Hollywood

Hollywood as I understand it today
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Hollywood Sign
The world-famous Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.
Chris Sattlberger/Getty Images

It has been five years and 5 days since I graduated acting school. In that time, the film industry (I hate this word) is still very much a mystery to me. Hollywood is such a lucrative and attractive institution. As magnetic as it is however, it is also a cold, closed and impenetrable fortress. Hollywood has no clear guidelines for the actor who wants to work in it. When you want to be a lawyer, doctor, police officer or engineer, there is an exact protocol for you to follow. Go to school, maybe an internship, and then you can start looking for work worldwide. It doesn’t work like that like that with acting, but don’t take my word for it, let this guy tell it to you in his very colourful language (watch from the :40 mark to about 2:50).

As an astute observer of all things acting and entertainment, everyday I’m more and more confused by Hollywood. There are actors who have attended reputed acting schools like Julliard, who are not working at all. And then there are actors who have never taken an acting class, who are working all the time. As an actor, everyday is like a confidence expedition. Some days you will feel inspired, and other days you will go to bed asking yourself if you indeed made the right choice pursuing such a career.

In Hollywood it’s already hard enough for Americans, but because they have the right of abode, Hollywood is theirs. British, Australian, Canadian and French actors have good entertainment structures in their countries, so they can usually gain experience that way. That in turn facilitates their move to Hollywood, as already established actors. But when you come from a country that has virtually nothing in terms of an acting industry, it’s a whole other story.

I’m from Cameroon, I’m black and I have an accent, so the ambition I have of building a steady acting career in Hollywood is suicidal, if we’re talking honestly. The problem is that the harder it gets, the more I want it. I obsess over acting 24/7 at every moment. I’m always thinking about what I can do to help me break through. The obstacles are so many to overcome for someone like me. Not to mention Hollywood is unforgiving. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, how qualified you are, you can still not make it. There’s a lot of luck involved. What really annoys me about this industry, is that everybody seems to have their own opinion / advice / experience on how things work / should work. As a result there is a constant influx of always changing information, and you don’t know where to turn. I think you have to be almost crazy to keep believing in such a dream. You have to be willing to be at odds with your parents, you have to be willing to go bankrupt for artistic fulfillment in pursuit of your goal. And even then, it still might not work out…

 

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