So how do you beat it? How do you walk into an audition so cool, calm and collected that you focus 100% on your lines and character? The key is so simple that many have not even thought about it. But let me warn you first. Any acting coach or teacher that promises you a quick fix to eliminate nervousness, anxiety and fear is full of it. Run for the hills. Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of techniques to deal with these emotions that many face.
So how do you beat it? How do you walk into an audition so cool, calm and collected that you focus 100% on your lines and character? The key is so simple that many have not even thought about it. But let me warn you first. Any acting coach or teacher that promises you a quick fix to eliminate nervousness, anxiety and fear is full of it. Run for the hills. Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of techniques to deal with these emotions that many face. I sometimes prescribe homeopathic remedies but this is not a long-term fix.
When an actor comes to me and asks me how to get rid of the nervousness I respond by asking them one question. How many auditions have you done? Usually they’ll say something like 10 or 20. At that point I’ll smile and say you are just a baby. Listen, in order to get good at auditions you need two things: good techniques and hundreds of auditions under your belt. If you’ve only been to 20 or 30 auditions in your lifetime then you’re still new to this game. In short to get really good you need experience.
Going to one or two auditions every now and then is not going to do the trick. Study great athletes. Tennis pros will practice a swing thousands of times. Great basketball players will practice that one shot hundreds of thousands of times. They do so to program their spirits. When you repeat something over and over again you create a program. Once it is imbedded within you then it becomes your default way of operating. You will no longer feel that fear or anxiety because your spirit will accept it and act on it without you even having to think about it. And that’s one of the key secrets. The thought process is what gets actors in trouble. You should be acting without thinking. You will just be flowing and the casting director will feel it. It will almost appear as if you are a natural. But the bottom line is you have to audition for roles as much and as often as possible.
Some actors approach an audition as if it will make or break their careers. This creates all kinds of anxieties. Throw that thinking away. Every audition is a learning experience. See it as the testing grounds. You are just practicing your craft. Stop caring about the outcome. To be a great actor you must accumulate failures. That’s right… you must fail and more often. This will lead you to success. In a way it’s a numbers game. The more you audition the better your odds are of getting a role. The more you audition the better you become at it. Understand what I am saying?
This year make it your goal to do one thousand of them. Don’t worry because even if you don’t achieve that mark just think of how good you will be if you only make it to 500. Imagine the experience and knowledge you will have. Of course there are some winning techniques to focus on in the audition itself. I would never advise you to just walk in unprepared. This is where a good coach can help. But just keep in mind that no one is going to force you to do the work. You must be disciplined and want it more than anything. It is going to take courage to face the fear and rejection you’ll experience. Yes, it’s going to hurt. But know that there will be a day when you’ll wake up and those fears will be gone. It will be easy and almost effortless. That’s when the real fun begins.
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