by Hanna L
Do not waste yourself in rejection; do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
‘‘Sorry, you did not get the part’’, ‘‘You can’t act’’, ‘‘You will never be an actor’’, or just plain “No’’. Criticism can come in various forms. It often comes from others, but also from within. ‘You’re not pretty enough to be an actress’’, “Why don’t I stop wasting people’s time and go work in McDonald’s?”
Dealing with rejection is a HUGE part of an actor’s life, especially when starting out, but I guarantee you that there isn’t a single professional actor who hasn’t experienced this. Rejection can sometimes really knock your confidence down and you might even start questioning your talent and your acting abilities.
‘‘All that acting/singing training, what is the point?”, ‘‘Another rejection, I might as well give up”, “I’m just not good enough.”
*Sigh*
Take a deep breath, it’s okay!! Actors, from Sidney Poitier to Tom Hanks, Charlie Chaplin, Meryl Streep – even Marilyn Monroe – received criticism and rejection on countless occasions. Now what chances do you think you have of avoiding it? You are not alone; don’t sink into the negativity, fight it with positivity. These artists believed in themselves, and carried on fighting for their dreams. Acting is not for the weak, it is a cutthroat industry and you have to be incredibly strong and optimistic. Even today, Hollywood‘s biggest stars still compete for roles and may even lose out to an unknown.
As the good old Rocky Balboa saying goes …
It’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.
Two pieces of advice about handling rejection…
- Be optimistic – The more you audition, the better you become at auditioning.
- Let it motivate you – Audition even more. Auditioning/applying to casting calls are a numbers game, the more auditions you attend, the better your chances of landing a role. You have to have determination. Rejection is a test to see how much you really want to be an actor. When you give up, you might just miss out on success, which is only around the corner.
So stay positive and keep auditioning.
Good luck!
Hannah L, an acting student, actor and model based in London.
