The four acting students have a round-table discussion with the Scottish actor Billy Boyd, 40, an RSAMD graduate who has starred in The Lord of the Rings (as Pippin) and Master and Commander.

Melody Grove Do you read reviews?

Billy Boyd You pretend you don't, but you do.

MG You don't wait until afterwards?

BB No. I was doing a show once, and the woman on the stage door said: "Have you seen the review?" I said: "No, great, I will." Because surely, if someone's mentioning it to you, it's going to be good, right? It was a stinker.

Joshua Jenkins Do you read blogs or talkboards?

BB I try not to. They can be written by someone who just happens to hate you. A few of my friends set up Google alerts, which tell you when you get mentioned in Google News. That sounds like a total nightmare to me.

Helen Mackay I use Facebook, but I try hard to keep my work and my personal life as separate as possible.

Jeremiah Reynolds Some people have their professional headshot as their main picture.

HM There's got to be a point where you keep your other life – if there is one – going somehow. But it's hard.

BB Getting the balance is difficult. When I first left college, it was much easier. It was just me on my own, and I was sure about what I wanted to do. When I didn't have any money, I didn't have any money. But I've got a baby now. I have to give him a future. It seems to be the same for every actor, whether they haven't worked for two years or they're at the top of their game. It's all about doing what you want to do, and not expecting things to be better.

You meet some older actors who are quite cynical because they were down to the last two people for something 30 years ago. You have to let that stuff go. You'll be down to the last two for a big movie – and you won't get it. I remember when the musical Rent came to London. It was the first job I really wanted. I went through nine auditions: dancing, singing, the rest. And I heard from my agent that they liked me, I'd got the part … and I didn't get it. I was so upset. But three weeks later, I got a load of calls that I wouldn't have had if I'd got that job. You have to keep that in your head, otherwise you'd be devastated.

JR It's one thing to get the job, but after that, how do you cope? And how do you go from doing something to doing nothing? It's quite a comedown.

BB Helen Mirren was talking about that on TV the other day – how it's a rollercoaster. All you can do is have other things. Don't make acting everything. I've got a family, and I play in a band and do photography. That's how I deal with the downtimes.

MG Doing something else doesn't dilute you as an actor.

HM It reminds me of a job I did. Me and another guy dressed up at Easter as Sylvester and Tweetie Pie in a shopping centre. It was totally humiliating: a kid punched me in the stomach. But I'd much rather be doing that than another job I've done – sitting in a call centre sorting out someone's phone bill. As long as you can bring it to your acting, it's useful. At least I used my mime skills.

MG People say that to get into drama school, you need life experience.

HM And you think: "What is that?" It's usually jobs you think you couldn't possibly do.

BB All you can do is be passionate. When you're working, acting is the greatest job in the world