The Great Acting Blog: “When Should You Quit?”

We understand what happens to us in relation to what we want. The actor who commits the rest of his life to his work, the one who says “I’m never going to stop”,  reacts differently to the inevitable stresses and strains to the one who says “I’ll give it two years and if I haven’t made it by then I’ll call it a day.” Why? Because the actor who has committed to the long term has readied his mindset for the adaptation essential for continuation. This actor learns lessons from the problems he faces, and consequently grows stronger. The other type of actor views these same problems as signals to quit.

What are some of the reasons actors quit?

You’re not getting the work you want to do

Lack of opportunity

Lack of income

Lack of self-confidence

Lack of patience

Lack of resilience

Fatigue

Fear

Boredom

Outside pressure

The rude director becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back

Or, the life of an actor isn’t what you thought it was going to be.

The survivor views these not as reasons to quit, but as signs that something about the way they operate needs to change. It’s not about being precious and clinging onto your pre-conceptions, it’s about adapting to meet the reality created by new demands.

When the great Michael Caine turned 60, he received a script and the producer said; “you play the father, not the lover”. He understood this state of affairs as evidence that his career was over and so he promptly retired from acting, moving to Miami where he opened a restaurant. Jack Nicholson convinced him to continue, and Caine re-invented himself as a character actor, a decision which has lead to a blossoming in the latter part of his life, when he has arguably delivered some of his best work. And he’s still making pictures at the age of 85.

The answer to the question; “when should you quit”, is never.

 

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Don’t Quit In Order To Conform

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