Which Actors Will Work?
When examining why an actor will or won’t work
There are several factors worth considering
One - Skills
Are you any good at what you do?
Can you contribute generous work to the tribe?
Especially within the style of acting you are orientating yourself toward.
Two - Character
Does your behaviour as a professional (and human) make people want to work with you?
Ya know, the basics…
Kindness, honesty, willingness, respect, being on time, prepared etc etc
Three - Creators
Those who don’t wait
Those who go first
Write their own stuff
Put on their own stuff
Make their own stuff
The ones who aren’t sitting in a cave full of cobwebs
Four - Connections
People
Reputation
Word of mouth
…Networking
Ooo
That word
“Networking”
If that word makes your tummy queasy
Change its meaning:
Just hang out with people your body likes hanging out with.
Five - Circumstances
This is a funny one
But it’s worth flagging
Sometimes our circumstances breed work
When my buddy had his first child, he was overwhelmed with the offerings of acting jobs that flowed over the following year
All openly coming from a place of “we want to support you as you step into parenthood”
Six - Social Proof
Proof you can deliver
A resume of stuff that convinces directors or producers that it’s a great decision to hire you
A resume that says they can trust you with the ball
Now…
For number seven
Drumroll please
Trends
What’s currently hot right now
And what’s not
Your nose shape
Age
Skin colour
Eye colour
Sexuality
Gender
Cultural background
Whom you may (or may not) look similar too
Etc etc
Since the day I entered into drama school
I have been bewildered as to how much focus goes toward trends
“You will work (because of this thing that’s out of your control)!”
Or
“You won’t work (because of this thing that’s out of your control)!”
I have been told explicitly
In professional board rooms with long glass tables:
“You will work because of your (skin, eyes, hair, gender, sexuality)”
Fours years later I was explicitly told on a giant conference call:
“You won’t work because of your (skin, sexuality, gender)”
And you what I found to be most interesting?
Both times they were wrong
When I was told I will work non stop (based off factors other than my skills)
I didn’t get much work at all for almost two years.
When I was told I won’t work at all (despite my skills) because of factors out of my control
I immediately jumped right into the busiest year I have ever had working as an actor
So what’s going on here?
Lets look to investing
The desire to predict the trend
The desire to predict the stock market
Has driven humans crazy for hundreds of years
It is something that is still fought for every day
With tooth and nail
That is despite the fact that no-one has ever done it consistently over their lifetime
Even the most successful investors
Are the first ones to say
You cannot predict it
So why try so hard to predict or chase the trend?
Why spend every day being in a state of anxiety, concern, worry and stress?
Well
It’s a dream case short cut
Imagine doing no work but watching your value increase dramatically?
Imagine
Tomorrow
You wake up
And boom
You’re instantly the most valuable actor in the world
Despite your actual ability, your skills, being the exact same.
Damn
Money to pay bills for generations
Any car or home you’d like
All the freedom to choose what job you do next
That director
This script
Those colleagues
Sip margaritas on the beach for as many days in a row as you like
Thank you very much!
That is certainly easier than the other option
What is that other option, you ask?
Show up
Day after day
And find joy in the effort
Find meaning, purpose and bliss in the boring bits
The long, hard and repetitive work.
There is a very important piece of the puzzle here
Something which I find delightfully interesting
There is actually one single category of investors
Who consistently do very well over the long run
Very well
Who are they?
Those who forget they have investment accounts
The people who started an account
Made a small investment
Then get on with their lives
What is this telling us?
The exhausting daily desire to try predict, chase and control trends
Destroys investors
So
Imagine
Being an actor
And getting on with your life
Forgetting all about what the next trend is
Forgetting about trying to chase, predict or grab onto what’s hot or not
Forgetting about the angsty stuff that’s out of your control
And simply getting on with finding joy in the process
Imagine
Being an actor
And when people say things like:
“Oh, you’re a woman in your 30’s, sorry there’s no work for you”
Instead of listening to that very short term focussed person
Instead of throwing in the towel
You get on with your life
You get on with the things within your control
The skill acquisition
The hanging out with people you love
The focusing on giving your best work
One scene at a time
What’s my point?
