The Craft

• Develop your skills as an actor. Sign up for community theater projects, school plays and local productions that help you gain experience. If someone's making an indie film in your area, try out for it. You're not just looking for good parts, but for a formal understanding of acting as a craft. Take performance courses at your local college or university: ideally, apply for entry into nationally known acting schools such as Julliard or Cal Arts. Every step helps pad your resume while increasing the skills you will need as a movie star.
  
  

SAG

• Every movie actor who hopes to succeed needs to join the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG). This may take more time than you think. SAG doesn't usually offer membership until you've been cast in a recognized movie. Since said movies usually only hire existing SAG members, that's extremely tough to do. In order to counteract this, SAG has a points system, which allows you to earn brownie points by working as an extra or attending SAG-sponsored classes. Continue auditioning and working however you can while applying for membership. Don't stop just because it's a tough road.
  
  

An Agent

• An agent and/or manager is essential to getting work as an actor. They have their ears to the ground about casting opportunities and can help sell you to producers looking for new talent. Agents tend to take on SAG members only, which is further incentive to gain access to that group. A good manager can help bridge that gap, however, and provide opportunities until your big break. Prepare a quality scene and sign up for industry showcases, where agents actively look for talent. They can be found by scouring papers like Back Stage on a daily basis.
  
  

Company Town

• As sad as it is, you probably won't be discovered as a movie star living in some small town. Los Angeles and New York are the center of the movie world, so moving there is an absolute necessity. It puts you closer to the studios, it helps you network with fellow performers, and it lets you find peripheral work in the industry if you need it while working towards your big break. There's an alternate option as well: many film productions have moved north to Canada--especially Vancouver and Toronto--and those towns might make a viable second choice if you're hoping to become a movie star.
  
  

Rejection

• Patience is a virtue when working to become a movie star, as is persistence. You're going to be rejected a lot before that big break comes. Be ready for to work through that and don't give up. Stay positive and optimistic and take advantage of every opportunity that arises.
  
  

The Right Part

• When roles start coming your way, learn to set up the proper filters. While you definitely want work, you're not going to become a movie star until you have a breakout hit. There's no way to plan for that: it comes when (and if) it comes. Look for parts that you believe cater to your strengths, parts in scripts which you think are really good and parts that involve working with a well-known star or director. Even if they don't succeed, they will help you gain invaluable experience, as well as allowing you to feel more fulfilled as an actor.
  
  

Publicity

• As your star begins to rise, you need to cultivate a positive relationship with both the press and the public. All eyes will be on you, and you never know when some random outburst is going to end up all over YouTube. Hire a publicist to handle your image. Be friendly and courteous to the press, even when they ask annoying questions. Avoid making a public spectacle of yourself --you want Anne Hathaway publicity, not Lindsey Lohan publicity--and maintain healthy boundaries between your professional life and your private life. It helps to designate some topics as off-limits to reporters and to refrain from discussing personal issues during interviews.
  
  

Professionalism

• One of the least-heralded traits all movie stars possess (or at least those movie stars whose careers last longer than a week or so) is absolute professionalism. People like Tom Hanks, Will Smith and Angelina Jolie thrive because they come to work prepared. They know their lines, they hit their mark and they take direction well. They collaborate with their coworkers rather than behaving like prima donnas and they put in long hours to make sure the movie gets done right. If you're fortunate enough to approach their level of stardom, you would do well to emulate their example.