Woody Allen is quoted as
saying "85% of success is
showing up."
My two cents? Showing up is
crucial... but what really
separates the successful from
the wannabe is attitude.
When I say attitude I mean
what we think is true... and
therefore how we behave. Since
acting is really just behavior
we are getting paid for, it
seems self-evident that
attitude is pretty doggone
important.
What shapes our attitude is
what we believe... what we
accept as the truth.
For instance, if we believe
that wanting a career as an
actor is 'a crazy dream,' it
is likely we will approach the
entire enterprise in a
haphazard (i.e., 'crazy') and
undisciplined manner. I'm sure
you've met actors of this sort
who seem to be 'all over the
map.' One week auditioning for
a student film and the next,
writing a children's play and
the next, it's, "I'm trying
to get an agent."
The interesting thing is this:
When you ask this sort of
actor about his or her
head-shot, or her mailings, or
anything to do with finding
acting jobs and earning money
... an attitude is suddenly
revealed. An attitude that
kills most careers before they
start.
Here are some things you might
hear from actors with this
attitude:
"This business is
so-o-o competitive."
"Statistics prove that
almost nobody makes it."
"I tried doing
mailings. It doesn't work."
"It doesn't do any
good to send your picture to
them. They just throw it in
the trash can."
"All I need is an
agent."
"My agent doesn't have
any pull."
"Agents aren't signing
any new actors. They turn
99% of them down."
"Agents aren't
interested in my type."
"New pictures? This
headshot is the best one
I've ever had."
"I can't afford new
pictures."
"Some people are just
lucky."
I'll stop here. There are
literally thousands of these
kinds of statements.
In my opinion, these
statements (and all the others
like them) are disastrous to
your dreams of success. If you
believe these 'reasons'
(accept them as the truth)
they will form your attitude.
Your attitude will determine
what you DO.
And what you DO will
ultimately determine what you
accomplish.
That's the truth.
Here are some other truths:
Ask any Casting Director about
'no-shows.' Incredibly, when
casting directors call a group
of actors in for a part ...
20% don't show up. One out of
five actors don't even try.
It's a statistic. A fifth of
the 'competition' eliminates
itself.
So Woody's 85% is high.
Another truth is that Casting
Directors absolutely love
finding new talent. They live
for it. Therefore, they are
always on the look-out for
wonderful actors. In order to
do that, they look at every
picture ... just like a gold
miner must look at every
pebble ... before they toss it
aside.
If the picture doesn't 'grab'
them – if it doesn't say,
'gold' – whose responsibility
is that?
If you do a big mailing and
don't get any calls – get
another picture and try again.
Keep doing this until you get
a picture that gets you called
in. Don't whine that it's too
expensive. Without a headshot
that is working (getting you
called in), you are like a
butcher who has no knives. You
are telling me you can cut it
... but I don't see how you
can.
If you send nothing ...
consider yourself part of the
20% who don't bother to show
up..
Agents? Think this through
carefully. Tom Cruise's agent
makes 10% of Tom's salary.
Today that's about 2.5 million
dollars. The agent sits in her
office and chats with people
on the phone. It might only
take her a couple of hours of
real "work" to collect that
2.5 million.
Do you really believe that
agents are not looking for the
next Tom Cruise? Or the next
JLo? Or the next Steven
Spielberg? Do you really
believe that all agents turn
down 99% of applicants out of
hand? Think of the gold miner.
No decent gold miner gathers
up a bunch of pebbles,
indiscriminately, and tries to
sell them at the assay office.
That is a sure path to
becoming a starving gold
miner. A good gold miner looks
for ... ("...anyone? Anyone?
Bueller?) – gold ... which he
knows he can sell.
In order to find the really
big pay-off – an agent must
look at a lot of pebbles.
You have a choice:
You can be a 'rolling stone'
or you can be a nugget.
The most devastating belief an
actor can have about agents is
that somehow being signed with
an agent will "get me
work." That's like
thinking an untested,
unfinished, unproven new
product will be successful
because there is someone
willing to sell it. The best
salesman in the world cannot
sell a product people haven't
any need for and ultimately
don't want.
We, the actors, are the
product the agents are
"selling." If we are unable or
unwilling to prove – on our
own – that we are a product
people might need and might
buy – what makes us believe
that having a salesman will
change things?
Some actors have an
interesting theory: Even if
you don't apply for the job,
by some miracle you will get
the job. That's the premise
behind not sending out
pictures, not getting new
pictures, not being prepared
to audition, not showing up,
in fact not doing much of
anything.
This sort of actor believes
that repeating over and over,
"I want to be a working
actor, I want to be a working
actor," will somehow make
success happen... as if by
magic. This is like believing
that dancing cures chicken
pox. An amazing number of
actors recite this
'magical' phrase. But they
seldom have any idea when or
how 'the magic' will
actually occur.
Bottom line? Magical
incantations will not take the
place of doing what must get
done.
Hardly anybody makes it?
Look, it's important not to
say things like this to
yourself. You can get the
facts by watching TV for an
evening. Watch for three
hours. Count the number of
actors who have lines. Keep a
good count. Multiply that
number by 365 days a year...
times the number of
networks... and you will begin
to see a glimmering of the
truth. Isn't this a fairly
large group of actors? If
nobody makes it, where are all
these actors coming from?
Mars?
The truth is that there are
lots of acting jobs, all over
the world. A very large number
of people earn their living by
acting. If you want to be one
of them, then DO what
they DO.
If you don't know what they
have done to get where they
are – then isn't it your
business to find out?
Believe me, you will not find
out – or take any steps, or
really even try – as long as
your attitude is being shaped
by your belief in 'reasons'
like, "it's so-o-o
competitive."
It's not that competitive,
it's just hard.
When it comes to doing hard
things, some people aren't up
to the challenge.
They spend most of their time
thinking up excuses for poor
results. If you believe
'reasons' or 'facts' (which
are usually someone else's
cleverly disguised excuses),
then you may not DO what has
to be done. Or even try.
Believe me, the excellent
results of trying and doing
are vastly under-rated by most
wannabes.
