Although many actors are good-looking—and some, like James Franco and Jodie Comer, are even scientifically proven to be beautiful—the idea that one needs to be attractive to be a successful actor is antiquated at best. Of course, that may not be enough to assure you that you can succeed as an actor without superlative beauty. So read on to learn about the importance of appearances in acting, plus ways to best use your unconventional looks (if that’s how you so deem them) to find a way into the career of your dreams.
It depends on the production. Performing on the stage doesn’t involve HD cameras; instead, it requires big choices and honest expressions. (The distance between actor and audience member also doesn’t hurt here.) And beyond stage acting, there are indie films, student projects, and non-American productions (watch a few British procedurals if you want to be inspired), which all tend to be less looks-focused than Hollywood blockbusters.
Let’s not forget that this is an industry and career based on illusion. People who look flawless onscreen often wear tons of makeup and are sometimes filmed using a filter. The visual we get as viewers is not what reality actually looks like, and it’s important to remember that, particularly if you’re worried about how your perceived imperfections might appear on camera.
Being attractive can help. Your job as an actor is to embody your character physically as well as emotionally, so how you look will likely always play a part in whether you get the, well, part. We’re not so naive as to deny the reality of existing in the world: When you’re seen as traditionally attractive, different doors will open up for you. This is true outside of the industry, where lookism (also known as beauty bias or pretty privilege) often contributes to increased employment opportunities. It can be especially true in the looks-focused acting realm, where romantic leads, hero types, and even suspiciously acne-free and perfect-toothed high schoolers tend to be conventionally attractive to a wide audience.
Abilities and personality matter more. We’d all rather watch the incredibly talented prosthetics- and bald cap–wearing Bryan Cranston wear tighty-whities as Walter White on “Breaking Bad” than your average male underwear model. Skilled actors who perform realistically and ooze charisma are always going to be more desirable than the hottest hack—which is why we’d encourage anyone worried about how their looks might impact their chances to focus on doing the work instead: Practice, take classes, refine your technique, join a theater company, or create your own sketches. Arm yourself with an arsenal of acting skills that will make you undeniable on the stage or screen.
Diversity is desirable. Today, diversity and inclusion across all of humanity’s various spectrums is celebrated—and necessary to tell stories that ring honest and true. Streaming services increasingly create films and shows made for a wide, global audience, meaning that having a diverse cast has never been more important and vital. Sometimes people want a fantasy, but people also often want to see themselves in the characters they watch—and not every person alive could end up on some magazine’s Sexiest People Alive list. As the trend toward more realistic portrayals takes hold, so too does the need for people, bodies, and faces that reflect that reality back at us. So you don’t need to be hot, or thin, or anything in particular to be an actor: You just need to be you!
When in doubt, make your own stuff. If you don’t see work that will showcase who you are out there in the world, make your own! Creating that space for yourself is not only an invaluable marketing tool; it also opens up people’s minds to how and why they perceive people like you. And if you focus on creating strong character choices, either in your own original work or the work you do on other people’s projects, physical attractiveness matters less and less.
Persevere. For a long time, the joke was always that if you existed outside of a very narrow physical paradigm, you could maybe find work as a character actor—which was seen as some sort of lesser demarcation. But not anymore: Many of our most beloved actors are known for their depth and ability to transform, disappearing into a wide array of characters because they don’t exist within the limiting confines of Hollywood’s traditional beauty standards.
In the end, acting is all about authenticity and the ability to traverse a character’s emotional landscape and arc with honesty and conviction. This is what will ultimately take an actor far in their career; looks are only a small part of that.
Our beauty standards are constantly changing—why else do outlets run pieces about “rat boyfriends” and the rise of being “ugly-hot?” Remember that what’s attractive to everyone is personal and different, and that when it comes to being a good actor, how attractive you are is truly the least important part of it.