This is from a series of articles I am writing

Keep your eye on the …..WHY

I am going to start this series of articles at the beginning. In the coming months we will talk more about the HOW-TO of being an actor, the nuts and bolts, sweat and minutia, the details that we all have to deal with in order to make some kind of success of our careers. Practical stuff like head shots, finding an agent, where and what to study, should your hair be long or short and do you look fat in those pants. But for now, I would like to start at the beginning because, well, that's a very good place to start. So lets start with the one magic word; WHY. Why do you want to be an actor? What motivates you? What are your goals and dreams? What has brought you to the world's SECOND oldest and most difficult profession? These are important questions for all of us to ask ourselves because once you commit yourself to being an actor you have gotten yourself on roller coaster baby! The highs of booking a job, shooting a movie or even nailing a scene in class are almost as extreme as the lows. So when you're down and out and ready to give it all up, when you get lost in the ‘HOW-TO', it is the answer to this question that will help keep you going. WHY are you an actor?

Acting is a unique profession. I don't think most of us got into the business to secure a luxurious retirement or beef up our 401K plans. Surely there are better ways of securing our financial future than becoming an actor. Yes, I know there are no guarantees for many professions these days, but think about it; when you graduate from a medical school, (besides being about three hundred thousand dollars in debt), you will also be a doctor, and the last time I checked, there is still a demand for good doctors. There is also a big demand for dentists, law enforcement officers, accountants, firemen, (just to be safe firepersons ) and so on. You get the idea; you go to school, you get out, and you have a job. As an actor you must go to school to hone your craft like any other profession and you might even want to earn a college degree in theater or film. But even if you earn your degree, the odds are you will spend more time being unemployed (as an actor) and looking for your next job. If you are good, you'll book approximately 10% of the jobs you audition for (allowing of course for cycles when you are really hot). You will have no control over your destiny (although control is an illusion anyway) and your fate will be in the hands of countless latte swilling, bagel munching corporate types who may not even give you the time of day unless you are that breath of fresh air they have been searching for. SO, how am I doing? Am I painting a pretty picture yet?

Now let's talk about the upside and get back to the answer to that question. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule. People have been discovered and have made it BIG in a relatively short period of time. Also, if you stay with this long enough (keep working on your craft and stay prepared) the chances are pretty good that you'll catch the eye of casting directors, film makers and producers. After a while you can build a nice career as a working actor. Now, in some cases it's both; for example, Joe Pesci worked hard for over fifteen years, became discouraged and then one day, he just gave it up. He was re-discovered working as a manager in a restaurant in NYC when Martin Scorsese called him the next day to offer him a role in a little move called “Good Fellas” (that was my James Lipton impression).

In the Bay area, there are plenty of opportunities for actors to earn a decent living. Commercials, industrials, equity theater, and even some film and television work from time to time. In order to earn that decent living, you will need to work as many of those angles as you can. I'll address those angles in other columns. But for now, let's leave the HOW-TO for another day and get back to the question at hand; WHY?

I continually marvel at the sheer tenacity of actors who bounce right back after every rejection, and why? Because they LOVE the craft of acting, they LOVE acting. Whether it's the feeling you get when house lights go down and the stage lights go up, the feel of the audience in their seats hanging on every moment that unfolds on stage, or the praise you get from a director when he yells CUT and you know you have just transcended all other work you've ever done with that last take. We all have our kryptonite. We all DO this for a reason. I know a fellow that LIVES for improv. He could not be bothered with much else and is rarely seen at commercial auditions for it does nothing to nurture his soul. He has a part time job that supplements his income and he follows his true calling; improv. He LOVES what he does and while I have never come out and asked him, I'm reasonably sure he can answer the ( why? ) question.

There are as many answers for that question ( why? ) as there are actors in the screen actor's guild. Have YOU been able to answer it yet? Perhaps begin here; what kinds of projects would you most like to work on? What kinds of stories would you most want to tell? Do you want to just act or have you been thinking about directing or film making? Who is your favorite actor or actress and why? Who would you most like to emulate? Where do you see yourself in five years….how about ten years? Do you want to completely commit to being a working actor or is your family your priority? If you have a family, how can you continue to get your ‘fix' as an actor and still keep your family commitments?

Let's go a little deeper. How do you FEEL when you are acting? Do you get nervous? Where in your body do you feel those nerves? Where do you feel the exhilaration when you do a good job on a scene or hear the applause as the curtain goes down? Do you want to heal others by making them laugh or inspire them by making them feel…something? Why, are YOU an actor? It's so easy to get bogged down in the details. Yes, you need to find a good photographer, an agent that believes in you, someone who will tell you, “those pants make you look fat, but if you cut your hair it'll make you look younger”. These are all necessary elements to working your career, but if you don't keep things in perspective they will suck the life out of you. Spend as much time working on the WHY of being an actor as you do on the HOW-TO, and you will be inspired by what you do! You will enjoy the journey you are on instead of fixating on whether you have reached your destination and you will inspire those around you to do the same. Who knows, during the journey you may find yourself growing in a new direction. You might take a ballet class or sing in a band. Maybe you'll find yourself enrolled in film school or taking a writing class. Don't be afraid of the why…it brings you closer to your real self.

We are, all of us, in a crazy business. What other occupation would cause so many to compete for so few jobs for so long? There is something about it though… isn't there? Do you feel it? It is an intangible, magical creative consciousness that has inspired people for centuries. We are part of a long line of story tellers that goes back as far as the written word and we will be here long after the Reality TV phase has ended. Don't loose sight of that…and don't loose sight of the WHY.

Thank you for your talent courage and dedication!

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