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Drama Queen
My daughter has just turned 12 and for the past 3 yrs she has been nagging me to get her an agent. She has done drama for 3 yrs & dancing for 5 yrs. Even though she is talented while performing she is an extremely sensitive child. I have spent years trying to build up her self esteem & I don't want to throw it away with the rejections you recieve in the cruel world of showbiz. She cries at night & tells me that this is her dream & she feels that this is what she is meant to do. I'm confused as to what to do. Do I let her try this or protect her from an industry that is renowned for it's competitive nature.
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Hey
well in my opinion you will never know and neither will she if you dont let her or you try. I fshe gets rejected,well then you will have tried and yes she probablly will get hurt. But if she does get in and this is when just try. You will never know until you try.
Hope that helped:-)
Love Meggs
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Honestly, if your daughter is so sensitive that she cries because she doesn't have an agent, then imagine how emotionally unstable she'll become after repeated rejection. Not to say that she won't or can't make it in the entertainment world but just to say that's it's really difficult to make it and everyone has gotten rejected one or twice before making it big. And even after making it big people are still rejected and even become B-List. I think that you should wait it out. I wouldn't get her an agent at all at this age. I would let her decide what she wanted to do once she was about 16 or 17. Her aspect onlife and what she wants to do could change drastically. Tell her if she is really meant to do it, it will still happen even if she doesn't get an agent until she's older.
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Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to protect her from hurt forever. If she does go into this industry, she's going to have to learn about the competitive nature. Do you think she'll handle it better now while she has you as support or later when you might not be able to be there?
I would suggest speaking with her drama and dance instructors to see if they think she's ready to take the step. If they do think she's ready, sit down with your daughter and try to explain to her the risk she's taking. See if she'll consider taking more training before trying. If she's still adamant about trying, I would let her try. While it's hard to let our child get in a situation where they might get their feelings hurt, I think it's better to do it when we're there to help pick up the pieces if needed.
Good luck to you and your daughter whatever you decide.
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12 year old girls have a way of never seeing themselves failing. Next time she nags, tell her kindly (emphasize "kindly") "*insert name here*, I know you are a very talented actress, but there are millions of other very talented actresses with the same dream as you in this world who barely get a line or so. You have only been acting for about 3 years, and that is not nearly long enough. You can't just impersonate roles well and think you're going to be a star. You have to wow the director and make him recommend you to an agent. Only the best of the best of the best make it in. For a show on Broadway, about a thousand wonderful actresses audition, and only 5 or 6 can get the role (1 lead actress, 4 or 5 understudies). Lots of them are great actresses and don't make it in, say, because they don't have the right look for the role. And actors don't even get paid that much, unless you're Jennifer Lopez. The average income for an actor is about $15,000 a year and they have to work a day job." And it's true. I knew a girl who was a really great actress, with all the experience and everything you could imagine. She spent her entire career working at Burger King while going from audition to audition. I heard about another one who studied opera. She had a magnificent voice and acting talents, but she was unlucky enough to not get any good roles, so she ended up working at an opera company in COLOMBIA, a country/state run by DRUG LORDS. You can tell her about that too, if you want. Then, have her listen to the song "What a Waste" from the musical "Wonderful Town." It describes the lives of young actors going to work on Broadway. It goes like this: "Go home, go west, go back where you came from. Why did you ever leave Ohio? Kids like you come to town every day with stars in their eyes: they're going to conquer the city, they're going to pull out the Pulizter Prize! But their stories all follow one line, like hers, like hers, like mine..." and proceeds to describe the unlucky and unfortunate failures of very gifted people. If she still doesn't get it, go ahead and get her an agent and let her learn the hard way.
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