Around this time every year I start to get emails from many actors that are coming to the realization that this year just might turn out to be exactly the same as last year.
Pilot season sets the tone for the year. Actors that can get some momentum are typically able to sustain it throughout the rest of the year.
The actors that don’t, are far more likely to start having doubts about whether or not they will be able to make the kind of progress they hoped they would.
The industry is incredibly competitive, and rejection is an inevitable part of the process. Every actor knows that but over the years I have seen that many of them are not very well prepared for what the industry will present them with.
The ones that are prepared tend to be the ones that are able to build their careers successfully. Most other actors will continue going from one audition to the next, sometimes half heartedly.
Professional actors don’t do that. They know that they can’t just continue doing the same things as before. In order for them to build an acting career, they have to do things differently.
If you want to build your career as a professional actor, that’s something you should do too.
Here’s how...
For starters, you have to prepare yourself for not booking. Most actors think they have that part figured out pretty well, but they usually don’t.
Most people will tell you to simply “get back out there” because that’s just the way things happen sometimes.
While it’s true that you cannot control the casting process, you do have to be able to adapt to it. Here’s what I mean...
Whether you are auditioning for a lead role or if you are still trying to book your first few credits.
Not booking whatever it is that you are auditioning for can take a toll on your confidence and motivation.
That’s why most actors simply go on to the next audition. Professional actors take the time to think about why they didn’t book.
Even if the reason for you not booking is out of your control most of the time, sometimes it will be something you can control.
For example, maybe casting just thought another actor was more visually congruent with the role they were casting for.
Most actors would shrug it off and go on to the next one. However, professional actors would work through the reasons for why the actor that did book was more visually congruent.
It could be something as simple as an audition outfit choice. It could be that their headshot was close but not quite congruent enough, so casting had their doubts before they even auditioned.
Whatever the reason for not booking turns out to be, it is almost always beneficial. In fact, if you have an honest moment of introspection, a lot of the time, it is something you can control on some level.
The reason that most actors don’t perform that kind of assessment is that it can be very mentally straining.
It is much easier to simply say to yourself that you couldn’t do anything about it and you will try again on the next one.
If you have a good relationship with your agent and your agent has good relationships with Casting Directors, it is relatively simple for you to get really good feedback after your auditions.
Otherwise, you might simply get common answers like “the studio decided to go another way with the character.”
That doesn’t mean that you have to rely on your agent to get the feedback for you. Building and leveraging your own industry relationships will be incredibly helpful too.
We’ll talk more about how to do that another time. For now, sit down and think about your most recent audition. Think about what the outcome was.
If you booked it, great! Think about the auditions before that, the ones you did not book. Ask yourself what you did afterwards.
Did you get good feedback or did you not get any feedback at all? That is a great starting point. If you have not been getting feedback on your auditions, then it may be helpful for you to start there.
If you have been getting good feedback thus far, then think about what you are doing afterwards with that feedback.
How are you incorporating that feedback so that your next audition has a different outcome?
Of course what we talked about today can only be helpful if you have enough opportunities to audition.
If you are only going on a few auditions every year, then you may not have enough data to make a full determination.
If that’s the case, then increasing your visibility to the industry where Casting Directors and industry decision makers are already looking for talent could be beneficial. Here's how I can help.
That’s another reason why professional actors do not continue to the next audition, without considering what happened on their last audition.
If there was a problem with them being less congruent than the actor that ultimately booked the role, they want to know that so they can work on being more congruent the next time.
Or, maybe it was something that came up after the audition.
When CDs decide to move forward with an actor, they are putting a lot of trust in them. How they perform reflects on the casting director.
If you have an audition coming up soon, start thinking about your most recent auditions and consider how you can approach your next one differently.
If you want someone to bounce ideas with, shoot me an email or leave a comment below. I am always happy to help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott