acting| This article is from a friend of mine in Los Angeles, Jill Place. Jill is an extraordinarily upbeat and creative soul, teaching acting from a depth that is a true gift to her students. I agree with Jill about acting taking courage. They don't cast many roles for perfect people. Think of the movie roles that stick in your mind over the years. Probably, the characters had depth and flaws. The most flawed characters often become the most memorable, in fact. To be an actor is to allow yourself to go into the deepest, darkest potential within you if that's what the role requires. Not easy. And if you do it right, people may wonder if you are "really that way". Enjoy these words of wisdom from Jill and if you are in the L.A. area, try her classes. and you may also enjoy my own free online acting class
Actors are the Bravest People on Earth! | |
Dim sum in Chinatown is a passion of mine. As a matter on fact, as soon as I'm ensconced at a table at my favorite haunt, Empress Pavilion, the waiter always asks me if I want my usual Chardonnay.
A bit ago, I had dim sum with one of my favorite people and a wonderful writer, Xaque Gruber. (ps from Blogmaster - Xague is a delightful person. I met him also on a recent trip to L.A. and just fell in love with his genuine goodness and good humor.) Between bouts of pork baos, steamed scallop dumplings and sweet sesame balls, Xaque told me that he had written a quirky episodic pilot that had piqued Sony's interest. And that he had written a part for me . He even said he saw my face while he was writing it!
I stuttered and stumbled when he asked me to read the part for the Sony people. My stomach seized. And, for the first time ever in a dumpling parlor, I put the bao down. I never got the chance to get REALLY terrified, however. Sony had someone else do it.
So I began to think about the sheer bravery it takes to be an actor. I remembered that Jerzy Grotowski, famous director and creator of a revolutionary acting technique, once said that an actor's job was to impale himself upon a stake every night. And on Inside the Actor's Studio, Shelley Winters defended Marlon Brando's statement that he hated acting by explaining that he hated instead the depth of feeling he knew he had to visit to create his memorable characters.
Rosalind Russell . . . who was priceless as Auntie Mame . . . quipped, "Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly." As an acting coach who helps actors strip away their inhibitions and rebuild their expression from a cellular level up, I certainly agree with that statement. When you act, you leap to expose yourself with every performance . . . to impale yourself upon that stake. And, to do that, you have to be incredibly brave.
Brave to submit yourself to the process. Brave to go on the journey to become a good actor that's often paved with stones, setbacks and tears. Brave enough to not believe anyone when they tell you to bob your nose (look at Barbra Streisand), lose weight (check out Camryn Manheim and John Candy) or be cookie-cutter beautiful (remember that Linda Hunt and Kathy Bates are BOTH Oscar-winners).
On top of that, once you think your acting is good enough, you have to be doubly brave to expose yourself to people who might not seem to care whether you're good or not . . . Casting Directors, Agents . . . aw, hell, just about everyone in ShowBiz. And brave enough to realize that casting is totally out of your control and often has nothing to do with that illusive thing called talent. I love what MIchael Caine says about acting and talent . . . "I'm a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I've got any talent is beside the point".
So you've got to, like Michael Caine, be brave enough to continually put yourself out there as a skilled professional actor. And then bravely suffer the slings and arrows of one outrageous casting situation after another. And, then, once you . . . horror of horrors . . . actually GET the part, bravely have to deliver. I know one actor who finally quit an almost 30-year career because he got more and more anxiety-ridden about last-minute memorizing. The reality of having to finally strut your stuff is the scariest part of all to me.
So it seems that . . . with all this bravado you continually have to muster . . . that you run the risk of getting into a fear place and losing perspective at any given moment. Because no one can be fearless all the time. And often we're frustrated by aspects of our careers that don't materialize on cue.
Yesterday, I talked with one of my favorite actresses, students and friends . . . Leah Cevoli . . . who's incredibly proactive about her career. Leah was complaining to me that she just couldn't find a theatrical agent. Even with a recurring role on Deadwood and continual guest shots. She verbally checked off the numerous mailings and hundreds of postcards and headshots that she had sent out as well as the many phone calls that she had made. But Leah's also currently up for an exciting lead role in a SAG low-budget that she snagged last week while at home for a few days in Philly for the Memorial Day holidays. That's Leah! ALWAYS hustling!
I hear this all the time from actors . . . that their careers grind to a screeching halt because of some small element they're obsessing about that isn't there. For those times when when your career gears are grinding, consider these few drops of lubricating oil:
-
When you find yourself getting into a fear or frustration place, remember all the times when you were really brave in your career! That big audition in front of that even bigger ShowBizzer who nodded in acceptance. That play in some NoHo hole that got rave reviews (yours was the best!) from the LA Times. That time they plucked you out of the extra pool to do an under-five in a big hit TV show that not only got you a SAG card but an agent. Close your eyes and picture one or all of those triumphs in your mind.
-
Take an acting class! I don't know anything that made me feel more up to doing a killer audition the next day than greasing my acting wheels the night before. Affirming your craft is one of the best ways to remember how brave you really are.
-
Take action! The Aligning your BRAND eBook Workbook has tons of ways to take action in its "Act-ive Marketing" section. Along with lots of guided imagery scripts to get you out of whatever stuck place you're in!
-
Walk into an audition as if you were the most appealing person on the planet! Gather up all your charm, confidence and love of acting along with your meticulous preparation and make an entrance through that door knowing that you're the best they will ever see for the part.
-
Stick to your preparation no matter what! I don't care if the casting people turn their backs to you, talk or chomp loudly on their salads. Or the assistant cues you in a dull monotone. Remember that they have the power to cast you but YOU have power over your audition. Trying to please them splits your focus and makes you fail! So don't!
-
FAGETABOUDIT! I can't tell you how many actors I know who analyze a few moments of audition or a meeting with a ShowBiz exec to death! Dwelling on all that stuff is the surest way to get stuck. And, when you're stuck, you're in a fear . . . not a brave . . . place. So quickly evaluate the effectiveness of the audition or meeting, learn from it, and then . . . NEXT!
As a matter of fact, I've been stuck in a funky fear place for the past few days myself. Writing this article as gotten me partially out of it. And teaching class today will complete the process. So I invite you to take action! And be the bravest actor on earth that you know you are!
Please keep me posted about your random or planned acts of acting bravery. I'd love to do publish all of them in an article dedicated to you.
Balance your energy for acting success!
To find out more,click here!
Buy the Aligning your BRAND eBook for the pre-internet price of $39!
With lots of FR^E perks!
For a sneak peek, click here!
To order, click here!
