Though I sincerely hope that each and every one of you get the chance to walk down many red carpets, accept your well-deserved awards, and give the speeches you’ve practiced over and over in the shower while holding a shampoo bottle as a mic, it’s equally important to remember that most of your career (and life) will happen outside the bubble that is awards season.
What happens when awards season is over and instead of standing in the shower giving your Oscar acceptance speech, you’re standing there trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for both class and headshots, and why your agent isn’t sending you out? Excitement leads to frustration and the motivating factor of red carpets leading to huge paychecks seems out of reach. You may be just as talented as the guy who won for Best Actor but if you can’t get the opportunity, no one’s ever going to know.
Throughout my show business journey, I often heard the following advice about an actor’s motivation from teachers, mentors, working actors, directors, etc.: To truly feel fulfilled and happy as an actor, the motivation must come from the joy of the process and not the end result or golden ticket.
Unfortunately, I, like so many actors, had no time for that concept. My head was in the future. I was so focused on the end result, the trip down the red carpet to those huge paychecks, that I missed out on so much of the fulfillment and happiness so many other actors around me were experiencing every day. They were motivated by the process, the highs and lows, the joys and sorrows that the journey itself places in front of each of us. It wasn’t until years later when I realized this that I was able to see and experience so much more.
READ: The #1 Way to Guarantee a Successful Year as an Actor
Yes, working on set, being in a movie, and acting on television are all amazing and awesome experiences, but so are classes and headshot sessions and survival jobs and auditions and meetings. Ask any working actor who has been in the industry for a while and they’ll tell you that those moments, those stops along the journey, are their most cherished memories.
Next time you get an audition, don’t look past the audition to the actual job or let nerves take over; enjoy the process. Be excited that someone has invited you to the party. It may not be on a film set or in front of millions of people, but you get the chance to do the one thing you want to do more than anything else: act. Instead of hating the thought of having new headshots taken, enjoy the process. Embrace the challenge to bring your brand/personality in front of the camera and show the industry what’s so unique and special about you as an actor. You may even feel that same rush you’ll feel as thousands of paparazzi clamor to take your picture.
Even in your classes or survival jobs, you must enjoy the process. Maybe you’re not wearing an amazing designer gown but look at the amazing people around you who share that same bond, dream, and drive. The guy standing next to you may one day be producing your latest series. That funny girl with the accent may be up for the same Golden Globe as you. Take the time to be present, to support one another, and to experience the highs and lows and the joys and sorrows that this crazy acting journey places in front of you together.
To be successful as an actor, you really have to embrace and enjoy every moment. Whether you’re filming your first speaking part in a TV show, creating your reel, walking down a red carpet, or making a standing ovation shower speech, don’t forget to enjoy the process.
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and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
