That’s the question isn’t it? No matter
what path you choose for yourself, at some point in
your life you are going to have to ask yourself if
you have what it takes to succeed.
When you’re an actor, the answer to that question
might seem obvious but in reality it is rather complex.
One quality that leaps to your mind when you think
about it is talent. You might think that if you’ve
got the goods, you are on your way to star-ville. If
only it were that simple.
Don’t let me derail your train of hope but let’s
throttle back for a second. Having talent in your chosen
profession is an essential ingredient for success,
but the annals of time are littered with talented individuals
whose names will never be known. Why? Because talent
alone is seldom enough.
Let’s take a look at a slice of the everyday
world. You would think that the best ____________ (insert
your favorite product here: car, candy bar, lipstick,
baseball glove, etc.) would out shine and out sell
its competitors. But that doesn’t always happen.
Sometimes rather than buying the superior product from
the fresh face on the scene, a consumer will buy a
similar product from a company that they recognize
and trust. Sometimes the superior product is overshadowed
by a more aggressive advertising campaign from a competitor.
Sometimes the superior quality of the product is not
always obvious to the consumer and/or subjectivity
plays a part in determining worthiness.
All of these scenarios can be applied to the business
of acting as well. You may be the best person for a
job but you might not get it because the director is
more comfortable working with an actress he’s
worked with previously. You might be on the short list
for a project but another actor might be aggressively
campaigning for the position. You may be considered
the best tap dancer to everyone that you’ve ever
worked with but the choreographer on this project might
think that you do your wings strangely.
Do you have what it takes?
Hmmm, well if it isn’t all about talent, then
what else does it take?
A lot of attributes: determination, self-awareness,
a recognition of your limitations and the dedication
to eliminating them, aggressiveness, confidence, self-promotion,
a willingness to go outside of your comfort zone, fortitude,
the ability to adapt, practices and routines developed
to alleviate mistakes, support, the right look, opportunity,
preparedness, dedication, perseverance, connections… are
you starting to get the picture? And all you wanted
to do was sing and dance.
To succeed it takes more than talent. You’ve
got to bring the whole package. You have to be performer,
director, agent, promoter, publicist, general manager,
marketing department, press agent and salesman all
rolled into one. At Your Acting Dreams Inc. you are
the product and your bottom line is making sure that
product sells.
So, do you have what it takes?
I hope that you do. The tools are there inside you.
The trick is in not only finding the performer in you
but in finding his business partner too.
