Updated May 10 2021

FREE GIFT

I want to kick things off with a free gift! That’s right. It’s the gift every actor wants and it won’t cost you a thing. Ready? Don’t ask what they are working on. The perfect gift for every actor is to be supportive during the holidays. Ask them if they are enjoying following their dreams, or if they have recently seen any films or theatre they have enjoyed. There is nothing worse than feeling like a failure in the eyes of your family and friends. So for goodness sake; don’t ask what the actor in your life is working on. They’ll tell you if they want to.

ACTING BOOKS

Here are three incredible gift options for the actor in your life. Get them one – or all three!

Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus – A fantastic tool for every actor. Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus is a book filled with different transitive verbs that will help any actor make bolder and more specific choices on stage and screen.

An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski – When learning any art form it’s important to understand how the craft has developed throughout history. Constantin Stanislavski’s An Actor Prepares is the bible of contemporary acting technique. The StageMilk team actually did a book review of An Actor Prepares a little while ago.

Uta Hagen: Respect for Acting – A modern classic in acting technique. Respect for acting encourages the actor to be an eternal student; to constantly search for a deeper, more personal connection to their character and play. Hagen’s instructions and examples also guide the aspiring actor through practical problems such as “How do I talk to the audience?” and “How do I stay fresh in a long run?”. There is so much to learn about the Uta Hagen technique, and this book gives are really great starting point.

For more book gift ideas click here.

WATCH AND LEARN

Seeing great films, going to world class art exhibitions, and watching powerful theatrical performances, is essential for the aspiring actor. In fact it’s essential for all humans!

Netflix – I know it sounds crazy but… some people don’t have Netflix! See if the actor in your life is one of those people; and if they are, sign them up and cover the costs for the first year! Bingeing new, old, and obscure films and tv shows is a great way to keep the acting muscles engaged in between work. Who knows, you may be responsible for setting your actor friend up for their own Netflix Audition!

Film Tickets – Someone once gave me a ten pack of movie tickets and apologised! They said they hadn’t had enough time to get me a real gift. What?! Ten tickets to the movies is AN AWESOME GIFT FOR AN ACTOR! Thaaaaaank you!

Theatre Tickets – Buying theatre tickets when you can barely feed yourself can be really hard. And that is a sad reality for a lot of actors. So – be a good friend and get your actor some tickets. If you really want to impress them; find your local mainstage company and buy a subscription package. I genuinely couldn’t think of a better Christmas gift for actors.

ENGAGE AND GROW

Classes: Every actor wants to improve their craft. Talk to family and friends of the actor in your life and see if they have had their eye on a particular class. They might be interested in studying improvisation, or acting for film and television. With pilot season coming up – they could be looking to improve their standard American accent. There are lots of classes out there; but make sure you do a little bit of research because some are a massive rip off!

StageMilk Drama Club: Members of the online scene club StageMilk Drama Club have the opportunity to submit a self-tape (a scene or monologue) every month, and receive personalised feedback on their work from an industry professional! It’s the best way we know to stay “actor fit” and continue to learn and grow every month. Members also get access to weekly voice classes, monthly project classes, and monthly masterclasses with different leading industry expects! On top of that there are resources, courses, tutorials and databases galore that come free with the membership.

Merry Christmas and happy non denominational holiday period!

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Friend/Family: How’d your audition go?

You: I’m a terrible actor!

Let go

How many times have you heard another actor beat themselves up after an audition? “I sucked” “I can’t act.” “I will never get that role.” I hear it daily. It’s actors trying to lower their expectations of success so that they can avoid disappointment if they don’t book the gig. The only problem is they still want the job. But now they will have to be excited, and suffer, in silence.

Trying to control your expectations and/or excitement after an audition is pointless. As actors we are inherently emotional beings. We feel. And recognising how we truly feel about something is the most important step in staying healthy in the face of rejection. It’s okay to be excited. It’s okay to be scared. It’s OKAY TO WANT A ROLE. So the first step in managing your expectations after an audition is to stop trying to manage your expectations. Ha!

Set goals

It’s really easy to feel helpless as an early career actor. Contorting yourself into any available character in order to land a role; to get that break. But hear this! Your career is your career. You are in control. And the best way to stay in control of your career and your post audition expectations is to have a goal – or in acting terms, an objective. Let’s talk about audition objectives and career objectives.

