Acting Is Competitive ... Not!

By Bob Fraser

Woody Allen is quoted as saying, "85% of success is showing up." My two cents? Showing up is crucial ... but what really separates the successful from the wannabe is attitude.

When I say attitude I mean what we think is true ... and therefore how we behave. Since acting is really just behavior we are getting paid for, it seems self-evident that attitude is pretty doggone important.

What shapes our attitude is what we believe – what we accept as the truth.

For instance, if we believe that wanting an acting career is 'a crazy dream,' it is likely we will approach the entire enterprise in a haphazard ('crazy') and undisciplined manner. I'm sure you've met actors of this sort who seem to be all over the map. One week auditioning for a student film and the next, writing a children's play and the next, it's "I'm trying to get an agent."

The interesting thing is this: When you ask this 'busy' actor about his or her headshot, or her mailings, or anything to do with actually finding acting jobs and earning money ... an attitude is suddenly revealed.

It's an attitude that kills most careers – before they start.

Here are some things you might hear from actors with this attitude:

"This business is so-o-o competitive."

"Statistics prove that almost nobody makes it."

"I tried doing mailings. It doesn't work. They just throw it in the trash can."

"All I need is an agent. But agents aren't signing any new actors. They turn 99% of them down. Besides, agents aren't interested in my type."

"New pictures? This headshot is the best one I've ever had. And I really can't afford new pictures."

"Some people are just lucky."

I'll stop here. There are literally thousands of these kinds of statements.

In my opinion, these statements (and all the others like them) are disastrous to your dreams of success. If you believe these 'reasons' – accept them as the truth – they will form your attitude. And your attitude will determine what you DO. And what you DO will ultimately determine what you accomplish.

That's the truth.

Here are some other truths.

Ask any casting director about 'no-shows.' Incredibly, when casting directors call a group of actors in for a part ... 20% don't show up. One out of five actors don't even try. It's a statistic. A fifth of the 'competition' eliminates itself. So Woody's 85% is high.

Another reality is that casting directors absolutely love finding new talent. They live for it. Therefore, they are always on the look-out for wonderful actors. In order to do that, they look at every picture ... just like a gold miner must look at every pebble – before they toss it aside.

If the picture doesn't 'grab' them, if it doesn't say, 'gold' – whose responsibility is that?

If you do a big mailing and don't get any calls – get another picture and try again. Keep doing this until you get a picture that gets you called in. Don't whine that it's too expensive. Without a headshot that is working (getting you called in), you are like a butcher who has no knives. You are telling me you can cut it ... but I don't see how you can.

If you send nothing ... consider yourself part of the 20% who don't bother to show up.

Agents? Think this through carefully. Tom Cruise's agent makes 10% of Tom's salary. Today that's about 2.5 million dollars. The agent sits in her office and chats with people on the phone. It might only take her a couple of hours of real "work" to collect that 2.5 million.

Do you really believe that agents are not looking for the next Tom Cruise? Or the next JLo? Or the next Steven Spielberg? Do you really believe that all agents turn down all applicants out of hand?

Remember the gold miner. No decent gold miner gathers up a bunch of pebbles, indiscriminately, and tries to sell them at the assay office. That doesn't work. A gold miner looks for gold ... which he knows he can sell.

In order to find the next big thing, an agent must see a lot of pebbles. And let's face it ... you have a choice - you can be a 'rolling stone' or you can be a nugget.

The most devastating belief an actor can have about agents is that somehow being signed with an agent will "get me work." That's like thinking an untested, unfinished, unproven new product will be successful because there is someone willing to sell it. The best salesman in the world cannot sell a product people haven't any need for – and ultimately don't want.

We, the actors, are the product the agents are "selling." If we are unable or unwilling to prove – on our own – that we are a product people might need and might buy ... what makes us believe that having a salesman will change things?

Some actors have an interesting theory: Even if you don't apply for the job – by some miracle you will get the job. That's the premise behind not sending out pictures, not getting new pictures, not being prepared to audition, not showing up; in fact, not doing much of anything.

This sort of actor seems to believe that repeating over and over, "I want to be a working actor, I want to be a working actor," will somehow make success happen – as if by magic. An amazing number of actors recite this 'magical' phrase, but they seldom have any idea when or how 'the magic' will occur. Bottom line? Magical incantations will not take the place of doing what must be done.

Hardly anybody makes it?

Look, it's important not to say things like this to yourself. You can get the facts by watching TV for an evening. Watch for three hours. Count the number of actors who have lines. Keep a good count. Multiply that number by 365 days a year – times the number of networks – and you begin to see a glimmering of the truth. Isn't that a fairly large group of actors? If nobody makes it, where are all these actors coming from? Mars?

The truth is that there are lots of paying acting jobs, all over the world. A very large number of people earn their living by acting. If you want to be one of them, then DO what they DO. If you don't know what they have done to get where they are – isn't it your business to find out?

Believe me, you will not find out ... or take any steps ... or really even try ... as long as your attitude is being shaped by your belief in 'reasons' like, "it's so-o-o competitive."

It's not that competitive – it's just difficult.

When it comes to doing difficult things, a lot of people aren't up to the challenge. They spend most of their time thinking up excuses for poor results. If you believe 'reasons' or 'facts' (which are usually someone else's cleverly disguised excuses), then you may not DO what has to be done. Or even try.

Believe me, the excellent results of trying and doing are vastly under-rated by most wannabes.

What do you believe?

What's your attitude?

What are you doing?