The Typical Actor and the Difficulties

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In the role today of citizen-artist, what is the average American actor like? Well, there is no "average," of course, for an actor's only commodity is her or his individuality. But we can consider a statistical average.

A recent survey of the membership of Actors' Equity Association shows that approximately 1.7 percent of the membership is under the age of 20; 58.7 percent are between the ages of 20 and 40, about 40 percent of whom are between 30 and 40; another 20 percent are between the ages of 40 and 50, and 10 percent are between 50 and 60. The remaining 9 percent are over 60 years of age.

Males comprise 53 percent of the membership and females 47 percent, and about 90 percent of the membership is Caucasian.



Interestingly, too, the survey shows that about 81 percent of the union's membership of more than 35,000 members joined Equity in the past two to three decades.

Records show a pattern of movement from the East Coast of the United States to the central and western regions of the country.

Disadvantages

Now that we have discovered a little about a typical actor, let us inquire into the actor's work. What are its practical advantages and disadvantages? We had best begin with the disadvantages because, numerically at least, there appear to be more of them.

The greatest disadvantage of the acting profession is the chronic and acute shortage of jobs. Everybody knows this; there are many stories about it, typified, perhaps, by the one about the two unemployed actors who meet at an audition. "How's things?" one asked the other.

'Terrible," the second actor replied. "I haven't worked for six months. My unemployment compensation has run out, and the rent's not paid. My kids are sick, too. I don't know what we'll do."

"You think that's bad?" the first actor said unsympathetically. "I haven't worked since talking pictures came in 1928. You know, I'm thinking of quitting the business."

This story serves to illustrate both actors' legendary determination to follow their chosen profession and the perils inherent in doing so. But there are other disadvantages to acting, too, some of them stemming directly from the lack of opportunity.

One of these is credit, or rather the lack of it. Not infrequently, the membership meetings of the various actors' unions have discussed ways to solve the problems of actors who have been denied bank loans, charge accounts, and credit cards because of their occupation. Often actors report that their premium rates for certain kinds of insurance were doubled and that the telephone company had demanded twice the regular deposit before installing their phones. So it appears that the prejudice the profession had earlier has not vanished, even today.

Yet banks and loan companies are notoriously unemotional, so there must be still another reason for this attitude. What is it? It is simply that in the experience of these companies, actors have not proven to be good credit risks, and any responsible, reputable actor will be the first to tell you so.

The basic reason for an actor's reputation as a bad credit risk lies in the completely uncertain, haphazard nature of the acting profession. Labor Department surveys show employment in the arts is very sporadic, with most performers working for many different employers during a single year. In addition, performing artists have to, and do, leave home in order to work at their profession; and because not enough professional work is available, most performing artists also work at other jobs outside the entertainment industry.

This is a grim picture to present to a credit officer, in whose mind it is not a question of an actor's honesty, morality, or intent. The problem is merely an awareness of the economic horrors that confront most actors sooner or later.

Eventually, performers themselves, working through and with the cooperation of their unions, took action to provide the actor with a means of obtaining credit, saving, and borrowing within the framework of the union itself. The Actors Federal Credit Union, a federally chartered organization, was established by members of Actors' Equity in 1963 to deal effectively with the actor's perennial problems in obtaining credit, getting loans and money management in general. Conrad Bain, star of the 1980s TV series, Different Strokes, who has performed successfully in all other entertainment media as well, was one of the original incorporators of the Actors' Federal Credit Union and contributed to the initial incorporation fee from his own pocket. Mr. Bain felt strongly that:

Without question, the business community views the actor with a prejudice which is undeserved and unfair. However, we cannot wait for these people to become enlightened; our needs are ever present, and we must help ourselves.

He hailed the creation of the credit union as "a place to turn when you need a loan, a place where you will be met with dignity and respect, rather than suspicion and prejudice."

In 1997, transactions made by members of the Actors Federal Credit Union totaled $463.9 million, and the total number of transactions was nearly two million. The credit union now includes checking accounts, access to automatic teller machines throughout the country, an Actors' Visa credit card as well as direct deposit, IRAs; touch tone teller banking, CDs, and an auto-buying service. Clearly, the credit union has come a long way since it was originally chartered by a handful of actors who decided it should be easier for actors to borrow money. The credit union of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) became a part of the Actors Federal Credit Union in 1991.

Aside from the difficulty of obtaining credit, another disadvantage connected with show business is the suspicion with which outside employers frequently regard an actor, if and when he or she decides to seek other permanent employment. Often, employers have been stung by an impoverished actor who, feeling useless and unsatisfied, decides to "give up the business." So the actor takes a "normal" job, swearing in the bargain that he or she is through with acting and can be counted on to stay in the new position. But a call for a play comes the following week, and the "big break" cannot be ignored. Our actor quits. The fact that he or she feels apologetic about it doesn't make it easier for the next actor who applies.

Another disadvantage of the entertainment profession that must be recognized is the frequent instability of family life. The actor must work where and when it is possible, and frequent travel or a long stint on the road usually means that a married person is separated from her or his family. If one has children, it is neither legal nor advisable to take them out of school; even if a married couple does not have children, prolonged separations occasioned by the need for one (or both) of the partners to work in the field must certainly be considered. Very few actors are able to pick and choose their jobs based on the artistic merits of the scripts or on personal and family considerations. Usually the actor's residence is not a matter of choice at all, but is dictated by the need to work at each rare opportunity. Some of the many who have given up employment, even stardom, to devote time to children and family return to "the business," some do not. Travel remains a constant necessity. Also, although it would seem glamorous to work in a hit TV series, the hours are extremely long and the work arduous.

Some years ago, Actors' Equity conducted a workshop on stress, anxiety, and the actor. The workshop considered social and psychological difficulties that result from frequent unemployment and the problems associated with how actors' families respond to the disappointments inherent in the life of a performer. Judging from the turnout, and the fact that the workshop was necessary in the first place, the problems are very real and widespread.

Little needs to be said about the unpredictability of an actor's income. Besides the wide variance in earnings among actors as a group, most attempts by individuals to predict their own incomes a year or two in advance are purely speculative. Even reasonable expectations of employment frequently fall through, and hot deals are often cold before contracts are signed. This state of affairs is so prevalent that the actors' unions do not even attempt to enforce commitments unless there are signed contracts to prove that they exist.

Today an actor may be earning thousands of dollars a week as a regular performer on a popular television series, and living expenses may be scaled accordingly. But in just a few weeks, if the audience ratings don't promise a commercial success, the series may be cancelled suddenly, leaving the cast with no income.

These are common hazards of the business, and even when the actor's average income exceeds the average salary earned in other professions it still comes in irregular and unpredictable spurts. It's often feast or famine: during periods of unemployment, the family may go into debt; during good times, living expenses continue, back debts must be paid, and it is not always possible to lay money away for the next "dry spell." Sometimes, too, there is a tendency to deceive oneself into believing that a good job will immediately be followed by another and that secure times are just ahead; perhaps the savings left over from a good show will be used to pay for that long-wished-vacation, automobile, or wardrobe. But when the job is over, the bills pile up again, and the cycle begins to repeat itself. The person who earns $50,000 a year certainly isn't rich; still he or she can plan vacations, allow for some luxuries, and generally anticipate a certain standard of living. Most actors who average the same amount over a year's period can plan virtually nothing.

Nor is the tax structure merciful toward actors. Granted, certain income tax deductions are allowed, including commissions paid to agents, coaching (but only for a particular role), living expenses on the road (but only if another permanent residence is maintained elsewhere), photographs and publicity, union dues, and so on. But no consideration whatsoever is given for the costs of the long-range development of a career.
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