What Does a Child Give Up to Become a Child Actor?

Image by respres/Flickr, Spend Hours in Traffic to Become a Child Actor

When we decided to help our daughter become a child actor, we did not think much about the cons of acting — instead we were focused on giving our daughter the opportunity to do what she seemed to enjoy most — entertaining others.

At the same time, helping her become a child actor seemed like an exciting and fun thing to do. And Los Angeles seemed like a cool place to be. (See “What Should You Do If Your Child Wants to Become a Child Actor?” and “Should You Move to Los Angeles for Your Child to Become a Child Actor?”  for more on this topic.)

As we started our journey into show business, we knew there would be some sacrifices, but it was not until we moved to L.A. and began auditioning that we started to really understand the sacrifices.

A Birthday Party

I remember one particular time when my daughter was 7, and she was invited to the birthday party of one of her best friends at school.  It was a pool party, and all of her friends were planning to be there. She was so excited that she could hardly think or talk about anything else.

An Audition

When the phone rang the day before the party, and it was her talent manager, my heart sank. As I feared, my daughter’s manager informed me of an audition scheduled at the same time as the birthday party.

It had been a while since my daughter’s last audition, and I knew I really needed to agree to it.

Perhaps I should have turned it down, but instead I asked if we could change to a later time.  I was able to postpone it for two hours, but it still meant she’d have to leave the party early.

I dreaded telling my daughter about the audition and wondered how I could get her to rehearse her lines, much less be cheerful and happy in the audition.

Changing Plans

When I told her, first she said “No, I am not going!”   She was very upset, but after a few minutes of thinking, she seemed to understand that it was something she needed to do. She immediately began working on learning the lines for the audition.

I still remember having to tell the mother of the birthday girl that we’d be leaving early for an audition. I also remember how she looked at me when I told her.  Most people really don’t understand about this sort of thing.

Doing What You Have to Do

When I arrived back at the party to pick up my daughter, she was in the pool laughing and playing with her friends, and I hated having to take her away from this.

I still remember how sad she looked when she saw me there. But she got out willingly, and then, amazingly, cheerfully left with me.

Making Plans is Difficult

This was only one of so many occasions when plans were made with friends and then had to be canceled due to auditions.  Sometimes I was almost afraid to make any plans for my daughter for fear of an audition resulting in us having to cancel.  I even started warning the parents whenever plans were made that if an audition came up we’d have to cancel.

Some of the other parents and I joked about it saying we needed to make plans to go somewhere if we wanted our child to get an audition.

Interference with plans made is just one of a number of things that a child has to deal with when they become a child actor.

Have you thought about what your child will give up to become a child actor?

“What does a child give up to become a child actor?”

Before you make a decision to help your child become a child actor, you really should take some time to think about what your child will give up.  There are so many factors to consider, especially if you are contemplating moving to L.A. or New York.

One major factor to consider is what the personal costs of an acting career will be to your child and to your family.

Fifteen negative consequences of pursuing an acting career are that you/your child may:

1. Have less time for leisure activities/playing, spending time with friends, and relaxation.
2. Have less time for homework.
3. Miss school for auditions, coaching, jobs, and events and possibly get behind in school work.
4. Spend many hours on the road traveling (See “Are You Ready to Brave the Los Angeles Traffic?”).
5. Have to frequently change and cancel plans.
6. Have less time for activities such as dancing classes, sports, music lessons, etc., and may frequently have to miss lessons/practices/games/classes if enrolled in any activities.
7. Miss family and friends if a move is made to pursue an acting career.
8. Be viewed by many as different and feel like somewhat of a loner at times.
9. Have to miss planned events and trips, often canceling at the last minute.
10. Be unusually concerned about their appearance and unable to change looks without approval from representation.
11. Incur great expenses for classes, headshots, coaching, travel, and other necessary items.
12. Be obligated to go to auditions even when not in the mood for it or when it is inconvenient — due to the commitment you have made to a talent agency and/or manager.
13. Be disliked or mistreated by teachers and administrators due to missed school and perhaps getting behind on schoolwork.
14. Be treated unkindly by some kids who may be jealous or not accepting of what you do.
15. Have a lot of late nights and become exhausted due to preparing for auditions, going to coaching, rehearsals, auditions, and jobs while still keeping up with schoolwork.

This is just the things that come to mind right now, and I am sure I could think of additional negatives.

This is not to say that there are not plenty of positives for a child who decides to become a child actor.  Believe it or not, there really are many positives as well!  Some of these will be discussed in future posts.

For more information on this and many other topics related to children and show business, please subscribe to Your Young Actor’s Newsletter. You’ll also get a 12-part mini-course in getting started in show business when you do.

To your child’s happiness and success,

Debbie Sikkema