How The Writers’ Strike Is Impacting Actors

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who is a working actor. He has appeared in several films and television shows, including a recent role on ER

on NBC. Normally his day is consumed with auditions, but when I talked to him he had actually just finished working a 9-5 job at a local Los Angeles office and was preparing to go and teach an evening acting class.

The Writers Guild of America strike has left many actors all over the country out of work, and uncertain of what's ahead for them in the near future. With the number of auditions dramatically reduced and a number of projects on hold, many actors are taking temporary jobs so that they don't deplete their savings while they await the outcome of the strike.

So what's an actor to do? For many it's a toss up. According to SAG, actors who were in the middle of the project cannot be placed on unpaid hiatus. Instead the studios must either: 1) terminate the actor; 2) put series regulars on hold at full salary; or 3) suspend the actors for a period of up to five weeks at half pay.

For other actors who weren't contracted for a role at the time of the strike, it seems they may have a lot of idle time on their hands indefinitely. If you're an actor and you're out of work due to the strike, don't get discouraged. In your free time, perhaps consider:

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• Taking or teaching an acting class
• Trying your hand at standup comedy to sharpen your comedic skills
• Volunteering at a local organization
• Supporting the writers by joining the picket line

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Some may view the lull as evidence of the tumultuous nature of the industry but every industry experiences downturns. Just ask any real estate agent or dot com investor. All we can do is wait it out. In the meantime, there are still lots of projects that are not being affected by the strike. Visit http://www.EliteCastingNetwork.com for a list of casting notices for projects that are forging ahead with production.