How to Become an Actor or Actress: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners (2026)

What should you study to become an actor?

Studying acting is optional, but it’s the shortest path: it gives you technique, contacts and the confidence to perform well in an audition. Here are your options, and you can combine them.

Classes and workshops

They’re the best first step. They last months, not years, and they let you find out whether you like acting before you invest more time. Look for the ones that end with a showcase in front of an audience: it already counts as experience for your resume.

Theater and acting schools

These are programs of two to four years with several subjects: acting, voice, movement and theater history. Many cities have public or city-run schools as well as private ones, and they usually require an entrance exam or audition.

College degrees

Bachelor’s programs in acting or theater arts, four to five years long. They give you a degree and a network of classmates and teachers who go on to work in the industry, although a degree isn’t a requirement to get hired either.

On-camera acting

If you’re drawn to film, TV or commercials, add an on-camera acting workshop. The technique is very different from theater: the camera picks up everything, so your gestures need to be smaller.

In Do You Need Acting School? we compare the paths, with their pros and cons. And what about languages? Most US productions are in English, but the US also produces fiction in Spanish, so a second language can set you apart. We explain it in bilingual actors.

Steps to become an actor from scratch

This is the path most actors who start without connections follow. The steps overlap: you can be training, putting your materials together and going out for auditions at the same time.

1. Start training

Sign up for an acting or theater class. It’s the fastest way to find out whether you like it, to meet people in the business and to build confidence for auditions.

2. Get real experience

Independent theater, student films, workshop showcases and open casting calls: everything you do counts and goes on your resume. Film schools need actors for their short films all year round and often cast without asking for experience. You’ll find more ideas in how to get acting experience as a beginner.

3. Put your materials together

This is the first thing a casting director sees, before they meet you:

• Current headshots: a front-facing close-up with good light and a neutral background, plus a full-body shot. You can take them at home: see how to take headshots at home.
• Acting resume: a single page with your physical stats, training, experience and skills. You’ll find the guide and a fill-in acting resume template.
• A video: a reel with your best scenes or, if you don’t have one yet, a one-minute intro video. See how to make an acting reel with no budget.

To send everything in neatly, follow how to prepare your audition materials.

4. Create your actor profile

On Casting and Acting you can build a free profile with your photos, reel and resume. Casting directors, agencies and production companies with approved accounts search the directory for talent, so it’s one more way to get found. Create your profile here.

5. Audition every week

We post open casting calls for actors every day, with the closing date and how to apply, and you can turn on email alerts for new ones in your country. At the start, aim for short films, independent theater and commercials: they take the most people with no experience.

In the United States, casting notices are also posted on Backstage, Actors Access and Casting Networks. Our list of casting websites for actors has more.

6. Prepare for every audition

Keep a short monologue ready that feels comfortable, learn to record a self-tape at home and practice improvisation, because many auditions ask you for something on the spot. These guides will help: monologues for auditions, how to record a self-tape and how to improvise in an audition.

7. Watch out for scams

A legitimate casting call never charges you to take part. If you’re asked for money to sign up, to get into a “database,” for a mandatory photo shoot or for a class that guarantees you roles, it’s a scam. A subscription to a casting website is a different matter: you pay a platform for a service, not whoever is casting. Learn the warning signs in how to spot a fake casting call.

8. Build your network and keep training

Many roles come through people who have already seen you work: classmates, teachers, short-film directors. Keep studying, join projects and look after your professional presence online, starting with an Instagram account for actors. With training and materials in hand, you can also look for a talent agent.

What age can you start acting?

Any age. There are auditions for kids, teens, adults and older actors, and many actors started later in life. We explain it in the best age to become an actor.

If you’re under 18, say 14, you can train and go out for roles that fit your age, always with the permission and company of your parents or legal guardians. You’ll find the requirements in auditions for kids and teens.

How to become an actor in your country

Every country has its own schools, agencies and casting channels. We have a guide for each one, and these are the most popular:

• Auditions in the United States
• Auditions in Argentina
• Auditions in Mexico
• Auditions in Spain
• Auditions in Colombia
• Auditions in Chile
• Auditions in Peru

You’ll find the rest of the countries in the Latin America casting directory.

Can you get cast on Netflix or in movies with no experience?

Yes, although it takes more effort than starting in theater or commercials. Netflix and the other streaming platforms work with local production companies in each country, and those production companies and their casting directors choose the cast. For small roles and background work they often open public calls, and experience matters less there. In the US, Central Casting is a well-known name in background casting. We walk you through the path in how to audition for Netflix.

Do you need a talent agent or manager?

To get started, submitting to open auditions on your own is enough. A talent agent adds closed auditions to your options, but agents generally sign actors who already have training, experience and materials. Legitimate agencies take a percentage of the jobs they book for you, not a fee to sign up, so be wary of any that ask for money up front. As your career grows, it’s also worth getting to know SAG-AFTRA, the US union for actors and other media professionals.

Frequently asked questions

Can you become an actor without going to school?

Yes. A degree isn’t required, and some actors started with no formal training. Still, studying gives you technique, contacts and confidence, and it helps you do better in auditions.

How long does it take to become an actor?

It depends on the person. Your first projects, such as independent plays, short films or small commercials, can come within a few months if you train and audition often. Making a living from acting usually takes years.

How do you become an actor in the United States?

The steps are the same as in this guide: get training, put your materials together and get on casting platforms such as Backstage, Actors Access and Casting Networks. Our guide to getting auditions in the United States covers the US market in detail, and our city guides go deeper on Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta.

What do you have to do to become an actor in Spain?

The same as in any country: get training, either at private schools or at Spain’s Escuelas Superiores de Arte Dramático (higher schools of dramatic art), put your materials together, and sign up with casting platforms and agencies. Our guide to auditions in Spain lists the main platforms and agencies.

Do I need a special look to act?

Actors of every age, body type and style are needed, because stories need everyone. What matters is that you fit the character and play it well.

How do I get my first audition?

Start with open casting calls: film school shorts, independent theater and commercials. In our castings section we post them every day with the closing date, and you can get email alerts for new ones in your country.

Do you have to pay to become an actor?

Training costs money, although public programs can be free or low-cost, but whoever is casting never charges you to audition. (A subscription to a casting website is different: you pay the platform, not the production.) If someone asks you for money to take part, to get into a database or for a mandatory photo shoot, it’s a scam.