Should My Child Act?
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Every parent should realize when wondering if their child should become
an actor is that no matter what age your child is, it is ultimately
their choice. Yes, you are the parent and will be very active in the
audition process, but it is your child's happiness that constitutes
how serious jumping into acting should be.
If your child is outgoing, social and outspoken, those are good traits
to have. A child who desires to become an actor is usually a "ham" around
the house; perhaps reciting lines from movies or commercials and saying,
"I can do that! It looks fun!" If this sounds like your child, they
may have an interest in acting, but let them come to you. You should
only begin the process of auditioning your child if they say, "I want
to try acting."
If your child is certain acting is something they are interested in,
a good way to make them comfortable performing initially is to watch
TV and look for commercials with children their age. Sit next to them
and say something like, "That boy was cute! I bet you could do that!"
Have your child recite a line from the commercial. It doesn't have to
be the exact line, but this will give you a good idea of how comfortable
your child will be as a performer, even though performing for a casting
director is much different than performing in your living room.
So your child has shown a true interest in acting, without any pressure
from you. The next step is to sit down and be one hundred percent honest
with your child about the process. Before discussing this, make sure
you as a parent are informed of the casting cycle. Your child should
know that just because they didn't get a part, doesn't mean they didn't
do well. They should also be prepared to see fifty other kids, who look
just like them, but to not be discouraged, and just be themselves. Casting
agents look for kids that act like kids. The more genuine your child
seems in an audition, the better.
The biggest job as a parent of a child actor is to be supportive. Your
unconditional love as a parent should not diminish because your child
had a bad audition. Parents must also understand that their child will
not be "on" every day. Children are still children, and, as much as
you may try to control your child's attitude, there will always be days
where your child won't perform for anyone. That's okay. This is on their
terms.
A parent should never dispute the child audition process. So many times
parents start to take their children getting jobs too seriously, and
it begins to affect the child as well as leave bad impressions with
casting directors. A parental controversy will only hurt your child's
chances of getting the part; there will always be another cute kid,
and you will always end up embarrassing your own child. Just be as supportive
as you can. It's important.