Your teachers, mentors, friends, casting directors have
trained you, taught you, listened to you, and brought you back over and
over again because you’re terrific in the room. But there are always
some things you wish they’d told you sooner.
1. “No” does not equal failure. Casting is working at a heightened pace - creating a family, recasting because the male role became female, the location changed for the role due to budget or local hire, executive orders, nepotism - do you get the picture? It’s not about you. Casting directors are not required to give you closure or cushion the blow. So, what will they do? Though you weren’t right for the role, you were so prepared and confident and brought something unique to the character that they added a role just for you. They loved you so much because you were personable and professional that they remember you and bring you in for another show they’re casting and tell their casting/director/producer friends to meet you.
2. Take big risks. You got the appointment because you satisfy the role. But standing out in the room and landing the role, requires more than satisfactory choices. You didn’t play it safe by choosing this career. What’s the rhythm of the dialogue? What’s happening in-between the lines? What is the world you are creating? What do you want from the other person? And make it bold. Again, it’s not about you.
3. Work smart. What’s your goal? What’s trending? How does it fit your brand/casting? Who knows about what you want to do? Where are the gaps artistically and in business and who can help you fill them?
4. Nurture your love of your art outside the business. It matters that you are a fully developed human being. What are the other things you have in your life which bring delight, purpose, challenge and growth? We are all more than our resumes, and that person is the one we want to know about in the room and on set for the next three months. So try something new or revisit some long lost passion and tell us about it when we ask “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”
5. Mom was right! We never hear about struggling
doctors or struggling attorneys. Mom begged us to get a business degree
or take a class, but most us decided, “I don’t think that way. I am an
artist.
I’ll never use that degree.” There is a real way to earn money,
pursue your dream, and still have the creative life you deserve. Acting
is your career. Bartending, teaching pilates and yoga, or dog walking
may help create schedule flexibility and supplements to your career, but
they are NOT the reason to change or cancel an appointment. Your reps
tell us you’re sick. We know better because of social media. If you have
your team already – agent, manager, attorney - listen to their
guidance. You have chosen them. You are the CEO of your
corporation and its star.
Soak in this helpful advice and ponder it over the next few days. Repeat these ideas out loud to yourself in the mirror so they stick when times get a little tough. Pick up the weight where you might have been slacking off, if it becomes apparent. And watch for a few more pointers from Caroline Liem to follow in the next blog!
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