Audition objectives will vary depending on the role, and project. Here are some of the most common audition objectives I use: to have fun, to be on time, to challenge myself, to earn money, to do my best work, to improve my relationship with the casting director, to show a director my work, to hit an important moment… what do all of these objectives have in common? They aren’t about landing the role. They are all things I can achieve in the audition room. Next time you have an audition, set yourself a goal that you can reach in the room.

Career objectives are equally as important for managing post audition blues. And again, they will vary depending on the type of job you’re up for. Career objectives are all about audition selection. If you go into a commercial casting for toothpaste with the career goal of working with Martin Scorsese – YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL TERRIBLE AFTERWARDS. But if your career goal is to survive in Hollywood until the end of pilot season, you’ll feel fine. So you can see how aligning your audition goals with your career goals can minimise the damage after an audition.

Share

In an attempt to save ourselves the heartache of missing out on a role, we practice not talking about auditions. I totally understand that way of thinking… but I think it’s time for a change. It’s time to start sharing our thoughts/feelings/expectations/hopes/fears. I’m not talking about posting a #auditiontime post in your instagram story. I’m talking about sharing with a close group of friends and family. People who know you, and your goals.

I have started sharing my acting hopes and fears with my family and non-actor friends, with the caveat that I will let them know how auditions went; if I want to talk about it. I don’t want the added pressure of living up to their expectations! But I know that it’s important to have an emotional safety net; people to talk to when things don’t go your way – and people to share in the excitement when they do!

Conclusion

I’m not great at conclusions, so all I will say is; it’s okay to want something, but let go of those disney-castle-proportioned-high-expectations, and good luck!

The post How to Manage Audition Expectations appeared first on StageMilk.

Broaden your Range

Broadening your range as an actor is the best way to land more roles. If you can play more roles, you can land more roles. The best way to broaden your range is to train. So are you the reason you’re not booking jobs? If you think you could improve your audition-to-role-ratio by doing some training, do it. Take a voice class, take an improv class, do anything!

Tool Kit

The next step towards landing more roles is to prepare your professional tool kit. Your tool kit is your headshot, showreel, and online profiles. Having a professional headshot is essential for every actor.

Headshots are still the first thing that casting agents and producers look at when searching for talent. Next is your showreel. Showreels can either be a combination of your professional work or just a few audition tapes cut together. Keep them short and sweet, and always put your best work first.

After looking at your headshot and showreel, agents, casting agents, and producers will google search you. You want the first thing they see to be your casting profiles. In particular IMDb. So, jump onto IMDb pro and make sure that everything is up to date. Is your tool kit in order?

The Right Agent

We would all like to sign with CAA, WME, or your local equivalent. But not everyone can sign with the best agencies in the world. The most important thing to remember when seeking representation is to find the right agent for you. Having an agent or manager that appreciates who you are as a person, and what you can do as an actor, will mean they submit you for the right roles. If you are auditioning for roles that you are appropriate for you will be more likely to book the job. Having the right agent for you at this stage of your career is a great way to land more roles.

Audition Technique

Auditioning is a strange part of our job as actors. In fact it’s so far from the reality of acting on stage or set that it requires a whole different set of skills. Improving your audition technique is a great way to increase your chances of landing roles. For me, feeling comfortable and confident in the room is key. You can improve both of these by setting up a self taping studio at home and filming an audition scene each week. Being in front of the camera more often will help you relax and feel comfortable. Working on a variety of scenes will give you the confidence to make stronger character choices. Is you audition technique why you’re not landing more roles?

So there you have it. They are our quick and dirty tips on how to land more roles. Remember booking acting jobs is about a combination of hard work and good luck. Work hard on the practical steps above so that you are as prepared as you can be to take advantage of any lucky opportunities that come your way!

Chookas (Australian for break a leg)

The post How to Land More Roles appeared first on StageMilk.

The process is much more challenging than just delving into some character work. The feeling of becoming stagnant can be crippling for your confidence, so it’s important to keep moving and growing. This is achievable by some very simple and basic choices. There is no need to pay an arm and a leg for every new intense four-day workshop that visits town – just some day-to-day tips to maintain a positive and creatively active mindset.

