Some of the best actors in the business began as child actors. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Watson are among only a few child actors who are now some of the most wanted actors in Hollywood. Parents with talented children often want to know the process of how to become an actor as a kid. How does working with a child actor differ than working with any other actors? We’ll answer all of these questions in more detail in this article.
child actors Explained
How do we define child actor?
The term “child actor” may seem self explanatory, but there are a few details that distinguish them from other types of actors. Let’s take a look at the definition of child actor to give us some base level insight on how to become an actor as a kid.
CHILD ACTOR DEFINITION
What is a child actor?
A child actor is a child who acts in stage plays, television, or cinema. Child actors take on the role of young characters. By law, the education of a child actor must not be disrupted whether that education is public, private, or home schooling. Productions must also have a set teacher so that the child actor may continue their education while working on set. These are only a few of the explicit laws created to protect child actors.
Many child actors who find success find difficulty in the different lifestyles and stardom. Many child actors do not continue their career in acting due to these difficulties. However, there are many child actors who continue their acting careers to be successful.
Famous child actors:
- Macaulay Culkin
- Haley Joel Osment
- Lindsay Lohan
how to audition for movie as a Child
How to become an actor as a kid
Getting started as a child actor is similar to starting an acting career at any age. Breaking into the industry requires persistence and hard work. If you are a parent of an aspiring child actor, this goes for both you and your child.
Child actors (and children in general) learn fast and are able to grow their skill set rapidly within a small amount of time.
That said, children also love being children. Child actors who love to act and perform will most likely stick with it longer. Here are a few ways children who are passionate about acting get started.
1. Get an agent
If you are the parent of an aspiring child actor, you may be weary of getting an agent. Don’t be. Be weary of getting a bad agent. Good agents, however, are essential to getting opportunities with different talent agencies.
Here's actress Tessa Netting on answering questions about how she got started in her career, including how she landed an agent.
How to become an actor as a kid • Ask Tessa Netting
The more you work with agents, the more investment they will have in you and your child. Getting started in the acting world can also be intimidating. An agent or a manager can help be a liaison between you and this new industry.
2. Take professional headshots
Once you get an agent they will ask you to get new, professional headshots of your child. Getting creative with these headshots is a great way to have your child stand out. Let your child have fun and show their personality in their headshots.
How to be a child actor? Start with a headshot
3. Enroll in acting classes
As an aspiring child actor, your child must have fun acting of course. So let them practice it by enrolling them in some acting classes. Especially at their young age, children are able to learn incredibly fast and still have a big imagination.
Acting classes can also help you network and learn from other parents of child actors. Not to mention, taking classes can help add to your child’s acting resume. For example, if they practice voice over acting in class you child can act voice over acting to their skill set.
Child actor voice over acting
4. Practice a monologue
Work with your child on nailing down their favorite monologue. Most likely, your child will be asked to perform a monologue of some sort in an audition for any speaking role. Having a monologue dialed in will help them get the part.
5. Audition
Your agent or manager will help you get auditions. It is your job as a parent to prepare your child for the audition, get them there, and communicate with them in the face of both success and rejection.
Here's a fantastic example of how to audition for a movie as a child. This is young actor Henry Thomas pouring his heart out during an audition for one of Steven Spielberg's best movies, the classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
How to become an actor as a kid • Kill the audition
Your child should be having fun throughout this process and should understand that every step is an opportunity to learn.
Related Posts
how to be an actor as a kid?
Working with child actors
On the opposite side of production, working with child actors also has its own implications both by law and in practice. Here's a video that breaks down a lot of the legal considerations when working with children.
How to be a child actor • Rules and regulations
Here are a few things to keep in mind when working with child actors if you are taking on the role of a producer.
1. Getting a set teacher
By law a child’s education cannot be disrupted by their work on a production. Set teachers (also called studio teachers) are required by child actor labor laws. Essentially, set teachers act as a child actor’s tutor and supervisor. Keep in mind that your production will have to pay for the set teacher who’s day rate can cost hundreds of dollars a day.
Set teacher with child actor
2. Time restrictions
Another law that pertains to child actors is working time restrictions. Child actors are only allowed to work a certain amount of hours per day. How many hours they are allowed to work depends on their age.
A child’s time on set must be divided between work time, education, and recreational time. For SAG productions, a report of these times will be listed on the Exhibit G Form.
