“Worry less, trust more.”
Those four words can change the way you live your life and move through your career. It’s hard, I know. You are a competitive girl, and you actually enjoy hard work and difficult tasks. This side of you is going to come in handy. But it is also going to hurt you. Worry less about how your career is going. Trust that at the right moments, the right roles will find you.
Worry less about your career trajectory, where you are at 25, 30, 35—oh my God—40! Trust in your craft. Even when you think you will never work again, your craft will ease your pain and carry you through. Your craft is why prestige projects will find you, why the right directors will see your value. Nurture your craft and hold it dear. Trust it to lead you in the right direction.
Trust your life’s path enough to know that it’s OK to take that trip, run off for a getaway, and invest in the people and things you love. Don’t worry if you miss that one audition for that guest spot that time. It’s OK; there will be many more auditions for guest spots and beyond.
READ: 8 Reasons Actors Must Trust Their Guts
Try not to worry about your career being over or think that the business no longer wants you because “women age out.” That’s only true if you make it true. Trust in this: You’re done when you say you’re done. No one gets to make that call but you. Sure, you may need to find alternative revenue streams from time to time, but no one can dictate your destiny. Power on, sister. It’s worth it.
The business is fickle and weird and absolutely nonsensical most of the time—especially for women. There is nothing you can do about the nature of the business. So don’t worry about it. Let go of the idea that if you are pretty enough, thin enough, brilliant enough, they will have to see it and they will have to cast you. Sometimes they will see it, acknowledge it, and still give the job to someone else.
Even in the small jobs, do your work. And trust in your own journey. It is yours alone. Stop comparing yourself to whatever movie star of the moment your reps say you should be like. Trust in yourself.
Speaking of, don’t worry about twisting yourself into 500 knots trying to look like a 5’10” swimsuit model. No matter how many miles you run or crunches you do, you will always be more Piper than Barbie. Trust that that’s OK.
And don’t worry about aging. You will play the most interesting roles of your career at the age when most say you’ll be forced out of the business (if you aren’t a “star” yet). Nuanced, complicated, crazy, and twisted roles are coming for you. And you will love it. Also, don’t worry about being a star, the supporting roles are FAR more interesting.
Emery is currently starring on AMC’s “Preacher” and has appeared on other series, including “Better Call Saul” and “The Mick.”
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