Here at the Actor’s Toolkit, we focus a lot on the actor’s craft. Ultimately, we’re focused on actors who are passionate about the art of acting and offer something valuable to audiences through their acting work.
The reality is, that acting is a business, and to do the work we want to do, we need to make smart decisions.
That’s why I want to discuss special skills for actors, also known as lifeskills, and how incorporating these can enhance your career.
The other harsh reality is that acting is highly competitive. There are tons of acting graduates every year, and tons of people with various experience, skills, and talents.
That doesn’t make your acting talent unimportant, but sometimes that’s not enough to get your foot in the door.
A great way to make yourself more castable is to add specific skills to your CV. These life skills can make you stand out in a crowded field.
That means that if a casting director is looking to cast someone with these skills, then you will immediately pop up as an option and you will be able to be in the running for that role.
Of course, we do actually need to be able to do the things that are on our CV.
So, it’s a great idea to make goals regarding the things we want to learn to add them to our CVs.
This is where life skills education comes into play, helping actors develop a diverse skill set that can benefit them both on and off stage.
Here are some of the best ideas or things to add to your CV as an actor to help you get cast, along with examples of life skills that can boost your career.
Learn Accents
While casting directors are trying to be more specific in casting regional actors, learning different accents can certainly help you in being cast in various roles. Of course, if you’re playing someone from a different place with a different accent, it’s really important you get it right. So, here are some top tips for adding new accents to your acting CV, including accent training and articulation:
- If you’re learning one accent, set aside around 4-6 weeks to dedicate yourself to perfecting it. Then practice it regularly in your weekly schedule going forward.
- Think about your local area. If you’re from the UK West Midlands, can you do a Birmingham accent? How about Staffordshire or Herefordshire? These can be great options to learn as you can easily play roles that are relatively regional for you.
- Think about your casting. Do you look like you have a particular heritage? Are you often cast as posh queens or East End gangsters? Focus on accents that suit your casting.
- Consider accent coaching, or purchasing books and courses on learning that accent so you aren’t learning it inaccurately.
- Listen to the accent as much as possible so you get used to its rhythm and musicality.
Play Sports
Sports are a great skill to add to your CV, as well as an opportunity to do something fun. These are a great way to get cast, especially when considering your casting niche. Sports can also contribute to your overall fitness and exercise routine, which is beneficial for actors.
- Think about things you enjoy. This is an opportunity to do things you really find fun, or to try things that you’ve always wanted to try.
- Think of the kind of work you want to do. If you want to make period dramas, perhaps think about learning horse riding, archery, embroidery, or even rollerblading for those fun 70s dramas.
- Think about your casting. Are you a big, burly bloke? Perhaps you could see yourself being cast as a boxer. Do you have the physique of a swimmer or the physique of a pub darts player? All of these are fantastic skills to have on your CV and make you more castable.
- Think about unique sports that not many other actors will have on their CV. For instance, there are probably fewer figure skaters or kayakers than there are football players.
Learn An Instrument
Instruments are great special skills for actors to have on their CV. Remember, musical skills require regular practice to stay on top of, so make sure you plan to practice in your regular schedule. Consider taking skill courses to improve your musical abilities.
- Think about that instrument you’ve always wanted to learn. Now’s your chance!
- Again, this is a good time to consider your casting. If you want to go on to play rebels and edgier characters, rock instruments such as guitar or drums are great options. If you want to play upper-class period characters, the piano or violin might be great ideas.
- Think about folk instruments native to the country you are from or countries you have heritage from. Being able to play instruments such as bodhran, bagpipes, sitar, or djembe may give you a strong casting niche.
Learn A Life Skill
But what are life skills? Life skills are abilities that help you navigate everyday life and contribute to your personal and professional development.
Basic life skills are not just great to have for your average day-to-day life, but they can actually help your casting chances, too when put down as special skills for actors.
You may be surprised at the things that will give you an edge over other actors, but learning various life skills can really help your chances at being cast. Here are some top life skills examples to think about learning:
- Driving. Learning to drive and getting your driving licence will allow you to drive vehicles on set, as well as give you a higher chance of being cast for regional tours that may require drive-share responsibilities.
- First aid or CPR. If you’re playing a medical role, these basic skills can give you a higher chance of being cast.
- Lifeguarding. There are often lifeguarding skills used in film, and to keep this authentic, they like to cast real lifeguards. So, lifeguard training makes you an option for these roles.
- Cooking. When casting chefs, casting directors often want to keep this authentic, too. Taking cooking classes or even getting some part-time work as a chef could help you get cast in these roles.
- Bartending. Similar to the above, casting may want authentic bartenders, especially when it comes to the mixing experience. If you need a part-time job, a mixologist is a great one to go for.
Consider exploring other life skills for young adults, such as personal finance management, digital skills, or social media management, which can be valuable both in your acting career and personal life.
Nutrition and diet knowledge can also be beneficial, especially for roles that require specific physical appearances.
Take Dance Classes
Dance is often an in-demand skill, especially when it comes to theatre. Think about what types of dance class you could take, and remember to make it a regular part of your schedule to stay on top of it. Dance classes also contribute to your overall fitness and exercise routine.
- If you want to do musical theatre, tap, ballet, and modern dance are great options.
- If you want to go for those upper-class roles, ballroom dancing and ballet are fantastic choices.
- For more modern characters, hip-hop dance, breakdance, contemporary dance, or even sport-dance like Zumba are great options.
- Think about your visual casting and heritage, too. Consider learning a traditional style of dance from your home country, or from the countries you may have heritage from.
Learn A Special Theatrical Skill
If you’re looking to work in theatre, there are a range of special skills for actors that can be in demand and make you more castable. Here are some of the most popular ones:
- Puppetry
- Physical Theatre
- Improvisation
- Devising
- Acrobatics
- Stage combat
- Stunt training
- Public speaking (which can also be beneficial off-stage)
- Sign language classes (including British sign language)
Think About What Roles You Want To Target
I’ve mentioned thinking about your casting throughout this guide, but it can be a really great way to work backwards from the jobs you are looking to book and thinking about how you can acquire the skills that may give you a better chance of being cast in these kinds of roles.
A great idea can be to come up with a character archetype in your head, and then work backwards from that. This process can also help with confidence building as you develop skills specifically tailored to your desired roles.
For instance, if I want to be cast in period dramas during the 16th-20th century, as upper-class characters such as ladies and queens, I may decide to learn an RP accent, playing piano, ballroom dancing and horseriding.
If I’m looking to play an East End gangster from the present day, I may look to learn an East End accent, get a driving licence, as well as learning boxing and stage combat.
Maybe I want to play an artsy rebel type, from the 20th/21st century. Then I could learn the guitar, East End London, New York, and San Francisco accents, as well as stage combat and practicing my painting skills.
As you can see, there are so many different types of skills that match up with many different character archetypes.
Discover Why Special Skills Are So Important
Check out why special skills are so important with the wonderful Wendy Alane Wright’s interview with James Ciccone. Learn how special skills can be the key that gets you more auditions and helps you land roles.
Break The Rules
While it’s important to think about your casting, it can be a great idea to surprise people by playing outside the rules.
Think about other people in your casting bracket and think about what skills they might have. See how you can be different, and fill a niche that other actors of your type may not be able to.
There’s nothing anybody loves more than a surprise – whether it’s a burly bloke who is also a stunning ballet dancer or a petite young girl who’s a hardcore martial artist.
This is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons. Lean into those things you’ve always wanted to try but never been able to. This is your opportunity to explore new skills and expand your repertoire.
Concluding Special Skills For Actors
I hope you’ve found this guide helpful in terms of improving your acting CV and getting cast by improving special skills for actors.
These really can be the route towards actually getting cast and providing a unique extra value to casting directors.
Even if it gets you that first role that then allows you to prove your talent, then these special skills can be really worth learning.
As with any skill, including acting, sustainability is crucial. So, try to focus on 1-2 of these to start off with, and then incorporate any other skills you want to learn later.
Then, schedule in regular practice time for each skill so you can stay on top of it. Taking classes is a great way to make sure this happens.
Look for life skill training programs or skills training courses that can help you develop these abilities.
Remember, developing these skills is not just about enhancing your CV, but also about personal growth and life skills education.
Consider your acting career as a journey of continuous learning and improvement, where each new skill you acquire contributes to your growth as both an actor and an individual.
To help you in this journey, consider using a Life Skills Hub, which can serve as a central resource for developing various skills.
Additionally, don’t forget about the importance of interview skills and media training, which can be crucial when meeting with casting directors or promoting your work.
Thank you so much for reading my guide, please feel free to message me with any questions, and break a leg for improving your CV!
