What do you control as an actor?

As an actor, what do you control in your business? You’ve probably got some goals in mind. Do you have a specific amount of time you’ve given yourself before you make it? Do you have a goal for how many tv shows and films you want to book this year? Let’s talk about why these types of goals are hurting your acting career and let’s talk about the top 5 things you can control.

You can't control your booking rate.

First, let’s understand that there’s only so much you can control in this business. You don’t get to determine if you book a role on a tv show or film. Your job is to act. Booking is up to casting directors and producers. So no matter how great you are as an actor, booking depends on many things outside of your control. An example is that you audition for a role, but the role gets cut. Or they loved your audition, but you look too similar to someone already in your scene. So, let’s not make booking one of your goals. 

You can't control your timeline for success.

Another unreachable goal for actors is a timeline. Putting a timeline on your acting journey is like trying to catch rain in a net. It’s just not a good idea because success is fleeting. When you do book a role, you’ll feel amazing, like it's happening, because it is! You’ll show up to set, you’ll film your scenes, then you go home. And your next step is to continue auditioning, and you’re right back where you were before, in terms of getting the next role. 

 Putting a timeline on success would be a good idea if success was a tangible thing. If you could arrive at success, if you could drive to it, see it, touch it, taste it, if it was a physical thing that could be obtained and held, then it might make sense to have a timeframe to obtain it. But success is merely an accomplishment. Once you’ve accomplished something, you’re always going to want more. And the goal post keeps moving. A goal post which has no tangible elements. 

Here's what you can control:

#1 You control your training.

You control the quality and quantity of your training in the craft of acting. You need to learn how to act. You don’t just show up and know how to do a commercial or act with an ensemble cast in a multi-camera television comedy. This is a skill. Acting isn’t crying on command. Acting isn’t giving the audience what they want. Acting is much deeper than what you see on the screen. Don’t be so sure of yourself that you overlook the work that goes into earning your way onto a screen.

Be brave enough to enroll in acting classes and get honest feedback and instruction. Make the investment as if you were a student of engineering, accounting or medicine. This is a true skill that you can learn and develop. And the best actors will be in class for a lifetime. You’ll never reach your full potential because there’s always more to learn.

With all of your training, your skill will be evident in your auditions, giving you a shot at booking the role. With the skills you’ve developed in class, you’ll have a better chance at standing out amongst all the other actors.

And as an extra huge bonus, acting class is a major way to network!

#2 You control the first impression…your headshot.

 This is the calling card of every actor, the photo of yourself that best represents you as a whole. Getting a great headshot is a lot more involved than holding up a smart phone and taking a quick pic in a prom dress.

There’s a lot to discuss on getting headshots right because it involves most of the departments you’d find on a film set: wardrobe, hair & makeup, lights, cameras, background sets, a skilled headshot photographer and all the actor emotions and thoughts you’ll bring for each role you shoot.  Oh, and it all has to come together in 1-2 hours.

In the training module in my online course, The 7-Step Cycle To Become A Working Actor, the headshot section is the longest. When you’re spending money on headshots, which you’ll probably take every 2-3 years, depending on how much you physically change, you want to get it right. There’s no money-back guarantee with most headshot photographers. 

So learn how to prepare for your headshot session and how to find the best headshot photographers for you! And picking the most expensive headshot photographer doesn’t mean they’re the best in the biz or the best match for you. You need to be comfortable and trust your photographer. This is not the place to cut corners in your business. Get it right!

#3 You control you in the audition room.

This one is a tough one to learn. Everyone is nervous in their first few auditions, if not all of their auditions. Some actors never get over their nerves. What you need to do is learn how to use your nerves to bring out your best performance. Casting directors see nerves in every actor who walks through the door. The difference is how you manage your nerves. 

Work on controlling your nerves in acting class. It’s similar to the live performance of an audition. If you can identify why you’re nervous, you might be able to manage them better. Instead of thinking of nerves as fear, consider nerves as energy and enthusiasm.

If you feel that this audition is the one and only audition and there’s no more opportunities after it, then, yes, you’re probably working from fear. But if you know there’s another audition around the corner, then you won’t throw all your eggs into one basket. If you flub a line or go blank, you’ll do better on the next one. Now, if you’re in class, your errors shouldn’t be as extreme as going blank. That’s why you need to be in class.

Understand that auditioning for an actor IS THE JOB. An actor’s biggest goal is to audition. When we’re auditioning, we’re working. We’re putting all of our training into preparing for each audition. This is what we do. Actors cannot have booking as a goal because that’s not within our control.

#4 We can control our understanding of how the industry works.

When you know how it works, you stop having a pity party, you stop questioning why you didn’t book the role. There are so many outside factors that have nothing to do with you. 

Our art is somewhat subjective. Not everyone will appreciate the same actors. Sometimes, luck is highly involved. And you can’t control that.

Learn about the industry. An actor’s frustrations are mostly mental. We blame ourselves for our shortcomings. Literally, sometimes we feel we’re too short…or too tall, too young or too old. Maybe if we just lived in New York versus Los Angeles. There’s just so many ways to blame ourselves, and none of it helps.

The more you understand how the business works, the more you can focus on what matters. You’ll keep the right attitude.

#5 We control our mindset.

To continue as an actor, you’ve got to have a positive outlook, understanding that you’re doing everything you can to help your career. This industry is about being prepared when you come upon the right time and place. When the opportunity presents itself, you’re ready to jump in. You know the saying that luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

You’ll find that when you have a positive mindset, things seem to present themselves more frequently. It’s like your eyes are able to see the open windows, instead of closed doors. You’ll find a way in. You’ll probably be invited. 

People in our business want to work with positive-minded people. We gravitate towards each other. There’s enough room for everyone. 

And in a world of make-believe, of stories conjured up out of thin air, like the Star Wars franchise, Marvel movies, zombies and aliens, there’s only room for big-thinkers. We need people who say, yes, that’s possible. Not, that’s impossible.

We look to work with people who are idea generators, positive, enthusiastic thinkers. People who say yes! 

Not people who are negative, feel sorry for themselves, or think they deserve something they haven’t been willing to work for.

Control your attitude. Surround yourself with other positive, enthusiastic, big-thinking actors, coaches and agents. You will become like those you hang around, so choose wisely! And you’ll come to find that actors are some of the most accepting, welcoming people in the world.

BONUS: Produce your own projects!

There are many other things we can control but those are my top 5. Set goals for yourself within the parameters you can control. Stop comparing your progress to other actors. They are on their own path. Each career is on its own trajectory. Support your acting friends, and lift them up and celebrate them when they win. Your time is coming. 

Have a big heart, understand what you can do to help yourself, and watch your career start to move forward.

And, if you've never thought of this for yourself, the only way to be in control is to become your own writer and producer. When it's your project, you're in charge. And if you're an actor, writer and producer, I hope you're booking yourself for an important role in your project.

I’m always here to help.  And if you’d like to know a lot more about being an actor in the industry, watch by free workshop in the link. I created it so you’d have a good idea of the steps is takes to get your career moving!

Thanks for watching and break a leg!

-Nancy