Acting

Thank you so much. It was such an amazing experience to meet, learn from and work with some incredible people.

You're welcome, Aaron Marcus.

Aaron Marcus thanks Aaron. A good motivation to keep going. Hope you're doing well?

Congratulations. Goes to show, this business is about relationships.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here. Yes, knowing your relationship with another character is essential. And, yes, we need to have thick skin and not take things personally. And, truly understand how the industry works. Thank you all again.

Great post Suzanne. I'm not an actor but I have a lot of respect for them, specifically for the tough road they have to walk.

Suzanne Bronson Lol, of course they said that at the AADA! Similar things are said in all training schools and conservatories, it seems. My advice: live your life, let it take you to the places you need to go to learn, grow, shed parts of yourself, and accept your instrument, your voice, and who you are. Taking a break sometimes to travel, do something else for a while if you are burnt out, but if you have the call in your heart, forevermore, then come back. Come to acting when you are formed, when you are ready, when you don't care if you're rejected 300 times a year, when rejection is just a "no, thanks, next", when you are so...ready. And, it may never feel that way, but: don't give up, ever, if you are called to act, but do take a break or two along the way to recover, learn, and grow.

I would suggest that whatever we do, we do to the best of our ability but we don't get our sense of self-worth from it Suzanne Bronson. In all transparency, I did that with writing books. But had I not discovered how unhealthy that can be, I never would have discovered a love for screenwriting and something that I'm better at. My heart is that of a creative - no matter what medium that may take. And whatever I do, I don't do it to confirm or establish my value as a person.

Thank you everyone for sharing your great advice! All the advice is says the same thing, "take care of you first. Your mental health is the most important."

You're welcome, Suzanne Bronson. Mental health is extremely important! I think it needs to be talked about more.

Here's another AI character developer, it might work well for comedy movies or kids movies. https://www.instagram.com/p/DR9cu-tDMPn/

Willem Elzenga 2 thanks for sharing. This is fascinating. I wasn't aware of Eleen and her project. It's interesting to hear her point of view that the actress was supposed to just be top of the AI genre. However as she says there were many offers for her to play with real actors. Therein lies the boundary issue and I understood why many feel threatened.

More news on Tilly and Eleen & co. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/tilly-norwood-ai-actress-particle6...

I certainly hope not.

She will be ok for entertaining the robots

Haley Mary That's so lovely, singing and music are a great part of acting, and film, all stories. Music is the heartbeat without words. And I totally relate, coming home from school, singing, writing, and somehow we just keep going. And The Little Mermaid!!!! Singing, dreaming, being herself. Thanks for sharing Haley, I love that.

My reason for being an actor is not so nice and fluffy. The short answer is, I started acting out stories with my stuffed animals to escape the terror that was my homelife. I loved to pretend I was anywhere else. I would get my Barbies and act out characters from my favorite shows, Dukes of Hazzard and the ATeam. The first time I was onstage in 6th grade, I felt so free. I could really be another person. The pumping of the adrenaline, the applause, people telling me I was great. So I keep doing it. Being onstage I guess is my safe space.

Though now that I am middle aged and had a lot of therapy, I feel free to be Suzanne Bronson. I love acting because it forces you to be fully present and connected to another human being. Acting is life.

Juliana Philippi it bites us all doesn't it? Lol!

Brandon Keeton Absolutely!!!

Suzanne Bronson Thank you, thank you so much, for having shared your why. That's amazing Suzanne, that's beautiful, and yes, you are free to BE, and with that freedom, and acceptance, acting becomes more amazing and fulfilling, giving ourselves over to stories, with that innate capacity to share and feel. I love that, that's amazing Suzanne.

Hi, Oleg Syrota. Welcome to the community. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Filmmaking/Directing Lounge to the Acting Lounge since it's about acting.

Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

Stage 32's next Community Open House is Dec 29th. It's free to attend. It'll also help you navigate Stage 32 and connect with creatives and industry pros. Your parents or guardians can sign up for you here: www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-december-community-open-ho...

Since you’re a minor, make sure your parents or guardians are aware of your account and have access to it. Also, be especially careful about privately connecting with anyone on the platform.

Hi Oleg Syrota this question has been asked many times. I encourage you to scroll through the lounge. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained just from reading the posts. Stage 32 also offers webinars and labs in acting. Have you taken any classes? That is the best place to start.

Maurice Vaughan Thanks for posting this, it's just the thing to read, take in, and empower ourselves with.

You're welcome, Juliana Philippi. It's an incredible guide!

Maurice Vaughan thanks Maurice. I think I’ve only missed seeing it once in the last 5 or 6 years. Jimmy Stewart made me think of my writing too, and that I should look at my intent as a writer to ‘creating moments’ for the actor, but with the audience in mind.

Juliana Philippi ah, yes Juliana, Clarence’s appearance is wonderful and the humour when they are drying off their clothes is great. The scene that really upsets me is when Uncle Billy loses the money. I still shout at the screen and plead with him not to do it.

