The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide

Jenna Fischer

Nov 2017 · BenBella Books

About this ebook

Jenna Fischer's Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. With a theater degree in hand, she was determined, she was confident, she was ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong?

Uh, basically everything.  The path to being a professional actor was so much more vast and competitive than she'd imagined.  It would be eight long years before she landed her iconic role on The Office, nearly a decade of frustration, struggle, rejection and doubt.

If only she'd had a handbook for the aspiring actor. Or, better yet, someone to show her the way—an established actor who could educate her about the business, manage her expectations, and reassure her in those moments of despair.

Jenna wants to be that person for you.   

With amusing candor and wit, Fischer spells out the nuts and bolts of getting established in the profession, based on her own memorable and hilarious experiences.  She tells you how to get the right headshot, what to look for in representation, and the importance of joining forces with other like-minded artists and creating your own work—invaluable advice personally acquired from her many years of struggle.  She provides helpful hints on how to be gutsy and take risks, the tricks to good auditioning and callbacks, and how not to fall for certain scams (auditions in a guy's apartment are probably not legit—or at least not for the kind of part you're looking for!).

Her inspiring, helpful guidance feels like a trusted friend who's made the journey, and has now returned to walk beside you, pointing out the pitfalls as you blaze your own path towards the life of a professional actor.

Ratings and reviews

I am by no means an aspiring actor (unless you count the occasional community theatre production) but I am a big fan of The Office and Jenna Fischer, and was interested in learning more about the acting business, so I decided to check out this book. It was wonderful! You can read stories about her time on The Office and how she got the role of Pam. The book also contains some funny and crazy anecdotes from Jenna’s life, from that time she was forced to ride a roller-coaster for 12 hours, to the time when she accidentally wound up almost working at a prostitution ring (!) I knew an actor’s life wasn’t easy, but I really had no idea how truly difficult it was until I read this book. There were many parts that made me go, “Thank God I’m not an actor” because I’m really not cut out for it. Even though I’m not the book’s target audience (funny how this book seems to be more popular among non-actors, at least according to the reviews I’ve read) I still really enjoyed it. If you are an aspiring professional actor, or just curious about show business, I would definitely recommend adding this book to your collection.

I won't be an actress but this book inspired me a lot, giving me motivation and will to make something, even just for self pleasure. Jenna Fischer did a great job. Loved it :)

Great read. I feel inspired and slightly overwhelmed. A great combination of emotions to help you meet yourself in the middle. Thank you Jenna.

About the author

Jenna Fischer is best known for playing Pam Beesly on the acclaimed television show The Office, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Comedy.  

After wrapping The Office, Fischer went on to star in the UK/SKY B limited series You, Me and the Apocalypse along with Rob Lowe and Megan Mullally. She also starred in the Off-Broadway play Reasons to Be Happy, written and directed by Neil LaBute. Most recently, Fischer was on stage in the world premiere of Steve Martin's newest absurdist play Meteor Shower for a record-breaking run at the Old Globe Theatre.  

Fischer's film credits include The Giant Mechanical Man (which she also produced), The Farrelly Brothers' comedy Hall Pass, Solitary Man, opposite Michael Douglas, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, produced by Judd Apatow, and Blades of Glory, opposite Will Ferrell.  She is upcoming in the Mike White feature Brad's Status starring Ben Stiller.