almost everyone is coach-able and can be taught to book roles.

Money, however, should not be your primary motivator for getting into show biz. Chase your passion, not your pension.

@MikeKimmelActor

Scenes for Teens

Acting Scenes for Kids and Tweens