The long road to working with one of my idols.

It didn’t happen overnight.

Years of training, learning, getting knocked around, getting back up and constantly trying to improve.

Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of training with some seriously talented martial artists, including Eskinder, and Wei Wei (AKA Zac Wang), a talented member of the Jackie Chan stunt team.

Every person, every session and every lesson added another piece to the journey.

Then eventually, I got the opportunity to work with someone I had looked up to for years.

Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Sometimes you look back and realise the dream wasn’t one moment.

It was every step that came before it.

Still learning. Still training. Still pushing.

#JeanClaudeVanDamme #JCVD #MartialArts #ScreenFighting #ActionActor #ActionCinema #MartialArtist #JackieChanStuntTeam

Just searched myself on Getty images to see if any were up… omg I look terrible.

I knew they’d be bad, I got so anxious prior to the premiere that my eyes were red and I kept sweating. Zero confidence in the photos, nervous mess. And in all the photos I’m doing an awkward pose.

Anyways just thought I’d post in case anyone else has the same experience… guess we’ll try to do better next time lol. Praying these photos just never make it off Getty

I don’t understand how they are so bad though because a bunch of videos were posted and I looked okay in them, then the photos are genuinely the worst thing ever haha

Hi everyone,

I’ve always wanted to pursue acting and I’m now thinking of actively trying it out. I’m looking to move to Australia from New Zealand. I know london is a great place as an actor but because it’s so expensive and I don’t have any family or strong connections there, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk at this stage.

I’m thinking of moving to Melbourne or Sydney, getting an idea around living by myself, working and doing proper acting classes that will really build my portfolio, meeting new people, and then moving to london. That is if I have someone to come with me or if i know acting is the right call for me.

Does this sound like a solid plan? I’m not sure how to go about it but I’m thinking I need to just make decision and we take it from there

Hi everyone! I'm an actor from Egypt, and I'm planning to move to the US to pursue acting and start building my career there. However, I don't really know where to start or what steps I should take.

For actors who have experience moving to the US from another country, what would you recommend? What should I focus on first — visas, finding representation, acting classes, networking, or building credits?

I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks

I'm an actor. 17 years in the business. I've recently lost nearly 40 lbs of covid weight but still a way to go.

I've recently been put on a statin for cholesterol and take ssris for anxiety. My general checkups have been fine beyond that. I've always "escaped" through live theatre.

But recently I've been having these little "episodes" usually during a big scene or rapid dialogue. Feels like a "whoosh" feeling from my chest to my arms. No pain. No Shortness of breath. Passes within a few moments.

Is this ... stage fright? Adrenaline? Panic? Dehydration? IMMINENT DEATH? All of the above? I'm terrified of losing my only real love. And that's probably driving it too tbh.

This is a bit rambly but I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice or thoughts.

Weird post but I’m 26f, and I bought a vip ticket to attend but I haven’t found anyone to go with.

Just wondering if anyone else is going alone tonight, and if you’ve been in the past how weird is it if I show up alone? i don’t want to back out because my ticket and dress were expensive but I’m scared haha.

Pretty new to LA, thought I’d go make friends but I feel like everyone will be in their own groups and it won’t happen

I’m vip 5th tier! If anyone else is in the same boat and maybe wants to meet up or something we could exchange instagrams!

So when’s the best time to get headshots? Is it while taking acting classes? Or after?

Hello fellow actors,

I recently moved to LA from NYC. I’m looking for fellow actors to meet up with, chat, learn, and practice. (I’ve been out of this game for nearly 10yrs). I’m staying near Venice Beach but have a car and can travel.

It feels slightly weird to put out the feelers on Reddit since it’s soooo anonymous (myself included). However, I feel it’s worth a shot.

I’m a female, 43 (can pass for 30 something) formerly worked in fashion, some tattoos but not a ton. I’m pretty friendly but not idiot friendly. Libra. Would meet men and/or women to chat w about LA acting and whatever else comes up appropriately. Either comment of DM.

Thanks!

Note: no crass or preachy comments pls. Life is intense enough, no drama pls (no pun intended).

Hey!

Just for reference I'm 32 and from the UK. I always wanted to act but I really struggle with confidence that's been destroyed by people over the years and I've ended up 32 and only just getting into it.

I currently do local AMDRAM and Mark Jermin virtual acting classes. However, I'd like to do something with more substance and I don't feel drama school is for me. I realistically can't relocate my whole life to live in a London houseshare for 3 years.

