Congrats so you want to be an actor! Yes, you graduated with a four year degree or you went to a strong acting school in LA or NYC and now you have arrived. But what made you want to be an actor in the first place. It certainly cannot be because it would be the easiest choice. With about a small percentage of all Union actors working consistently, what keeps you going to that audition, taking that next class?
Why are you so desperately drawn to this art form?
Why are you an actor?
I mean really stop and think for second about what truly draws you to the craft of acting.
Stop and write out five reasons you love acting.
While for some, fame and fortune are in their eyes..... I feel for many, it is something deeper.
For myself, there is nothing like breathing life into the words that a playwright or script writer created. Thinking, feeling, moving and creating this new life. It is also so much about collaboration. As actors, we are both creators and collaborators, and in this unique art form, we create something that I believe can truly touch the soul. Laughter touches the soul, drama touches the soul, fear touches the soul and these moments and many more can be created on stage or on film. We are storytellers for generations to come.
That being said, you have a voice as an actor. One voice and only your unique voice can do what you do. Remember you are unique and try not to compare yourself to fellow actors or feel inferior to other actors. They do not have your voice or the stories that have shaped your life. Your journey is what makes you, you! I know easier said than done. But you are you, you are not someone else, someone else is someone else, you are you! Enjoy your freckles, your glasses, the part in your hair, the small chip in your tooth, the way your voice sounds, the way you blink, the way you breathe... for it is all you!
Finally, remember to bring your unique self into your work and the rest will follow. Stay true to yourself and your goals and always remember why you wanted to act in the first place. Paint the picture and tell your story in every acting moment. For those moments are both precious and genuine.
Live today in the moment in order to tell your story tomorrow.
Patrick
