Day in the Life: What Do Actors Do?

Actors are masters of pretending: They morph into someone else, they become characters, and they tell the audience a story. Far from just entertainers, actors give life to characters beyond just their words and appearance, through the power of performance. But an actor doesn’t just download a script into their brain and start spouting “Hamlet”; they must study their characters and their stories, and get a sense of who this person is beyond the page.

The responsibilities of an actor include:

• Studying scripts: Actors must read scripts, then read and reread them—truly study them—to get acquainted with the world they’re immersing themselves in. 
• Learning characters: Getting personal with characters’ backstories, motivations, and mannerisms is an essential component of the job; if you’re going to become someone, after all, you should understand who they are. 
• Rehearsing: Actors spend time practicing to get a feel for different line readings, body movements, and facial expressions. Regardless of the type of acting role, they will need to rehearse.
• Preparing: Things like costume fittings, becoming acquainted with props, and getting to know costars also take up a chunk of an actor’s time.
• Performing: Finally, actors perform for an audience or camera.

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A typical day filming a movie might look like this:

• 5 a.m.: Your phone alarm goes off at a painfully early hour, since call time is 8 a.m. You force yourself out of bed, take a quick shower, and head to set while it’s still dark out.
• 5:45 a.m.: You’re in the makeup trailer, where the artist is working her magic to transform you into character.
• 6:30 a.m.: After finishing with hair and makeup, you head to wardrobe to put the finishing touches on your costume.
• 7:15 a.m.: You meet up with your scene partner to grab breakfast from craft services and run dialogue for the day. 
• 8 a.m.: First shot of the day! You film multiple takes while the director tries out different camera angles. 
• 10:30 a.m.: And…you’re still shooting the same scene. The sun is making its trek through the sky, which messes with lighting continuity. Between takes, you’re keeping hydrated and getting touchups from hair and makeup.
• 12 p.m.: Lunch break! You’re hungry but don’t eat too much, since your next scene involves showing some skin.
• 1 p.m.: It’s back to filming. Working with the intimacy coordinator helps ensure a love scene goes perfectly, but then you need to film a tear-jerking scene you’ve been dreading. The director tries out what feels like a million different approaches—it’s mentally draining, but you’re a professional, so you keep digging deep. 
• 3:30 p.m.: It’s time to film a new, more lighthearted scene, so makeup freshens up your look so it doesn’t seem like your character has been crying. You also change costumes and grab some water.
• 5 p.m.: You’re filming more dialogue scenes. You and your scene partner are exhausted and it’s throwing off some takes, so the director tells you to take a quick coffee break.
• 7:30 p.m.: It’s a wrap! You head to wardrobe to change back into your normal clothes. Depending on how tired you are, you might go to makeup to have them clean off your face, or you might just head straight back to the hotel.
• 8:15 p.m.: You’re back at the hotel. Your costar asked if you want to meet up in the lounge to go over tomorrow’s scenes—but you can barely keep your eyes open, so you order room service and make a half-hearted attempt to review tomorrow’s lines before falling into sweet, sweet slumber. Tomorrow’s call time is 8 a.m. Again.

TV: Of the three primary mediums, acting for a TV show is definitely the quickest paced. Television works fast, with filming sometimes lasting only a matter of days. TV actors are responsible for the normal things—learning lines, rehearsing, embodying their character—but they typically have less time with the material to practice. TV shoots are significantly shorter than those for films, with the tight production schedule forcing actors to learn several pages for each day of filming. This also means the hours are more consistent and during typical working hours, making the fast pace worth it for many.

Film: An actor’s responsibilities on film sets are largely the same as those on TV—audition, rehearse, perform, repeat. There’s also the aforementioned costumes and makeup, and of course allowing the director to truly achieve their vision. While TV show directors are a bit more utilitarian (when’s the last time you remembered a TV director who wasn’t already famous for film?), film directors tend to have a heavier hand in the film’s production. Film actors shouldn’t just be familiar with their character as they appear in the script, but they should also get an idea of the director’s style as they go into filming.

The biggest difference between an actor’s responsibilities on TV and film, though, comes from the shooting schedule. Movie productions are long and arduous, with odd start times and sometimes unfamiliar locations. There’s even a difference in rehearsal times. According to acting coach Elizabeth Mestnik, “Most film actors may get little or no dedicated rehearsal time with the rest of the cast.”

Stage: Acting onstage is a different beast entirely from acting onscreen, but that doesn’t mean that some of the responsibilities aren’t the same. Performers should expect to audition and rehearse, but rehearsals play a much more important role here. Acting for the camera always leaves the possibility of a cut or some other chance to try a line, movement, or expression again, but there are no take-backs onstage. Theater actors are responsible for memorizing their lines impeccably and understanding their characters well enough to improvise should the need arise.