Read

If I have a choice of reading a script or watching any HBO series, I choose HBO. Mostly because I’m lazy, but also because it’s not TV, it’s HBO. However, once the new episode is out of the way – I try to read as much as I can. Screenplays can be a hard slog – they’re not meant for reading, they’re a guided vision. However, the more screenplays you read, the easier and clearer they become. By reading screenplays you not only get involved with the filmmaking process (going from script to final product is an invaluable insight) – your understanding of on-screen dialogue and action expands allowing you to be more specific and deeper with your choices. The more scripts you read – the simpler the dialogue becomes, and clarity is a huge factor in the audition room.

You can’t always inspire yourself, so take a load off and let someone else do it. Plays, novels, articles (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)– whatever it is, just keep reading. Letting fiction, stories, characters, relationships, settings, history etc. occupy your mind is so incredibly beneficial for your creativity. No need to think about your own ability as a performer while reading, take yourself out of the equation and lose yourself – you’ve only got one shot, so do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime… yo.

More on the importance of reading plays.

Run

We don’t have control over a lot of things in this industry – so those factors that we can help should be prioritised. The film industry is superficial – if you’re aiming to get into a position in which we can reverse this frequent motion of art taking a back seat to glamour – you’re going to have to play the game first. Yeah – being fit helps, but fitness isn’t always about having a flat stomach and a toned bum – it’s extremely beneficial for your own perspective of your body. If you are mentally comfortable with how your body feels and looks, it erases any of those self-conscious thoughts that the camera loves to pick out. 

Physical health can clear any blockages that may be in the way of your specific and powerful acting choices. I’m not saying we all have to get down to 2% body fat like Bruce Lee (legend), we also don’t have to start clocking up 12km a day on the treadmill. But do something. Whatever it is that gets the heartbeat up and breaks you into a sweat will help shed any physical and mental doubts you carry. Fruit and veggies help too.

More on the importance of fitness for actors.

Reach

Does your creative flair stop at performing? I highly doubt it. Keep squeezing your creative juices and expand your reach. Not only does travelling down alternate creative avenues help enormously with networking and building an expansive skill set – it can all be brought back into performance. Every new idea, method or culture we explore opens up new and exciting possibilities and choices when on stage or screen. If you keep doing what you’re already good at you will promote a stagnant, predictable and monotonous performance. We must keep challenging ourselves in new facets and creative industries to keep moving forward and questioning our choices.

Put aside some time every week to actively widen your creative stance. Music – learn, play, write, sing. Sign up to weekly Salsa lessons at the local pub. Check out some open-mic comedy gigs. Write, paint, build, garden – all these are creative endeavours. You’re an artist – don’t pigeonhole yourself to just one form.

Roll

It’s far too easy and mentally crippling to stare at your phone all day waiting for your agent to call and offer you a role. It also never happens. Get the ball rolling yourself and create your own work. Whether it’s a solo effort or a collaboration – write your own material and perform it.  Whether you’re touring the Fringe circuit, entering Flickerfest or performing a one-night only cabaret show in the granny flat of your Aunt’s house in North Ryde – creative initiative is a very promising attribute. People notice it. The scale of your production is irrelevant, because you always build up from there; you just need to listen to Shia LeBouf and DO IT.

Next time you call your agent, instead of asking them if they’ve lost your phone number, try pitching them something – ‘I’m working on something at the moment, I’m thinking of entering fringe or possibly turning it into a 12-part web-series.’ Their answer will be something like… ‘That sounds awesome, keep me posted’, and inevitably followed by ‘we missed out on that role.’

Not everything is out of your hands so why predict the future, when you can create it.

The post Staying in the Acting Game appeared first on StageMilk.

Eye contact

One of the biggest mistakes early career actors make is maintaining excessive amounts of eye contact with their scene partner. I get it. Your acting coach has told you over and over again that “Acting is about listening.” And it is! But it’s also about responding to what you hear. We respond with our voices, bodies, and eyes.

Allow yourself to break eye contact while listening and responding, it’s natural.

Rehearsal exercise: Find the keywords in your partner’s dialogue that prompt you to respond; avoid eye contact until you hear them.  

Conversely, don’t shy away from eye contact. A sure sign of bad acting is when an actor darts their eyes constantly and can’t commit to what they are thinking about. Don’t be afraid of being direct. Clear thoughts will lead to clear acting, let your eyes take care of themselves.

