Actors are simultaneously asked to be readily in touch with their most vulnerable emotional selves, and to have the hide of a rhinoceros. We must bare our souls and brush the rejection off our shoulders. But the myth is that this skill should somehow be inherent, that it doesn’t take work, that actors who make […]
There is a lot of romance and mysticism surrounding careers in the arts. An actor’s life is often packaged by society to reflect the experience of Hollywood A-listers, or else the vague stereotype of the “starving artist.” The problem is, there is not a lot of consistent practical advice on how to achieve one […]
“Don’t make perfect the enemy of the good.” It’s something my mom says a lot, and something I, in the tradition of daughters everywhere, frequently ignore to my detriment. I think a lot of artists struggle with lurking demons of perfectionism. The subjectivity of the entertainment industry makes it easy to fall into self-loathing echo […]
Believe me, I get it. As an actor, funds tend to be not so much tight as barely existent. The unfortunate thing is, acting is an expensive business, and unless you have some sort of Victorian benefactor, it’s up to each of us to fund our own ventures. With an endless influx of advice on […]
Trust is a tricky thing at the best of times. When given professionally, though, misplaced trust can have financial and career-based consequences. What makes it extra difficult to navigate is the fact that we operate in a field that is steeped in emotion and personal relationships, even depends on them. Combine that with the attending […]
Actors, and especially those that are new to the industry or lack connections, are often counseled to say yes to everything. The more projects you take on, the more you learn, the more exposure you get, and the more you exercise your acting muscles, right? Often that is the case. But in acting, as […]
To agent or to no agent… and which agent? Those are the questions! Sometimes I feel like you can find an opinion to match what you think/want to hear on any aspect of the industry. I always go with the study that confirms that I’ll live longer for drinking a glass of wine a day, […]
Let’s face it, a career in acting can be rough on the old self-esteem. The most successful actors know this to be a game where the losses far outnumber the wins. Even Hollywood A-Listers boast long resumes of rejection. But it’s one thing to know that intellectually, and quite another to face slap after slap […]
Ch-ch-ch-changes! The self tape requests have just made their way to commercials, folks. Well, that’s not exactly true. The first time I was asked to gather a few self tapes for a job was about 5 years ago. It was for a SAG job. Production had added a completely “new role” after the job had […]
I’m going to start out with ways to calm your nerves that you have all heard before. One element that can get rid of your jitters, and can calm your nerves is certainly knowing your technique. In addition, understanding the venue you are working in, including who the players are. In addition understanding the selection […]