Casting Director Renee Godbout on 3 young actresses who followed very different paths

As you embark on your acting career, it’s difficult to know whether you’re ready to pursue it full-time or if you should keep your day job. There is no exact answer to that question, but it all depends how serious you are about acting.

For those starting off, a day job is a good thing to have. Choosing a career in acting is saying you are OK with low pay, sporadic work, an awful lot of rejection, and a job that completely fills your soul. You have to have that passion if you are going to succeed and patiently pursue your big break. The percentage of actors that can make a living doing their craft full-time is much smaller than those that will struggle their whole life. Maybe 2% of actors out there become the Tom Cruises and Meryl Streeps of the world. The rest juggle part-time work and audition schedules.

Some actors graduate from college and give themselves a 2-5 year window to make it, while others will keep at it their whole life. It’s up to you to decide what is right for you. There’s nothing wrong with putting a limit on how long you can survive doing random jobs to make a living.

Some people are lucky enough to find a rewarding job that allows them to continue the audition process. During my time in Los Angeles, I met several young actresses working hard to succeed. They were beautiful, talented, motivated, good people who I saw struggle on a daily basis to pursue their dream. They became my friends and I loved to hear their stories. One juggled theater work with a job as a substitute teacher and eventually a tutor. Another worked in a doctor’s office where they allowed her to take long lunch breaks for auditions. And the last went to school full-time, with occasional visits to her native country where she was quite the little celebrity in her own right.

I’m still friends with all three girls and their stories still intrigue me. But now 4 years later, their lives are different. The substitute teacher is now going to school full-time to get her Masters degree while still acting in her free time. It’ll always be in her blood. The office assistant has put her other degree to work and is now an optometrist who still goes on occasional auditions that her agent calls about. And the student is married, has a beautiful child, and a successful career in acting, with small parts working alongside big name talent. She has also branched out into producing her own small independent films. Acting was a passion for all three and although they weren’t all able to segue into a full-time acting career, it has remained a part of their lives.

Some day jobs are easier to hold onto while juggling auditions and work. The key is to find a day job with flexibility. Most background actors use extra work as their steady bread and butter, accepting work on days they don’t have an audition scheduled. It’s a good option for those that don’t mind finding out if they will be working until the day before the job. It’s also risky though since the work can be unsteady and never guaranteed on a regular basis.

I don’t recommend quitting your day job and pursuing acting full-time unless you are a member of the Screen Actors Guild and have some principle work under your belt, or a supportive benefactor. For now, find a job that fits your schedule or a boss that doesn’t mind a sudden no-show.

If acting is in your blood, then it’s a risk worth taking. But always remain realistic. If you’re really going to do it, take classes and commit yourself to your work 100%. And if you love acting but have other passions elsewhere, take a note from my friends and realize you can do both. Even if acting doesn’t end up being your full-time career, it may always be a fulfilling addition to, and perhaps even a release from your everyday life.

Renee Godbout - Freelance Casting Director. Renee Godbout recently worked on the first season of The CW's popular teen show Gossip Girl at Grant Wilfey Casting. Some past projects include 2 seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the pilot for Dirty Sexy Money, and the upcoming Jonathan Demme-directed Dancing with Shiva.

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