I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve beaten myself up over an audition that didn’t go as planned. The second I left a casting room, I’d unleash a mental peanut gallery, each voice louder than the next questioning my choices, talent, and even the shirt I was wearing. I’d stare blankly out the window of a downtown 1 train wondering what business I had trying to get paid to tell stories.
But as I got older, something shifted inside of me and I started to surrender to all the variables out of my control. I realized there was nothing I could do about how I looked, the way I was perceived, or how “right” I was for a part. And rather than be frustrated by those realities, I chose to be liberated by them. I took solace in the realization I could want something without needing it, an insight that made me happier and the work more fulfilling.
I also decided to invest my time and energy in what I had agency over: my attitude and work ethic. As a result, I stopped taking myself so seriously and developed the ability to leave the audition in the room. Here’s how.
1. Toss the sides. I learned this trick from actor Michael B. Jordan. After an audition, good or bad,
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