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With being an actor, comes certain responsibilities that you might not have asked for in the first place. Like one of them that almost all actors have to deal with on a daily basis is: Being famous. 

You may be thinking, but being famous would be an advantage right? Well, being famous has it’s advantages but it also has disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is of course, fame. Fame brings many things to you, that you might not want. Like for instance, people following you around trying to get a good picture of you or trying to exploit you like the many reporters do to make a quick buck. You have to be careful about what you wear, what you do, how you act, and sometimes you can’t even be yourself around other people. Another disadvantage about being an actor/actress would be the competition for jobs. You have to really try and try to get good at acting and if you don’t get a job then it will discourage you or if you can’t get enough jobs then you might not make enough cash. The thing is, you have to really compete with other people to get a good job like the one for the Harry Potter movies or the Twilight movie. Both earned millions and millions of dollars but also both were great movies. If you get to be in a great movie, you have a chance to get fame and money. But acting can be a tedious career because of the fame and competition.

But, being famous has it’s advantages. Now not all these advantages are, what people say, ethnically Correct. You can use your fame to sway people choices in life, or make them believe in what they didn’t believe in before. Also, fame has it’s advantages money wise, the money can be used to help people or even the economy. Like for example, the actor Will Smith donated a large amount of money to assist Katrina victims. He also donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. - Told to me by my friend, Krause.

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Being an actor can be extremely fun though. After watching countless hours of interviews with different actors by reporters, I find out how fun being an actor can really be. Like for example, in the movie “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, has tons of fun playing the main characters. I’ve watched a lot of different interviews between these three actors in general because they seem to have a lot of experience in acting and has tons of fun on set. Now not all movies can be as fun as Harry Potter, so I’ve watched other actor interviews from different movies like “Transformers 2″ and “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull”. 

I for one, have no acting experience except for high school drama class. So, I might not be the best one to judge if it is worth it or not, but it definitely can be a great career to take. Now for the pros and cons about being an actor.

Pros:

• Money
• Friends
• Fun Career
• Fans

Cons:

• Paparazzi
• Fame
• Rumors
• Exploiting

These pros and cons may vary from different actors but that’s mainly what I see the pros and cons about being an actor is.

When Angelina Jolie walks down the street wearing scruffy jeans and a ripped T-shirt, there are a dozen or more photographers, or paparazzi as they are known, waiting to snap her picture. They want to capture her every move on film and then they want to sell it to whoever will pay the highest dollar amount.

When Brittany Spears goes out in public with no drawers on, the whole world wants to know. Who cares? Well, oddly enough, millions of people do. And if they don't, they do a pretty good job of pretending they do by continually buying the magazines and papers that slap those risqué shots all over their glassy pages.

What does this have to do with you? It's all about visibility. Every time we see these stars, it reminds us about their new movie release or of their upcoming music CD. It is very carefully plotted publicity. Do you think that Brittany doesn't know what will happen when she rides bareback? Of course she knows. And Angelina…she is considered one of the sexiest people on the planet, those scruffy clothes make her stand out and keep her on the cutting edge of everything.

Again, what about you? What do you do to make yourself visible? I have mentioned this before and it makes people laugh, but where in the hell are the bookarazzi? Why doesn't anyone care about the authors of the world?

The movie industry has the iconic read carpet, what color should the carpet be at the Agatha's or the Edgars? What is the biggest award presentation for the book industry? Anyone know? Not a genre thing, but an overall award ceremony? Who sponsors it? Who decides on those awards? And what color is the carpet?

Why don't authors get all dressed up and celebrate their incredible literary accomplishments like they do at the Oscars or the SAG awards? More importantly, what are you doing as an author to move us into a more visible place in the industry? I've only said this once or twice in public, but I am going out on a limb to ask…when are writers going to start getting the attention we deserve? Movie stars…have no movies without scripts–WRITERS! Singers…have no songs to sing with lyrics–WRITERS!

When you go out and do an event, do you invite the press? Do you have someone take pictures for you? Do you keep a scrapbook of your accomplishments? Where do you display these images? How do you expect to become a household name if no one knows who you are or what you look like?

Too shy? Let's think about this. Go to the bookstore and pick up a copy of Nora Roberts' latest book. Flip it over and check out the back. No jacket blurb, only a picture of Nora. A darn fine picture, at that. She has been working the circuit for so many years that it isn't her words that sell the books any more. They keep people coming back for more, but it is her name and her persona that gets people to the store to buy books that they have little idea what they are about.

So, now that I've got you thinking, what are you going to do to make yourself a household name?

© Karen Syed

First time posting but I've been admiring peoples work here for a while. I saw this weeks topic and had created this Warrior piece recently so I had to post it! Cheers!