What did they call actors?
What did they call actors? /'??spi?n/ Thespian is a fancy word for actor. Since this word is related to Thespis, the guy who first took the stage in Ancient Greece, you can feel real scholarly using the word thespian. As an adjective, you can use the word thespian to describe something that is related to drama.
Is it OK to say actress?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still uses the word “actress,” while SAG has adopted the more forward-looking, if clunky, “female actor.” Beyond the statuary and nomenclature, though, there's still an element of separate-but-equal.