The Great Acting Blog: “Choose Which Kind Of Actor You Are”

The Great Acting Blog: “Choose Which Kind Of Actor You Are”

The best people to work with are those who have taken the time to perfect their technique, who know how to behave in the professional arena. They have confidence because they know what they are doing. They display no affectations, they do not want anything from anyone, they’re not trying to prove anything, they know their own value, and are simply engaged in honest toil, hoping to do the best job they can.

There is another group who have not taken the time to learn their craft properly and consequently they don’t know what they’re doing. This person is engaged not in trying to contribute to the production as best they can, but in trying to shore up their fears and insecurities. This can manifest itself in some very strange ways indeed; such as hubris or false shows of confidence, treating their colleagues like second class citizens, never truly enjoying their work and acting as though they are special in some way.  Of course, on the inside, they feel like frauds and they have no sense of their own value.

The people who know what they are doing have to carry those who do not: making allowances for their behaviour, enduring their touchiness and bad manners, and pretending not to notice their lack of technique or professional ethic. It’s less than ideal but all too often a reality.

But know that you get to choose which kind of actor you are, whether or not you spend the time developing demonstrable skills that will give you confidence in the arena, whether or not you will behave professionally, whether or not you will treat your colleagues with the respect and courtesy they deserve, whether or not you will be truly creative and enjoy your work, whether or not you want your colleagues to carry you or whether you want to stand on your own two feet. It’s a choice.