The Great Acting Blog: “True Dedication Not A Fraudulent Pose”
True dedication is about being properly focussed on the work as oppose to merely shrugging. It’s respecting the craft and the effort of your colleagues. True dedication springs from love. Pretenders love nothing but themselves and are dedicated only to their need to have. Part of the problem here of course, is the audition process, whereby getting the role becomes more important than the actual performance to come. It’s about schmoozing and flattering to get cast but treating the work and the script as a mild distraction – and this disposition does not have to be demonstrative, it can be passive and subtle, such as not bothering to prepare correctly. The person who brings this filth into our theatres and onto our film sets should acknowledge their fraudulent behaviour and quit immediately, or at the very least, the dedicated ones should chase them out of town.
Being truly dedicated is not the easiest thing in the world, because it requires commitment, and commitment offers the possibility for hurt. It’s scary. Nor is there a guarantee  that your efforts will be rewarded (nor should there be), and sometimes you have to stand by and watch the frauds slurp up the gravy. The joy of true dedication however, is in knowing that you are making an honest contribution, that you are not asking for favours, that you possess hard won skills which nobody can take away from you. You are independent in thought and deed. You belong as an actor and you know that you do. True dedication means that you can really offer something (ie – your unique artistry). The fraud can only pretend to offer something, and that superficiality enervates the soul. The true offering however, is powerful, inspiring and compelling.
Frauds rarely make for great actors, while the true do. If you are a fraud, I urge you to quit immediately and get a job in an abattoir or something. If you are truly dedicated however, I wish you all the success in the world and will do everything I can to help you.