Getting work
Will be a combined result of things that are both inside and outside of your control
But I can assure you
It will be a vastly more fulfilling & sustainable career
If you place your focus on the things that are actually within your control
Your skills
Your character
And not sitting on the couch waiting for the things you can’t control about yourself to be the next best flavour of the month.
Back to our initial question
Which actors will work?
Consistently, sustainably, for the decades to come?
The ones who focus and invest in the things they can control.
One more story before I go take my daughter to choose her birthday balloons
When I first went to LA
I sat in Heath Ledger’s agents office
There was a framed poster on the wall
It was of Heath as the Joker
With a personal letter scribbled on the bottom
I still remember
Being in that city
The most trend-chasing environment in the world
And reading the last line Heath had scribbled
“Work hard
And be nice to people”
Hope this helps
x
7 Things Agents Want
Almost every week
Someone reaches out for guidance in regards to finding a new agent
And I have noticed a pattern with my helping in regards to this crucial area:
It tends to be very focussed on the artist themselves
The artists’ values
The artists’ boundaries
The kind of relationship the artist wants to begin building
But
What about the agent?
What about what the agent wants?
There are three parts to an artist/agent relationship
1: The artist
2: The agent
3: The artist AND the agent
So
The agent (just like you) makes up two out of three of those parts
Therefore
Wouldn’t it be wise to consider what the agent is yearning for too?
Mmm
Now, I have had some interesting circumstances over the passed little while
Circumstances which I will be sharing openly over the coming months
But for now
What I can share
Is that I have had the unique privilege of some damn open an honest conversations with agents
What about you ask?
Well…
What they want!
How they want to be approached
So
I thought I would take everything I have heard
Distill it down to its essential parts
And give it over to you
Here goes
WHAT AGENTS WANT
One: Use their main email address
Hundreds of actors send through emails every week to generic office email addresses
They will most likely be given a copy-and-paste response by an assistant who won’t read them
So finding the agents’ specific email address is essential
What’s the problem here?
Well… they can be damn hard to get a hold of
You either need a trusted and respected mutual contact
Subscriptions to the top industry databases
Or simply the willingness to do some damn deep research
Some actors might say: “That’s not fair!”
Well
If an actor is going to give up on building arguably one of the most important professional relationships of their career because its “too hard to find an email address”…
Yeah
I don’t think I need to write out the obvious.
Two: Referral from an actor on their books
We are Homo sapiens
Connection is an essential part of our survival
It is deeply embedded in our biology
So if someone I love and respect says to me
“Hey Sheasby, I think it’s really worth having a cuppa with Jess about xyz, I think you guys will gel well”
That cuts out a lot of wondering about that persons character & work ethic on my end
Makes sense
Therefore
Digging through the agencies books
To find a trusted colleague & asking for a referral
Can do wonders for dispelling any doubt on the agents end
And drastically increase the chances as to whether your email will actually be read any further than the opening few lines
Three: Genuine letter
This one made me giggle
As one agent mentioned
“When I open up the email and see a four page essay
I just think…
Oh, fuck off”
Ha!
Yup
Agents are busy bees
And as all humans
They want to invest their time and energy
Into things which will create an energising return on their inputs on this earth
Four pages simply to ask to have a chat in person?
No thanks
Do the work
Writing an honest but clear & sincere paragraph
Tells the agent you have actually done the work
You’ve thought about this approach
As opposed to simply rambling and expecting someone to invest time which they could be spending with their family or things of importance
Remember
A glass of water can be bloody delicious!
Four: Link to your showreel
Quote
“Let me see your best work in under three minutes”
Clear
Five: Link to your IMDB (or equivalent site)
Social proof
Makes sense
Six: Highlights only!
List those few highlight jobs only
Highlight awards
Highlight training
and
What helps a lots…
Share what’s about to come
What are you currently working on or what’s going to be released in the coming months
Why?
This demonstrates momentum
The proof that you are still pushing that stone
The proof that you are continuing to release generous work out into the world
That you’re not sitting at home
Surrounded by cobwebs
Waiting for others to do the work for you
Seven: A follow up call
After several days
If you haven’t heard back
Give the office (or agent themselves) a call just to check in.
Done.
That’s it!
