Show Biz How To Article - Acting: Habits Of Success

A lot of actors ask me what it takes to be successful in this business and I always answer with this one word: Habits. What follows are the absolutely essential habitual behaviors, that every actor must possess, if she (or he) wants to enjoy success:

You Must Always Be On Time

If you can't get anywhere on time now, you'd better learn how before you attempt the “real world” of show business. Because on a Hollywood film, the money is going out the door at about 30 grand every 20 minutes. On a network TV show the rate is only slightly less. If you are ten minutes late for a job that pays five hundred bucks – you will be heartily disliked by the producer and everybody who works for him. People will scream at you.

If you are late for an audition, the casting director will rightly worry that you won't get to the job on time. Here's why the casting director worries – if she suggests you and you are cast and then you're late for a job – that casting director will also have people screaming at her.

You Must Be Capable Of Working Long Days

There is no such thing as an eight-hour day in show business. In fifty years, I've had about 23 eight-hour days. And two of those were because somebody died. If you cannot work a long (12 to 14 hour) day, you are unsuited for success in show business.

You Must Be An Early Riser

I know it's nice to laze around in bed when you've got a day off, but this is a habit you cannot afford. Grasp the idea that if you want to be in the movie or television business, you must be the kind of person who can get up at five in the morning – all the time. Period. If you work in the theatre, your early rising will fall about 10 AM – because you work into the night. But if you plan on working in “the industry” you'd do well to make early rising a life-long habit.

You Must Be A Pleasant Person Under These Circumstances

Early starts and long hours mean that you will be spending (on average) about half your life with co-workers. If you are a pain in the buttocks – you will be heartily disliked by other people who are also working 12 hour days. Word will get around and will become very much harder to get work.

You Must Love The Work

You have to keep your “creative juices” flowing during the entire 12 to 14 hours. If you don't love doing this kind of work, being 'on' for 12 to 14 hours is impossible. Don't forget why you are doing this. Because you love it, right?

You Must Practice Regular Hygiene

You are not the part. Even the guys who play bikers and bums wear deodorant. The teeth are clean. The breath is pleasant. I know this may seem a bit nit-picky, but a co-worker who literally “stinks” will get a reputation and lose opportunities because of it. I've seen it happen. And when it comes to casting people, who see hundreds of actors in a day or two – well, what you smell like is their number one pet peeve, far and away. (Mostly they complain about actors who overdo the cologne or perfume – so go easy.)

You Must Not Complain (With One Proviso)

Those actors on sets who complain about the dressing rooms, the food, the director, the co-star, the costume people, the lack of work, the hours, the script, or pretty much anything -- are labeled as "complainers" or worse, and they are rarely appreciated or tolerated for very long. Besides, complaining about the circumstances doesn't work.

People near the bottom of the ladder who think it makes them look “smart” to gripe about every little screw-up, are putting a bulls-eye on their butts. Don't become one of those people or you will find yourself near the bottom of the ladder for a long, long time. Nobody reaches out to complainers. Nobody, including you, even likes complainers. If you want to be thought of as someone nice ... don't complain.

(The proviso to this is that you must never let anyone abuse or berate you – in those cases, complain to the authorities, loud and often).

You Must Not Spread Rumors

Rumor-mongering is the first sign of someone who isn't really interested in the job at hand – someone so bored or so shallow that they must talk about other people. When you hear someone say, "Oh, I worked with (fill in the name of a movie star), he's a pig." – excuse yourself and go somewhere else. You do not want to be around this sort of person. 93.3 percent of all rumors are false. The other 6.7% are probably none of your business.

Again, people who are rumor-mongers are labeled – and eventually, work dries up.

Talk business, talk philosophy, talk about the weather – but avoid the temptation to talk about other people (except in the most glowing terms). Watch the stars when they are asked about other performers. Have you ever heard a star say, "She's an idiot." No, they are always upbeat, positive, complimentary – because they know the rumor mill is a two way street. If avoiding this sort of thing is good behavior for stars (and most behave this way) then what's stopping you from adopting the same habit?

You Must Avoid Drugs, Drinking, and Screwing Around

I'm sure you know what people think of people who are more interested in sin than cinema. You will be labeled. People will not forget. Work will be harder to get.

Just say, "No, thank you," nicely.

You Must Dispense With Jealousy and Bad Feelings

Jealousy is one of the main causes of "messing up" on one of the crucial behaviors listed above. Jealousy leads to bad decisions. Bad decisions lead to bad results. And jealousy allows you to blame others for your results. You begin to believe that things aren't fair. You begin to look for “reasons” for your lack of progress. They will be well argued reasons, no doubt -- but an excuse by any other name is still an excuse.

Jealousy is a bad path. It's a step on the wrong ladder -- you're on the wrong street -- you're a stranger in a strange land -- GET A MAP.

The same goes for other "negative" emotional reactions: Self blame. Frustration. Fear. Anxiety. Worry. This is a business. Besides, wallowing in your emotional reaction slows down your forward progress toward success.

Give Good Value For the Dollar

When you habitually give 100% of your energy to the work – you will get more work. In fact, if you make it your business to give 110% get work is a mortal lock.

Now get out there and build some habits

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The accomplishment of a professional acting career is not an easy task. Your results are a function of your actions. The author is not a lawyer, tax accountant or business advisor, so your decisions about those kinds of matters should be based on advice from a professional in those fields. Any error of fact, misspellings, or other errata are strictly unintentional. No portion of this site may be copied, transferred or reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission of the copyright holder.