How to Become a Kid Actor in 2024: The Ultimate Guide

So, you want to become a kid actor?

In this guide, I'll cover everything you need to know, from the training you need (hint: it's less than you think) to how to start finding auditions ASAP. We'll also talk about how to get your parents on board if they don't support you.

Ready to get started?

How to Become a Kid Actor

​The fastest way to become a kid actor (even if you have no experience) is to just start submitting yourself to auditions online. Some of those submissions will lead to auditions, and some of those auditions will lead to acting work!

As a kid, you'll have a much easier time getting acting work than most adults do because casting directors (the people who'll hire you) don't expect you to have many credits on your resume. So the sooner you start submitting yourself for real projects, the better!

​How to Become a Child Actor With No Experience

​So how do I become a child actor with no experience?

Well, there's no need to spend years training and taking acting classes before you can start getting paid acting work as a kid – in fact, booking paid acting work (whether you're experienced or not) is just a numbers game. Here's what you need to do:

1. ​Create a profile on 2-3 casting websites. Start by visiting the three main casting websites (if you're not based in the USA, these sites might be different) – Actor's Access, Backstage, and Casting Networks. Create a profile and make sure it's up to date by including some photos of yourself and any credits or training you have. If you have nothing yet, don't worry! Some casting sites charge a fee, so you might need to discuss joining them with your parents if you don't have money (we'll discuss how to get your parents on board soon).
2. Create your three basic marketing materials. The three main things you'll need as an actor are a headshot (if you can afford it I recommend hiring a professional headshot photographer, but if can't, any un-retouched photo of yourself that shows your face clearly will do), a professionally formatted acting resume (it's OK if you don't have credits or training yet), and footage of yourself performing (just use a smartphone to record yourself doing 2-3 monologues). Upload all three of these onto the casting profiles you created in Step 1.
3. Submit yourself for lots of projects. Try to submit yourself to at least 5-10 projects every week (make sure to follow the submissions instructions attached to each project). As a kid just starting out, you should wind up getting at least 1-2 audition or self-tape invitations each week.
4. Some of those auditions will result in bookings. You can expect to book 1 out of every 5-10 auditions you get (as long as your acting technique is good and you're decent at natural acting).

The acting industry does not require you to have any formal training or experience as a kid – if a casting director likes your look and thinks your acting is good (from the monologue you submit), they'll bring you in for an audition. And if you do a good job at the audition and they think you're right for a part, you'll get hired!


Related: How to Prepare for an Audition

​How to Get Your Parents on Board

A lot of parents don't like the idea of their kids becoming actors since there's so much rejection and it's a challenging career path.

However, if you feel like you were born to act, you'll need to convince them! Here are some things you can say:

• "Kids are naturally talented and creative." Talent and creativity are very important for actors, and a vivid imagination almost always results in great acting, which casting directors love.
• "Kids have less inhibitions." Most kids are less worried about what people think, meaning they don't let their emotions and fears get in the way of their performance. That means you'll probably be better at auditioning than many adults!
• "It's WAY easier for kids to build a career in acting." There are fewer kids performing than adults, and since most parents think their kids need years of training before being able to audition for real projects, you'll have a much higher shot of booking the role (since you're one of the few actors who knows you don't need to spend years training first).

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Now that you've explained why becoming an actor as a kid is a good idea, you'll also need to show them that you can handle it. Here are a few other things to consider doing:

• Explain how passionate you are about acting. Why do you love it so much? How would you feel if you were unable to do it? Remember – acting is about more than fame, so if that's all you want, you're unlikely to convince your parents. Focus on what you love most about being on stage and why you find acting to be so fun.
• Explain that you'll keep up with your other responsibilities. Will you be able to keep up with your household chores and schoolwork? Why are you so sure, and can you prove it? You might want to ask your parents for a trial run, where they let you try acting for a period of time, such as a month or two, and you show them you're able to keep up with everything.
• Buy (or rent from the library) some books on acting. If you read books like these in your free time (instead of playing video games or hanging out with friends), your parents will see how serious you are about acting and might be more inclined to let you try it out. I recommend checking out my book Get Cast if you're looking for a good, easy read to start out.
• Get a work permit (but only after you've done some free acting work). Anyone under the age of 18 is generally required to have a special work permit to get paid acting jobs, so your parents might need to help you get one. That said, you won't need a work permit for unpaid projects, so you can start by submitting to unpaid student films and other small productions to get experience (you can find student films using the acting websites we discussed earlier).

