Life changing

I loved every second of this, and frankly was the right book that I needed at the very right time. It's hard to find people in this business that'll take a moments pause to give you a helping hand, so when big things like this come my way...... Thank you, Jenna - thank you.

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Great support and advice for the struggling artist

Jenna really does a great job narrating. The story of her journey is inspiring, funny and refreshingly honest. And then she gives such good, practical advice to anyone who is just starting out or is struggling in the acting/artist industry.

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Hilarious and so, so realistic!

I love this book! Ever since discovering it it has become my acting industry bible and I’m recommending it to all my actor friends! It’s nice to know that my struggles in this industry are ‘normal’ and that someone like Jenna Fischer has had similar difficulties. Every time I re-listen to it it gives me the courage to keep going and to keep celebrating the small milestones as well as the rejections!

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Insightful and helpful

Brilliant book. Helpful for anyone in the creative industry not just for actors, really motivating

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if you are an actor/actress listen to this really

it made me laugh, made me think, motivated me.
truly amazing. Sometimes, as actor/actresses, we need books like this. I'm now considering to buy a hardcopy of this so I can look stuff up when I need to

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Easy and Entertaining

I have no intention of acting, but Jenna was interesting and engaging throughout. Quickest audiobook I’ve listened to, was really fun.

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Jenna Fischer Cares

Jenna Fischer, Emmy-nominated star of the popular and beloved U.S. version of The Office, offers a survival guide for actors. What is apparent throughout is that Fischer really cares and wishes that someone had shared some of this information with her when she was first starting out. Note, it's a SURVIVAL guide, not a guide on how to become a SUCCESSFUL actor, something Fischer and her colleagues regularly point out - because they don't have all the answers. They really don't have any answers. As her friend and colleague, Derek Waters (creator of Drunk History) points out and shares in a really personal interview near the book's end, "It's different for everybody." Just as everybody's idea of success itself is different; Waters himself doesn't even consider himself a "working" actor because, to his mind, he's never succeeded at jobbing around for work - he's primarily only been cast in his OWN work. (I would say that qualifies as being a working actor though.)

Fischer herself, for all of her advice, experience, success and other genuine assertions that demonstrate how much she cares and wants to help, pretty much whittles it down to luck, with the anecdotes to prove it. One of the greatest ironies is that it was all the day jobs that Fischer worked in office after office after office that prepared her when her big break arrived - playing Pam in The Office. (She states emphatically, she knew who that character was because it was herself. But she also makes the greater point that she was PREPARED for it when the opportunity finally came her way.) Most of these ironies do not escape Fischer's attention though it is slightly disingenuous that when interviewing the actor Sean Gunn, in a useful section that ends the book where Fischer's intention is to "reveal the brush strokes" of how her friends and colleagues became working actors, primarily to demonstrate the time and effort required; but when interviewing Gunn about his career and applauding his achievement as a regular in the Guardians of The Galaxy franchise, neither of them ever mention that Sean Gunn is the brother of the director and producer of Guardians, James Gunn (who was also Fischer's husband for 8 years; James Gunn is also producer on other Marvel flicks and a writer/producer/director on several DC ones). Not only does this supersede (or at least expand) any notions of luck but also could've opened up insights on nepotism and networking, etc., that this book stays well clear of; though Fischer is at pains to detail how one should behave as a day player and later as a guest star on television sitcoms, lest anyone view this as a networking opportunity, with clear emphasis on the DOs and DON'Ts. Similarly, even though she's a three time Emmy nominee, Fischer doesn't share any details at all about awards shows, FYCs (For Your Consideration network promotion), or even submitting one's own work for Emmy consideration.

Is Fischer's guide going to make you a successful actor? No, of course not. Only you can do that. Is it going to change your career? Probably not, as everything it takes resides within the individual (with or without good familial connections). But is it going to make you feel better on a really crappy day when your acting career is going nowhere and you're on the verge of losing all hope in your own purpose and existence? DEFINITELY. And that seems to be the primary purpose of this guide. Fischer is a working actress with a not especially exciting career and, to her credit, avoids turning this guide into a personal memoir despite the presence of many relevant, personal anecdotes. Ultimately there is no special sauce other than train, work hard, develop meaningful relationships, don't give up (or do give up if you want), be creative, save money and don't give up. Do not give up. The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide is a warm, albeit temporary, comfort that details the mundanity, frustration and rewards of a real working actor's life.

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Ach, the life of an artist!

Funny and sweet description of harrowing life in the arts, the rejection, and how to cope with it all. Loved Jenna reading, and the interviews, beautifully crafted.

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Really helpful for actors at all stages of career.

I LOVED this book. It is mainly geared toward actors at the beginning of their career and those entering the TV/ film industry in Hollywood. But listening as an actor working in theatre in the UK for over ten years I found there were so many pearls of wisdom and lots of helpful advice applicable to all actors at all stages from anywhere in the world. She includes great interviews with actors that were simultaneously comforting and inspiring. Jenna strikes a perfect balance between being very truthful and honest about the realties of the industry whilst also making you feel like anything is possible and gives you practical no nonsense advice on how to achieve it! Helpful to those starting out and those of us who need a confidence boost.

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Try and NOT be inspired by this

A lot more maths than anticipated but hugely entertaining and very helpful for future actors, I just wanted to know more about Jenna herself, but still, a great listen.

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