I recently had the opportunity to sit down with an incredible director. We talked about a ton of really incredible stuff that I’ll be sharing with you over the coming weeks.

What we’re going to start with today are your questions...

You know that Boost My Star is the only place you can find stuff about the industry that no one else even dares to talk about.

A few weeks ago, I asked you to send me your questions, so I could have a world class, professional director answer them for you.

His answers to your questions did not disappoint!

This is the kind of stuff that can make the difference between becoming an accomplished actor, with the kind of career that dreams are made of, or ignoring it could keep you stuck in a miserable career where you never make any progress.

A big part of becoming a professional actor is doing what successful actors are already doing. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, you just have to put your own spin on it.

Go back and look at the careers of the actors you most look up to. You will see that, at some point, they shifted from what they were doing to follow in the footsteps of someone that was already accomplished.

That’s what usually helps them get on the industry’s radar. What takes them to the next level, is learning what industry decision makers are looking for and becoming that.

The director I sat down with is one of those decision makers, so what you are about to get is a first hand account of what the industry is looking for and how you can use it to take your career to the next level...

I didn’t want to be a filter for what this director wanted to share, so the rest of this report is in Question and Answer format, with his answers being transcribed and in first person.

What is the difference between amateur actors and world class actors?

Amateur actors give you what they think you want to see, as a director. World class actors bring their own spin to the character.

Look at the actors you admire. There is a common thread that connects every character they bring to life. In some way, they all share a similar trait, no matter how different the actual characters may be.

It could be a certain “tick” or their manner of speaking. Some actors are masterful at bringing similar tonality and pacing to their characters and it gives their work a kind of recognition that becomes their brand.

They don’t do it on purpose, it’s just what they bring to the table.

They also don’t mindlessly nod in agreement with every piece of direction you give them. Sometimes, what I see and what the actor experiences are completely different.

What makes a great performance is being able to combine the two. For example, I was directing an actor in a scene where he was wearing an apron.

After a few takes, I asked the actor to rip off the apron before answering the knock at the door.

The actor declined and said “this guy isn’t the apron type so he either has to act like it’s not there, which is what we had been doing so far, or we have to connect the apron to somehow being out of character for him.”

What we ended up doing was having the actor catch his reflection in the mirror, noticing the apron, tearing it off in disgust, and throwing it in the garbage before answering the door.

After doing that take, the others (with the apron on) stood out as a complete character misstep.

An amateur actor would have gone with the direction without speaking up. That would have been ok in this case, but since when is the industry satisfied with something just being ok?

What makes you want to work with some actors repeatedly and not others?

Every director wants to work with actors that show up fully prepared to give it their all on set.

Hours can be extremely long, and the working conditions can be uncomfortable on some projects. Imagine being suspended on a harness in front of a green screen for 2 weeks, to simulate a zero gravity environment.

That would be uncomfortable for anyone, and it would start to show for actors that are not mentally prepared.

That’s an obvious thing, but I have seen extremely talented actors completely drop the ball, causing reshoots and production delays, and in one occasion even jeopardizing an entire franchise from moving forward.

Those are the actors that don’t often get a second chance with directors.

Actors that always have another take in them, no matter how long it has already been, always make a good impression.

As a director, you need to know that you can lean on the actors too. The creativity on set is a two way street. Sometimes, you know that you are looking for something different out of an actor but you’re not sure what it is.

You want to work with actors that can always give you another take and try it a different way, even when the production day is long past the scheduled wrap.

In the final stages of casting, what sets actors apart? How can an unknown actor catch your attention and make you want to give them a chance?

What stands out to me, above everything else, is the actor's reputation. There are some incredibly talented actors that every director refuses to work with.

Everyone in the industry has heard the stories and believe me, they don’t even begin to scratch the surface. Some actors are insanely troublesome and can bring down the mood on a project and the effects are noticeable in the final product.

As an actor, the trick is to find a way to let the industry know that you have what it takes, because until you establish yourself, everyone will see putting you on a project as a big risk.

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that there are really only two ways to show the industry that you are a professional.

You can either have an extensive body of work to point to, which takes time and requires that you have already worked on many projects, or you need to figure something else out.

What will help you stand out among actors that may be more experienced or better known, is having a terrific industry reputation. Here’s a great place to start with that.

Like I said earlier, this only begins to scratch the surface of everything this director and I talked about and I’ll be bringing you more it over the coming weeks.,

For now, take some time to think this over.

Everything we talked about today only matters if you have enough opportunities to get on set. A big thing that I want you to think about is what the director mentioned about establishing yourself in the industry.

I built this, to help you become more visible to the industry while you work on that.

Once you’re on set, you have to be able to deliver.

Do you ever watch TV or put on a movie and think to yourself “I could do it better.” Of course you do!

Chances are, you’re even right about it...

The difference between you, tuning in, and the actor on screen is that the actor who was cast had something that made them stand out to casting. This is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to differentiate yourself and stand out to casting.

is there a question you think I should have asked, but didn’t? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.. I’ll be doing a follow up with this director too, so I’ll get a chance to ask him then.

In the meantime, feel free to get in touch, even if you just want to bounce ideas. I’m happy to help however I can, because I truly want to...

See at the top,
Scott