
The Actor's Life
A Survival Guide
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Narrated by:
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Jenna Fischer
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Rainn Wilson
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By:
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Jenna Fischer
About this listen
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.
This title is narrated by a full cast. Narrators include: Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Natalie Zea, Sean Gunn, Derek Waters, Reed Birney, and Mark Proksch.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 Andycat Productions Inc. (P)2017 Novel Audio Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Featured Article: Audiobooks & Podcasts Featuring the Cast of
The Office
What’s the secret behind the success of The Office? The show's talented and diverse cast of actors, writers, and comedians plays a huge part. If you're a fan of looking for something new to check out after streaming the show for the upteenth time, you can experience the voices of the Dunder Mifflin crew in a totally new way in audio. A number of our favorite former cubicle-dwellers have either written or loaned their vocal talents to audio.
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Surprisingly outstanding as an audiobook
- By HMadera on 12-28-19
By: Sanford Meisner, and others
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An Actor Prepares
- By: Constantin Stanislavski
- Narrated by: Mike Fraser
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938), arguably the most influential director in the history of the theater, was the founder of the renowned Moscow Art Theater. A pioneer of psychological realism and improvisation on the stage, he devoted his life to developing the performance techniques now emulated throughout the world.
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Critical listening for aspiring actors
- By Justin W Knapp on 05-02-22
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Respect for Acting
- Expanded Edition
- By: Uta Hagen, Haskel Frankel, Katie Finneran - foreword, and others
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Since its original publication in 1973, Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting has remained a durable classic for all students of acting. As an acting instructor at the Herbert Berghof Studio, Hagen helped to develop the talents of world-class actors like Robert DeNiro, Matthew Broderick, Gene Wilder, Amanda Peet, Austin Pendleton, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. This updated edition illuminates Hagen's original text with a new foreword written by Katie Finneran, retaining the David Hyde Pierce foreword, along with added background on HB Studio.
By: Uta Hagen, and others
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The Office
- The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History
- By: Andy Greene
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Holter Graham, P.J. Ochlan, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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When did you last hang out with Jim, Pam, Dwight, Michael, and the rest of Dunder Mifflin? It might have been back in 2013, when the series finale aired...or it might have been last night, when you watched three episodes in a row. But either way, long after the show first aired, it’s more popular than ever, and fans have only one problem - what to watch, or listen to, next. Fortunately, writer Andy Greene has that answer. In his brand-new oral history, The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Greene takes listeners behind the scenes.
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Good, but some missing info for the true fan...
- By Molly on 03-29-20
By: Andy Greene
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Acting in Film
- An Actor's Take on Movie Making
- By: Michael Caine
- Narrated by: Nicky Rebelo
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Mr. Caine gives you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rob him blind! The man who's hypnotized the camera lenses for a quarter of a century reveals the most closely guarded secrets on script preparation, working with the director, forming a character, voice, sound, and movement.
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General
- By secretdiva on 12-07-24
By: Michael Caine
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My Squirrel Days
- By: Ellie Kemper
- Narrated by: Ellie Kemper
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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There comes a time in every sitcom actress’ life when she is faced with the prospect of writing a book. When Ellie Kemper’s number was up, she was ready. Contagiously cheerful, predictably wholesome, and mostly inspiring except for one essay about her husband’s feet, My Squirrel Days is a funny, freewheeling tour of Ellie’s life - from growing up in suburban St. Louis with a vivid imagination and a crush on David Letterman to moving to Los Angeles and accidentally falling on Doris Kearns Goodwin.
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Sorry...
- By Max C Taintor on 11-06-18
By: Ellie Kemper
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The Art of Acting
- By: Stella Adler, Howard Kissel
- Narrated by: Bonnie Agan
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Stella Adler was one of the 20th Century's greatest figures. She is arguably the most important teacher of acting in American history. Over her long career, both in New York and Hollywood, she offered her vast acting knowledge to generations of actors, including Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro. The great voice finally ended in the early 1990s. But, her decades of experience and teaching have been brilliantly captured and encapsulated by Howard Kissel, in the 22 lessons you'll hear in this audiobook.
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Highly recommended
- By Roman Greenberg on 03-07-22
By: Stella Adler, and others
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A Practical Handbook for the Actor
- By: Melissa Bruder, Lee Michael Cohn, Madeleine Olnek, and others
- Narrated by: Rose Byrne, Chris Bauer, Alison Wright, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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This book describes a technique developed and refined by the authors, all of them young actors, in their work with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, actor W. H. Macy, and director Gregory Mosher. A Practical Handbook for the Actor is written for any actor who has ever experienced the frustrations of acting classes that lacked clarity and objectivity, and that failed to provide a dependable set of tools.
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Excellent book. Concise, useful, practical.
- By Gonama on 02-16-25
By: Melissa Bruder, and others
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Yes Please
- By: Amy Poehler
- Narrated by: Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Amy Poehler is hosting a dinner party and you're invited! Welcome to the audiobook edition of Amy Poehler's Yes Please. The guest list is star-studded with vocal appearances from Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Michael Schur, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, and even Amy’s parents - Yes Please is the ultimate audiobook extravaganza.
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Listen to this book for sure
- By S.F. on 10-31-14
By: Amy Poehler
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Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
- By: Mindy Kaling
- Narrated by: Mindy Kaling, Michael Schur, B. J. Novak
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
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If you like Mindy, you'll enjoy this listen.
