There are many possibilities in acting and each role you find will be different from the past roles you've played. But if you've never acted before, how do you know what kind of acting is right for you? Here's how to find out:

Film acting

Film acting means working in front of the camera, where you play the lead, supporting actor or extra. Films, like all types of acting jobs, have genres, so expect a lot of work in drama, comedy, suspense, horror, action and documentaries, among others.

Film acting requires some very precise and specific movements; meaning that you will be working within the camera's frame and will be limited by it. Speaking and moving will also be as close to normal as possible, compared to stage acting.

TV

TV can offer different kinds of acting for you. There are sitcoms, soap operas, series, mini-series, TV movies and documentaries. TV can be steady employment, provided you find work in a successful series or get cast in different TV projects.

Theater

Theater is as hard as or harder to work in than film. Rehearsal hours are long and you have to memorize dialogues with no second takes. You'll also be playing to a live audience so be ready to improvise in case you commit mistakes. You have to train your voice to reach all of your audience.

With theater acting, you also have to audition so you better come prepared knowing what the play is about and your character's role. Theater acting may also require you to sing and dance. But just because your acting will be confined onstage doesn’t limit your possibilities. Stage plays, especially the more recent ones, have some of the most innovative and avant garde concepts.

Voice acting

With voice acting, you can work in any medium, be it feature films, TV shows, TV commercials, animated cartoons and even video games. The talent fee is considerably less, even if you are already famous, but if you become involved in a successful series, you can expect steady work. It would be wise to have a good range of voice characters so you won’t get stuck with just one characterization.

Stereotyping

One trap that most actors don’t want to get caught in is stereotyping. This happens when you play roles that are similar to one another. For example, you could play a villain successfully but never cross over as a successful hero/heroine. You could also be a success being a comedic character but may have difficulty becoming a serious dramatic actor.