Seven things agents want
Now for the elephant in the room
Rejection
All actors sign a contract
That they are stepping into a world where they get continuously rejected
This is undeniable
Unavoidable
And not to be delusional about
To pretend you you won’t get rejected
Or worse
That you don’t care about being rejected…
Nope
Permission to feel what you’re feeling.
One day
When my agent eventually retires
After several days, weeks, or months of crying everything out into my pillow
Grieving over one of the most important relationships in my life
I will get up
Watch the sunrise
And begin the process of opening myself up to the world of building a new professional relationship
What’s the guarantee?
I’m risking rejection
And that’s damn scary
My body doesn’t like that feeling
So giving myself that little reminder
Just as I’m about to click send
That I might feel scared
I might feel nervous
To open myself up to the world
To open my arms out for a safe hug from another human
Which I might not receive...
And that that’s okay
Hope this helps
x
What Makes You Valuable?
Once upon a time
I was sitting on a chair
Chatting with an actor who I very much respect
This actor is whispered about behind their back
By producers, directors & editors
Why?
“They consistently deliver brilliant work which serves the story
They rock up on time
They are kind and respectful
And they make every actor standing opposite them better
They literally raise the skill level of the whole team”
That’s one hell of a reputation
(Picture me looking up at them puppy-eyed)
Anywho
We were having a little debrief after I had just returned from my first experience of a lead role in film
He asked me how it had gone
My response?
“You know
I’m sitting with the realisation that leading on film
Is almost a style of it’s own”
He looked back at me
With a wry smile
And said
“My friend…
I couldn’t agree more”
Mmm
I haven’t stopped thinking about this
Maybe because of the sneakiness at which he said it
(Like Fantastic Mr. Fox passing on a little secret of where to find some delicious chickens)
Time has since passed
Summer came
I watched my daughter learn to crawl
I played with my octopus friends in the rock pool
(I think they get a bit annoyed with me these days)
And did my best to remain patient until seeing the film
That moment came last month
I finally got to watch the first cut
Six months after we spent those four weeks submerged in that highway side motel
My first attempt at a lead role on film
And?
To say I was bewildered
Is an understatement
What.
The.
Heck.
I had two years to think about that role
I had months to prep
I spent night after night combing over the text
I spent hours upon hours with external accountability (coaches & colleagues) in preparation
And all the work I planned on seeing
Wasn’t there
It’s like everything that I tried to give
Didn’t make the cut
And all that was left over
Was simply the stuff where I wasn’t in control
Where I was caught off guard
Where there was just a messy, breathing human being
Jarring to see
It’s like all the director wanted me to do was nothing
mmm
That’s not quite it…
Present
That’s it
It’s like all he wanted me to do was be present
And when I asked the director about it
He said casually
“Oh… yeah… I just want actors to be alive in-between action and cut”
So if I’m reflecting accurately here
I think I did my job in terms of preparation
But when it came to the work that resulted from that preparation
The editor and director favoured the takes where I gave up control
Gave up trying to show my prep
And that
Honestly
Feels a bit scary to me
This might sound dramatic…
But it feels like I’ve been caught standing naked
And I don’t like it
The fearful part of me is fighting for the audience to see something else
To see some smart choices, or strong looks
The cool stuff I prepared to give
But that was all left on the cutting room floor
And instead
I’m left looking at a vulnerable, confused, grey, mess of a human
(Like when Marge Simpson walks in on Mr Burns in the shower)
Yeah
Sometimes we don’t like what we see in the mirror
Now
What’s the potential blindspot here?
This movie is a psychological drama / romance on film
And it’s very much a festival film
made for people who love the craft of film
And obviously
That comes the prioritising of particular technical aspects
So what about other styles?
Let’s expand
Another example here
Comes from the passed few weeks
Where I have disappeared to, you ask?
I have been busy sailing the seven seas
YARRR
No seriously
I have been dressed as a pirate
Whilst pretending to be the captain of large, 150 year old ship
As it has been sailing around Sydney Harbour
With a hundred plus crew, cast & extras on board
Surrounded by the police, navy, tug boats, camera drones and diving barges
And one fake parrot
But
This job is nn episodic cop drama
American evening TV
Okay
A new style to sink ones teeth into
Very plot heavy
Very exposition heavy
And lot’s of action
Did anyone care that I was alive in-between action and cut?