- By Lisa on 01-04-12
By: Mindy Kaling
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The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
- An Oral History
- By: Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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At last, the full story behind Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman's epic romance, including stories, portraits, and the occasional puzzle. How did they do it? They came from completely different families, endured a significant age difference, and were separated by the gulf of several social strata. Megan loved books and art history; Nick loved hammers. But much more than these seemingly unsurpassable obstacles were the values they held in common: respect, decency, the ability to mention genitalia in almost any context, and an abiding obsession with the songs of Tom Waits.
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Not sure if I like or not.
- By KJ1022 on 10-03-18
By: Megan Mullally, and others
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Audition
- Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part
- By: Michael Shurtleff
- Narrated by: John Malone
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The casting director for Chicago, Pippin, Becket, Gypsy, The Graduate, The Sound of Music, and Jesus Christ Superstar tells you how you can find your dream role! Absolutely everything an actor needs to know to get the part is here: What to do that moment before; how to use humour; how to create mystery; how to develop a distinct style; and how to evaluate the place, the relationships, and the competition. In fact, Audition is a necessary guide to dealing with all the "auditions" we face in life. This is the bible on the subject.
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Best acting book to this day
- By Dylan on 03-01-20
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The Actor's Art and Craft
- William Esper Teaches the Meisner Technique
- By: William Esper, Damon Dimarco, David Mamet
- Narrated by: Michael Esper, Damon Dimarco
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Esper worked closely with Meisner for 17 years and has spent decades developing his famous program for actor's training. The result is a rigorous system of exercises that builds a solid foundation of acting skills from the ground up, and that is flexible enough to be applied to any challenge an actor faces, from soap operas to Shakespeare.
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5 Stars
- By Swiissjoker on 05-28-21
By: William Esper, and others
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Nothing Like I Imagined
- (Except for Sometimes)
- By: Mindy Kaling
- Narrated by: Mindy Kaling
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In these fresh and hilarious personal essays, Mindy Kaling gives the inside scoop on her new role as single mom, the perks of being her own husband, and how she deals with social anxiety even at the most glamorous A-list parties. In between, the beloved actress, writer, and Hollywood power-bruncher gets Kanye West’d at her best friend’s birthday, thwarts an “only in LA” crime, and learns what it means to have it all.
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Mindy is wonderful
- By Jen Kious on 10-12-20
By: Mindy Kaling
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Secrets of Screen Acting
- By: Patrick Tucker
- Narrated by: David H. Lawrence XVII
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Instead of starting with what is real and trying to wrestle that onto the screen, Patrick Tucker explains how to work with the realities of a shoot and work from there toward the real. His step by step guide to the elements of effective screen acting is an extension and explanation of a lifetime of work in the field, containing over 50 acting exercises and the tried-and-tested screen acting checklist.
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Just great!
- By colette on 10-22-15
By: Patrick Tucker
What listeners say about The Actor's Life
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- Dia D.
- 03-26-18
great for anyone with a dream (acting or otherwise
I loved this book. As a Theatre kid I related to a lot of it but as an aspiring entrepreneur even more. I say anyone who has a dream or is trying something that isn't necessarily the normal path should read this book because there's so much important information. it's hilarious it made me cry it wasn't a long diatribe about her time on the office it was about all the things you need to know when chasing a dream
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- Jose
- 04-27-18
Must read
A friend told me about this book and being an inspiring actor, this book is amazing!!! Thanks for writing this and love love loved it
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- DJ
- 12-02-18
Jenna is amazing
Highly recommend to actors and industry professionals! It’s a fantastic and deeply honest book. I deeply appreciate her actually narrating herself.
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- Valerie
- 09-09-18
Great Book For Actors!!
Loved this book. Such wonderful advice, encouragement and anecdotes. Fischer really does a great job of portraying the ups and downs and just the whole journey of being a working actor from the technical nitty gritty to the emotional. Definitely a book I will include on my reading list for my newbie friends! And the narration was wonderful. Made my car rides in LA traffic a delight. Which says everything. Thanks Jenna!
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- Grace
- 05-30-20
a must read
all aspiring, struggling or not struggling, actors starting out - read this! i could not recommend a book more.
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- Fernando Cesar Castillo
- 12-13-19
Im no actor, yet i find this work amazing!
Ok, so im gonna make it simple. This is beyond insightful, even from the non actor standpoint, and further than that, its a passionate piece by piece of experiences about the struggles of the career. Its funny, sentimental, sad, disturbing. Like, i swear, this book has better drama and emotional punches than Divergent trash stuff, just to name something.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-16-23
Best Book Ever
I plan on sharing this book with my students. Truly an inspirational book! I feel that I have learned so much myself.
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- Joe406
- 12-04-23
Super insightful, even for the non-actor! 
I’m a non-actor but listen to this book. I think it’s a hidden gym, even for not actors. Specifically a great read for people following their dreams or passions. Good job Jena and team! 
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- Gina Sankoe
- 12-30-23
Loved this book
Overall, loved the entire book! Highly recommend!! I think it was the perfect timing for me to hear so many things!
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- michellejc
- 11-26-18
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
While I’m not an actor and don’t want to be, I learned SO much about persistence, passion, and fortitude from Jenna’s anecdotes and advice to actors.
She is a gem that worked incredibly hard and did not give up on her creativity and goals.
Jenna is extremely honest about her ups and downs and the mistakes she made. I was able to connect to her this way and feel empathy for other actors and people in creative positions.
Highly, HIGHLY recommend.
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1 person found this helpful