Need genuine support and guidance.

Hi Phillip

Thank you for sharing so honestly. It’s a great start to put these feelings into words. It sounds like you’re carrying a lot right now. But it’s good to read that you’ve identified your passion and you’re not wasting time.

It may be helpful to look at the topics on out Advice and Guidance Hub which covers areas like mental health and wellbeing, relationships and socialising and financial help, money and benefits.

You said you feel lost. If you can, reach out to a mental health support line or local counselling service. Talking things through can help you feel less alone. You could speak to your GP or another health professional about this if you haven’t done so already. If it’s outside your GP hours call 111 to reach the NHS 111 service. In England, Wales and Scotland there is now an option to speak with mental health professionals by selecting ‘option 2’ when calling NHS 111: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-use-111/   

The National Autistic Society does not currently operate a crisis or emergency service. We advise you to contact 999 or any of the mental health crisis lines listed on our Urgent Help Page if you are at risk of immediate harm: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/help-and-support/urgent-help  

Best wishes

Sharon Mod

Please accept my apologies if I am stating what you may already know.

The world of acting is incredibly competitive, and can also be quite toxic. Even the most thick-skinned film actors can find the nature of the industry and all the negative things that inevitably come with it takes its toll on their mental health. It might be worth thinking about how you would deal with things like negative press reviews, fans who might develop an unhealthy obsession with you, months or possibly years when you are turned down for roles by casting agents. These are all things that film actors experience.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to become a film actor, but I would advise against becoming too fixated on that idea. As Iain and Stuart333 have both said, joining an amateur dramatic society will be a good way of gaining confidence, discovering if you have a flair for acting, and if it is something you still want to pursue. 

I agree with Iain, join local amatuer dramatic group to get something to do and meet people. You might not like it.

Since you have a pc, ask AI for ideas about what to do. Could you write a play, or a film, or a series.

Could you attend an acting school. 

You will need to know how to do well in an audition and how to even get one. Do you need an agent, how do you apply, do you need membership of anything (union) to have a role?

Phillip said:

I'm 23 and with zero experience, friends, transpor

Experience you can gain if you put yourself out there, get into amateur acting situations etc and build a portfolio. Without experience your further ambitions will be incredibly limited so this is where I would start.

Search for amateur dramatic / acting groups in your area and ask to join.

You may want to work on your mobility if you do want to get into acting later on as these are often all over the place and not in easy public transport access. Would a moped / motorbike be within your means longer term even?

Phillip said:

The only liberty I have is the gym. But coupled with poor eating structure and financial difficulty, this also hurts. Even more so I have nobody, nor professional or guidance. 

Think about how you can improve this. Eating better is remarkably straightforward even on a budget if you buy fruit/veg from markets and cook yourself. YouTube has plenty to show you how to prepare the food and nutritional information is fairly readily available on the internet so you should be able to improve your diet easily and affordably.

Phillip said:

I want to be a film actor. Correction: NEED to be a film actor.

A reality check is important here - it helps to realise that only around 2% of performers every get to make al iving from it (source: https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/what-percentage-of-actors-make-it-76897/ )

You have the added overhead of your autistic traits which can make it harder to endure but can also make you better at acting. The one thing I would make a special interest is to study human behaviour so you can understand it much better when you are playing the roles you will get. 

If you can treat it as a hobby rather than a career then you are much more likely to not get stressed by I I think. With such low odds of success then placing your livelihood on the line is a bad idea, but if you enjoy the process without having to give up your job then it can be fun instead.

There are plenty of people out there who will charge to be an acting coach but I suspect few will be successful. Once you join some local groups then you will get more contacts, people who may be willing to help and a lot of experience to learn from.

I have a TV actress as a good friend and she tells stories of the most obnoxious people in the acting world, with narcassism a common trait so I would bare this in mind when considering if it will be less toxic than where you are now. I think it is just as bad but different.

These are just a few thoughs for you on this subject - hopefully something will be of help.