The Actor's Life

<p>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 certain everything would fall easily into place. Never mind that she didn't know a single person in the entertainment industry. She was determined, she was confident, she was ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong?<BR>Uh, basically everything. It would be eight long years before she landed her Emmy-nominated role of Pam Beesley on The Office&#8212;nearly a decade of failure, struggle, rejection and doubt. <BR>The path to professional acting was more competitive than she'd ever imagined. Headshots, agents, classes, auditions . . . there was a lot to learn. And with so many obstacles to navigate, it wasn't always easy to fight off discouragement. <BR>If only she'd had a handbook for the struggling actor. Or, better yet, someone to show her the way&#8212;an established actor who could manage her expectations, educate her...