Acting is a job that needs talent and personality. The best thing about this profession is that any person, whether minor or major, belonging to any race, gender, caste, and ethnicity can pursue it. The only things needed are a passion for acting and abilities to get under the skin of the character being portrayed on the stage and screen. Once you have decided on becoming an actor, you will need to participate in plays, dramas, commercials, and anything that can give an opportunity to practice acting and improve skills. One more thing you must have to hunt acting jobs is an actor resume. This resume will help you explain the casting directors in knowing your talent and the kind of personality you hold. However, what make the acting resumes different from job resumes are the formats. You cannot use just a regular resume for your acting career. It has to be in a different format that is perfect for the acting industry. In addition to the resume format, the things that you will include too will not be similar to a regular one. Here is the information you will to draft the actor resume to showcase your skills and characteristics.
How to write an actor resume
Start with your information
Like any resume, your personal information must appear on the type. Type your name in bold and in a bigger font size than the rest of the resume. Align it to the center of the page with contact details under it. You can also add your colored picture that is bigger than a passport size with face and upper half body to the left or right of the page. Some staffing agency will require you to send an envelop-sized photograph separately. So, inquire the recruiters and follow their instructions accordingly. Draw a thin line and add your physical stats such as height, weight, hair color, and eye color below it. The information about your physical stats is necessary as the recruiters can build a image of yours in the mind and immediately reckon whether you fit the role they want actors for.
Show your affiliations
There are about 50 to 60 unions, guilds, and professional organizations in the USA the entertainment industry function through. Try to get affiliated with one that is established for actors. To pursue a professional acting career, you have to have an affiliation. Provide this information under the subheading "Union affiliations."
Acting Experience
The experience section will decide whether you will land the role or not. To ensure you don't miss the opportunity, you have to list the characters played by you. Any acting experience, be it with the theater, TV, or movie has to be listed clearly. List the plays, roles, and the name of the production company. Try to include all experience details no matter how small or meaty the role is. Just mention the experience according to the category. For example, if you have theater experience, make a “Theater” subheading. Do the same for plays, movies, and commercials. You can add as many subheadings under experience section.
Show training & education
There are a few who are born talented, but even they need training. No actor can perfect the craft of acting without training. Include the acting classes and workshops you attended. This section should highlight your special training be it in acting, voice modulation, dialogue delivery, facial expressions, etc.
Show special skills
Anything that can help your abilities to express can be added in this section. For example, you might be skilled in dancing, boxing, mixed martial art, singing, skating, horse riding, swimming, fencing, acrobatics, etc. You may never know when and how these skills can be used creatively in movies and TV. You can also add your skills to lose and gain weight according to the character you are playing. This is essential because some characters need a lean and fit body and others the way you are.
Make it professional
Since acting resume falls into a different category, you can take the liberty of using colors for your acting resume. However, you must not use more than two colors and they should not be hot or causing irritation to the eyes. However, you need to use professional fonts that are easy to read and look good. Select from Arial, Helvetia, Times New Roman fonts. The alignment and the layout of the information too must be done neatly. It is better to use column, but with no lines for all the information.
By following these steps when writing your actor resume, you will be adhering to the entertainment industry standards as well as demonstrating your talent professionally.
Checkout our sample actor resumes below :