The Rules of Acting
Jul 2013 · Random House
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About this ebook
Luvvies. Tyrannical directors. Useless agents. Less job security than an England football manager. Who’d be an actor?
Michael Simkins isn’t sure, even though he’s been one himself for over thirty years. Join him backstage as he examines that business called showbusiness, from am dram to Hollywood, and from Shakespeare to ads for flatulence pills.
In a career that started as a plump teenager in ballet tights at RADA, Michael has appeared in countless West End plays and musicals, presented safety training workshops for sewage workers, and when resting, worked as a crate smasher at a car factory. He’s done movies, soaps, ads, and voice-overs, and worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Kelly Osbourne. As the ultimate jobbing actor he’s flirted with triumph and oblivion without ever quite managing either.
InThe Rules of Acting he shares his hard-won wisdom. Covering everything from learning your lines to tilting for Oscar success in Hollywood, surviving a flop, to why it’s advisable to read the whole script if you wish to avoid improper relations with a pig, it’s the ultimate survival guide for anyone contemplating a life in showbiz.
'Throw out An Actor Prepares! Michael Simkins' book tells actors all they need to know about the realities of the acting profession; the passion, the struggle, the noble idealism and the heartache.'
HELEN MIRREN
'It is thrilling that Micahel Simkins is having such success as a writer - anything to keep him off the stage'
IAN MCKELLEN
Michael Simkins isn’t sure, even though he’s been one himself for over thirty years. Join him backstage as he examines that business called showbusiness, from am dram to Hollywood, and from Shakespeare to ads for flatulence pills.
In a career that started as a plump teenager in ballet tights at RADA, Michael has appeared in countless West End plays and musicals, presented safety training workshops for sewage workers, and when resting, worked as a crate smasher at a car factory. He’s done movies, soaps, ads, and voice-overs, and worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Kelly Osbourne. As the ultimate jobbing actor he’s flirted with triumph and oblivion without ever quite managing either.
InThe Rules of Acting he shares his hard-won wisdom. Covering everything from learning your lines to tilting for Oscar success in Hollywood, surviving a flop, to why it’s advisable to read the whole script if you wish to avoid improper relations with a pig, it’s the ultimate survival guide for anyone contemplating a life in showbiz.
'Throw out An Actor Prepares! Michael Simkins' book tells actors all they need to know about the realities of the acting profession; the passion, the struggle, the noble idealism and the heartache.'
HELEN MIRREN
'It is thrilling that Micahel Simkins is having such success as a writer - anything to keep him off the stage'
IAN MCKELLEN
Ratings and reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Louisa Faye
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June 13, 2014
What a great read. From the get go I was hooked to find out more about Michael's views on our wonderful but tough world of acting. I was brought to laughter and a few times tears thanks to the wonderfully articulate stories. I don't think there's one actor out there who couldn't relate to at least one chapter of this book. A must read if like myself you are in a 'out of work' and ultimately 'out of confidence' stage. Made me feel less mad, which is always good. Go and buy and enjoy.
About the author
Michael Simkins trained at RADA and has since appeared in more than 100 plays and musicals, from the National Theatre and the RSC to the fringe and the West End, as well as in the musicals Chicago and Mamma Mia. He’s made countless TV appearances, usually as policemen or unsuspecting husbands as well as turns on the silver screen in such films as Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy and The Iron Lady. His first book, his memoir of breaking into the acting profession, has become required reading for drama students everywhere. He is also the author of Fatty Batter, Detour de France and The Last Flannelled Fool. He lives with his actress wife, Julia Deakin, in London.
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