Mmmmm
Not as important as some other things
Did anyone care that I understood the point of the scene?
The function of my character?
The fact that a shouted particular words?
Absolutely
I was there to antagonise the protagonist
I was there to drive a plot line
And the result-based directions were flowing
“Give me one that’s more mean Sheasby!”
“Okie dokie!”
What’s my point?
Different styles value different technical aspects
Neither good, bad, right or wrong
Each style having it’s place for the people who enjoy it
So where the hell does that leave us?
We want to give generous work on screen
And we want to do that regardless of the style
So where
In an ocean of options
Do we want to allocate our resources to make sure we can contrite generous work
No matter the style?
Preparation
And
Surrender
These two qualities are inescapable
No matter the job
No matter the level of pay
No matter the time allocated
No matter the colleagues
No matter the story
You will be asked to
A) Prepare your work
This means cold hard script analysis
Now way around it - You need to make it make sense to you
And
B) You will be asked to surrender to the present moment on the day
This means giving up control of how you think it SHOULD go
Trust me
Joaquin speaks on this beautifully
He can do all the prep in the world
Visualise his entrance into that scene
Pushing that door open and giving that look and saying his line that way
But when he rocks up to set the following day
The door opens inward, not outwards!
Say bye bye to all your lovely plans :)
Put all your eggs into preparation but don’t want to surrender?
Might be a bit exhausting trying to control all the things outside of your control
Put all your eggs into being present but haven’t done your prep?
Might be a bit selfish when none of your beautiful work actual serves the story
So
Get good at preparation
(making the script make sense)
And get good at surrendering
(giving up control on the day)
What’s the fun part?
You get to enjoy the dance between these two sides of the same coin
You get to relish in doing all of that homework & then throwing it out the damn window!
You get to climb that entire mountain of preparation only to reach the top and realise you now have to jump off the sheer cliff on the other side!
What’s my point?
Prepare to surrender
(Sounds delicious)
Hope this helps
X
Taking Risks
QUESTION:
Hey Mike! I have this project coming up. Massive for me. But the problem is I am terrified of the role. It requires really deep work from me; physical skills, emotional access & tonnes of research. Part of me wants to try, but the other part is completely terrified that I'll screw it up, not deliver the work I so desperately want to, and that I will waste the time of the wonderful cast and crew I'll be working with. So how can I trust myself to deliver when the time comes? How can I get over the fact that I feel I'm not good enough to deliver? It feels like more than self doubt, it feels like to me that I'm actually not capable of giving the work required for this role. AHHHH! Thanks so much Michael.
Yours truly,
JD
ANSWER:
Hey JD
Thank you for sending this question in
What a bloody beautiful problem to have!
The gig is already on the table
Congratulations!
Now
To dive in and commit?
Or
Let it go and pass the ball to someone else?
Let’s cut to the chase
It is very clear - based off your question - that you want to do this
You desperately want to deliver generous work
The problem?
It’s just bloody uncomfortable taking a risk when you might feel like an idiot
And how understandable!
We are social creatures
Always in relationship to each other
(No human exists outside of connection to others)
So feeling silly in front of others is an important emotion
It’s the bodies way of saying
“Hey! Stay safe! Don’t get kicked out of the tribe!”
And that signal has helped us get this far as a species
Which is a beautiful thing
Therefore
Let’s not waste any time wishing away those fears around caring what others think
They are totally normal
And likely to continue for the rest of your career
Yep
Sorry to say
But I can’t think of a great artist who doesn’t care what others think
Doesn’t get self conscious
Or doesn’t get scared when it comes to sharing their work with the tribe
The trick is
They have something they care about more
The work they are trying to contribute
It’s not that they don’t care what others think
It’s that they are clear about what’s worth caring about more.
So
Let’s notice the dissonance (your body protecting you from rejection)
And bring it back to what you want most (contributing generous, playful & honest work).
Now
When it coms to “screwing it up”
Mmm
Do me a favour
Pull out a note pad and pen
And for ten minutes
I want you to write down the achievements you are proudest of
Then
Trace those achievements back to where they began
Where was that first tiny action step that started the journey toward that achievement?
What do you notice?
Chances are
That achievement
Started by you taking some small & uncomfortable first step
Let’s use some logic here
If the things you’re most proud of, grateful for, fulfilled with in your career & life
All started with taking a risk
No matter how big or small
What’s that telling you?
Yep
Taking risks is a totally normal part of the process
So
To be clear
You want to give generous work!
You are guaranteed to have normal feelings of discomfort pop up!
But what if you take the risk and it fails?
And you just fall on your face
Hard
Well
I have never
Worked with an artist, actor, musician, athlete
Who has said
“You know mike, I wish I never took that risk”
But I certainly have heard the sentence
“I wish I took that risk”
Very, very often
So
The question becomes
What will you regret less several years from now…
Taking that risk you were yearning for even if it meant feeling silly for a moment?
Or
Staying in your comfort zone and passing the ball onto someone else?
Just remember
Taking risks
Means there’ll likely be an increase in fear
And an increase in fear
Requires an increase in two very important factors
Slowness & Kindness
When you feel the urge to go hard and fast
That’s a beautiful time to go slow & be kind to yourself
There is a reason why so many generous artists behave in slow & kind ways
They didn’t get to the point where they could sustainably give generous work
By behaving in unsustainable ways.
No one wins by you rushing
And certainly, no one wins by you beating yourself up
So
Permission to slow down
And permission to be kind to yourself
Now
I’m really drawn to a particular part of your question
The words:
“actually not capable”
Ah
Okay
Now this gets fun
We can talk about the mental side all we like
But it seems there’s something here which might not be just a story you’re telling yourself
There might be a very practical reality here
If you can sit there and honestly say that the skills required are skills you don’t yet possess?
Okay
Go possess them
What do I mean?
Confidence will come from skills
From your body knowing it can actually do the thing
And reality will make you very aware of whether you actually have the skills or not to do the thing
So
What are the exact skills you require in order to deliver work you can feel proud of?
And
Just as important
Who are the best people capable of helping you develop those skills?
I don’t care if it’s screen skills
Theatre skills
Comedy skills
Emotional access
Horse riding
Character research
Building backstories
Boxing
Ballet
Blacksmithing
Whatever
Find out what you actually need to be proficient at in order to deliver work you’ll feel proud of
Then go seek out the best coaches, colleagues, mentors, etc
Who can help you develop those skills
Remember
Skill development requires a big investment of your resources
But skill maintenance takes a significantly lesser hit on your time & energy
Meaning
Those skills you’re investing in
They will be there with you for the rest of your career
Once they are in the body
They are in the body
No one can take them away from you
And
(In case you need another reminder)
Skills are the most important investment you can make in your career
I don’t know a generous artist who regrets the time & effort they invested in developing their skills
Curious what choices you make, JD
Hope this helps
X
Jealous Actors
QUESTION:
Hey Sheasby, I have a question for you. I’m finding it rough lately when I hear good news from my actor friends (booking jobs, callbacks, this that). I feel like I’m in a good place creatively but at a stand-still professionally (i.e booking jobs & getting callbacks). I celebrate my wins/opportunities and focus on process, and I’m more content in my life than I have been in years. But. I find it hard to avoid (or probably more apt) deal with my feelings of jealousy for the quantifiable industry successes that others get. It’s like an ugly reminder that it doesn’t matter how good I feel about what I’m doing, the industry doesn’t want me right now. And this means I judge myself more for not only not being where I want to be in my career (I know, I know, impossible), but also for feeling jealous in the first place. I guess I’m asking if there are any mindset changes or practical things that would be valuable to get me back into a place where I can ‘Wait Free’, even when reminded of my lack of movement in the eyes of the industry?
Andrew The Giant x
ANSWER:
Mate
Thank you for this beautifully honest and open question
Yup
Jealousy
Man am I versed in that bad boy
Literally yesterday I saw a close friend pop up in a trailer for a new film and felt a sense of spite
A little moment of feeling left behind, like my work sucks, like I’m going nowhere, the industry doesn’t want me etc
And how damn understandable
When other people
Particularly close comrades
Get to do the thing we spend so long and hard working towards
Of course
Totally normal for the brain to kick into protective mode
We see people we love being rewarded for their years of dedication, commitment, hard work, patience etc
(Or… maybe we see what we believe to be a short cut or hand out happening for someone we believe doesn’t work as hard… Gulp!)
We see their efforts being valued
We see the tribe prop them up
And that causes reactions within ourselves
Reactions which carry with them a bunch of powerful shoulds (or should nots)
You should not be feeling those things towards your friends and colleagues
You should be a good actor and celebrate your friends’ wins
You should not feel negatively toward your colleagues
You should be positive and congratulate other people
You should should should
Bla bla bla
I want to make myself clear
Please don’t waste time pushing your beautiful bodies’ signals aside
Or judging them as something which needs to be swallowed and hidden
Feelings of jealousy are not good, bad, right or wrong
They are simply feelings
And the issue is never with what you’re feeling
The issue is judging what you’re feeling
Example
“I’m feeling jealous towards Doug… And that’s a bad thing”
I disagree
I don’t think feeling jealous is a bad thing
I think its a human thing
And that’s okay
Feeling jealous?
Great!
That tells me you’re a glorious human being
Messy, grey and complex
Every single actor on this earth
Has experienced jealousy toward another actor
We are in an industry with no clear linear pathway
We can go from walking on a red carpet today for a main role in a big feature film
To being on set saying one line of dialogue tomorrow
To not working for 18 months
To doing a fast food ad
To doing an indie theatre show where 8 people are in the audience
To being on an Aussie soap
To getting sixty thousand followers in a few weeks
To finishing that job
To losing all those followers in a few weeks
To getting no work for 6 months
To walking on a red carpet for your friends film (not yours)
Etc etc
It’s all higgildy piggly
And the more chaos & uncertainty
The more fear
And the more fear?
The more fighting to control things which are uncontrollable
God
When I type it out like that
I’m even more in favour of giving oneself permission to feel jealous
Of course an actor is going to feel jealous
To see a friend being celebrated for their efforts
That instantly brings up thoughts for me like
“They’re okay and I’m not
Their career is safe and mine is not
They’re going to get more work, pay rent, send a child to school… And im not”
Now
Let’s acknowledge a very important influence here
Media
Media does It’s absolute best to manipulate
Again, not good, bad, right or wrong
They tell stories to try make us care about what they would like us to care about (for whatever reason)
But one thing is for sure
There is a vast difference between the image of success
And what actual success is for the individual
Sometimes…
We can quickly be influenced into caring about things which are actually not that important to us
For example
Feeling jealoustoward another actor even though the path they are on doesn’t even align with yours
This of huge importance
Why?
The key to not giving a fuck
Is by being clear and honest
About what truly is worth giving a fuck about for you, and for now
The more clear & honest you are about what success looks like for you
The easier it will be for you to measure yourself by your own metrics
And not by the metrics of others
But let’s go back to your question
How to deal with jealousy when its actually present and plaguing the mind
I remember a time when my fears really started kicking up a notch
Previews for a show I was in at the Sydney Opera House began
And it was like my self doubt took steroids
The internal voices, the self doubt, the negative spiralling
It was running rampant
Actors I knew were coming every night
Actors who were working on shows that I desperately wanted to be on
I was jealous
Hook, line and sinker
And what’s worse
I was judging myself enormously for being jealous
“But I’m supposed to be kind and generous
Not spiteful, resentful, jealous!”
