Acting Career FAQ - T.A.L.E.N.T.
by Bob Fraser "The Actor's Advisor"
When I graduated from high school, back in the Stone Age, we
used to have a get-together the night before graduation - to
sign each other's yearbooks.
My classmates, who knew that I was leaving for New York to
start my acting career, wrote some very nice things in mine
such as; "You're so talented, I know we'll be hearing about
you in the future." and "Bob, I know your talent will take
you to the top." and "You are a talented actor, Fraser and
I'm sure you'll end up in the movies someday."
Well, armed with those assurances, I was confident that it
was going to be easy for me to break into show business.
A few months later, while I was pounding the pavement around
Broadway, (and proof-reading the Manhattan phone book to pay
the rent) I began to discover the truth about talent: It may
be helpful to having a successful acting career - but it is
ABSOLUTELY NOT ENOUGH to get you to the red carpet all by
itself.
What it really takes is: T.A.L.E.N.T.
T = Tenacity. Acting is a very difficult profession - not the
acting part, that's usually 'fun' and not extremely taxing
for most actors - but the business part is hard. Just getting
up every day and TRYING AGAIN, in the face of massive rejection,
drives most actors out of the business. So the successful actor
must first be tenacious.
A = Attitude. One of the surest ways to become an employed
actor is to be the sort of performer that people love to work
with. That's all about attitude. "I love acting. I'm talented"
are not the phrases that are going to get you there. "What can
I do to help?" is the key to the stage door. Committed actors
who are eager to help put on a 'good show' do far better than
cynical actors who are waiting for someone to give them a
'break.' Twas ever thus.
L = Legwork. Actors who send out their pictures and resumes
and then sit around Starbucks, waiting for the 'big call' ...
eventually become cynical. Actors who spend every working day
promoting, advertising, selling and building their acting
BUSINESS, are the ones whose names end up on the marquee.
In other words, it's mostly about doing the legwork, homework,
and hard work (the boring, business part) - 24/7/365.
E = Entrepreneur. Actors who are willing to 'go into business'
for themselves are actors who are destined to really succeed.
Instead of waiting around for someone to 'approve' you - it's
im****tant to take the reins in your own hands and 'put on a
show.' It's a proven path to stardom.
N = Nice. As anyone who reads my stuff knows, I'm convinced
that 'nice' is one of the most im****tant assets any actor can
develop. Nice people just do better in the world of business.
Why? Because we'd all prefer to spend our working day (about
a third of our lives) in the company of nice people. I can
say with great authority (after 40 years on the boards and on
the sound stages) that nice actors are much more successful
than actors who are just talented. By the way, you can't fake
nice - but you can act nice.
T = Travel. If you hate to travel, show business is a poor
choice of occupation. There's no question that a successful
acting career is going to REQUIRE you to travel to different
places - because work rarely comes to you. "There's no work
in Seattle (or Keokuk, or Kalamazoo)." is just an excuse for
not making progress in your career. The obvious answer to that
situation is, "Move! You are not a tree!" Successful actors go
where the work is. One day it might be Chicago, the next it
might be Vancouver, the next it might be Omaha. You have got to
be willing to move (and move a lot) if you want to get to the
red carpet, eventually. Staying in one place makes forward
progress in your career ... unlikely.
So, the next time you are told that you have talent - just
remember it's not enough to get you where you want to go on
its own ... and start developing your T.A.L.E.N.T.
There is no shortcut to the red carpet - but there is a map.
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Bob Fraser is a retired actor, writer, director, producer and
show-runner of such hits as Full House, Benson, The Love Boat
and others. He is also the author of You Must Act! and Headshot
Secrets Revealed - The Acting Career Courses on Your Computer.
You can find out more about Bob's acting career courses, at his
websites:
GO HERE ==> http://www.youmustact.com
GO HERE ==> http://www.headshotsecrets.com
If you'd like a FREE resource to improve your acting career,
check out Show Biz How-To, the monthly e-zine for performers.
It's easy to sign up ... and always FREE. If you have an email,
you too can improve your career results.
Sign up today - and Bob will also give you his 26 part acting
career course, The Actor's Tool-Kit.
GO HERE ==> http://www.showbizhowto.com
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