Have you ever wondered why some actors make it and others don’t?
Do you sometimes watch a movie and think of half a dozen actors (probably including yourself and others you know) that could have played the role better?
Every actor on the planet does this and with good reason... They typically have a point!
As much as I wish it weren’t this way, the industry isn’t built on talent alone, and being a great actor doesn’t guarantee success either.
Incredibly talented actors struggle to get ahead in the industry every day, while others make huge career moves.
I’m careful to bring this up around most actors, because they tend to get angry about it. Whether or not you agree with the way the industry works when it comes to this, is beside the point.
It’s not going to change anytime soon, soi what really matters is finding out what those actors are doing that others aren’t.
If you want to be a professional actor, this is something you have to figure out...
Let’s talk about two actors that are equally experienced and have equally experienced agents as well.
How they build a career is what makes the difference in whether they will succeed, all things considered being equal.
Here;’s what I mean...
Actors that succeed in the industry have a particular way of building their careers. They don’t go about it in the same way that everyone else does.
For starters (literally) they specialize in a category. Most actors never even give this a thought, but it’s what successful actors focus on first.
Instead of going out for anything and everything, they go deep into a category and try to make the competition practically irrelevant.
In business this is called the Blue Ocean Strategy. It’s all about going after opportunities where you can make competition nonexistent, instead of fighting over the few existing opportunities.
As an actor that means becoming synonymous with a particular category. For example, there was a long period of time when you couldn’t make a certain type of action movie without Steven Seagal being a part of the conversation.
Practically any role in the genre was his to either accept or turn down.
The same was true for Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, and just about any other A list actor you can think of.
With very few exceptions, if you study an actor’s career, you will see that their career tends to go to the next level when they narrow their focus.
It’s a simple concept that makes sense when you think about it, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
For one, it requires that you limit your opportunities. Saying no to a role goes against just about everything actors are taught.
You also won’t find many agents who will encourage you to do this, considering that booking you is how they earn a living.
That’s why it’s essential to build a team of people that will help you achieve your goals and that are on the same page as you are.
Have this conversation with your agent and determine if they are still the best fit, or if it’s time to go in search of a new one.
Agents dropping actors is commonplace in the industry, but almost no one considers dropping an agent for some reason.
If you decide that it’s time to search for a new agent, look for one that has a focused talent roster. Regardless of what role they play in the industry, people at the top levels always specialize.
Agents get really good at sourcing talent and develop good relationships with decision makers in specific categories, screenwriters get really good at writing successful projects in a specific genre and build relationships with producers that also specialize in that genre, and casting directors build a reputation for putting together great casts.
That also comes from getting familiar with actors that specialize in that genre and how they work with their castmates.
It’s a big network of people that are all specializing and working predominantly in a specific category, and your task is to find your way into that network.
Here’s where most actors go wrong when trying to do that. Fair warning, the following is going to sound a bit harsh...
People in the industry tend to be self serving, in the pursuit of their goals. That’s kind of human nature so it’s not only limited to the industry, but that’s a larger topic for another time.
What that means for you as an actor is that you need to align yourself with people that you are not in direct competition with, so that you can support each other and succeed together. Most actors don’t really think about it, but the way you build your industry circle matters.
Most actors tend to “network” with other actors because it’s easy and it feels like you are actually doing something. In reality it’s usually a waste of time.
Actors tend to fill their circles with other actors that are very similar to them. When you are in direct competition with someone, it’s difficult to create an environment where you can collaborate.
I know it sounds incredibly harsh, but understand that a lot of this is subsconscious. You may carpool to auditions and genuinely wish your friends good luck when you both read for the same role, but when casting decides your friend is the better fit, would they ever turn it down so you could have the role instead?
Would you turn it down so your friend could have the role instead? Of course not!
However, if you are not in direct competition for the same roles, there will come a time when you are cast and you can accept the role while also recommending someone to play alongside you.
Really you should focus on building a network of industry collaborators that can support your career and whose skills will complement yours. That’s usually more impactful.
That could include screenwriters, directors, cinematographers (we’ll come back to that another time because it can be incredibly powerful), and of course agents, managers, casting directors, etc.
The goal is to build a network of people you can collaborate with and who you are not in direct competition with.
That’s something successful actors do really well. If you listen to them talk about how some projects came to be, you will often hear them talk about how someone they met and wanted to collaborate with came to them with an idea that snowballed from there.
I also want to revisit just how important it is for you to build your career on purpose. Carve out some time to sit down and really think about what kind of a career you want to have and how you will go about achieving that.
Most actors think if they just get “good enough” the offers will come. It’s simply not how the industry works, so you can’t ignore everything else that goes into building a successful acting career.
We went through a ton of information today. Bookmark this page and come back to it from time to time.
If you are not sure of what to do next, start with deciding what category you will focus on.
Everything else will build from there. It will help you differentiate yourself during the audition process and it will give you a level of familiarity the other actors won’t have. Combine that with this: it’s another way you can make yourself visible to industry decision makers so you have a better chance of being on their mind during decision making.
Remember, you’re not alone in this! I’m always only a comment or an email away and always happy to help however I can, even if you just want to bounce ideas of where to go next with your career.
I respond to every message that comes through because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott