Depending on who you are, or who you ask, this question might come across as honest, curious or down-right ridiculous. “Is acting easy?” Can read as very reductive in the wrong context, as it would seem to discredit the gargantuan effort required of actors both emerging and established alike. However, it also speaks to the fact that so may actors make it look so easy … and approach what terrifies so many people with unbridled joy and no thought of crashing, crushing failure.
Acting is an extremely involved art form that requires years of dedication and focus from would-be performers. It is improved through the continuous learning and honing of acting skills, and an actor’s career is as much at the mercy of luck as it is their tenacity or industry clout. Some actors do possess what you might call “talent”, which is simply a natural ability to perform one or more skills well. But most actors who make acting look easy are simply trained and seasoned to conceal their considerable efforts.
In this article, we’re going to tackle the kind of points that you might consider when you ask “is acting easy?” Our aim is to give you the information you might need on the topic, while never deterring you from giving acting a go if that’s what you desire.
Sure, it can be a slog. But so are all wonderful things worth your time.
A Matter of Training and Skill
“Is acting easy?” Depends on whether or not you’ve trained. You might study a two- or three-year degree at a drama school, take an acting class at a local studio or try out techniques you find on TikTok. What acting isn’t is vague. It’s not about feelings, it’s not about talent (more on this later); it’s about developing and deploying a particular set of skills in order to get what you want.
When most of us first encounter acting, it’s in the school play. And who thrives in this environment (theatre kids please don’t hate us) you might ask? Loud, confident youngsters in touch with their emotions—and who are unafraid to make absolute fools of themselves.
Now: loud, confident people with emotional availability and thick skins can make excellent actors. Don’t get us wrong. But the truth about acting is it’s the process behind it, not the personality of the actor. It’s all about the method that allows you to pursue an objective, understand the context of a character and story and every other tool in your kit.
These things are taught, and can be taught. That makes them skills, not some mystical calling that selects the peppiest person in the audition. Because if that were the case, there’d be absolutely zero diversity in the kinds of people who can act. A pretty bleak thing to consider.
The Talent Factor
“Is acting easy?” Depends on whether or not you’re talented. Talent is a contentious thing, and something we speak about a lot here on StageMilk. While there is no denying that certain aspects of acting come to certain actors easily, talent is never all-encompassing. There’s always going to be something that an actor can’t do whiz-bang well.
Think back to those school plays from earlier. Were the kids in the starring roles any good? Sure, some probably were—and they were likely spoken about as talented by teachers and parents alike.
But did they all pursue acting and have superstar careers? Certainly not. This is because talent is no guarantee of passion, progression or sticking power. Most ‘talented’ young actors either coast on their skills or give up their craft because they are interested in another pursuit.
And what do the other actors do? The ones with the passion and drive and the training? Simple: they work, they catch up and they eventually eclipse.
Talent certainly makes acting look easy. But it’s no guarantee of depth and longevity. Remember that when you’re voted least likely to succeed in your drama class…
Putting in the Hard Work
“Is acting easy?” Heck, it’s supposed to seem that way. There’s a terrific Latin phrase, popular among educators and schools alike: “ars est celare artem.” It is true art to conceal art. What this means is that art well made and executed looks effortless—because the true mastery of an art form is for it to seem easy.
Think about the freeform expressions of jazz musicians, or the physical prowess of a ballet dancer. A chef can take the ingredients in your fridge and cook you something truly revolutionary, just as a painter can put three dabs on a canvas that makes you say “I could have done that” (so maybe you should have…)
Are these things natural abilities for these individuals? Hell no! Even if they’re lucky enough to have some relevant talent, the work they put into any of these pursuits is likely all-consuming. But they’ve done exactly this, and they can therefore make it look easy to the untrained eye.
You might watch a performance by Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington or any master of acting, and think that they’re barely putting in effort at all to do what they do. Truth is, though, that’s precisely how you know they’re so good. Ars est celare artem.
The Luck Factor
“Is acting easy?” Honestly, it’s a matter of luck. Luck is a factor in the ease of acting on a number of levels; today, we’ll talk about it from three perspectives: craft, career and life.
Craft
Circle back to “talent” for a moment. Some actors are lucky enough to ‘get’ acting techniques with little confusion, or to employ them in their work while only having explored a given technique for a short amount of time. There’s no way to plan for what you’re good at in life, so this is purely a factor of luck.
The flip-side of this is what we’ve already covered: not every actor is good at every part of their craft equally. So even an actor lucky enough to nail something like clowning, or memorising lines, is going to have to hustle in other areas to round out their skillset.
Career
Acting can be a lot easier for people with luck in the roles they book and the opportunities that befall them. An actor might be perfectly suited to a role that allows them to draw from their own lived experience, or suit the emotional place in which they’re in at this current stage of their life.
Related to this point is the simple truth that some actors network better than others. (Some even network better than they act.) Their careers tend to look like fairly dream-like runs that seemingly skip the toil the rest of us endure. And it’s precisely why networking is a skill, like any other, that an actor must work to improve.
Life
How can an actor’s life make acting look easy? If an actor has, say, financial support from their family to pursue their art, they’re going to have an easier time than their drama school classmate working two hospitality jobs to pay rent.
Some actors come from privilege. Others might have a network of family and friends to cheer them on. Some had the opportunity to go to an exclusive, expensive drama school to learn how to act. Any leg up, any reduction of stress or obligation, is going to result in making their pursuit of craft easier. It’s not a factor to focus on, lest you become bitter or cynical—two of The Least Attractive Human Qualities.
Conclusion
So there you have it: the lowdown on the question “Is acting easy?” Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. Aspects of acting come quicker and easier to some; others can grasp the most esoteric techniques and still fumble with the basics. The trick is to focus on skill, put in the hard work and not be deterred by the craft or career of your peers.
Before we sign off, let’s answer one more question: should acting look easy?
Ideally, yes. You don’t want to give the kind of performance where people focus on your craft, you want them to think about the character you played, the story you told. There are no points awarded to the most suffering artists; those who revel in such self-indulgence are always the most insufferable.
Instead, focus yourself on the joy of doing something you love: work hard at it, and then discover the joy of getting better and better at your chosen craft. Way down the line, it might even start to feel a little easier…
Good luck!
