The Life of an Actor in Hollywood

I use to be an actress in Hollywood. The things I encountered in Hollywood is very different then the things I encountered in my normal job. Hollywood is a place where you have to forget about your real image and transformed into the Hollywood image. This is a very difficult task because you're now transforming yourself into a new person. This means I have to get rid of my old dressing habit, eating habit, walking habit, talking habit and do something new.

The first thing that I have to change was being more open to people. This means talking to more people in order to network more and get work done. This made me very nervous. I'm not use to talking to a high volume of people but in Hollywood I was conversing with at least 1000 people a day. These people are my co-workers, my film crew and my stage crew. It was very difficult for me at first because I'm a very shy person. Another thing that made it very difficult was that most of these people are good looking men and sometimes they flirt with you and you have to learn how to back off from it. When months go by I progressed very well, I was able to approach everyone and have a flowing conversation with them. Talking to many people versus talking to a few people in a normal job is the difference.

The second thing that was different for me was changing the way I dress and the way I present myself to others. I now have to dress very upscale and tasteful instead of being casual. I have to present myself in a professional manner and show some coolness to me too. It not just being myself, I had to be more. I had to wear heels, color my hair, show cleavage and wear designer hand bags. I have to look like a Hollywood diva in order to fit into the scene.

The third thing is doing my job well as an actor. I love to act and it comes to me naturally; however, there are times when you have a very difficult director or rude crew and you have to learn to manage it well. I did lose my temper a couple of time. One time I even took off from work and just went home because I had an argument with one of the crew member. I encountered a very rude director once but most directors are nice. I find myself struggling to do my job well in front my well know friends. It is very difficult to transform into a role and perform well with people that you know who can be critical. I learn just to let myself go and expose my work in front of everyone. This is one of the most difficult thing for me but I learn to get use to it. A crowd just staring at you and waiting for any small little mistake is difficult.

Another difficult thing is dealing with some of my co-actor. Actors are known to be very wild and out of control. Some of my co-actor are wild and out of control and rude. They pick on me and told on me and all kinds of little stuff. I learned to manage myself with them. I did met some people I became close friends with. I have to learn to stay away from the rude crowd.

The hours on the movie set is usually 8-16 hours which is very different from a normal job. I would get very tire being on set for 16 hours a day. The good part is I do get pay well for it. Work usually start at 6am and I have to get up around 4am to drive to LA from OC and it's a dread. Working long hours prevented me having a social life, it was difficult to date or go out with friends unless its the weekend. I also have to travel to a new set every single day, wherever the film set is located.

Working in Hollywood is tiring with long hours and demanding co-workers. I have to transform myself into a Hollywood figure. I have to learn my ways with a difficult crew. These are the daily things an actor have to manage.