I’ve been an actor for about 15 years and, when I first started out, I was lucky enough that I had lots of friends who wanted to support me but none of them ever knew what a good gift for an actor might be. They would literally ask, “What’s a good gift for an actor?”
A good gift for an actor could be special skills training (e.g. sword fighting, horseback riding, etc.), an audition prop package (e.g. stethoscope, lab coat, etc.), self-tape and voice acting gear, auditions via Actors Access, virtual acting sessions, or other thoughtful gifts such as compliments.
The list below is structured from what I think would be the coolest gifts to give an actor to the safest gifts to give an actor. (I linked to items on Amazon; as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.) Everyone is different, but this list should help you generate your own custom gift ideas as well.
1. Auxiliary Skills Training (e.g. horseback riding)
Think about all the skills that an actor in an action movie or a period piece might need to know; these are auxiliary skills. They’re not about training your acting muscle, but they’re skills that you can use when you’re acting in very niche parts. Essentially, I’m talking about buying gift certificates or class packages related to the following types of training:
Sword fighting training
There are, believe it or not, lots of schools that will train you in various kinds of sword combat. If this is not available, find a fencing club and see if they offer classes.
Firearms training
Just think about how many shows have characters who use guns. You can find a local gun club and purchase some one-on-one training for a specific type of gun.
Firearms training is helpful because there are certain logistics that you have to know when you’re firing a real gun so that you can mimic them when you’re firing a fake gun. For example, there are lots of tiny little steps to loading and chambering a gun. Some of the times that doesn’t look very glamorous but on camera you have to be able to co*ck it and make it look dramatic, you have to be able to pop a slide in and out and make that look real.
Also, you need to have experience shooting real firearms so that you can understand the kickback (the force that goes against your body once you pull the trigger) so you can later mimic it and make the shooting look realistic.
Hand-to-hand combat training
Again, think about how many movies and shows involve fighting. Specifically, you should look into Wing Chun or Krav Maga because they tend to look pretty cool on camera.
For example, with Wing Chun, there’s a lot of hand movement, it almost looks like dancing with hands, so it’s great to sell a fight scene. But that’s just an example. In reality, any kind of martial arts training can always help. Knowing how to throw a punch convincingly, knowing how to duck convincingly, knowing how to throw a kick convincingly, these are things that people can see on camera.
Horseback riding training
I think that’s the quintessential story of actors being asked questions in auditions. Whether or not you know how to ride a horse, just say yes and learn later. If you want to support your acting friends, give them some horseback riding lessons in advance, so they never have to lie LOL.
Some of the things we mentioned so far can be covered in one stunt training class where your acting friend can learn how to fall, how to jump, how to throw a punch convincingly without hurting another person, etc.
Yes every set will have stunt people and stunt coordinators but an actor will sometimes be given extra consideration if they have a certain skill. Also, if you’re someone who does their own stunts you get paid more.
If you can’t find a stunt school near you, try and find a gymnastics gym. Lots of professional stunt people train at gymnastic gyms. For gift ideas, see what the stunt school or gymnastics school has to offer. Maybe they have training sessions, or maybe they have monthly membership passes.
Musical training
I love the show Treme, and something I really appreciate about it is that all the actors are real musicians. How cool would it be if you got a part for a master piano player and you could play the piano? And think about all those feelingful singing or guitar-playing moments in movies. Additionally, these are skills that an actor can also use to relax off set.
Accent training
In my acting career, I’ve had to do several different kinds of Latino accents, British accents, Arabic accents, and more. Although these only come up once in a while, being prepared for them really helps me as an actor. Also, feeling yourself having multiple voices is fun.
Overall:
Yes, many of these things can take a long time to master but, as a gift, doing a one-off for a one-month package or just a few lessons can be enough for an actor to see if they enjoyed learning it and maybe even put it on a resume (because at least they understand the basics), which can help because some roles will ask for very specific skills to qualify to audition.
2. Audition prop package (e.g. lab coat and stethoscope)
Especially for commercials, showing up to an audition with a prop can help. The ideas for props below are based on the things I’ve found to be useful in auditions. You can gift them individually or as a package of multiple props.
(Note: Don’t overdo it, but if you’re going to play a doctor, then it can’t hurt to show up to the audition with a lab coat or a stethoscope. In other words, props are just to give a hint of the character. You don’t want to spell it out for them unless they specifically ask you to do so – that will almost never happen in a film and television audition, but it may happen in commercial auditions.)
