Post written by Dharini Woollcombe.
How to Choose Your Acting Jobs:
- Does the project or role excite you or challenge you in some way?
- Do you get to work with a renowned actor, director or producer, or will the project further your career in some way?
- If you have said no to both of the above, does the amount of pay make up for it?
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gumption, n. ingenuity, imagination, astuteness, shrewdness, common sense, practicality, spirit, pluck, mettle, courage, BACKBONE
Recently I was offered an acting job that would have kept me employed for a solid four months. There was a time in my life where I would have jumped with glee and said “Yes!!” without a second thought. This time, however, I hesitated.
I began to stress out about whether I should or should not take the job. I was worried about giving up an opportunity and not knowing when the next one might come along. I mean, I’m an actor, I should just say yes, thank you, when do you want me to show up? But I just couldn’t do it.
There were so many things about this job that would make me unhappy, and being away from home, over winter, working on something less than exciting which certainly wouldn’t further my career, was just depressing.
Had I come so far and sacrificed so much for unhappiness? No, of course not. But I felt obliged to take it. I had the fortune to be hired for a job, what right had I to say no? I’m just an actor.
Funny thing is, in most other facets of my life, I would never do that. If it did not feel right, I would not do it. I wouldn’t feel bad about it, or worry about it. I’d go with my instincts and if they said, no, that was that. Why then do I become a wishy-washy, whiny, worry-wart just because it’s related to acting?
And then I realized, it’s because I don’t feel like I have the right to anything.
But you know what?
Actors are people too.
In fact, we are strong, courageous, adventurous people. We are plucky, imaginative and astute. We are amazing people. We do not need to dance for every bone that gets thrown our way. We don’t. We can wait for the tender, meaty parts. – Okay, so I didn’t mean to refer to us as dogs. What I meant was: we are worthy.
We are worthy.
We are worthy of waiting for better opportunities. We are worthy of declining jobs that depress or demean us. We are worthy of having standards of our own making. I am worth saying no to a job that will offer me anything less than what I need at this time.
Money, yes I need that, but if I can hold out until another opportunity comes my way, then why not wait. But when will that be, we all ask.
I don’t know.
What I do know is that another opportunity always comes. It always does. It will come in some way, shape or form that will likely be unexpected and at a time when you are at your wits end. No doubt about it. What if this is the opportunity, this job that I’m saying no to?
Oh well. Another one will come.
You can bet your backbone on it.