How Actors Can Turn Hope Into Their Superpower

When an actor is labeled an overnight success, it can paint a deceptive picture of a performer’s life. Rarely are we privy to the far less sexy backstory—the one that involves years of rejection before achieving stardom. 

It takes mountains of emotional strength to keep auditioning and maintain belief in yourself. In many ways, hope is the fuel that propels people forward during monumental challenges, marking the difference between staying the course and giving up. According to research from North Carolina State University, hope has effects even more powerful than mindfulness, especially during times of extreme stress. Benefits of hopefulness include keeping you engaged during anxiety-producing situations and fostering calm and happiness. 

Unlike mindfulness, which has you attune to the present, hopefulness bypasses the “right now” in favor of positive future-thinking—a crucial skill for any actor. Here’s what experts have to say about how to harness hopefulness to make you a better and happier performer.

Become clear on what hope is and is not.

Wishful thinking, tunnel vision, and toxic positivity are not hope. Rooted in reality, hope involves a flexible state of mind, says clinical psychologist Lindsay Brancato. “We can get really stuck in a particular way of thinking, hoping to have one particular outcome,” she explains.

Much like when you’re playing a role, inviting different points of view alters your performance. Brancato recommends using your imagination to envision scenarios with various outcomes in which you can be content. For example, instead of being crushed when you don’t land a certain role, a hopeful perspective trusts that you’ll find something else to meet your needs.

Feeling untethered by audition highs and lows? Anchor yourself in realism to stay grounded and evolve. “The ability to tolerate frustration, loss, all of these things are what enables you to have hope that you’ll come out on the other side,” says Brancato. Venture out of your comfort zone and wonder, if it doesn’t happen this specific way, “what are other goals, other outcomes, or other paths to get to the same goal?”

When times are tough, remember what matters.

Regularly facing rejection can take a toll on even the most gifted actor’s psyche. To avoid a downward spiral, “remember that your commitment to acting necessarily involves a commitment to wading through the roles that aren’t right for you to find the ones that are,” says clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly.

Even for performers who appear to have “made it,” the struggle is real. Lily Gladstone told the Hollywood Reporter that during the pandemic, she thought about a career change, saying, “You just wonder if it’s going to be sustainable.” But just when Gladstone was about to leave acting and register for a data analytics course, Martin Scorsese contacted her for a role in “Killers of the Flower Moon”—which would go on to earn her an Academy Award nomination for best actress. 

When you’re questioning your choices, it helps to “remember your whys,” says Marcene Marcus, a psychotherapist and clinical director at Ocean Psychiatry. Think about why you fell in love with the craft and chose to be an actor. “Are those desires still valid for you? If yes, then what threw you off your track?” See if you can determine what triggered the feeling and the thoughts behind it, she suggests.

 

Practice having optimistic expectations.

Like putting on a hat that anchors you in a character’s world, you can experiment with what it feels like to be more hopeful. Marcus says, “Actors are beautifully suited to try on new features of personality. When you ‘act as if,’ you are already partially becoming the success you want to be. If you ‘fake it till you make it,’ you are creating the best chance for yourself to grow into that role you are practicing.”

Similar to how your thoughts create feelings, your physical behavior can influence your thinking process. “This is why the superhero pose of ‘feet set wide, both hands on the hips’ can steer you into more confident self-talk and thus a better sense of competence. Try this before and after something important,” suggests Marcus.

Behavioral scientist Clarissa Silva adds, “Having hope helps stimulate happiness and improves how your brain functions.” Your endorphin and serotonin levels are responsible for regulating mood and happiness, and Silva recommends enhancing those levels by consciously focusing on positive outcomes and designing strategies to help achieve your goals.

Downtime can be a gift—make it work for you.

A career lull doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it gives you time to hone other skills and nurture your personal life. You might use the time to brush up on different accents, or sharpen your improv or writing abilities. “The more you create opportunities for your psyche to imagine and dream—to see the world with childlike wonder—the more you will feel uplifted and inspired,” says Manly. Maybe you feel centered taking yoga classes or hiking. Explore what makes you happy; it will help you become more well-rounded, complex, and hirable as an actor. 

 

Taking stock of the people around you is also key; deepening relationships and connections can uplift your spirit and create a thriving atmosphere. “Cultivating a support system that helps create collective hope can also help you stay positive before your audition and redirect your doubts and fears,” says Silva. Being with others gives you built-in accountability partners, helps you fine-tune your craft, and can enhance confidence on auditions, she adds.

Honor your feelings and grow resilience. 

While it’s impossible to know what lies on the horizon, an actor’s life can sometimes feel like an emotional roller coaster, no matter how successful they appear from the outside.

After filming his breakout role in the Netflix teen rom-com “The Kissing Booth,” Jacob Elordi was still struggling and living out of his car. “I wasn’t booking jobs,” he recalled to GQ. And with only a few hundred dollars left in his bank account, he planned on going back home to Australia to earn some money and recuperate. Before packing it in, though, he auditioned for one last role: the HBO series “Euphoria.” And instead of going to the airport, his career took flight.

Like Elordi, your next role might also appear during a period of struggle—which is why you should always be ready for positive outcomes. Doing so will allow you to perform at your best when opportunities arise, increasing your likelihood of booking roles. As Manly says, “Your sense of hope will remain much stronger when you focus on believing in yourself and your ability to persevere in a profession that is notoriously not for the faint of heart.” 

Our Experts

• Dr. Lindsay Brancato is a licensed clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst specializing in the mind-body connection. 
• Dr. Carla Marie Manly is a clinical psychologist and author (“Joy From Fear,” “Aging Joyfully,” “Date Smart,” and “The Joy of Imperfect Love”) based in Sonoma County, California.
• Clarissa Silva is a behavioral scientist, researcher, and founder of C Silva Solutions, a behavioral science–based data analytics and solutions firm.
• Marcene Marcus is a licensed social worker working as a clinical director at Ocean Psychiatry.