I wrote a post on my own blog a few days ago. After our conversation tonight about boundaries, and lines of compromise, I thought this would be very applicable to what we talked about. I wrote more from an actor's perspective, but I believe many creatives will be able to relate. Let me know what you think.
Sanna
Pearls Before Pigs:
Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. – Matthew 7:6
I
might be taking this scripture verse highly out of context(actually, I’m
pretty sure that I am. Leave me alone, theologians!), but I think it
accurately sums up this post.
- Many actors have been there.
As
actors(or any working creatives, for that matter), we are often offered
projects that are better left alone. This is the progression:
You
get submitted(or submit yourself) for a film. You can tell from the
minute you get the sides(or read the script) that this is NOT for you.
Maybe it’s the content, maybe it’s the quality, maybe it’s the
filmmaker’s reputation. Whatever. You distinctly have this feeling in
your heart that you should not read for this movie.
But
you know what? You haven’t had an audition in two or three weeks, so you
go read for it anyway.
You can tell the casting
director/producer/director/whatever love you from the minute you step in
there.
Crap.
Then…
you get the call or email… you got the part.
Double
crap.
Unfortunately, you need this
job. And by “need,” I mean you need to pay your rent.
This
doesn’t end well. You go to set to shoot. The experience sucks — maybe
unprofessionalism is their game, maybe you feel like you are
compromising with whatever is in the script.
I
know. I’ve been there. Many actors have been there.
Don’t
throw your pearls before pigs. You are better than that. Don’t let
desperation rule the projects you choose, and the projects that you
don’t choose.
How do we, as actors,
avoid this problem?
1. Cultivate a different
stream of income.
Work on making money aside from
acting. If your crappy waitstaff job is not doing it, keep looking.
Learn a new skill. Make yourself marketable. If you are experienced
enough, teach acting. Do what you need to do. This way, when you do book
that big acting job, it will be icing on the cake, and money in the
bank. You won’t have to accept horrible parts in films, and you won’t have
to compromise.
2. Don’t be afraid to say
“no.”
If there is anything about a
project that you do not like, just avoid auditioning for the project.
After learning this hard lesson, I now make a policy of not auditioning
for anything that I would not want to shoot.
If
you are afraid your agent would be angry with you over passing on a
project, maybe you should be honest with your agent. Tell them why. If
they are still angry, maybe it’s time to find new representation. Your
agent should have yourbest interest in mind.
3.
Do what you need to do for the work that you want
If
your agent doesn’t get great feedback about your auditions, they might
end up dropping you. So, take more acting classes. Hone your skills. If
most of the projects that you want are union projects, take steps
towards joining a union. Find your niche. Know your typecast. Network.
Do what you gotta do.
Keep moving, and don’t
look back…
…especially on “missed
opportunities” for stupid projects – believe me, you wouldn’t have
wanted to be part of that lousy film.
