Just wondering if any of you have any advice for those just starting out. How did you first get into the business? What is a good place to start? I’m taking a college acting class right now to help me with my skills and to get used to performing around people. It has been a help so far, but I am still dreading actually going in for an audition...

One thing that makes it difficult for me is that I have social anxiety. Just being around alot of people normally can be hard, but when you have to actually perform in front of them... I’ve tried to just pretend that they’re not there, and that seems to help some. But I find it’s hard for me to really get in character when there are other people around. I guess it’s that fear of what other people will think. Around others, I want to withdraw.. which is the opposite of what actors need to do. It’s also so hard for me to project. I’m such a quiet person naturally, and I guess I’m just afraid of speaking up.

I know that there are a number of introverted actors out there (Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, etc.). I try to use them as inspiration, so that I know that you don’t have to be an outgoing individual yourself to be a successful actor. Are any of you introverts? How do you overcome some of the difficulties you’ve faced?