Thoughts

Directors often say “Just have the thought.”. This is intended to allow actors to let their body, face, and eyes respond naturally to whatever is happening in the scene. But how do you “Just have the thought.’?

Breath: Take the focus of reacting off your eyes and into your body. As humans we organically respond to new information with our breath.

Emotion: How do you feel about what you’ve just heard? Don’t sit in that feeling, but allow it to inform your next move. Your eyes will follow.

Focus: I often see actors staring at a prop or person, not breathing, trying to force an emotional response out of their body and on to the stage. Try shifting your gaze from your scene partner, to a prop, and back again. You might find that the small change generates something interesting in your performance.

Endowment

An actor’s eyes are a powerful tool for endowing other characters with status. If you are playing a servant, consider avoiding eye contact with your master until it is absolutely necessary. If you are playing a master, consider only making eye contact with those you believe are of equal status. If a character is beautiful, you might look at them in awe, or jealousy could make make you look away. Remember to keep these choices functional so that your performance doesn’t become self indulgent and ruin the story.

Conclusion

Your eyes are the gateway to your soul. They are also a murky pathway to abhorred acting. Make sure you are confident in holding eye contact, but don’t overthink it. Like with most acting training, there is a period of self awareness, but then you have to let it go. Don’t get caught up thinking about your eyes, you’re insecure enough.

Show us your new found skills

Learn something interesting about eye contact in this article? Well show us what you learnt in our coaching club. Every month we get members to submit work to us and receive personal feedback on the scenes or monologue you choose to submit. Its all online so you can take our classes with industry experts and live masterclasses from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connect you can keep training as an actor.

The post How to Act With Your Eyes appeared first on StageMilk.

Actors are storytellers.

You are a storyteller, so you need to know the full story. Understanding the flow of the entire script gives your character context, given circumstances.

Understanding the given circumstances of your character and the characters you are in relationship with will give your performance depth and nuance. As an actor you need to make choices about what your character knows, and what they don’t know yet. What they discover during the scene. Knowing the full story will give you all of the information you need to play your character. That’s not to say you should play your character as if they know what is going to happen to them. But, the script will have information about your character and how they respond to information and changes in circumstances that will inform your performance.

Reading the full script will keep you on the same page as the rest of the cast. Remember you are all playing PARTS of the same story.

You Get to know Your Writer.

You are a storyteller, so you need to know your writer. Every great writer has a storytelling style. Their own flare. Their own genre almost. Reading the full script is the best way to understand the mindset of the writer. I would extend this to their other works. If I am preparing to play a role on stage I like to read other works from the playwright.

For screen work, I will watch other work from the writer and director to get a feel for their style. If you want to build a detailed understanding of the tonality of a writer’s story; read the entire script.

We recently interview one of the leading acting coaches in the country, Kevin Jackson. He urged actors to not only read the script, but the entire works of any given writer. Including works in other forms such as poetry, short stories and more.

Build your Performance.

You are a storyteller, so you need to build your performance. Structuring your performance to suit the journey of your character, as well as supporting the play as a whole, is what separates professionals from amateurs.

All the best stories follow some kind of narrative structure. So what is the structure of your journey? In general a character’s journey will follow a pattern of progressive tension. This means that the tension between your characters needs and the stakes related to achieving their goals will constantly progress. They will fight progressively harder and harder to win. With everything climaxing at the climax of the play.

We’ve all seen performances that peak too early and then go nowhere. That’s the performance of an actor (or director) that hasn’t fully read and understood the entire script.

Conclusion

Reading the script is invaluable for understanding the world of the character. If this article hasn’t convinced you, just give it a go on your next audition and see how it influences your work.

The post Why you Should Always Read the Script appeared first on StageMilk.

It’s not career progressing (or worse)

I know what you’re thinking; not every actor wants to be a movie-star, so not every job has to progress your career. And on some level I agree with you. If a friend has offered you a role in a short film and it will only take an afternoon to shoot; go for it! But if you’re considering taking a 10 month regional primary school tour just so you don’t have to work at a café… I think that’s a mistake.

First of all, you will have to work your butt off. Children’s theatre ain’t easy, trust me.

Secondly, you will be in the exact same position once your done (except you might have a few less friends, and casting agents may have forgotten your face…).

Taking a job that is time consuming and doesn’t progress your career is just putting your head in the sand.

