The Vs. Studio Blog

“The single best thing an actor can do, both professionally and personally, is to create their own work.” -Jenna Fischer, from her book The Actor’s Life

“Hard work doesn’t guarantee you success. But without it, you don’t stand a chance.” -Pat Riley

Jenna Fischer recently wrote a phenomenal book about the actor’s life. I highly recommend it. Besides being a compelling read, it’s a no nonsense, super granular, insider’s view of the business and the craft. Of what it takes. It’s one thing to want to be a “working actor.” It’s another thing entirely when you get a first hand, up close version of the lifestyle. Almost like an apprenticeship. Once you fully know and understand the career, then you can make an informed decision if the path is right for you.

Here are three reasons to read the book:

(1) PROCESS. Jenna didn’t have any industry connections. She was not annointed. She was just a girl from the Midwest who deeply loved performing and had a burning desire to do it for a career. She did the work. Day in, day out. Headshots, resumes, reels, industry events, rigorous training, cycling through survival jobs, improv, plays, meeting and signing with tons of agents and managers until she found the right team, auditioning, getting coaching, making her own art, etc…It was an exhaustive amount of work that she did for years. Often without any remuneration. Without any tangible progress or feedback to let her know she was on the right path. She just kept doing the work. One part that especially resonated…her sitting at her dining table every week, combing through Backstage, mailing out headshots and cover letters to all the various jobs she circled. Again, she did this consistently for years.

Yet even with all the hard work, she acknowledges that luck played a huge role in her success. This is not a “how to” book. Rather, it’s a generous sharing of “here’s what I did” information to guide and help you on your way.

(2) SPECIFICITY. She constantly asked herself the question “what exactly do you want?” and eventually, she figured out it…to be in an ensemble television comedy. When the opportunity to audition for “The Office” came, she was more than ready. Everything led her to this point. Her training, her experience and her specificity. (Ironically, she relied on her survival job as an administrative assistant to inform the character of “Pam.”)

(3) ACKNOWLEDGING HER WEAKNESSES AND TURNING THEM INTO STRENGTHS. She was honest with herself about not being a great auditioner. But rather than capitulate and accept it, she worked at it. Eventually finding a teacher to help her, to push her, to get her over the hump…Robert D’Avanzo, who she credits for much of her success. (NOTE: I study with Robert for on-camera auditions and couldn’t agree more. He’s tremendous. Seek him out.)

Whether new or old to the business, there is something for you in this book. If nothing else it’s an inspiring story of someone who dared to dream, who did the work, who persisted through long odds, and eventually found success.

Tip of the cap to you Jenna. Thanks for writing and sharing your journey.

“People are people, so why should it be? You and I should get along so awfully.” -Depeche Mode, song People Are People

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

So much of being a producer is hoping for the best, but being prepared for the worst. That includes interacting with people. Like or not, that’s a primary part of your job. All day every day. And as such, you need to be prepared for and empathetic to all their idiosyncrasies, their bad moods, their problems, their issues, etc…whatever’s going on in their life. Don’t take it personally. People are people.

Can you stay calm? Can you inspire? Can you rise above and get everyone’s best work? Can you be their oasis?

Yes!

One way is to practice Stoicism. Read the above passage from Marcus Aurelius every morning. He wrote Meditations while Emperor and dealing with every problem imaginable. Including a fourteen year plague. It was his private journal. To remind himself of all that he learned, all his training. So that no matter what was going on, he could always be at his best for others.

And you can too.

Do tons of work on your own before asking. (Writers, at the very least, make a concerted effort to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors and all other typos.)

Have a select group of people whose opinion you trust and taste you respect. Even if it’s radically different than yours.

Relinquish the need for praise or reassurance. We’re all professionals here.

Assume the person giving feedback has your and the project’s best interest at heart at all times.

Be open, open, open…Have an open mind and body at all times. Notice your posture. For example, don’t listen with crossed arms.

Even if the note or feedback seems wrong, try it. You might surprise yourself and make some incredible breakthroughs as a result.

Remind yourself how lucky you are that someone took time out of their busy life to give you feedback. It means they care.

Remain confident in your skills and your ability to execute a given note.

Repeat back their direction so you both know you’re on the same page…”If I understand you correctly, you’re saying….”

Have a burning desire to be pushed to excellence.

“Don’t demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.” -Epictetus

To get to where you wanna go…

..You must first fully accept where you are now.

For more on acceptance, listen to this excellent podcast episode with Navy Seal Jocko Willink. Specifically, the riveting story he tells of highly decorated U.S.M.C. Chesty Puller and his son Lewis Puller (also a decorated Marine and Pulitzer Prize Winning author of the autobiography “Fortunate Son”). The difference in outcomes for the two?…One fully accepted the events in their life. The other never quite did.

For the actor…

Care way less about whether you were emotional. Whether you were “feeling it” up there. That you were moved.

Care way more about whether your audience was.

“They went, the Ghost and Scrooge, across the hall, to a door at the back of the house. It opened before them, and disclosed a long, bare, melancholy room, made barer still by lines of plain deal forms and desks. At one of these a lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire; and Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be.” -“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

The urge. The calling. The vision. The passion. The deep need and desire to make that piece of art.

It doesn’t come around all that often. It may only come once or twice in your lifetime.

But fail to heed it, rest assured…

…It will haunt you.

Measure your success by what others think and say about you and your work.

Don’t have your own internal scorecard of excellence.

Try to please.

Don’t have a plan.

Be inconsistent. Do things only when you’re “feeling it.”

Don’t have a strong why.

Blame others when things don’t go your way.

Be boastful.

Seek praise.

Don’t be generous.

Don’t guard your time and attention.

Don’t listen.

Don’t communicate.

Be late.

Don’t set deadlines.

Don’t forgive.

Don’t be curious.

Be closed minded.

Forget empathy.

Don’t be vulnerable.

Don’t risk.

Don’t answer your heart’s call to go make your art.

“Indifference is the elixir of love.” -P.M. (a college buddy)

Prescription for your Hollywood dreams…(Or any desire for that matter.)

Want it.

But don’t need it.

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” -Meister Eckhart

No matter what success you’ve enjoyed in the past, no matter your reputation, no matter your past awards, reviews and accomplishments, the next project you do will feel like you’re starting all over again. Or to use a filmmaking term, you’re “back to one.”

As it should be.

Having a beginner’s mind keeps you hungry and humble. Forces you to work just as hard on creating and producing this project as anything you’ve done before. You’re appropriately terrified.

“Back To One” also prepares you for the long slog ahead. Especially when it comes to marketing. Getting people to show up.

Because no one’s coming based on what you did in the past. They’re only coming because the project is awesome AND you work your butt off to let them know about it. You consistently tell them how passionate you are about it and why it’s for them.

Not gonna lie…it always feels great to be asked, to be picked. It’s validation.

Know what feels even better?

To not need any validation and pick yourself.