Remember to Forget

“I did a HUGE audition yesterday and I hope I hear today.”

“I did a HUGE audition two days ago and I hope I hear today.”

“I did a HUGE audition three days ago, and I hope I hear today, but I most likely won’t because it’s Friday and I’m sure they want the weekend to think about it.”

“I did a HUGE audition four days ago and I can’t wait until Monday to get that call.”

“Only one more day until Monday!”

“I did a HUGE audition last week and I hope I get a call today!”

“I did a HUGE audition…” OK you get the pattern here.

Imagine this scenario.  You send out applications to several companies for a contract job.  One of them contacts you and schedules an interview.  Huzzah!  When you show up to the company, they hand you a pre-prepared statement that you will have to use in the interview.  They tell you that you have 15 minutes before you have to go in to the interview.  When you get into the room, the person who has the final say on whether you get the job or not is not there, instead you are meeting with someone who, due to previous experience, probably has a pretty good idea of what they are looking for, but isn’t completely sure.  You give your pre-prepared statement and then the person “interviewing” you tells you to do it a little different.  This happens one more time and then you are sent on your way, with absolutely no opportunity to follow up because you don’t even know who you were interviewing for.  What are your chances of getting that contract job?

Pretty slim, right?

 This is what actors go through every day.  We walk into a room, give our best, walk out and more often than not, never hear anything.  Factor in the fact that some of the jobs we are auditioning for are potentially LIFE CHANGING contract jobs, and the level of stress that is on an actor becomes huge.  Those who think the life of an actor is easy, or doesn’t involve stress or hard work just doesn’t understand the crushing reality of the situation. 

To make matters worse, actors often take that extremely stressful situation and make it harder on themselves by holding on to the last audition for days, weeks and even months!  Letting the stress of every audition build on top of the next until we are tight bundles of ulcers… and that doesn’t help us audition, it only makes auditioning  harder.  But put yourself in an actors shoes for a moment:  we don’t know when we are going to book the next job, so if money is tight, we don’t know how we are going to pay or mortgage, our rent, our cardboard box bill or even eat.  Can you blame an actor for being stressed out, a little crazy or having a chip on their shoulder?

Actually, yes you can.

Being an actor is a silly stressful way to attempt to make a living, but once a person makes the choice to be an actor they need to realize what they signed up for.  I’m not saying that we should be sausages and rainbows all the time, because being stressed out about money, work, and life is normal, and we have every right to be so.  Especially when most “normal” people look at actors as little more than furniture and definitely not real people.  But an actor can help alleviate the stress of the situation and live a happier life if they just remember to forget.

What?  That’s crazy talk, Talon.  You are just stringing together random words that don’t belong together to sound clever.

No, I’m not.  Remembering to forget is crucial to making it as an actor.  We audition most every day, and while it is stressful, it doesn’t help you to hold on to all the what-ifs, possibilities, and maybes after you walk out of the audition room.  Once your audition is done, there is absolutely nothing you can do to make it any better; it’s done.  You have done your work and put it out into the world, so let it go.  You will make yourself crazy if you hold on to every audition you do, and “that ain’t no way to live, son.”

Auditioning is all about how many things are in the hopper.  The more auditions you have done, the better the very slim chance that you will actually book one.  You need to approach each audition fresh, without any baggage from your life.  So remember to treat each audition like Vegas… what happens in the audition room, stays in the audition room.  Just remember to forget.