Like it or not, you will increase your chances of booking the job when booking the job becomes no big deal.
Sure, every actor wants to book the job, but it is often that feeling of “wanting” the job, that might be keeping you from “getting” it. It is really a paradox worth contemplating. As soon as you give up your need for booking the job, you will light up in a completely different way in the audition room.
Why? Well, when you go into an audition with this state of mind: “I really need this job to...
...pay off my student loans.”
...pay my rent.”
...make my insurance.”
...show my parents I’m making it.”
...not get dropped by my agents.”
...have good news to report in my acting class.”
...finally get my big break.”
..._______(fill in the blank with whatever you tell yourself).”
...you appear needy and desperate. You are putting yourself in a mental state of lack and people can sense it the minute you walk in the room. Casting directors, producers, and directors may not know exactly what it is, but there is just “something about you” that doesn’t feel quite right for the role. In essence, you are turning one audition into the grand solution that you hope will fix all your problems.
To increase your chances of booking the job, shift your focus to doing these three things in your next audition:
Bring the character to life in your own singular way.
Play, in the present moment.
Leave.
Can you feel the difference? One is a lack state of mind, while the other is a playful state of mind. Which actor would you rather hire and interact with on the set for 18 hours a day?
When you give one audition all sorts of personal significance and meaning, you are setting yourself up to fail. And isn’t it the jobs that you don’t really care about that become the ones that you somehow always book? That’s because you’ve taken the pressure off, you’ve viewed it as no big deal, and you’ve most likely, showed up, played in the room, and gone about your day.
To make this playful state of mind an audition ritual, follow these five steps:
1. Deepen your faith in yourself and your talents
Mindset Mantra: The right roles find me at the right time.
2. Strengthen your trust in the universe’s divine timing.
Mindset Mantra: I trust in the future I cannot see.
3. Expand your knowing that something better is on its way.
Mindset Mantra: Everything always works out for me.
4. Don’t give any one audition too much meaning.
Mindset Mantra: I let go of my ego’s need to control the outcome.
5. Make it all a big game, a reason to have fun and play.
Mindset Mantra: I am here to play in the given circumstances.
I know, it’s easier said than done, especially if you haven’t worked in a while or you want to make your health insurance. But since you’re an actor, try “acting as if” it is all no big deal. It doesn’t mean you don’t care and you don’t prepare. It simply means you do your work (which is to play in the present moment) and let the rest go.
If you need some help mastering this mindset, this free guided visualization for actors will help you have more success in the audition room. In under five minutes, this audio will help you transform your state of mind into a playful one, every single time. Not only will you have more fun in your auditions, you will feel more relaxed and confident, which will definitely increase your chances of booking the job.
At the end of the day, your mental state of mind, your present performance, and the amount of joy you experience along the way is really all you can control.
Here’s to setting yourself up for booking success!
Try this advice on your next audition! Check out our television audition listings now! And watch the video below for more great acting advice!
The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