3. Obtaining Child Actor Permits
Once you cast a child actor, you must ensure that their work permits are up to date. This is ultimately the responsibility of the parent of the child actor. But open communication with the parent begins with ensuring all documentation and permits are in order.
A production will also have to apply for a permit to employ minors. While this may depend on the region your production is taking place in, most regions will require any individual or business entity to obtain legal permits to employ minors as an artist, performer, or entertainer.
Related Posts
how do you become an actor as a kid?
Famous child actor roles
Some of the most memorable child actor performances have come from a combination of a great child actor, a great story, and a great director. Steven Spielberg is notorious for his ability to direct child actors which is no easy feat. It is a part of Spielberg’s directing style to use the wonder and imagination of kids in his films.
It is no wonder that some of the best child actor performances have come from some of Spielberg’s best films such as Hook, A.I. Artificial Intelligence and War of the Worlds.
But what are the best performances in cinema by child actors? Check out this top ten list of best child actor performances in the video below.
Top 10 Great Movie Performances by Kids
Child actors are incredibly vital to cinema. Cinema tells stories from all walks of life with the inevitable inclusion of the perspective of children. Child actors who choose to act because of their passion and excitement for it can bring an incredible amount of value to a film. They are capable of delivering brilliant performances that create memorable films.
UP NEXT
Best Casting Websites
Once your little Brando is ready for auditions, here are some of the best sites to find them. We included a breakdown of the pros and cons of each site, along with tips on how to nail the perfect audition. Let’s go!
Up Next: Casting Websites →
Showcase your vision with elegant shot lists and storyboards.
Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows.
I’ve always wanted to act I’ve never told anybody I wanna be a actor so bad I just wanna walk out if a fancy place and see peaple waving crying for my the best feeling in the world I want peaple to see me as me and I want to be really famous
Well i want to say it's always been my dream to acted in movies but you know i don't really know if i will ever have a chance to but i hope i can make my dream come true but i really have to work hard to do what i want to do which is to be an actor so yeah i hope i can accomplish my big dream.
My name is Angelina I am 14 years old I want to be actress
I want to become an actor but don't know where to start please help if can
I’ve been dying to be an actress so bad since I was seven. Now I’m eleven and I still am not. 😞
My dream is to be on tv and not be rich but to see what it’s like and to show people who I really am. ☺️
I am only a kid and I am writing a book to turn into a movie and trying for the main character! I am oppsessed with acting and my immediate idol is Dove Cameron. I don't care if I'm famous, acting isn't just a dream, it's a part of me in ways that I can't explain.
i like this because i want to be a ator
i want to be in actress that my big dream
I always wanted to be a actor
I wish I became an actress at 10 years old
I am a 14 year old girl.And l am writing a story to turn into a movie and trying for the main character.my favorite acter is Jace Norman on Nickelodeon.l wish to be like him one time soon.l know acting is apart of me.And been called to try is my prayer every night l wish that's happened
I want to be an actor because that's my dream
Hi my name is Isabel, I am 13 and ever since i was little i’ve been wanting to become an actor, I’m a hard worker and good at what i love. I would love to become an actor and just have fun while doing it, thank you for your time, have a good day!
I have always wanted to be an actress since I was 4iam 9know and have been dreaming not for money or fam but to have fun and see what its like
I want become an acter
I’m turning 14 this year and becoming a freshman in high school, I started doing one act play my seventh grade year, I missed auditions but to me I didn’t necessarily care, I had a bad memory sometimes and actually was almost casted as 2 characters in the play, but told my director that I could study lines all night long and the next day be prepared and forget everything, she ending up making backstage sounds and had some fun,over that summer I told someone from my grade that I liked the idea of acting, they blanked looked at me and laughed, I started doing memory games to improve my memory and did one act play again and was to scared to audition, luckily I had the same director and told my fear of stage fright, she told me she understood and made me head of backstage and head of lights and sound to just cheer me up, but it did so much more it made me realize how much I love acting. A friend of mine who was a grade under me was someone I could open up to and told her the truth, that a lot of times out of no where I pretend I’m in my own movie I just randomly came up with and do it constantly while in the bathroom my room almost every where, I haven’t told many people that I wanna do acting. Thanks for reading my story!
i would like to be a actor