Disappointment is very common in acting and the entertainment industry in general. It can arise when an actor doesn’t get an audition, doesn’t get the job, doesn’t get an agent or manager, or even after an actor gets a role only to see it cut from the final product. There are so many situations where disappointment can arise in this line of work—it’s unavoidable, really—but you absolutely cannot let it undermine your life and career and derail your dreams.
But rather than simply learn to live with this disappointment, is it possible to turn it into the fuel and energy to become more determined, more creative, and more persistent? To turn the constant disappointments of this career into something you can actually use?
So many actors get quite blue after they receive a rejection, letting it linger and take a toll on their next audition—and life in general. But a better response is to try to see a seemingly negative circumstance as an opportunity to learn something. To take that lesson and let him help you book your next job or attract an agent/manager. If you are open to it and you are teachable, there are lessons to be learned in every disappointment, ones that can only help propel you forward in life and career.
We recently had an experience with a last-minute disappointment. As an acting studio, we had an actor of iconic status lined up to speak at one of our annual events but at the very last minute, the actor had to cancel and we had to share the news with over 1,000 people. These people included students and their families and friends who were traveling specifically to attend the event.
READ: How Actors Eliminate Themselves in Auditions, No Acting Required
The level of disappointment people had was substantial, but it only tripled our determination to make lemonade out of lemons. Rather than dwell in the disappointment, we started thinking about the event in a new way: what if we brought in alumni who had trained at our school to talk about their successes instead?
In the end, something special happened. Although there was no legendary movie star at the event, there were six hard-working alumni who are successful actors, writers, directors, and producers who spoke about their lives in this industry, from training all the way through their professional careers.
Ultimately, the students felt that this experience was more relatable than listening to a movie star talk would have been; they could better see themselves in the journey of these six alumni and visualize their own possibilities for achieving success. The disappointment turned into celebration and it only happened because we were ignited by the loss and did not succumb to letting it undermine us.
Whatever loss you feel and however many times it happens, using it as fuel to energize and ignite your creativity and teachability may open the exact door you just thought was closed. Something that seems like a disappointment can actually turn into a wonderful opportunity. It’s how you look at things that will determine your destiny. Look creatively and positively and you will be happier in the moment and probably more successful in attaining your dream.
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and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
