This ‘To All the Boys’ Star Found the Literal Formula for Success

The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Madeleine Arthur, star of Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” franchise.

Bedecked with braces, I started my auditioning journey. 

At the time, I had naive self-confidence that I would start landing roles immediately. I quickly realized this was not the case. Besides having braces—which narrowed my spectrum of roles—my skills were also still developing (as they always are!). I picked up pretty much immediately that I’d need to practice patience at every step of my career. Then, as it took 50 auditions between each role to land the next, I discovered that persistence would be equally key. 

In that vein, something else that has always been important to me and my process is preparation. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most masterful actors in the business and one thing they all have in common is a strong work ethic; they always come to set prepared. 

The life of an actor is rewarding—but it is filled with ebbs and flows, so I’ve come up with a helpful formula to keep life in balance. Personally, I try to incorporate these three pillars into my life: patience, persistence, and preparedness. Each has significance on their own, but when intertwined, are a powerful trio of rules to live by.

There are days that pass slowly. The phone doesn’t ring and emails don’t come in. Then there are days when I feel like I’m running on a treadmill and I can barely keep up. In the quiet times, patience gets me through and allows me to endeavor in other experiences. When I’m not learning on set, I try to acquire new skills by taking classes of all sorts: dancing, cooking, reading, and writing, amongst other things. I like to think of gaps between filming as my catch-up time in the “University of Life.” I remember to be patient with myself because all learning requires it. Patience is a virtue.

Nothing happens overnight—which leads to my second pillar: persistence.  According to a study associated with Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours to learn a new skill. That is a long time! Like any other profession, acting takes time to learn and you only get better the more you invest in your craft. Persistence, continuing on an often difficult course, is the only way to move forward and achieve my goals. 

Patience and persistence, in my humble opinion, are the more mental attributes.  But it is preparedness that helps you keep up and then win your game! My grandfather always said, “Do something well or not at all.” It’s easy to get lazy in our work and take short cuts whether in auditions or anywhere in life, for that matter. Cliché as it may sound, I believe that chance favors those who are prepared! 

The three pillars have, so far, been instrumental for me as far as maintaining a healthy approach to my career and my life. I love what I do and enjoy math, too, and this formula continues to work for me!