Be still, girl. It’s not a race.
Put the circumstances in your belly and trust your training. When you’re auditioning, hold on loosely. Work hard on it at home, like you always do. But when you’re in the room, let a choice happen to you rather than forcing a choice that’s not ready to come. You’ll surprise yourself and, hopefully, the people in the room.
Release the need to get the job. Release the need to please everyone. Release the need to control the situation. Give yourself the task of acting like you have the role already and this is your opening night or your “cut, print, moving on” moment.
READ: Watching TV Will Make Your Auditions Better
And please do move on. Getting or not getting the job isn’t an indicator of your abilities. You’re going to get jobs when you think you sucked, and you’re not going to get jobs when you think you rocked. The most important thing is to not give your power away. Let go of believing it when they say you aren’t old enough, young enough, hot enough, sexy enough, funny enough, enough of a celebrity or a “name.” Trying to get into their heads isn’t your job. Your job is to solve the scene as best you can. Your roles are out there, and your hard work, preparation, and connection to something authentic in the audition room will bring you together with those roles.
Remain true to yourself while practicing this business of being an actor. And it is a business. Learn how to be a businessperson, yes, but try to keep the main focus on the joy of acting itself. Be aware that the business might sometimes eclipse that joy. And when that happens, find the love somewhere else for a minute. Practice gratitude. Volunteer. Get a dog. Get into Buddhism. Take your nephews to the movies. Help your mama. Read a book. Reset yourself.
Start directing and producing immediately, rather than thinking you have to wait for your life to start by getting that first big job. You’ll always be looking for that big job. So empower yourself, rather than letting someone else tell you that you can or can’t do the work. Making your own work will be the most fulfilling thing in your life because you will be exercising all of your creative muscles. And exercise, in every definition of that word, will just make you feel healthier and more like a fierce warrior badass. Feeling like a warrior badass combats insecurity.
READ: Challenging the Notion: Is Stage-to-Screen Acting Training Really Best?
Practical advice: Learn people’s names. Write thank-you notes. Find your style. It’s OK to cut your hair or color it because it makes you stand out and helps with your brand. Surround yourself with representation that is, most importantly, passionate about you. Get a publicist as soon as you can. Don’t be afraid to be seen. Let your freak flag fly, girl. Freak flags are the coolest ones in the sky.
Preston is an Emmy winner (“The Good Wife”) who can currently be seen playing Polly on TNT’s new comedy “Claws.” Her previous roles include “True Blood,” “Person of Interest,” and “Happyish.”
Want to work on a TNT series, too? Check out Backstage’s TV audition listings!