An actress is responsible for translating a writer’s ideas into a full-blown character with a unique set of gestures, accent, body language, movement and even trademark dialogues. This can be done on stage, radio, television, video or motion picture productions to entertain, instruct or inform an audience. Depending on the script, an actress must interpret comic or drama roles through hours of rehearsing, training and studying real-life people.
Education/Experience Requirements
Degrees in fine arts, film, television, radio, performing arts and other related fields. Most employers do not have educational requirements, but experience as an actress is preferred,whether from drama or dialect coaches, local theatre groups, school drama club, acting courses, acting conservancies or other types of acting experience.
Skills
Ability to create different believable facial expressions and accents; capture the audience by making them laugh, cry and become excited, shocked and scared; narrate or do voice-overs for video games, animation, advertisements, audio books and other similar work. An actress may also be required to sing, dance, play instruments or other entertainment-related skills. The tasks and required skills of an actress may vary significantly depending on employer needs.
