There’s something that most actors underestimate and they almost never work on it, even though it makes a huge difference in whether or not you will be a successful actor.
If they want to make it in the industry, there are a lot of things professional actors have to get really good at,
Most only focus on a few of them, at most.
What I’m about to share with you is one of the most powerful things you can work on as an actor.
Usually, when someone gets stuck in their acting career, they start to work on the wrong things.
They try to sign with a new agent, they try to get into the best acting classes, edit their reel, redo headshots, etc.
While all of that may be helpful, focusing on this one thing could have a much bigger impact on your acting career.
So, if you truly want to be a professional actor pay close attention to what I’m about to tell you...
Stick with me, because by all accounts this shouldn’t be the case for actors.
I’m talking about confidence. Don’t roll your eyes and declare that you are the most confident person you know. I’m talking about a particular type of confidence, the kind that only a professional actor has.
You might be totally secure in yourself, and have no fear but that doesn’t necessarily come across when you are in character.
So what does it mean to be confident as an actor and where does it come from?
It comes from knowing that you can deliver a powerful performance on set, that is well received by an audience.
It also comes from booking acting jobs consistently. When you are able to book consistently, auditioning isn’t such a big deal. The nerves sort of go away over time and you are able to relax, perform your best, and your interactions with Casting Directors change too.
More on that in a bit...
See, without developing your confidence as an actor there will always be something that makes you seem green to CDs and even to your castmates.
Think about it this way, how can you deliver a powerful performance if you are always second guessing yourself on set.
You will always wonder if you are making the right character choices. This is a big part of what makes actors appear distracted on set and makes their performance fall flat.
That’s if you can actually move through auditions and actually get booked. That likely won’t happen consistently because falling short in confidence as an actor is something Casting Directors can easily pick up on.
So, how do you develop your confidence as an actor?
A big part of it is simply to start going after jobs that are a perfect fit for you. When you know that you can knock something out of the park, it shows and CDs love it!
Then, when you are on set, make character choices and run with them. You will be surprised what can happen when you just let things flow. Most actors don’t have the confidence to do this.
They are usually afraid to go too far.
Don’t let that worry you. The director will pull you back if you go too far. Just focus on connecting with the character and let everything else flow naturally.
Confident actors make suggestions if they feel something can play out differently than the way it is written. If it makes sense, directors love it because the smallest things can end up being huge in the editing room!
Some actors are afraid that they will get a reputation for changing things up too much. Don’t let that concern you. If you are confident in the way you are sharing your ideas, no one will have a problem with it.
You may even be encouraged to do it.
Being an actor is about what you bring to the character, so don’t hold back. When you have a solid industry reputation, decision makers respect your ideas. That’s especially true, if you can share your ideas and communicate them confidently.
We’re kind of getting ahead of ourselves, because this only matters if you can get on set.
Moving through the audition process successfully is the first step.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be talking more about that and we will discuss how you can set yourself up to be successful as an actor.
Everything we’ll be talking about will build from here, so get started on this now and prepare for what’s coming. Remember, I’m always only a comment or an email away and I’m always happy to help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott