If you’re here, that means you’re in the process of creating an actor resume. You’ve been working really hard and now you want to show the world what you got. Or maybe, you want to get an idea of where to start before you get to the ground running. With over 10 years of experience as an actor and a ton of resumes under my belt, I have plenty of tips and tricks to get you going.

Let’s review how you should format your resume, the different variations, and a little trick I have for you if you’re just a beginner and don’t believe you have anything to put on it, yet. Keep reading!

What does an actor resume look like?

Format for your Actor’s Resume

First, I think it’s important to note that there are MANY different variations of an actor’s resume. One search into google and you can see exactly what I’m talking about. If you take a closer look, you’ll notice that almost all of them have the standard 3 columns, a little info at the top and a little info at the bottom. Let’s break this down a little further and make sure to check out my resume HERE for reference.

The top section is where you’ll want to put your contact info and by that, I mean NAME, EMAIL, and PHONE NUMBER. Do NOT list your home address. It’s not necessary and can become a major safety concern.

You may also want to list your stats like your height, hair and eye color.

The bottom of your resume will include your specialty skills. Check out that bottom paragraph to get a better idea.

The Middle Sections

Let’s assume you’ve worked on a few projects and want to add them to your resume. Hooray! It’s important to follow this standard format for your actor resume. Pay attention to the example (purple) to get an idea of what it should look like.

You’ll want to repeat this format per role and for the type of project, aka medium. You can just list your next movie right underneath “Titanic”, you don’t have to write “Film” each time as long as it is under that title column.

Where does your actor resume go?

There are many places where your actor’s resume can go online, but if you are heading to an in-person audition and not a self-tape, it’s very important to pay attention. Your resume needs to be stapled, properly (meaning no points sticking out) on all 4 corners to the back of your actor’s headshot.

Since your actor’s headshot is 8×10, you’ll notice that the paper is going to be sticking out. Yup, you have to cut them. This reduces the risk of your headshot looking unprofessional or even trashed because it looks messy. Also, you do NOT want your headshot and actors resume to be separated, just in case someone wants to get a hold of you.

Pro tip: Write your phone number or email on the back of your headshot just incase something happens to your resume. Use pencil or a light pen and right it on a bottom corner.

Avoid sharpie because this will likely bleed through the photo.

BEST Actor Resume Trick for Beginners (Specialty Skills)

Making an actor’s resume when you are at the beginning of your career sounds like a major catch-22. Well, if we’re being honest here, a lot of things in this industry feel like that. Don’t fret, I have a great trick for you to start building your resume until you can start adding working credits to those columns.

Here’s what you want to do to create your “Actor Resume“.

• Let’s pick a casting site like Actors Access.
• Create a free profile. You’ll need one eventually.
• Head to My tools > Manage Profile > About Me
• Bam. Specialty skill galore.
  • Don’t skimp. Accents, different abilities, and you can even add your own skills there.

Use these to load up your resume. If you’re new, it’s 100% normal and ok if you don’t have a lot to write down, that’s where your specialty skills come in handy. I guarantee you’ll get auditions based on these skills alone at some point in your career. Heck, these may even be the reason you get a job over someone else.

Conclusion

Making an actor’s resume can be a little daunting. No more procrastinating. It will take a bit of time, but if you follow some of these tricks, you’ll be on your way to beginning your career as an actor. Make sure to follow the correct format I mentioned, load up on specialty skills, and properly place your actor’s resume on the back of your actor headshot.

Question for you- What are some of your specialty skills? What is something that you can do that nobody else can? Leave me a comment below or on my YouTube video.

Let me know in the comments and if you liked this blog, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date on the latest and greatest tips to look, feel, and perform better in front of the camera AND in life!

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