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After writing 6 hobbies to help actors relax, people asked about hobbies that can help actors in the long run. Something that you can put under the Skills and Abilities section of your actors resume that isn’t “I can touch my nose with my tongue". Here we go then, a list of hobbies that are actually helpful to you and your acting career. Let’s go!
Music
Being able to play a musical instrument is a real feather in your cap as an actor. If you can actually play the piano, then they don’t have to move the cameras around and cheat the shot. Also with biopics on the rise the chances of playing an onscreen musician are increasing.
This is not only an enjoyable and rewarding hobby, it will increase your chances of being cast and is a very welcoming community to enter into.
Exercise
Honestly, this should be a necessity in anyone's life - but let me explain why regular exercise is particularly beneficial to actors. Not only does looking fit and healthy increase your chances of being cast, it also improves mood. A happy healthy individual is more likely to get cast because people want to work with them for their personality as well as skill.
Being fit as an actor also helps with relaxation, being able to be on your feet for 8+ hour calls, and maintaining health during long work seasons. Joining a local running group or yoga by beach is also a great way to balance your social life with exercising.
Dancing
Dancing is a great pastime, and there’s a variety of styles to suit everyone. You can partner dance or solo and many dance studios offer a beginners class with no age limits. There’s a reason why one of the triple threat categories is dancing, it's because it's regularly needed and a real skill. It makes being in musicals a hell of a lot easier if you already know how to dance, and trust me when I say there will be extra's work galore for you.
Sport
This could come under exercise, but I decided it would be easier to explain my reasoning down here.
There are so many different types of sport: archery, karate, swimming. The list goes on, and all of these count as unique skills on the actors CV.
Robin Hood film? Great, I know archery.
Waterworld? Cool, I can swim like a fish.
Fight scenes in literally anything? Glad I took that self defense class.
My point is that these skills make you stand out to casting directors and keep you fit (bonus!)
Meditation
I find this important, because the life of an actor is incredibly stressful and you need a healthy way to deal with all the drama. Meditation can also help you become more secure in who you are as a person and that's something casting directors can smell as you enter a room. Paired with yoga, and you increase flexibility as well!
This is great for unwinding at night after a performance, or focusing into your character before the camera starts rolling. It’s also a healthy way to deal with rejection from roles, behind the scenes drama and your general mental well-being.
Unique transports
Hear me out. Yes, it’s clear I wasn’t exactly sure of the subtitle for this, but having a hobby like horse-riding, or motorcycling, is incredibly handy in the acting world. Think of all the Riders of Rohan in Lord of The Rings, they had to come from somewhere, right?
Learning a new and unique form of transport is something for the skills section of the actors CV. Even driving a tractor counts on that list. So why not make it something interesting and enjoyable?
So, there are some awesome skills to get practicing, so you can add them to your CV. Maybe you'll also have some super interesting facts about yourself to tell people at parties!