You're welcome, Geoff Hall. Actors love those moments! They can help get actors on board projects.

Geoff Hall I love that idea that a movie is not so much about the acting but about the micro moments that get created. I guess when everyone is on the same page, really connected to the text, their character and to each other. That's when I think something really special can occur. A shame there is no exact recipe book for this.

Alexandra Stevens haha! A recipe book would probably spoil those moments or stop them being born. The next time I watch it, I will have to see how this moment was created: camera, lighting, music, edit, actor.

Have a happy Christmas and a restive festive season, Alexandra!

Matthew Gross this is inspiring. Congratulations!

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This is great Matthew Gross and an example how AI can help us in our journey. I use AI also and it’s a great partnership. Please, share your experience through a blog and inspire many of us. Congratulations for that and I am cheering for you.

Matthew Gross, as Amanda said, I'd love to work with you to share this story as a Stage 32 Blog. Please do email me at Blog@Stage32.com!

Ashley Renee Smith There's not much more I can say beyond what's in this post.

Hear hear! Juliana Philippi

Suzanne Bronson Woot woot! There is so much that we can find, there's a soft hum of hope and love closing 2025...it's all happening.

Thank you for sharing!

You're welcome, Jessica Putnam. Yes, it's online.

... Sure, Jssica, I'll come back to you tomorrow, but I'm faaaarrrr from a pro, but sure, I can give you some pointers, will make a small , 'basic' list. :)

HI Jessica Putnam I know what it is like to feel discouraged. You are doing the right thing, reaching out, making connections. Keep at it. I also encourage you to check out today's blog as it speaks to the very thing you are talking about. Ways to hone your craft when you are in a down slope.

https://www.stage32.com/blog/a-practical-guide-for-actors-tips-advice-ev...

Now is a good time to check out the many classes in the education tab. There are all kinds of things skills and tips to help you get over the hump so to speak. I would be exam what you are telling yourself about your acting career. Saying things like, "It is just so hard to get out there." or "They only got cast because they are a nepo baby." or "I don't know anyone." Will make it so. Try to reframe your beliefs. "Getting auditions is easy." "Everyone wants to hire me." "I have so many opportunities." "I am a successful working actress." Being positive will put in the right frame of mind and help keep the energy and motivation up. It is ok to feel frustrated, but remember emotions only last 90 seconds. So feel the feeling, then move on. Holding on to the negative energy is dangerous to the mental health. And breathe and go for a walk like Juliana Philippi said!

Hi jesssica putnam I understand how you feel. The journey can be tough, especially when things don’t work out the way we hope.

But you’re not alone — many of us here are fighting for our dream every day.

What matters is that you’re still trying, still learning, still showing up. That already makes you stronger than you think.

Wishing you strength and motivation — keep going! We’re all here to support each other.

One of my favourite radio dramas to listen to is The Charles Paris series, starring Bill Nighy. He plays an often out of work aging actor who has a penchant for solving mysteries. The character talks a lot about what life is like to be an actor and about the business. The series can be found on Archive.org or on YouTube. It’s worth a listen.

congratulations Juliana Philippi , you are an amazing lady, I love the spirits, each and every teeny tiny bit is giving the supports and making you road map for the dream role. Hurdles are part of a journey, but our perspective help us to overcome every hurdles. Go girl it's your time to shine and learn, I wish you a very happy holiday and good lucks ahead of journey. happy holidays.

This is great question Juliana Philippi and I wanted to follow it because although I'm doing voice acting as well, my primary focus has been writing. Short answer is that I stay busy and create through other means. Aside from my day job, I'm either polishing a script, creating a pitch deck or playing the piano. I've done the latter whenever there's a slow period and the void tries to pull me down. Much like the image you used, it's much about believing that you are in the lane of your design. This is where I feel the most free and poured out. Congratulations on what you've accomplished so far friend. There is so much more to come. It's inevitable.

DJ Gautam DJ, thanks so much! Smiling so big right now. It's all about perspective, absolutely right, spot on my friend. Happy Holidays to you too, and an amazing 2026 and journey to you as well! Every hurdle, is teaching us, and will lift us higher as we go.

Leonardo Ramirez 2 Absolutely Leonardo, it's multi-artsying, lol. Creating in many forms. The void comes up when you wallow, and my gosh, the times I could count when I wallowed…and them so, lol! But, as I keep on walking, creating, I grow, as an actress in this case (also a screenwriter, lol). And, it's not us pursuing a goal…the stories, the roles, the roles, begin to pursue us :) Thank you for your kind words, and encouragement, this is just a beginning.

It absolutely is just the beginning Juliana Philippi!

Thank you, Maurice

You're welcome, Aaron Marcus.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us Aaron Marcus

Thanks Aaron Marcus . As is often the case, it comes down to having some people skills and showing interest in others.

Thank you both for sharing. Having some people skills can go a long way to having success in our industry and in life. Thank you again.