Note: this really comes back to your goals. I’ve done a long children’s tour and learnt a bucket load. You can learn a great deal from theatre in education.

It doesn’t pay (enough)

You’re already broke.

Do I need to say more? Well, okay… It’s really tempting to take on work that doesn’t pay because it might lead to more work. That’s true; it might. But exposure won’t pay the bills. And you’ll be miserable for the duration of the job. More importantly, you won’t be able to do your best work because you’ll be worried about your starving goldfish (he didn’t sign up for this!). Being relaxed and present in the audition or rehearsal room is the key to great acting.

So, if your basic needs aren’t met how are you going to act well? Make sure your rent is paid, and there is food in the fridge, and then (and only then!) you can consider working for free.

Great jobs for actors [Find a side job that’s flexible]

The work isn’t meaningful

If you want to be passionate about what you do, you have to find it meaningful. According to economist Malcolm Gladwell there are three factors to meaningful work. They are complexity, autonomy, and a clear relationship between effort and reward. Not to go too hard on poor old children’s theatre, but in general it’s not particularly complex, and you often don’t get much say in the direction.

Another example: I don’t know how people step into musical theatre roles where they don’t get to choose their blocking. That lack of autonomy would drive me crazy. So if you’re taking on work have a quick think about how much it will challenge you, how much power you will have to determine the outcome of the work, and if it will be rewarding. So what is rewarding? Well… does it pay enough? Does it progress your career? Is it meaningful to you as an artist and a human? Okay you get the point. Hope that helps!

P.S. Follow the well written word

One rule that has guided my career over the last few years is this: “follow the well written word”. If you are working on great text that you love then you will enjoy it and you will also do your best work.

Fundamentally you want to be an actor because you love it, so from time to time it’s worth struggling to pay rent for a chance at Hamlet or Joan of Arc.

The post Why Not to Take an Acting Job appeared first on StageMilk.

I confess I have done both. But I have recently realised that taking direction with ease and composure is an incredibly important skill for actors. A skill which, in the end, will serve the story much more than your stubborn rejection of the directors suggestions.

So let’s have a look at how to take direction like a pro.

Don’t Take it Personally

As an actor, you wear your art on your sleeve. So when it comes to taking direction, it’s really hard not to take it personally. The way I like to think about it is: all of the choices I make are based on my interpretation of the story, which is valid because stories are subjective.

Any direction I receive is based on the director’s interpretation of the story, which is also valid if slightly different to mine. The production itself will always be a compromise between everybody’s reading of the story, and the practical realities of budget and human resources. So next time you take direction, try not to take it personally. It’s just the director trying to help you see their version of the story.

See it as an Opportunity

Direction is an opportunity; a chance to step outside of your existing performance and try something new. Being given direction can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong; that you’re a bad actor. Instead, think of direction as an opportunity to explore your character in more detail. You might just discover something extraordinary.

I have been stuck in my performance on several occasions thinking “This is my character, I know him. This is it.” Then after receiving direction I have unlocked a whole range of new possibilities for my character. For example, even the suggestion of “playing the opposite choice” can help you realise the presence of vulnerability in anger, the sexuality in sadness. Try and see direction as an opportunity to explore your character. The director has asked it of you so you have nothing to lose.

Cohesion is King (or queen)

Amateur or early-career actors often misinterpret the idea of a need for conflict between characters as a need for conflict between actors. The opposite is true. That’s not to say actors shouldn’t disagree. A rigorous discussion about the story is incredibly important. But those conversations all serve one purpose: making sure everyone is telling the same story. That’s what rehearsal periods are for; that’s what a director is for.

The most successful pieces of theatre are those where the entire production has an air of cohesion. That everyone is telling the story together. We’ve all seen those plays where one of the actors looks like they’re in a different world… Don’t be that guy! Listen to your director, and do your best to take on their suggestions. They are trying to bring your performance in-line with the rest of the show.

One more thing; the director is human. They are just doing their best to get the best out of you. Be kind and open. We’re all just trying to tell great stories.

The post How to Take Direction appeared first on StageMilk.

The day: you’ve got to seize it. Carpe diem etc etc etc. Forget tall poppy syndrome and the haters. The bravest people in the world are the most successful. Why? Because they aren’t afraid to fail, learn, take risks, pivot, adapt, and be open to any and all opportunity regardless of how scary they are. So here’s how to take advantage of your one and only life as an actor.

