Now, that was a LONG time ago. Does that kind of thing still happen? Yes, I suppose, but rarely. It is a FANTASY, like winning the lottery. Waiting for that to happen to you is a waste of your time. The fact is that if you intend to pursue your acting career with great gusto, enjoyment and determination, chances are you will find work as an actor. If you pursue this business as a smoke-and-mirrors FANTASY - i.e. "I'm beautiful and talented so things will automatically happen for me" - then you are in for a big disappointment and many years of wasted energy. This business requires a passion for all aspects of it from the auditioning to the performance and everything in between.

The actor Farley Granger once said that he had no patience for actors who claimed that acting was hard. He said that the actual acting was a pleasure and that getting the job was hard.

Remember that. It is your responsibility to hone your craft and be a good performer, but that is just the bare minimum. Your responsibility is to get the work in the first place, to prepare yourself to be a professional at the business of show business. Responsibility is a concept we will be returning to again and again. When we are unhappy with aspects of our lives, it is our responsibility to change it; no one else is going to do it for us.

You may notice I try to use the word "business" instead of "career". The word career conjures up a steady arc of achievement that develops over time. So just starting out, a young actor cannot accurately describe his or her business as a "career", because it has not developed yet. The word "business" really captures what you need to focus on: all of the work you must do each day to keep your business going, and what it takes to "sell" yourself and get work. You are responsible for your own business.

Being an actor is an integral part of your life as a whole. When actors ask me "What is happening with my career?", or "Why isn't my career on track?", I say, "What's happening with your life?", or "Is your life on track?" Almost every time, the answers to my questions are the answers to their questions. The REALITY of the business of being an actor includes all aspects of your life: relationships (or lack thereof), health, finances, family, you name it. It is your responsibility to stay on top of all of those parts of your life and make sure you stay healthy and on track.

A version of this article appeared on Backstage Experts:
https://www.backstage.com/magazine/author/john-essay/