10 survival strategies for the savvy entertainer

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Figure out what you are good at, practise it, and pursue it, it saves you loads of time auditioning for jobs you will never get. For instance, the odds are stacked way high that I will never get casted as a soccer mom, a dizzy blonde/ bimbo (and it has nothing to do with my hair colour!), the girl next door, or the sweet, innocent jilted lover. I will therefore no expend my energies gearing up for these roles, but instead, will focus on roles which best suit the characters type that how I am perceived. It’s not about what you think you can play or what you want to play, but what the casting directors think; meaning, how you are perceived. On the other hand, if you really want those roles, start creating yourself into those characters and make sure that they can successfully see you as that – in other words, make sure you can sell it!
Trust your agent, they have been in the business long enough to know what roles you are more likely to get. If they are not sending you out, it is not because they have something against you, or they favour another person. Okay, admittedly, it does happen; we are humans who are endowed with this thing called emotions, but they do know which jobs you have a greater chance of landing.
Hair shows are not for everyone – don’t waste your time unless you have malleable hair (thin, limp, bleached out), naturally blonde or platinum blonde, open to drastic cut and colour changes, and willing to be treated as a piece of meat to be picked over, sized up, and fondled (or ignored and scorned) on an open market. Oh, and if you have large breasts, don’t do to the audition with them on parade, that will not get you the job on a hair audition.
Find a casting director who loves you, follow them, take their classes, and volunteer to work with them. That sort of networking, along with a ready smile, alacrity, acting classes, and showing up for every audition will get you going places. Practise had never been known to fail anyone.
Get over yourself. You may do your best work on a film set but it lies on a cutting floor, the film is about what looks good, not who looks good, so don’t get married to your acting……And if you are, go get a divorce or you will be needing counselling; psychological, legal or both.
Get over yourself (Did I say that already? It is well worth repeating!) If the email after an audition (if you get one) states ‘‘Your audition video was great, but we decided to go in a different direction.” This is standard lingo for ”someone matched the role better than you did.” So maybe their eyes were bluer, their hair curlier, or they looked or spoke more ”countryfied.” Nothing personal, no dig against your acting (you can only do the best that you can at that moment anyway), the world won’t stop revolving, the sun will still shine, so don’t sweat it. Fifty percent (50%!!) of the times the project does not get off the launching pad anyway. The other 50%? Again, remember, it’s not about you, it’s about what is right for the project. Another project will come along for which you will be the ”other direction,” and the others will be getting the ”your audition video was great” email. It’s just how it works! It’s a numbers game, so get to auditioning. Look at every audition as a practise session, and as Dustin Hoffman says, just “keep swinging,” some days are practise to stay in shape, for the days that you hit a home run.
Remember that success is a process, not a destination. Enjoy the ride, and don’t be anxious to arrive. It is through the journey that you gain knowledge and experience, not on the set. No one has the time to teach you a bloody thing on set, you are expected to arrive with it all together!
Keep your ears open and your mouth shut, when you are on set. You never know who is giving you instructions, or who you are flapping your jaws to, as you complain about something meaningless. The film set is a place to learn, not belly-ache; keep that for the dinner table.
Approach every role as if you are the star, regardless of how ‘small’ it appears to be, or how short your screen time. The role does not make the character, the character makes the role. Many stars became famous and won Oscar awards for their ‘supporting’ roles, outshining their fellow lead actors. A few that come to mind are, Sir Anthony Hopkins, 24 minutes in Silence of the lambs; Anthony Quinn, 8 minutes in Lust for life; Anne Hathaway, 15 minutes in Les Miserables; and Dame Judi Dench, 8 minutes in Shakespeare in love.
Show gratitude to everyone on your way in and out of EVERY gig. People remember those minute details!