When and how should i start acting?

How can I start off my acting career?

• I am 14 years old, and I live in Florida. But, I don't live close to anything good. I live down in Crestview :'( I really want to start my acting career, but I don't know where to begin! Also, I can't find anything close to me like any auditions that are close. :'( How can I start off my acting career before I am 18? See, my favorite show is Grey's Anatomy, and I REALLY want to meet Ellen Pompeo (Main Character Meredith Grey) And she just signed a contract for a 9th and 10th season. I have always wanted to star on Grey's Anatomy since they have people guest starring on there all the time. So I was wondering if there is anyway I could try to be on the show. I know it's highly unlikely but a girl can always dream. And this is what I look like... https://www.facebook.com/Pookie.Bubbles I am the one in the glasses.

• Answer:

  The guest stars on TV shows are generally people who've been acting professionally for years. TV production is incredibly expensive, so directors can't afford to work with amateurs. That's why casting directors work through agents when they're hiring actors. Agents (legitimate ones -- not the kind who conduct "talent searches" or recruit online or in malls) only represent actors who have enough experience to show up to jobs knowing exactly what's expected of them. If you don't have professional acting experience, you're not ready to look for an agent, and without an agent, your access to commercials, TV shows and movies will be very, very limited. Just about everyone you see on TV and in movies started out working in community theater, since that's about the only place an aspiring actor can learn while gaining the experience required to access other opportunities. If you enroll in classes at a local theater and show that you're talented and committed to learning and mastering the craft of acting, you'll be considered for roles in upcoming productions. Once you've appeared in a few of those, you'll have the experience required to shop for an agent who may be able to find you other work. Most stage actors also work in commercials, TV shows and movies, so your theater peers will be able to recommend legitimate agents when you're ready to take that step. The dues-paying process is important because it weeds out the wannabes from the real actors. The fake agents know that most people who say they want to act really just want to be famous. That's why it's easy for them to make fortunes promising shortcuts that don't exist. They charge wannabes for classes, head shots and other promotional materials that are completely useless, but they have neither the ability nor the intention of finding anyone work. But legitimate agents NEVER ask for money up front, since they're paid on commission and only earn money when they find their actors jobs. Since their reputations and livings are on the line every time they send actors to auditions, legitimate agents can't afford to represent amateurs. And since serious actors generally start their careers in theater, since it's the only place for them to learn and master their craft, agents consider theater the ultimate training ground. Anyone can get a scene right if he/she has a dozen takes (which is one why it's a waste of time to post videos of yourself on YouTube and hope some director will "discover" you). But if an agent sees that you can recreate the same character night after night on stage without your performances becoming stale and predictable, he'll know you're the real deal and seriously consider representing you.