After all, what else are we supposed to do?
I don't really care how much the latest superhero film took at the box office, although I'd probably know if you asked me. When I watch a film the main thing I am looking for is a good story. I like it when I look up at the big screen and can see a part of me staring back at me. More than anything, I am still looking for Jimmy Stewart and Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder in every film I see.
Monday 11 April 2011
Longevity and Perseverance
After all, what else are we supposed to do?
Monday 9 August 2010
JB Glossinger - Interview With MORNING COACH Founder.
I'm always amazed by your commitment and perseverance. Dedication is a really difficult thing. How do you keep yourself focused?
By understanding that it doesn't happen overnight. I strive for 1% improvement a day. With that 1% daily goal, I gain clarity and am able to stay focused with a realistic goal. I also write a journal, which assists greatly in maintaining that clear mind.
A common thing with writers is, "I'm just waiting for the right idea," or for an actor, "I just need a bit more training," -- it's like we shelter ourselves for as long as we can from doing the actual work. What's that about?
Its a form of self sabotage. They are so comfortable in their world of lack, that they subconsciously hurt themselves by delaying actual hard work and staying safe in a fake comfort zone. Success is 99% perspiration and I can guarantee there is a less talented writer actually doing the work who will achieve greater results.
There is a big emphasis on having 'marketable' films or the right 'branding' as an actor. These things sit uncomfortably with me. It's a constant battle between trying to have integrity to my instincts and at the same time trying to survive in the industry. How should we facilitate these inner battles?
I would say trust your intuition and absolutely go with your instincts. If you are true to yourself, you will achieve the greatest level of success as you have retained your integrity and played to your strengths.
It's common for writers to have their best ideas when they're not expecting it, when they're busy doing other things, yet most of the time we're going crazy trying to force out ideas. Why is this? What can we do about it?
Because when we are not pushing, we are relaxed and as a result, our thoughts are pure and clear. Always carry a notebook or a journal.
A lot of actors, the minute they step into an audition, all their confidence and feelings of self worth go out of the window. Can you recommend anything for them to do prior to going into the room?
Conscious breathing and meditation. Take 5-10 minutes and practice deep, mindful breathing. Find a quiet place, sit comfortably and take long, deep breaths while mentally repeating a positive, powerful affirmation to yourself. For instance, "I am an amazing actor and I am a gift to the world."
Tuesday 22 September 2009
Great Advice From Tom Hanks on how to survive as an actor, using perseverance.
Young Actor to Tom Hanks - "I was wondering if you could impart some knowledge about the nuts and bolts of the industry.. just the grey reality of what that entails, and how do you really survive?"
Tom Hanks - "Wow - well you're really talking about perseverance. Um, and it's sometimes perseverance in the face of great adversity. And the adversity always is, 'I'm not working.' That's hard, man. It's hard to get past-- look I'm not in a play, I'm not in a movie. The best I can say is I'm up for a callback on a Danone Yogurt commercial - that's hard in order to have that be the thing that is kind of like defining what you do. There's no trick getting past it, there's no magic thing you can do. But it's like a love affair with someone you're gonna live your whole life with. You have to protect what it is ----- Now, you're talking to a guy; I haven't been out of a job since 1982. I had a fallow year after 'Bosom Buddies' in which I really thought well that's it, I've had my shot. Nothing else is gonna happen for me. And a year unemployed in Los Angeles is like six years unemployed in New York. It is a long friggin' time. And you think you've got a sticker on the back of your car that says "I used to be an actor", it feels that bad some times. But since then, I'm the luckiest man in the world...... The perseverance aspect of it is something that you can define every day and that takes a little bit of discipline - and more than anything else it takes this degree of perseverance that ultimately is not your measure of who you are as an artist but it's a measure of what you are as a professional, and it's HARD - cause there's nothing greater; nothing greater than saying I am a professional actor and I will be till the day I die. So, and that's where it gets tough."
Monday 21 September 2009
A message for you from yourself.
Have you ever stopped to appreciate that? Let me tell you now, you're winning here. Despite the world doing that thing it does, where it builds these big walls and says "I think you'll find life is lived in this way..." you've managed to climb the wall again and again. Despite the horrible job, the negative people who pop up every time you leave the house, despite it all - you are HERE, RIGHT NOW, agreeing with what I am saying. You have worked your socks off, and you are still doing it.
You are Steve Martin, eight years into being a stand up comedian, wondering where his audience is. You are Tom Hanks, carrying people's bags into hotels. You are Jack Lemmon, sleeping in abandoned buildings, wondering exactly when it is you're going to get an acting job.
Keep up the great work.