The Pursuit of Acting: Working Actors Share Their Experience and Advice [Hardcover]

Starra H. Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 1998 | ISBN-10: 027595692X | ISBN-13: 978-0275956929

What is it like to pursue a career in acting? Forty working actors comment on auditions, day jobs, agents, rejection, and what drives them to keep going when there is no work. These personal essays have been drawn from interviews with actors at different stages in their careers. Some have just begun; others have frequented Broadway, film, and television. They share stories of every aspect of being a professional actor, from heart-wrenching rejection, to the exhilaration of getting that first big part. Their often humorous stories, from the practical to the inspirational, will be invaluable for anyone studying acting or already embarking on a career.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Starra Andrews has put together a very honest and revealing book about the career of acting and the hardy souls that seek to pursue it."-Robert Cohen Professor of Drama University of California, Irvine

Book Description

Forty working actors comment on everything from auditions to day jobs. Their advice and words of encouragement will be invaluable for students and professional actors alike.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (July 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 027595692X
• ISBN-13: 978-0275956929
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,315,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last a Truthful and Fascinating Look At Acting!, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pursuit of Acting: Working Actors Share Their Experience and Advice (Paperback)

So many books on acting are simply abstract how-to's without any true-life experience in the field behind it. Starra Andrews, being an actress as well as a writer, has found real actors from Los Angeles and New York, in varying levels of success to relate their actual experiences of ups and downs, specific advice on how to keeping striving in acting, and how to survive it. I read it in one sitting! This is for anyone interested in acting, as a gift to give your acting family or friends, or just if you'd like to get a glimpse of the real world of working in theater, movies, and TV that most of us never see. I would have liked it to be even longer. Simply a must-own book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surviving Acting Made Simple, August 16, 2000

By 

Angela Chan (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pursuit of Acting: Working Actors Share Their Experience and Advice (Hardcover)

I was totally surprised with the insight this book gave me. I have been, unfortunately, a struggling actress for years. Although you know that acting is a hard lifestyle, sometimes you think it is more difficult for you than others. This book really helped me realize I AM NOT ALONE. There were so many instances I related to, I really enjoyed seeing how others handled them. It also gave me some great ideas on how to better my professional life, as well as, my personal life. I received a renewed sense of not giving up and doing the easy thing of a 9-5 job, letting my passion take a back seat. This book gave me renewed strength and energy to believe in myself and my dreams of acting. I love "The Pursuit of Acting" the book and the experience. Thank you Starra, for helping us all pursue our passion.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening collection of working actors' experiences, May 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pursuit of Acting: Working Actors Share Their Experience and Advice (Paperback)

Anyone embarking upon or already engaged in the pursuit of acting will find these fascinating capsules of the lives of working actors by turns inspirational, cautionary, amusing, and occasionally heart-rending. All of the interviews provide invaluable advice to the person determined to brave the challenges of this most competitive field. Starra Andrews has selected a wonderful cross section of working actors. The interviewees are delightfully candid; they are not simply indulging in self-promotion, but seem genuinely eager to share their experiences and observations on the inevitable highs and lows of the life- such as the successful soap actor who confesses to having turned down the lead in the pilot that became CHIPS for what he felt was a much better prospect- a show about space paramedics that was never seen or heard from again.