Get Out The Bubble

There is something more important

Than representing your industry

That is

Representing human beings

And human beings…

Are designed to survive

We are full of fear

Fear of change

Fear of difference

Fear of the unknown

Remember

The most boring thing for a casting director

Is when an actor walks in wearing all black

With a “I live for acting” tattoo on their forehead

Casting directors want people

Directors want humans

Producers want messy, complex, grey, flawed members of society

And that’s hard to give

Hard to supply

When actors stay in their bubble

What bubble you say?

Remember that moment when Trump became president?

Our industry laughed, joked, ridiculed in unison during the election

There was no way it could actually happen!

And then

It happened

That’s the bubble I’m talking about

The bubble that says we don’t understand the other side

The bubble that says our perspective is the only one we know

The bubble that says we judge what we don’t know

Now

Of course

No one thinks they are in the bubble

I certainly didn’t

Then I moved to LA and sat down in a waiting room for a casting and realised

I was wearing the exact same casual outfit as all four guys sitting next to me

Yep

Maybe

Just maybe

I loved the idea of being an actor

More than the craft of acting itself

Maybe

If my job as an actor is to have moments of human connection on the stage or in front of the lens

Then maybe it’s time to focus on being a human being

Maybe it’s time for change

Time to find common ground with people I previously judged

Time to listen to the problems of people whom I thought had none

Time to go live in far away countries

Time to go make mistakes

Time to get shitty jobs

Time to travel

Time to fail

Time to jump

Time to give up

Time to carry the weight of responsibly

Time to feel brave

Time to feel terrified

Time to be a messy, grey, complex human being

Time to live

Hope this helps

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