It’s pilot season! A lot of people are booking work, and a lot of people aren’t. If you find yourself in the second group, don’t freak out. Who books work and how it happens is a complex process and there are no hard and fast rules.
Brie Larson said as much after winning her Oscar for the film “Room,” when she was asked how others could go about achieving their dreams: “I wish there was any sort of rules or code, but in fact, I think the way you get there is by breaking [the rules], by listening to what’s happening inside of yourself.”
There is a set point of what we think will work, but then someone breaks-through in a new way. So we make new rules based on how they did it, and then those rules break down and give way to”¦you guessed it, new rules. So nothing is absolute.
I had an actor tell me recently of an experience where they got bad feedback from a producer session. Word got back to their manager, and there was a panicked summit meeting, everyone freaking out, culminating in an end-of-the-world actor apocalypse.
The actor had been on an 18-hour shoot the night before the audition and was in no way ready to tackle 20-plus pages of heavy dialogue. He went in and gave it his best, but the result was definitely less than what the person is capable of delivering. So what? Shit happens. It doesn’t have to meanyou’re the worst actor ever! It just means you’re human and you’re not perfect.
I gave this actor some advice that at first may seem counterintuitive. “The next time you find yourself in that situation and are not in a position to give 100 percent to the audition, you have to be willing to walk away. Better to say no to something than go in already knowing you’re going to tank. Simply see if you can move the appointment first.”
Novel idea, right?
Actors, have that power. Casting directors, producers, and directors are looking for you. They may not even know you exist, but they are looking for someone like you. If they weren’t, you wouldn’t get the call to come in. But we get so panicked when we get the call that we are willing to sacrificeeverything””even our own well-being””just for a job.
So what happened? A week goes by, and this actor found himself in the same scenario. Another appointment that he was unable to prepare for. He passed.
A week goes by and then casting calls. “We really want to see this person.” (Even though he was originally told he wouldn’t be seen.) He went in and”¦wait for it”¦he booked the job. Boom.
Realizing you have power doesn’t mean you have more power than anyone else. You are an integral part of the equation of creation. You have to walk into the room knowing that truth.
I’m not saying to blow off auditions because you’d rather be out clubbing or you’re nursing a hangover when you should have been preparing or using an excuse to not do your work. I’m not saying play hard to get. We need to treat everyone with respect and understand pilot season is hectic for everyone. Value people’s time. But what I am saying is that every now and then, you have to trust your gut and call your own shots. Even if in the short term it means saying no to something. A no can actually be a yes to self.
And isn’t your own peace of mind worth that?