Beautiful Meryl Streep has changed my life 'profoundly' twice. The first when she played, Karen Von Blixen in 'Out of Africa' and proved that women could be independent and courageous. She inspired me to travel the world solo and follow my heart. The second time was in her speech at Cannes recently when she was awarded an Honorary, Palme d'Or for her exceptional contributions to cinema. (Yes RB, she has played the long game.)
I would love to know how you all got interested in acting. For me, when I was 8 or so I was asked to read "God" for a play at church camp. I had fun, I got accolades from people, so of course I needed more of that!
Hello all!
I'm currently writing my first blog for Stage32 (keep an eye out for it soon!) and one section will be covering the topic of scripts and writing. I'm sure many if not all of the writers on here will be aware of this, hence I'm posting it in the Acting section, as I think it's essential for actors to be constantly reading.
Below is a link to Script Slug - a website not many actors I know have heard of.
Script Slug have hundreds of free to read scripts available for anybody to download (under fair use for educational purposes only).
They have all of the 2025 Academy Award nominees, 2024's, 2023's, etc, as well as entire catalogues of screenplays from directors including Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Eggers and Ridley Scott. Aside from movie scripts, they also have TV shows including Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Shogun.
Be sure to check them out. A great acting exercise is to read through them, and pick any 2-5 pages to memorise within a specific time, then practise as a self-tape rehearsal exercise, or just for cold-reading skills. Set yourself a challenge to read a script a week, or a certain amount within a month. It's all great preparation for when a real audition and opportunity comes along.
Let me know your thoughts and which scripts you enjoyed the most! My personal favourites are by Robert Eggers. I'm a huge fan, and his attention to detail throughout his films even shines through into the script formatting which is beautifully done. And of course, Chris Nolan's plot structure and Quentin Tarantino's dialogue - gripping!
Hope this helps and inspires someone!
https://www.scriptslug.com/
What do we think?
Angry rant coming. Sorry in advance but I'm really tired of hearing the excuses.
When I first started, I was always hearing about the "Catch 22". You couldn't get an Agent without doing a lot of work. But in order to work in many cases, you "needed" an agent. Fortunately I never fell in to that trap and I have a solution for those of you who think you're falling in to it. Are you ready? Here it is! MAKE YOUR OWN S#!T!There's a wonderful interview from a couple of years ago with Jason Alexander from "Seinfeld" who said that "the days of just being the Actor are probably over. If you're sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring, it's never gonna. You have to go out and make it happen for yourself..." or something along those lines.
I know, I know, it is easier said than done, but hear me out. I LITERALLY have a Clubhouse friend (an app for your phone like the old 80's party lines) who made an entire feature length documentary from her iPhone and not even the most up to date one. You can probably still find it out on the streamers somewhere, as she got distribution for it. It's called "My Yang Gang Diary", it's the story of a presidential campaign. She had no clue what she was doing when she did it. She didn't know how to edit. She didn't know lighting. She hadn't been to film school. She knew NO ONE in distribution. SHE JUST DID IT and she learned on the way!
Another friend of mine who is a nurse, just made her first short film. She wrote it, directed it, produced it, got the locations, cast it, ordered food, literally EVERYTHING. And she also had NO CLUE what she was doing! It's called "Poetry on the Pavement". See the pic. She literally learned EVERYTHING while she was doing it!
Don't want to go the documentary or short film routes? No worries. You can just use your ring light that you already do auditions with and write a scene for you and a friend. Or you can do it completely solo. iMovie on the iPhone is what I use for auditions. Who says it can't work for a small scene with you and friend too?
Now, I know I'm probably going to get comments like "I don't know how to do that" or "I don't have that equipment" or some other excuse. LEARN! Save up until you can get a small camera, if you don't want to use a phone.
Technology makes it easier than ever to learn lighting, writing, Directing, and Acting. I literally watch the Michael Caine video on Youtube once a year at Christmas time and my DP for my latest short AND the Director of my first film "Turbo Cola" never went to school. Luke learned EVERYTHING he does from Youtube videos! "Turbo Cola" would go on to win Best Comedy and Best Indie Film of the Year in 2023 AND he won a Telly last year for his commercial work.
The point is, in your auditions, you're ALREADY doing your own directing, lighting, sound, in addition to trying to act. Why not just go a step further and make something of your own? It doesn't have to be a million dollar movie. Just a short film that you write or a scene. Throw it up on IMDb and BAM! you got a new credit that shows that you're working.
Sorry for the lengthy rant. I just am not a fan of listening to the excuses.
2 Ways New Actors Can Get Experience And Cast
I have been doing all of my views each week, like I always have, but with the past few weeks, the starmeter keeps dropping. Typically with views on here I can keep it 50,000 range and lower, but that doesn't seem to work anymore. Anyone else noticing this?
I just read this article about Corey Mylchreest in My Oxford Year. He says he immersed himself in interviews and books about young men facing terminal diagnoses.
Join our Head of Community, Ashley Smith LIVE on the @Stage32 Instagram with Daniel Sol, Co-Founder of HollyShorts, to celebrate 10 years of partnership between Stage 32 and the HollyShorts Film Festival!
They’ll talk about how the partnership began, Daniel’s excitement for this year’s festival (kicking off Thursday), and the launch of our new Stage 32 Global Contest Hub.
This is totally free to attend—just follow @Stage32 on Instagram and join us live!
Hey everyone, I’m Auzzey — a first-time screenwriter and new to acting, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.
I’ve recently written a short film based on a deeply personal experience — a symbolic story about emotional distance between a son and his mother, and the unexpected love that helped him begin to heal.
I plan to act in the project myself, and I’m here to connect with other actors and creatives who value emotional truth over perfection.
I don’t have training — just real life, real emotion, and a willingness to put myself into roles that matter.
Would love advice, guidance, or connection with anyone who’s walked this path before.
Good morning everyone!
Who are some actors who have inspired you? Is there a particular actor who continues to blow you away with their performances? Who you would love to work with and would fanboy/girl out on? For me, it's Nicole Kidman. I have admired her career and the different kinds of roles she plays. I like to think, "I can do that." When I was a child, I would say I was really inspired by Anthony Hopkins and Val Kilmer. To this day, LEGENDS OF THE FALL and TOMBSTONE are in my TOP 10.
Ever wonder what happens when two longtime friends and seasoned performers sit down for a candid conversation about their craft?
Hello all, I thought I'd share this excellent workshop I discovered many years ago from the legendary Michael Caine! In it, he covers many aspects of screen acting including the difference between theatre and movie performances, blocking, position relative to camera, eyelines, and much more. Highly recommend viewing and hope you find it useful!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPLVDwEr7Y
So I'm from a pretty small town where there's really no filmmaking opportunities other than the ones me and my team create, I just thought I'd shoot up a question about how I can work and grow as an actor while not receiving jobs, so that when I am going for work I can still make a very compelling case. Cheers
Hi guys sorry I missed the meeting. I was stuck dealing with Verizon.
Be sure to join us this Wednesday, Jul 30th, 12:00 PM PDT https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-july-community-open-...
Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, will take you on a guided tour through the platform’s features, resources, and opportunities available to help you connect, grow, and take the next steps in your creative career. Hope to see you there!