Stop Being a Chicken!

It’s okay to want to be an actor. It’s okay to want to be a successful actor. You are allowed to give it your best shot. You are entitled to your life. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Now look, to anyone who has read my other articles this might come as a shock. But I mean it. #inspo. You deserve the chance to have a career as much as anyone, so don’t be afraid to try. Being a chicken will only waste time, energy, LIFE.

Do All the Things.

Have you done all the things? You know, all the things on your list?

#1 Get a new headshot

#2 Shoot a short film

#3 Sign with an agent

#4 Email that director

#5 Get a new showreel

Whether it’s a physical list in the real world or just a bunch of things bouncing around in your head: it’s time to do them all. Not only will doing them improve your chances of booking work and progressing your career; but you will also remove a massive excuse in your life. How many times have you thought “I need to get a new agent… but I’ll wait until I get new headshots.”? Seriously?! What are you doing? Stop wasting your limited time on this beautiful earth procrastinating. Do all the things you muppet!

Stop waiting for your career to come to you.

It’s not going to happen! The industry doesn’t care about you. Ophhhhhh. I know that hurts but you’ve got to get out there and grab it by the b*lls. You. Only. Live. Once. Get amongst it.

How?

Step one: stop playing victim to the industry. You are a member of it.

Step two: realise the cavalry isn’t coming! There will never be a day where your career falls out of the sky and into your lap. An AMAZING actor with an INCREDIBLE career said to me while we were rehearsing a play “My career still feels like there’re times when I’m working and times when I’m not. It doesn’t feel like a career. We’re all just actors, working or not.” So just stop thinking it’s going to come to you. Make some work. Do some training. Write that script! You are a beautiful individual and you will influence the industry in your own unique way. Don’t apologise for wanting to join our community, we want you here. We want you to test us, teach us, share and grow with us.

We’re all going to die. So, stop wasting time “trying to be an actor” and just f*cking be one! #YOLO

The post Advice for Actors: YOLO appeared first on StageMilk.

Seek or find work opportunities for you

How many of the films, tv shows, plays, short films, and commercials that have been shot in your town in the last year did you audition for? An agent’s primary role is to seek and find auditions for their clients. Sometimes they will hear about a project or role that you are perfect for and submit you. Sometimes a producer or casting director will ask your agent for suggestions on a role they are trying to cast. If you’re super lucky, you will be offered a role without auditioning, in a project your agent or manager is producing.

Negotiate terms and conditions of an agreement for a performance

Ever signed a contract? This may come as a shock – they’re negotiable. An agent will negotiate the terms and conditions of a contract to get you more money, better transport, better accommodation etc. Some productions won’t be able to afford everything, but it’s always worth asking the question. A good night’s sleep can be the difference between winning an Oscar and pouring beers at PJ O’Briens.

Finalise arrangements relating to payments due to you

This is a big one for most actors – getting paid! Ever had to wait 3 months for a pay check because your agent didn’t want to “ruin their relationship with the producers”? LEAVE THEM. It’s an agent’s job to make sure you get paid on time! Trust me, you’re better off having an agent when it comes to chasing money. Unless you love getting awkward. 

Negotiate arrangements relating to your attendance at a performance

Call times, transportation, rest time, lay days etc. Simple but important. (How awesome that someone sorts this out for you). 

Administering the agreement between you and the producers

It’s the producer’s job to get the most out of their talent. It’s an agent’s job is to make sure the actor doesn’t get taken advantage of. It’s the actors job to act. Leave the awkward conversations about who, what, where, when, why and how to the agents and producers. Don’t sign things before showing them to your agent. And try and stay out of logistical conversations. That’s what you’re paying them for!

Making arrangements for publicity attendances and related publicity responsibilities

In the age of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc an actor’s value to a production is on display. The number of followers you have has dollar value to the production. Your attendance at an event also has a dollar value. Part of the reason anyone is cast in a role is their promotional value add. It’s your agent’s responsibility to help you live up to that expected value. Even if you’d rather be sailing.

Now head back to the start of this article and ask yourself those questions again. Trust yourself to answer them truthfully.

If you’d like to know how to take on the industry without an agent check out how be an actor without an agent. 

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