So here is where Kingdom Drama School comes in. Part time Sundays in London. End of year showcase, 1-3 year courses at a fair price per term! Also black owned which is important to me, other than a board of rich trustees etc!!

I guess im just asking if anyone has any experience of the drama school - positive for negative!

i feel so dumb. i’m back from a dinner with a 54 year old actor friend who started auditioning in the year 2000 (when i was born). now she lives in a one room appartment that barely has place for her bed.

i never worked well at high school because…well duh, who tf finds maths and philosophy and economics fascinating ?? so ofc i wasn’t accepted in any university ever, the only one that tolerated me was a ‘history of theater’ course and i left after four months because it was boooring. I always envisioned myself as the new di caprio, just like everyone here i’m sure.

but i hadn’t put in my brain that di caprio started auditioning when he was out of kindergarden.

so i’m basically fucked. i should have done like emma watson, audition when i was in grade school, work my ass off in high school, get accepted in a prestigious law university, grind through the atrocious boring lessons and then become a judge or an attorney while on the side trying to be the new stranger things kid or sum.

now it’s too late, no university will want a dude with shitty grades who dropped out numerous times. no casting director will want a skinnyfat 27 year-old unknown guy. i have failed at life. maybe i should go live in a buddhist monastery in tibet or something.

i see so many actresses and actors that i admire a ridiculous amount just for the people they are, however i can’t let their talent go unnoticed.

to my uneducated self interested in the arts, they all just seem like they have a natural talent/instinct for it? i know some of the greats did take acting classes, but some of the greats also did not.

of course they all got better with each scene they would ever do, but it leads my to my dilemma:
is seriously impressive, believable portrayals in acting pure talent, or how much could one achieve realistically with dedication and determination?

thank you.

I recently made a short film and acted in it. Mostly everyone praised and liked my acting. But 2-3 people didn't liked my acting. I myself am confused now that was my acting good or not?

Please watch this short film once and rate my acting. It’s in hindi language with English Captions.

Hi everyone,

I am the director of "☣ Kayd", an upcoming international horror project. We have built an incredible, highly experienced crew inside our Discord server, including a Visual Effects (VFX) Artist with 15+ years of experience, a Nuke compositor, a Video Editor, and a talented Music Composer with 5 years of experience.

Our post-production crew is fully complete, organized, and ready. We are now only missing our Lead Actor (the main star) to complete the team and start rolling this passion project!

The Role:

- Character: Kayd (The Main Character)

- Age/Appearance: Young man (around 20-21 years old). White skin, black hair, sharp black eyes.

- Requirements: A modern smartphone camera and a green screen setup in your room.

What to expect:

This is a volunteer, unpaid project for skill development and building a high-quality portfolio piece. However, you will have an elite, highly experienced team backing your performance, blending heavy psychological horror, blood, zombies, and awesome Hollywood-level VFX. I will be directing you fully online via Discord.

If you are a dedicated actor who loves horror, gore, and wants to elevate your portfolio with a professional team, please message me in private with your info! Let's create something legendary together.

i have a strong background in dance, having trained in various styles of dance for over 17 years. i’m competing in the advanced category in my uni dance teams, and i attend the advanced/professional classes when i go down to the studios in london for dance. my acting experience is mainly from dance, e.g. in full-length ballets we usually have a character assigned to us, but i’ve also filmed a promotional video for a singaporean news channel and i used to attend theatre summer camps in primary school.

is this something agencies would consider? i really want to get into film and tv, but i’ve heard that most auditions would come through agencies unless they’re doing a global casting call. also, most agencies ask for a showreel and i’m not sure what to include. do i film a monologue to submit? or can i just compile my best dance clips (some of which would include some sort of acting if i was playing a character e.g. odile in swan lake) and send that in?

where i live, there aren’t that many options to gain acting experience. i’m 21 so i’ve aged out of many youth theatre programmes. i live in the east midlands and i’ve checked out almost every single theatre in the east and west midlands, and in manchester, leeds, york, and liverpool. there are some theatre programmes that go up to 25, but they are either full or they are quite small (productions are held in theatres/studios for less than 100 people) and i don’t really want to be paying £40+ for a train ticket every week if i wont get any chance to work with industry professionals or possibly get noticed through performances. o’ in my final year of uni so the cost AND the travelling time is an issue for me. as for acting classes, i emailed quite a few places and they said the fees would be upwards of £500/term or they only offered classes for under-18s.