- A blue shirt that sort of looks like a cop shirt (for security guard and police role auditions)
- Hospital scrub top (for medical staff role auditions)
- Plaid/checkered/lumberjack type shirt (ideal for “every man” and “every woman” role auditions, like “dad” roles)
- Stethoscope (for medical staff role auditions)
- Lab coat (for lab tech and medical staff role auditions)
- Clipboard (for various supervisor roles – it’s super versatile)
Tip 1: I’m not going get into details here, but don’t get weapons like fake (or real!) guns or knives – trust me, they do not work in auditions. It’s a straight up amateur move. It shows immaturity and it shows a lack of understanding of the audition process.
Tip 2: Also, in general, you want to stay away from hats and stuff on your face because it’ll always be distracting (because, when you’re auditioning, the focus is always on the face).
3. Self-tape and voice-acting gear
More and more auditions are becoming self tapes, meaning that the actor has to record them on their own, not go to a casting director’s office. Therefore, any one or all of these self-tape-related items would be great gifts for actors:
If your friend is trying to become a voice actor, then consider getting them one or more of the following items:
4. Actors Access subscription (to give them more auditions)
Actors Access is the main place where auditions are sent to actors so it is a must in the business, at least in the US. In Canada, we have Casting Workbook as well and we use both these services. Before an actor gets an agent, they can purchase an Actors Access subscription so they can submit themselves to auditions.
The model of the Actors Access website is to that you pay for every audition you submit, so a subscription (giving unlimited auditions) is a great gift.
5. Acting gym sessions (virtual or in person)
The Actor’s Place (TAP) runs $25 acting gym sessions (both in Toronto and virtually) where actors keep their skills sharp by working on random scenes together and getting feedback and redirection. If you have someone who is already in the acting world or has been training, this opportunity to get extra active acting time can be quite welcome.
6. Classes with a great acting coach
I think acting classes are a great gift to give to actors because they’re very expensive. No matter how good or how long someone has been acting, the purchase of an acting class, especially with a very famous acting teacher or coach, would always be welcome.
If your actor friend is new, just find some of the better or more famous acting teachers by doing a Google search. If your actor friend has been acting for a long time, then maybe some of the other options are a better choice but any good actor will always welcome more training. So, if your friend is a veteran actor, do a little more research and see if you can get them a private session with a very renowned or famous acting teacher, either in your city or virtually.
7. Acting books
Sometimes you want to encourage someone to start their acting career, or you want to be supportive by giving them some education, in a way other than classes. From personal experience, the four books listed below are must-reads for anyone who wants to be an actor (the books are very different from each other, so if you want details about what’s special about each of them, see the Acting Books to Read First article).
- Audition by Michael Shurtleff
- Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Movie Making by Michael Caine
- The New Business of Acting by Brad Lemack
- True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor by David Mamet
8. Compliments
Acting can be a solitary and soul-crushing lifestyle. Instead of asking about any auditions or any part someone has booked, just give them a compliment, and you’ll be surprised how much that can help. If you need ideas for compliments, take a look at the article about what compliments actors appreciate.
9. Just ask them
Maybe they want to fancy up their everyday life with calligraphy pens and by mailing letters with wax seals. Maybe they want some super warm socks. Maybe they want a British accent lesson. Or maybe they want a poem that you wrote for them. Maybe they want a certain software that you didn’t know existed. Maybe they want something related to a different hobby of theirs. Or maybe they want to know what you want.
10. Custom celebrity message from Cameo
Cameo.com is a website where you can pay celebrities to send you a video recording with a custom message. Prices range from about $50 to $500. Why not order a special message from your friend’s favorite actor? Or even better, why not get some acting advice from someone who has “made it”?
They don’t have all actors but they have many; try searching by movie or show. The leading actor might not be there but some of the supporting actors might be.
11. Amazon gift card
When you don’t know what kind of gear or additional equipment to get your actor friends, just get them an Amazon gift card so they can get it themselves. Check out the links above, see how much the gear costs, and buy a card for that amount.
12. Don't ask them how acting is going
The last gift you can give your acting friends is your support. And let me give you a little tip about this: the best way you can support your acting friends outside of gifts is to not ask them about their acting life.
So much of an actor’s life is rejection; therefore, every time you talk to an actor and say something like, “Hey, have you booked anything? Have you auditioned for anything?” It’s almost always going to be a “no” response. Having to constantly tell friends “no”, “nothing recently”, “no, I didn’t get it”, etc. can really take an emotional toll.
Trust me: if your actor friend has a good audition or books a part, you will hear about it.
What should you talk about instead? Here is a thought to help give you ideas:
Getting out of character is a challenge for many actors. It helps when the actor has a life outside of acting. You can help your dear actor by helping them cultivate that life outside of acting, so that they have something to look forward to outside their performance and have activities that remind them what it is like to be themselves.