​Some Things to Keep in Mind

Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind on how to become a kid actor:

• Take 1-2 acting classes a week to further your training, but don't do more than that. Classes are great because they can help you improve your technique and learn how to deal with challenging situations that might arise in your acting career, but spending too much time in classes and too little time actually finding acting jobs and performing in real productions will cause you to get stuck. Spend about half your time in classes/workshops and the other half submitting to real auditions.
• Joining a local theater is a great way to meet people and get experience. You can find community theaters by Googling or asking friends in acting classes. You'll learn how the industry works, make new connections, and get familiar with the process of stage and screen acting in these small groups.
• ​Take every rejection as a "close, but not perfect yet!" Don't get discouraged when you get rejected at an audition – it happens all the time! In fact, even the best of the best actors only book 1 out of every 4-5 auditions they go to – and that's the best of the best! Use rejection as an opportunity to find one small thing to improve each time, and if you keep improving, eventually you'll start getting lots more acting work!
• ​You gotta be good to get anywhere. Remember – casting directors are smart. If you're not a great actor and your acting looks fake, you'll NEVER book the role, no matter how many auditions you go to. That's why having a good understanding of natural acting is so important. Record yourself on camera and play it back, taking note of anything that looks phony. Be strict with yourself because if you're not, you're only hurting your own career in the long run!
• Make sure to have at least two monologues prepared. Oftentimes, when you go to auditions, in addition to performing the sides, you'll also be asked to perform a monologue. I recommend reading this guide to learn how to find a good monologue: How to Find the Right Monologue for You.

Getting an Agent Should Be Your 6-Month Goal

An agent is someone who will submit you to high-level, professional productions so you can start acting in real movies and TV shows. Luckily, it's easier for kids to get talent agents than it is for adults!

Before looking for an agent however, I recommend following the steps outlined in this article to get auditions by yourself because most agents want someone who has at least some experience. Spend the first 4-6 months submitting yourself and then once you have 3-4 credits on your resume, you can start the process of looking for an agent. Hopefully your parents will be on-board by that point too!

When you're ready to start looking for an agent, read this guide: How to Get an Acting Agent: The Ultimate Guide

​Don't Waste Your Time on These Things:

Three common things new actors spend too much time on (that distract them from more important things) are:

• A Website: As a kid actor just starting out, a website is way too much. In your first 1-2 years, I recommend sticking to the basics of submitting yourself and looking for an agent. Don't worry about a website until you have at least 5 paid acting credits on your resume.
• A Personal Brand: Figuring out your brand and aesthetic is difficult when you're first starting. It's better to first find out your Type and then just start submitting. Focus your time and attention on getting more auditions and booking them, and only work to figure out your personal brand once you've got at least 3 credits on your resume, which is probably going be about 3-5 months from now (if you have no experience yet).
• A YouTube Presence and/or Creating Your Own Productions: Although it's helpful to have videos you've created online to demonstrate your acting ability, most casting directors and agents are too busy to spend their time looking through your YouTube profile and watching your short films/plays. For that reason, unless you absolutely love making your own videos, you can generally ignore advice that tells you to create your own productions and try to build a YouTube presence.

How to Become a Kid Actor: Conclusion

As an overall takeaway, start by creating some profiles online and putting together your three main marketing materials (headshot, resume, and clips). Then start submitting yourself!

Spend about 6 months doing that and then you can start the process of looking for an agent, by which point your acting career will start to take off.

Just remember that becoming a kid actor requires patience and at least 6 months of consistent work before you'll start seeing results – but once you get there, the sky's the limit!

I wish you luck and hope to see your name on the big screen one day :)

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​Enjoyed this article?
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Book more work by thinking "Outside the Industry."
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​Knowing the basics of how to become a kid actor is just one part of growing your acting career.

​As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible  (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).

I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:

• How to network easily and authentically with casting directors – even if you hate self-promotion.
• How to find your Type and Brand in just 18 minutes (it doesn't require awkwardly asking lots of random people for feedback)
• How to find a hardworking and reliable agent – even if you don't have a strong resume or reel
• And much more...

Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.

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​Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses “outside the industry” thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 6,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues.
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Want to book more acting work by thinking different? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com.

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Some Additional Q&A

​Is Netflix Looking for Kid Actors?

Netflix and plenty of other production companies are looking for kid actors. if you google things like "how to become a kid actor on Netflix" or you read my Ultimate Guide to Getting Acting Work on Netflix, you'll quickly learn how to start getting those opportunities!

​How to Become a Child Actor on Disney Channel?

The best way to get acting work on the Disney Channel is to get an agent and ask them to submit you to those productions. read my Ultimate Guide to Getting a Talent Agent for more info.

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​Further Reading:

If you enjoyed this article (How to Become a Kid Actor), you might be interested in some of these:

• How to Become an Actor With No Experience
• Actor Headshots: All You Need to Know
• Types of Roles in Acting (Lead, Supporting, Etc.)
• How to Become an Actor at 13
• ​Acting Resume for Beginners