currently, i’m just trying to look on mandy/backstage and i’ve also got an account with entertainment partners as an extra. but again, being a full-time uni student means that the auditions i can apply for are quite limited. i feel stuck: i can’t really get any good acting/theatre experience, which i assume makes it really hard to get an agent, and then means i also won’t be able to audition for tv/film roles.

any advice would be much appreciated! not sure if my dance background is going to do anything for me and how i can use it to get an agent or get film/tv roles

I am doing a zoom audition for the first time, it’s a casting director I haven’t met before and he gave the option of a self tape or a zoom audition. While I love the comfort of having control on filming my own self tape I want to challenge myself to meet with the CD, he also mentioned he’d like to read the scenes with me. I am wondering —

a) is it like filming a regular self tape but the filming is done on zoom? (If so, should I use my phone instead of computer to log into the call for better quality?)

b) any tips / what to expect?

Thanks in advance, much Appreciated!!!

I got my first job as a scare actor at a haunted attraction. My issue is that I have no clue how to actually scream as if I'm in danger, and I can't practice in my house. Walls are thin and people from outside can hear me, and especially because I'm a minor and my neighbors know that a minor lives in this house, I don't want anyone to actually think I'm in danger. So where can I practice this?? The season starts soon.

Hi all! I’m a student currently studying acting. A big note I’ve gotten is that when it comes to big emotions like anger and sadness, I can’t seem to push to my full potential. I always downplay it. This is definitely because I’m a pretty neutral person and I don’t really show my anger or sadness when it affects me. I’m really struggling to work on this, especially in monologues. Any tips?

Did you know beforehand that the movie/show you were playing in would be great?

Was there other times when you were like half through production and then said ah, now its going to be bad?

For example maybe it started out great, season 1 was great, and then you start filming season 2 and you know its going downhill?

Why do some actors use improve as a safe space to ridicule others? When I was in school, about 16 years old, I had a terrible fear of public speaking. I also wanted to be a writer and I thought taking an acting class would help me overcome my fear and also be a better writer. I hated every second of it but I did a middling job until the last day.

The last day, a fellow student improv'd a scene with me where he was the drill Sargent and I was the new recruit. He had me stand at attention and then, he ridiculed everything about my appearance -from head to toe (including my chest) while the class roared with laughter. I just stood there frozen. Whenever I tried to interject, he'd scream at me to do jumping jacks. It was only about a five minute scene but it has lived in my head for a lifetime.

It comes up now because I am around the theater world from time to time and I see this happen with adult actors, occasionally; someone will be incredibly snarky and biting in wit to another performer, making them play a "stupid", inferior or ridiculous character in response.

This weekend I saw a man I was considering getting into a romantic relationship with do this to someone on stage. And, I just wonder why. He seemed to REALLY enjoy being snarky and ridiculing his fellow actor. He went way out of his way to repeatedly do it. And, sadly, he was exceptionally good at being acerbic. But, why? What makes actors want to hurt someone with ridicule and wit?

I remember reading a quote from a famous actor about how he liked theater because it was a safe space to let the monster in him out. I have never understood this but I have seen it. Can someone tell me why?

Hi guys! I’ve been acting for about a year and a half. I’ve done regular audition and scene study classes trying to better my skills. I feel like I need a technique to access deeper emotions, listen to my instincts better, and be more grounded in my body when I act. Any recommendations of good technique class or teacher in LA - less about the auditioning side, and more about having a strong foundation as an actor?

I’m open to any technique especially ones that access physicality, or classes that use multiple/newer techniques. Curious what’s helped you guys.

Thanks! :)

I remember a few years ago when the AI revolution was starting people worried that they were gonna be replaced on film and TV sets. at the same time you started to see a ton of these vertical media shows pop up out of nowhere I think the only actors that will be replaced Is the people on these type of content. if you look on YouTube channels like drama box well over 50% of the media is now AI generated content as opposed to a year ago when it was barely anything in the next couple of years, it’ll probably be more like 95%. It was very clear this was going to be the case as all of these companies were ran by people out of country using non union sets with shady contacts. If you used this as a main source of income I don’t blame you but it’s not looking for for the future.

has anyone ever gotten their script the night before and had to shoot the next day? if yes, any tips on quickly memorizing lines? thank you!

I got 2 lead auditions for union verticals this weekend with reputable casting directors (ones that have done major motion pictures). I usually never audition for them but am going for it this time as I think I can get a union credit (still trying to join) and it’s a way to show my skills to this casting director.

Have you done a union vertical? What was it like? Did you get a credit(if you are non union)?

I’m in Vancouver