Struggling on the Road to Stardom

When Andy Warhol said that everyone would be famous for 15 minutes, he didn't specify whether this time in the spotlight would all come at once or whether it would be made up of smaller increments of celebrity. If he meant that, when totaled up, everyone would have a quarter hour of fame within their lifetime then he could well have been talking about the career of the jobbing actor.

Acting as a career in any country is a struggle. Competition is as fierce as in any industry; the amount of work being disproportionate to the amount of people qualified -- or talented enough -- to do it. But when you find yourself competing in the field as a foreigner then making your way in the world becomes increasingly difficult.

"It's really, really tough for English-speaking actors in Germany," said Isabelle Münch, the proprietor of Friends Connection, an acting agency in Berlin which caters solely to foreign actors. "They may be very well educated, professional and talented actors but essentially they are offered very cliched roles, such as British or US servicemen in World War II dramas or spies in Cold War-era productions."

Münch added that even foreign actors who speak fluent German find it difficult, even if they are better for the role than native speakers.

"German production companies are very wary of actors with English accents in German roles," she said. "It is very rare that they are given dramatic roles and for talented professionals this is very frustrating."

According to Münch, even in international co-productions, English-speaking actors based in Germany will be overlooked for larger roles in favor of actors from the United States or Britain.

"The production companies prefer to fly in their actors rather than hire them in Germany," she said.

A case in point is Moira Fitzgerald.

"I would regard myself as fluent in German after living here for almost 12 years," said the Frankfurt-based Scottish actor. "I have had a few minor German speaking roles but I have found that, in general, the German roles go to native speakers regardless of the fluency or accent of the foreign actor."

Actors' destinies in their own hands

While there are individual theatrical agents and agencies such as Friends Connection which cater to English and American actors in Germany, many actors find that the impetus to find work in their adopted country has to come from themselves. While the German employment service provides an agency for professional actors seeking work, it is mostly for German-speaking productions.

Mike McAlpine is an English actor based in Cologne who has been making a living through various acting jobs in Germany for over ten years.

"In many respects an actor is left to fend for his or herself," he said. "Having an agent does not, by any means, mean you are guaranteed work. I spend many hours scouring the Internet for news of casting breakdowns while some jobs come about via word of mouth."

Jesse Inman from Berlin agreed.

"You have to do it yourself -- really, find the work, and half of it you come across by accident," he said.

Inman believes there is a certain amount of luck involved in getting acting work in Germany.

"The first theater job I had here was with a German language theater," he said. "They just happened to be looking for an English actor, I knew nothing about it but someone I'd previously auditioned for happened to mention my name. It was a case of right place, right time."

Continue reading to find out more about the struggle for stardom.

Paying their dues

When foreigners do find acting work, it can be quite diverse and is not always the dream job or the first step towards a glittering career.

"I do Elvis," Mike McAlpine admitted. "I've been doing it for about 10 years, at weddings, functions, congresses. It goes down well in Germany due to Elvis being based here in the army. I've even done various gigs in Bad Nauheim where he was with the military and I'm always regaled with tales from older ladies in the audience about their supposed dealings with the 'King' in their youth."

Shelley Summers always had dreams of a career on New York's Broadway or in London's West End. After arriving in Germany and getting various bit parts in touring productions of musicals such as "West Side Story," she found that she had to lower her sights a little.

"Children's theater can be very rewarding in some ways," she said. "The work can be quite consistent during term time and summer shows are a big draw for families but it's very hard to get your big break when you're dressed as a dancing fox."

Supplementary work a necessity

To say acting work in Germany is like one all-expenses paid journey on the gravy train would be a huge overstatement. English-speaking actors often supplement their acting work with other jobs. While the quintessential struggling actor in Hollywood waits on tables, ex-pats in Germany use their language skills to get by, turning their hand to translation work and teaching English as a foreign language.

"When things get tight, I translate," McAlpine said. "My first degree was in Modern Languages and Literature and I have translated freelance since the early 1990s. I'm also a trained butler and I do the odd weekend job."

"I have a small group of high school students here in Berlin who I help with their English," said Moira Fitzgerald. "I won't be able to retire on what I make but it certainly helps at a time when the phone's not exactly ringing off the hook with acting offers."

An actor's lot is not always a happy one

Despite following a patchwork career made up of low-paid acting jobs and unrelated work, most actors stay true to the dream. But it is far from easy and it soon becomes clear to many where the 'struggling' comes from in the term 'struggling actor'.

"It's incredibly hard. I have sacrificed a lot. I do a lot of work for free or expenses," he said. "This summer I've signed up for two-week short film projects which appeal to me. The fee is non-existent, travel expenses and food will be covered. I'm constantly worried about the state of my bank account. I don't spend much socially because I can't afford it and I live in a shared flat."

Joel Inman has faced the hard times too but sees it as part and parcel of the life.

"I wouldn't say it's all that hard, although I've only been here a couple of years so perhaps I'm not qualified to say that," he said. "It's not everyone's idea of fun, especially the financial insecurity but I love my lifestyle.

"It's like a roller coaster. You have very poor, scary periods when you're not getting work and not eating properly and then out of the blue will come a really well paid film or advertisement, or a well paid theater job and you're relatively rich again. I think it's an exciting way to live, it certainly keeps you on your toes."

Germany offers more than life back home

Despite life and work being so unpredictable in Germany, few actors consider their home countries to be any better in terms of opportunities in their chosen career. Many, in fact, think that being a struggling actor in Germany is preferable to be a struggling actor back home.

"I've been very lucky in Berlin, I think," Jesse Inman said. "I've certainly had more diverse, challenging and fun work since I moved here. Some actors I know back in England haven't worked for six months to a year because there is just so much competition so I feel I'm a lot better off where I am."

For Mike McAlpine, Germany may be equally hard but it is a more manageable situation than back home in Britain.

"There were more options in low budget work back home but I couldn't afford to stay in London," he said."At least in Germany I can make some cash with the voice-over stuff but even that is slow at present. There is an awful lot of talent in Britain and that means an awful lot of competition."

"If all the world's a stage," said Shelley Summers, "then why not act on it? I could be doing the exact same work back home but why bother? Being in Germany is not just about working, it's not even just about acting… it's about living here. Being an actor in Germany, even a struggling one, is a total life experience."