The industry is littered with talented actors who have turned down the right job at the wrong time, but it’s also true that so many others who have taken the wrong job at the right time have come to bitterly regret it. Navigating the early (or middle, or late) stages of an acting career is an exercise in patience and perseverance, and sometimes you just have to trust your gut above everything else.
What, then, to do when you know a production, show or film is likely going to be terrible, but you think you might be perfect for the part? Is a critical mauling with a single sentence praising your role going to be worth the time and energy you invest? Or are you better off holding out for something better? Here are some things to consider when weighing up the pros and cons.
What are your long-term plans?
It’s all very well stressing over today, but what do you want to achieve in the future? Why did you get into acting in the first place? Perhaps you’re just making headway after graduating, or you’ve been hustling for what feels like a thousand years. Whatever your situation, there’s likely a future goal in mind, and there are steps that need to be taken to get there.
Sure, maybe taking a dodgy job will result in nothing more than a paycheque and a funny story to tell over Christmas dinner, but it could also be the source of that hilarious (for everyone but you) clip the researchers on a talk show dig up in ten years’ time as proof of how far you’ve come. Make sure you know your goals and your values, and make a decision based on them.
Why is it bad?
There are two definitions of “bad” in this case – it’s just dumb, or it’s offensive. Dumb things are a dime a dozen and it’s an unfortunate truth that someone, somewhere, has to be in them. Audiences love B-movies and they can and have become cult classics. You could be in the next Sharknado! Offensive things, however, are a different matter entirely.
This can be a particular problem for female actors or actors that are part of a minority group. Things are slowly changing for the better, but the sad fact is still that roles for women, black actors, Asian actors and countless others – if they exist at all – are underwritten or riddled with stereotypes. This more than anything else comes down to personal instinct. If a role could be damaging, then it’s okay to pass.
What happens if you don't take it?
In an ideal world everyone would stick to their guns and pick and choose their jobs based on what speaks to and feeds their souls, but the reality is that we all need to eat, pay rent and/or support our families. Acting is a job just like any other in this respect, and if not going to an audition means that it’ll be harder to survive then the decision stops being so complicated.
Being unemployed is no fun and doesn’t, in the end, help anyone, so missing out on an opportunity to potentially evolve and develop because of some preconceived notion isn’t a choice everyone has the freedom to make. If it comes down to working or not working then the answer should almost always be the former. There’s no shame in being able to afford the water bill.
What do you stand to gain?
Personal fulfillment is just one aspect of making your way in this industry – another is meeting the people who will help further your career in as yet mysterious and thrilling ways. A bad experience has as much potential to teach you something or sharpen your skills as something more prestigious. Your job is not as a critic, but as an individual part of a larger whole.
One of the absolute best things about working in the arts is the ability to shape your own story, and choosing the chapters to include are hugely important to that. One bad part feels monumental when you’re in the early stages of your career, and there is a temptation to enact some kind of quality control from the start, but even the biggest stars in your field will have something on their CV they’d love to erase.
Is it worth it? The answer depends on a lot of things, and in the end only you can decide.
Check out Backstage’s UK audition listings!