A few weeks ago, we talked about the biggest career-sabotaging habit actors indulge in -- Complaining. It came up for me this week in the form of one of the all-time greatest hits of actor-complaints:
"This is a waste of my time."
If you've been to five auditions in your life, you've probably heard someone say some version of this at four of them. It comes up constantly: at auditions, workshops, rehearsals, even jobs.
I get it. We all have a lot going on, and being at an audition (or workshop/rehearsal/job/etc.) takes time away from other things, like day jobs, family, friends, and any number of other priorities. And we've all had experiences in which our time was genuinely undervalued to the point that we justifiably felt disrespected.
But most of the time, this complaint comes up when we've been sitting in an audition waiting area for 20 or 30 minutes, casting is clearly running behind, and we don't know why. We're not missing anything urgent, no one has said they need to leave by a certain time or asked what's behind the delay, we're just annoyed. And in that case, what's needed is a perspective check.
Actors always have the option to accept or decline an audition invitation. If we accept, it means we think the opportunity is valuable enough to justify the time and energy an audition requires, including potential delays. Hopefully we remember that 'value' is not just about the possibility of booking the job, but also about being seen by casting office and potentially the producers, director, and/or clients. This is another way that having a target list is helpful. If I get called in on a day when I have something important going on, I can use it to help me decide whether accepting the audition and potentially complicating those plans is worthwhile. If the project doesn't involve anyone I'm trying to build a relationship with, I may choose to pass, and can explain to my agent exactly why I'm doing so. If it involves someone who IS on my target list, I'll happily accept, and sit around in the waiting room as long as it takes, because I know exactly why I've chosen to be there.
There are all kinds of reasons you might have to wait. The camera isn't working, there's a casting crisis on another project, the clients are late, the producer is stuffing a sandwich into her mouth because she's seeing people while the cast and crew are on a meal break. Whatever the reason, you can be 99.99% sure it's screwing up their day too, and they would be even happier than you to be running on schedule. Don't make it about you. (Also, remember all the times you've been grateful an audition was running behind because you showed up ten minutes late and no one cared.)
This week, I got called in for a small recurring role on a new series, on tape for producers at a casting office I've known for years. The catch is that the shoot dates conflicted with a role I was on avail for, so there was a good chance I'd be out of the running before the decision makers even got a look at my read. I had a lot going on this week, so I called my agent and manager to figure out whether going in would be a waste of my time. My agent made sure casting knew about the potential conflict (mandatory whenever you have a conflict with callback or shoot dates) and made sure they were ok with it, which they were. Then we talked it out. If I booked both, there was a chance that the dates would work out, and even if not, it was a great opportunity to see the casting office again, and possibly the producers and/or director, reading a role that was really great for me. So I went, had a great read, reconnected with the casting office, and caught up with a bunch of fellow actors I hadn't seen in a while. It made the day more complicated, and I haven't heard anything, and even if I did, there's a good chance I couldn't do it because of the other role... And it was an excellent use of my time, because I was clear on why I was there.
No one can waste your time but you. So when you feel that familiar complaint rearing its ugly head, think about how you approached the decision to accept the audition (or whatever it is) and the value of your being there. If you wish you'd made a different decision, consider how you might approach the next situation differently. If you stand by your decision, kick that old complaint out the door, and congratulate yourself on not going down the road of self-sabotage.