At age 30, is it too late to start a career in acting or in the film industry?

There are many stories that would tell you different.

No, never too late

Start by being an extra or stand in & continue to audition

Adult acting lessons are also a great tool to network 

Never but if you are a woman beware you will probably only be cast as someones mom

       No. But you need to go to school. This will not only teach you to act, but you meet instructors who know the people in the business. And if the think you have talent, you will be recommended to an agent--they may even get a kickback from the agent.

       But this will also tell you if you don't have talent. But before you get to the big time, expect do a lot of local theatre work. But unlike when I was young, there are many media forms now, That aren't under control of large studios. Unlike when I was young. 

        KEEP THIS IN MIND. just like sports, the arts are filled with people who don't make it. These are highly competitive jobs. I knew several people in LA that never went anywhere.

You can *pursue* a professional acting career at any age, BUT you need to keep in mind that it's going to take a huge investment of money, time, and effort, and there's no guarantee it'll ever pay off. It takes making big sacrifices, which you may not be willing or capable of making at this point of your life.

First, understand that you can't just go to auditions for professional work, they are not open to the general public. You need an agent. But you can't just hire one, especially not yet. No legit agent takes on beginners or amateurs. Only talented, highly-trained and highly experienced people with a strong resume to back it all up.

So where do you start? At square one. Square one is adopting a realistic approach. No one's just discovered and handed an acting career. It's not like in the movies. The reality is very different from what people imagine and you might be more interested in the fantasy of what you THINK it's like. This is show BUSINESS. Understand that no one's in this to make your dreams come true, they're in this to make money. Productions invest tons of money and they need to know it's in the hands of people who know what they're doing.

Before you go and invest so much time, money, and work, research all about the business side. Being an actor is like running a business where you are the product you need to market and sell out. You need to know all about the industry, how you fit into it, and how to navigate it. Backstage. com is a good place to start. Then, you might wanna get into some local, low-key acting classes if you've never done any real acting before.  Listen to the feedback. See if you can handle it. See if you're really good at the craft and if you enjoy it. In short, see if you're capable of pursuing it on a professional level, mentally ad physically. If it's for you at all. Make sure you have a true passion for the CRAFT itself as opposed to the fantasy and come up with a realistic plan of action. That's the difference between a dream (a fantasy) and a goal.

If after all of that you're still interested in pursuing acting as a career, and if you're capable of pursuing it, start building a resume strong enough to impress potential agents: Apply to a top-quality acting school (where well-known and respected teachers teach and successful professionals graduated from, not just any acting classes). Get yet more training in the form of workshops and masterclass and the likes (also run by well-known and respected people). They're all in the big city, they're quite expensive, and you might not get accepted if they have limited spots. Take that into account. In the meantime, start auditioning for any local non-professional work you can, such as student and indie films. Also audition for or join a community theater. Anything that doesn't require an agent, basically. Constantly land leading roles. Win awards for your acting. Take vocal and dance lessons. Also study and master other skills to give your resume a boost (for example: horseback riding, ice-skating, martial arts, acrobatics, dialects, mime, etc.).

That's the kind of resume agents look for. It takes about a decade, give or take, to build it. Which means that by the time you're ready for an agent and for professional acting jobs, by that *become* a professional actor, you will be 40, give or take. Understand that.

Once you've got an impressive resume under your belt, unless what you want is to act locally rather than nationally you'll need to move to LA (or NYC with just less opportunities but more for theater). Continue getting training and experience till someone you've worked with and impressed (like a director, a producer, an acting teacher, or even a fellow actor) will be willing to refer you to an agent. That's how you usually get an agent. Other ways (like cold-querying with your headshots, resume and demo reel, or getting spotted at a showcase) rarely work. Speaking of which, you'll also need to network and get connections in the industry. Stay in touch with people you work with. Networking is a big part of this biz.

If and when you get an agent, you will be able to start working as a professional actor and go to auditions for professional jobs. The way it usually works is, in short, when a new project starts casting a casting director is hired. The casting director creates a "Character Breakdown" specifying exactly the roles they're looking to fill based on their age-range, looks, ethnicity, special skills, etc. Then they approach the agents they know and trust. The agents go over the breakdown, go over their client database, and submit to the casting director only the clients they believe may fit those said roles (meaning, they send them those clients' resumes, demo reels and headshots). Out of those, the casting director will invite to audition only the handful *they* believe may fit those said roles. Those actors will come in and audition as many rounds as needed till one gets each role.

So theoretically, you may be invited to 100 auditions a year or you may never be invited to any auditions. There's no way to know, luck plays a huge part in this. Understand that. Also understand that chances are you will need to get plenty of quite specific (professional) experience to be eligible to join AFTRA-SAG to then audition and get serious roles in serious productions such as national movies and TV shows. Guild members are prioritized. So, statistically, it's possible that IF you ever get a serious role on a serious production you'll be in your 50s or even older. That, unfortunately, is the reality.

The reality is, 99% of professional actors will never get more than a few minor speaking or non-speaking roles, on minor production (including things no one's ever heard of) their entire career, let alone become famous or make enough money to pay their bills. The reality is almost all actors are constantly exhausted, far away from home and lonely. They barely have time to socialize or be with their family. They hold another job or two alongside acting. They're hungry for food and live in a small apartment. Their looks, talent, and skills are constantly judged and they're more often than not rejected. They can easily fall into depression. And with all that, they STILL have to make sure they remain healthy and strong - physically AND mentally. That means exercising, eating healthy, getting your beauty treatment as needed, getting therapy if needed... So what I'm saying is, even if you love the craft and are good at it, also make sure that this lifestyle is for you at all. That you can handle it.

Will you be willing to make all those big sacrifices for the small chance you will succeed? Can you? Pack up your entire life and move? Will that work? If you have a family, will they be able to move with you? Then, will you be willing to sacrifice time with your family and friends? And free time...? And what about a job? You'll need one once you land in LA and so will your spouse... Keep in mind that LA is an expensive city... If you already live in LA, then good for you. That's one sacrifice down. Either way, ideally you'll need a job that's stable yet flexible so you can take off in the middle of the day to go to auditions, rehearsals, shootings, fittings, classes, etc. You can't be a doctor and pursue acting at the same time, for example. There's a reason why actors-waiters is a cliche. Are you willing to sacrifice your job or other career choices you may have? Or will it be too late because you're all settled down? That's for you to consider and answer.

If you decide to go for it, you'll have to wait a little. What with COVID-19 and all. In the meantime, you could read and analyze plays, pick out monologues and memorize them, learn about the industry, look for acting schools in your area and auditions that accept online submissions, things like that.

Acting is not for most people. So please give it some serious thought and be honest with yourself. If nothing else, if a professional acting career is not for you after all, there's also the option of acting as a hobby. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't know what you mean by "or in the film industry". In what capacity? There are probably dozens of jobs in the film industry. Pretty much all of them will require making big sacrifices and an investment of money, time, and effort. And a lot of networking. It's one of the hardest industries to get into, especially to make enough money to pay the bills.

Yes especially if you are a woman.

No way. Many celebrities did not get their start until after 30.

Get a good agent     .

Not too late but you better get a move on. 

No of course not.. Never too late.