Are you an actor robot? That may seem like a weird question, but it might a reason your career isn’t going as well as it could.
What is an actor robot and why don’t you want to be one? Well, a robot is simply something or someone that does a mindless series of repetitive tasks based on some kind of programming. You should never be mindless and you should be your only programmer.
A mechanical example of a robot would be the welding robots on an automobile assembly line. They do an amazing job but you’ll notice they never get promoted and the second a better robot is found, they get thrown on the scrap heap. Robots don’t get promoted. They get replaced.
There is a major difference between a robot and an actor that seems like one; robots do mindless repetitive tasks because that’s all they can do. Actors do mindless repetitive tasks because that’s all they think they can do.
Here are three robot-actor traits and how to stop them.
Don’t do what you’re told.
Robots do what they’re told. They don’t question. They simply do because they don’t know better. Actors often behave the same. They don’t know what to do so they ask the industry. If you ask their opinion, they’re going to give it to you. You want to do things right so they will like you and hopefully hire you. That never works.
There is only being yourself. If they like it, great. If not, move on. To reach your full potential you have to let go of the lifeline. You have to start doing what’s right for you because they can’t hire you until they know who you are. Remember: A robot gets their input from a person. An actor gets their input from within.
Don’t be a clone.
One type of robot often featured in movies is the clone. Clones all look and act alike. They are often the scary type of robots who come by the thousands to take over our way of life. Alternatively, they represent a futuristic vision of society where humans are freed from manual labor to pursue more esoteric activities. Yet despite our ostensible desire take advantage of robots and focus on the creative, we don’t do it. We look around to see what everyone else is doing and we copy them. We go to the same schools, use the same photographers or trainers as our favorite actors as though maybe their essence will rub off on us. Worse, we copy unsuccessful actors because anything seems preferable to making our own decisions. If everyone is doing it, then it can't be wrong, right?
Even if we cloned our favorite actor and then went back in time to shadow them, we’d never know why they became so successful because they’re not us. If you want to know what made Sean Penn successful, look at what he does when off camera: his own thing. (Boy is he ever!) He doesn't care what you or anyone else thinks. He doesn’t fear failure. He runs to it. He certainly is no robot and he can’t be cloned.
READ: 4 Things Desperate Actors Do (and What to Do Instead)
You are a social media platform.
Software platforms are another form of robots. You input something on a keyboard and it’s viewed by millions. Sounds like something an actor could use to get an edge...until everyone is using it and then the edge is gone. So then the edge goes back to the thing that nobody is doing anymore because the uncommon makes us stand out. When the world sends postcards, do dropoffs.
Since there is you and then there is your virtual self, you have to know which one is giving you a better rep. Can your virtual self act? Until someone can write your second self a separate check, you are still the only actor in the duality. It is tempting to believe that we need to keep up with technology, but if you don’t know which of your selves has a bank account, you’ll be left behind faster than those who don’t use technology at all.
Social media is ever changing but the reasons to hire an actor never do. Maybe it’s best expressed in the mixed metaphor: “If an actor tweets in the forest and nobody follows them, do they make a sound?” The only reason for an actor to use technology for self-promotion is if it gives us leverage. That means it gets us in front of the people with whom we want to connect faster or more effectively than simply showing up at their doorstep would. So, since you could just walk up to a person’s door and introduce yourself, you have to ask what is it about your social media profile that will make your first meeting with that producer better.
If you can’t answer that question, you’re a robot. You’re doing a repetitive mindless activity without knowing why. So whether you’re snap-chatting, posting, tweeting, or insta’ing, ask yourself if it’s time well spent compared to reading scripts for JJ Abrams or making coffee for Katheryn Bigelow.
Reboot.
Despite the many copies of our virtual selves, current employment law only allows them to hire your real self. So somehow, someway, producers have to meet you face to face. The greatest social media platform ever is air. You can see, talk, hear, and even act in it. You can have a whole career and never leave the comfort of it for any other platform. Give it a try.
Robots are cool but people make better actors. If you want to be an actor, stop acting like a robot!
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and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
