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aimeebrand's review
3.0
Fun read, definitely a good book for someone trying to head to LA to be an actor. But interesting to me even though I am not in that category.
lachimolala981's review
4.0
This is more of a how-to style book, which is disappointing many people. I tried to read it and found it tedious, but the audiobook is excellent. It's read by the author and she gives so much life and passion to her words. The interviews at the end of the book with other actors was a great addition. I loved learning about this profession and about the awesomest TV show ever, The Office.
vyclayton's review
4.0
It was an enjoyable read! She gets into the nitty gritty about acting in Hollywood. She also tells some fun personal stories about her acting career. As I'm not an actor, some parts weren't as exciting, but still interesting!
cecarson's review
4.0
Can’t say I have the slightest desire to go into acting, but still an interesting read. An eye-opening perspective of the struggles of catching a break.
clairewatson23's review
4.0
I am not even an actor but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jenna is honest, witty, and a lively storyteller. If you are even a remotely creative artistic-type, this book will inspire you to keep at it.
amlibera's review
4.0
The questions that my students have about working professionally in the business generally fall into two categories "What happens between being a student and becoming a professional?" and "What's it like to do the actual work?" This book does a very nice job of answering both questions. There is probably some advice that is immediately outdated. Not Fischer's fault - the industry seems to completely change the process of things like headshot submission and what they want your reel to look like every x number of years for no apparent reason other than short attention span and excitement by novelty. But overall a good guide/ introduction to understanding the life of an actor in LA.
rgag86's review
4.0
I’m not an actor nor have any desire to be one but I found this to be a fascinating read (plus I loved I her behind the scenes stories from The Office and her movies!)
rachcannoli's review
5.0
If you want to be an actor, buy and read this IMMEDIATELY! In such a difficult and disheartening industry, Fischer gives incredible advice and best practices about how to break into the business along with her own difficult, bumpy story. This is exactly as the title describes, an actor's survival guide and she goes into just about everything you'd need to know when starting out in such an incredibly realistic and blunt way without breaking you down or saying it's hopeless. Above all else, she constantly implores to never give up because while it is one of the most challenging jobs out there, if it's something you truly love, it is also one of the most rewarding.
I personally have no interest in being an actor, but I still found this to be an incredibly insightful read and adored hearing about Jenna's story. It's utterly insane what actors have to go through and I think this really puts into perspective how difficult their lives can actually be. Despite having been in one of the most beloved and popular TV shows of the 21st century, Jenna still has to hustle and audition for the roles she gets and she's even been fired from a production out of no fault of her own, just because she didn't have the right chemistry. If you ever scoff at actors and think their job is stupid or easy, this book will most definitely give you a reality check and shows a honest peak behind the curtain into the harsh truths of showbiz. I also think a lot of Jenna's advice is super applicable to anyone who's interested in a creative field, so I also found that to be quite motivational.
Jenna is as lovely and relatable as you'd imagine she'd be from her most well known role of Pam, and I already knew this from being a huge fan of her podcast, Office Ladies. But even from that I had no idea how long it took her to really break into the business and loved hearing about her trials, mistakes, successes, personal victories, and overcoming hardships. She's also just genuinely funny and likable, I could've read double the length and still been entertained. This is not your standard biography, if you have zero interest in the acting field or the behind-the-scenes facts or what goes into becoming an actor, this may not be for you. The title is pretty explicit, but just in case, it's good to know what you're getting into. While it's littered with several anecdotes from Jenna's life, including wonderful stories about her time on The Office, her acting early days, and other roles she's done, they are mainly used as supporting stories for her advice, rather than driving the novel. I still found it really entertaining, but if you're looking for all the juicy bits behind her time on The Office or a memoir of her entire life, this is not the book. If she wanted to do those books I'd also be super excited to read them, but I love what she does with this premise and found it to be quite a fresh take on a biography.
I also HIGHLY recommend the audiobook (though you're going to want the real book as well for pictures). The preface is written by Steve Carrell, but in the audiobook it's read by Rainn Wilson who adds his own hilarious ad-libs. It's narrated by Jenna Fischer herself, who has such a comforting speaking voice and really adds such a credence and sincerity to her words. She also has interviews with some of her actor friends whose voices are also featured, so it's just a joy all around. I knew I'd love the the book simply because I love Jenna, but it was just as good as I'd hoped for if not better. I'd recommend to anyone who loves Jenna's work, celeb bios, hearing about the real actor life, or just loves some well-written advice. But mostly recommend to those who have any dreams of acting professionally, the book is realistic while being inspirational, helpful, and charming.
I personally have no interest in being an actor, but I still found this to be an incredibly insightful read and adored hearing about Jenna's story. It's utterly insane what actors have to go through and I think this really puts into perspective how difficult their lives can actually be. Despite having been in one of the most beloved and popular TV shows of the 21st century, Jenna still has to hustle and audition for the roles she gets and she's even been fired from a production out of no fault of her own, just because she didn't have the right chemistry. If you ever scoff at actors and think their job is stupid or easy, this book will most definitely give you a reality check and shows a honest peak behind the curtain into the harsh truths of showbiz. I also think a lot of Jenna's advice is super applicable to anyone who's interested in a creative field, so I also found that to be quite motivational.
Jenna is as lovely and relatable as you'd imagine she'd be from her most well known role of Pam, and I already knew this from being a huge fan of her podcast, Office Ladies. But even from that I had no idea how long it took her to really break into the business and loved hearing about her trials, mistakes, successes, personal victories, and overcoming hardships. She's also just genuinely funny and likable, I could've read double the length and still been entertained. This is not your standard biography, if you have zero interest in the acting field or the behind-the-scenes facts or what goes into becoming an actor, this may not be for you. The title is pretty explicit, but just in case, it's good to know what you're getting into. While it's littered with several anecdotes from Jenna's life, including wonderful stories about her time on The Office, her acting early days, and other roles she's done, they are mainly used as supporting stories for her advice, rather than driving the novel. I still found it really entertaining, but if you're looking for all the juicy bits behind her time on The Office or a memoir of her entire life, this is not the book. If she wanted to do those books I'd also be super excited to read them, but I love what she does with this premise and found it to be quite a fresh take on a biography.
I also HIGHLY recommend the audiobook (though you're going to want the real book as well for pictures). The preface is written by Steve Carrell, but in the audiobook it's read by Rainn Wilson who adds his own hilarious ad-libs. It's narrated by Jenna Fischer herself, who has such a comforting speaking voice and really adds such a credence and sincerity to her words. She also has interviews with some of her actor friends whose voices are also featured, so it's just a joy all around. I knew I'd love the the book simply because I love Jenna, but it was just as good as I'd hoped for if not better. I'd recommend to anyone who loves Jenna's work, celeb bios, hearing about the real actor life, or just loves some well-written advice. But mostly recommend to those who have any dreams of acting professionally, the book is realistic while being inspirational, helpful, and charming.