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Is being an actor only for the rich and / or pedigreed now? Seems like every day i learn that some actor (or actress) or other type of entertainer is connected to someone rich, famous or rooted in acting - and in some cases it just takes all of the "specialness" out of the person for me. At that point I just feel they didn't earn their way, they are just getting a free pass because they are either someone's kid or lover. I'm sure there are some entertainers who came from nothing and worked from the bottom (no, Drake doesn't count - that's just a song). Is there a such thing as rags to riches anymore or are all the roles basically swallowed up by daddy's kids trying to continue their family legacy? (And no wonder so many ugly actors / actresses out there trying to be passed off as attractive...).
Besides that I mean look at some of these actors, nic cage? Lol. That Jason sedakis or whatever his name is. The guy that wrote knocked up putting his kids in all those movies when they have less than zero talent.
I don't recall the exact figures but when I was going through "Acting for TV & Movies", the figures for people being successful in that line of work was extremely dismal. Something like only 10% made over $10K in the previous year. Perhaps only 5%?
The basic thing of it is that if one wants to be an actor, they better have a primary job to fall back on.
Plenty of actors who got their start without connections ... Matt Damon, Leo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Gosling, Charlize Theron, Emma Stone, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johanssen, just off the top of my head. There are many others.
Is being an actor only for the rich and / or pedigreed now? Seems like every day i learn that some actor (or actress) or other type of entertainer is connected to someone rich, famous or rooted in acting - and in some cases it just takes all of the "specialness" out of the person for me. At that point I just feel they didn't earn their way, they are just getting a free pass because they are either someone's kid or lover. I'm sure there are some entertainers who came from nothing and worked from the bottom (no, Drake doesn't count - that's just a song). Is there a such thing as rags to riches anymore or are all the roles basically swallowed up by daddy's kids trying to continue their family legacy? (And no wonder so many ugly actors / actresses out there trying to be passed off as attractive...).
I think having a family connection is far more the exception than the rule.
Harrison Ford was a painter. Successful actors tend to be gregarious (Duval excepted) and have a good agent. Getting face time in front of decision makers gets parts. If you look at some of the filmographies in IMDB you will see how reputation, attitude, and skill determine career arcs. The Sony hack gave a pretty good look into the inner workings.
The good thing is that the vast majority were ordinary people from ordinary circumstance before making it big.
The bad thing is the odds of making it in Hollywood acting are less than 1 in a 1000. If somebody says, "Kid, I'll make you a star".............run.
Professional athletics is similar. Thats why I don't feel bad for the stars who made it. There are millions of sandlot superstars that would give an arm just to play in the majors...for free.
Ford was a carpenter (probably painted too) working on Lucas's home. Lucas gave him a chance. Goes to show the role of luck and who you know.
I think there are many more that made it without any connections than the other way around, frankly.
That may have been the case in the old days. But nowadays, forget about it. I think today's industry is all about who you know. For example, I read somewhere that Jessica Chastain was discovered by Al Pacino. I guess he put in a good word for her.
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