“Life beats down and crushes our souls and theatre reminds us that we have one. You have the opportunity to literally impact the lives of people if you work on material that has integrity. But today, most actors simply want to be famous. Well, being an actor was never supposed to be about fame and money. Being an actor is a religious calling because you’ve been given the ability, the gift to inspire humanity.”
The acting profession is something of an anomaly. It can be magical, mysterious and yet cruel and illogical. It is a profession that a lot of brave talented people enter into and yet somehow talent, work and the resourcefulness that comes with it doesn’t always seem to win the day. It can take years to constantly hammer away at something which may or may not give way.
What is it that you are really looking for? The universal answer would tend to be: happiness. Does this apply in your search to become a professional actor? What is ‘happiness’ to you? Are you looking in the right place? Ask yourself this question..
WHY DO I WANT TO BE AN ACTOR?
What is the most obvious or ‘conventional’ way of becoming a working actor? Or even a famous, well known respected actor? What’s the the less obvious route? Is becoming a ‘working actor’ what you really want? What is it you want anyway? What specifically is it about acting that you love? The answer to these questions are inherent within YOU - the person reading this. There is not a ‘one fits all’ answer to becoming the actor you want to be.
How do you maintain a sense of moving in the right direction, a sense of self and a sense of freedom when so much appears to be in the hands of others?
“You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. When there is a way or path, it is someone else’s path. You are not on your own path. If you follow someone else’s way, you are not going to realize your potential.”
WHAT DO I WANT?
WHY DO I WANT IT?
If you’re an actor then I assume you will be very familiar with asking these questions within the context of playing a character. However, have you asked these questions specifically in relation to yourself? As an actor? Why do you want to be an actor? Sometimes we get so bogged down the day to day life of ‘being an actor’ that we forget. We forget that little bit of magic that sparked our imagination many years ago. Have you forgotten and do you want to remember? Lets get back to it…
I will ask you questions. I will challenge you. But most importantly I will listen to you.
This is about you and what you offer the world.