Nope
Humans feel those things
Messy, complex, humans feel all those things
However
It had gotten to the point where I felt truly exhausted
I was just tired of my brain going there
Moment after moment
I just wanted to focus on my work and enjoy my life
Not spend every 10 seconds on stage thinking about other people
I wanted change
And I wanted it fast
Opening night was coming soon and I was aware that if I didn’t take responsibility for my internal dialogue
It could take over
And before I knew it
The show would be over
So
I put my hand up
And after some wonderful guidance from my coach
I would sneak into the theatre 30 minutes for the doors open
I would sit on that stage
Stare out at those five hundred and fifty seats
Pick a random seat
And imagine an audience member sitting in it
An actor who’s opinion I cared about
An actor who I felt jealous of
An actor I felt resentful towards
In other words
I imagined a human being
And I would think of all the ways they were just like me
For example
Just like me
This person is seeking some happiness in their life
Just like me
This person is trying to avoid suffering in their life
Just like me
This person has known sadness, loneliness, dispair
Just like me
This person is seeking to fulfil their needs
Just like me
This person has no idea what they are doing in their life and is making it all up as they go along
Etc etc
Yup
That actor I’m jealous of
Resentful of
Jaded toward
They’re just a human being
And just like me
They’re trying to survive
They’re trying to avoid pain
They have hopes and dreams
They hide shame
Have regrets
Stew over the past
Worry about the future
They feel broken
They feel sad
And damn sure
They have moments
Where they feel jealous of other actors
…And that’s okay
Hope this helps
X
Career Management
At the age of 25
I learned something
Which made me furious
You see…
I was born in South Africa
And being a South African
One thing is guaranteed
You’re a Rugby Union fan
Rugby holds a special place in the heart of any South African
Especially those who experienced the 90’s
Ask any South African about what Mandela did for his nation using the sport of Rugby Union
And they will likely end up teary-eyed telling you that extraordinary story
Anyway
As a Springbok fan
There’s something we fear
The All Blacks
With the highest winning percentage of any sports team in the world
New Zealand’s rugby team has become a formidable force
Respected by all who stand opposite them on the pitch
So
When my friend messaged me a screen shot of a book which delved deep into the culture of the All Blacks
It was an easy decision to put aside two days and jump on the couch
“Let’s see what crazy secrets built the most successful team in the world”
I told myself
The book focussed on a very interesting period
One which most regard as the lowest point for the All Blacks
And how they went from being knocked out of the Rugby World Cup in the quarter finals
To winning the World Cup four years later
The book also focused heavily around the captain
How we was able to influence the culture of the team over that period of time
And what he did to turn a dire situation into one which bared many fruits
I can remember the moment when I turned the page
And read how the captain had no idea what to do next
They were at rock bottom
But saw no way forward
No way to create change
So…
He sought help.
I had to stop
The leader of the worlds most successful team
Asked for help
For guidance
Huh?
This didn’t make sense to me
If he is a professional performer
And one of the best in the world to do it
Why the hell would he ask for help?
This felt wrong to me
Weak
But that little morsel of information
Caused a crack in my fearful armour
One which resulted in many restless nights over the following month
I started to look
At the performers who inspired me most
The artists, musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs
Who did things their way
I had also spent years collecting data on all my favourite actors
Yep
The same thing kept popping up
Over and over again
I was met with what I believed to be one the weakest things someone could do
Asking for help.
The performers I loved
They sought guidance
They had coaches, mentors & external accountability
No matter where I dug
The romantic idea I had
That a favourite actor was just raw talent
Rocked up and did whatever their impulses said
And didn’t need anyone
Yep
It started to gently crumble
In fact
There was not a sustainably working artist I researched
Who I couldn’t find some form of external accountability for
Joaquin, Shia, Hardy
Perfect examples of this
To the public
These actors are insane and magical artists
But all have and use external accountability
People in their corner guiding them
From specific acting coaches
To colleagues they trust to help them learn their lines in a way that helps them give their best
No matter where I looked
It was there
Blatantly in front of me
“But I should be able to figure it out on my own
I should be able to solve it myself
I should be like a self cleaning oven
Doing the work and maintaining myself all alone”
This was during a two year period of my life
Where I had recently played the lead at the Sydney Opera House
And been directed by Mel Gibson alongside Andrew Garfield in a Warner Bros film
And had fallen on my face
Both times.
So I was yearning for change.
But
I did not want to start asking for help
I had 25 years of a “shut up and get on with it” mentality
However
There was something else that I was damn sure of
Doing the same thing and expecting a different result
Seemed delusional
So…
Knowing that going alone was unsustainable
I decided to step out of my comfort zone
And began seeking guidance
I found coaches, mentors and external accountability
Those who were taking care of the performers who inspired me most
Some terrible
Some life changing
Some who have since passed
Some who I still treasure seeking guidance from still to this day
And I went from resenting the industry
To less than two years later working on my dream role and leaving set feeling fulfilled
Which (very fortunately) even got me a nomination alongside the very actors I was inspired by to begin with
So I knew something was working
I started to play again
My way
And it began making sense
Why would I limit my knowledge and skillset to my own past and experience…
When I could stand on giants’ shoulders?
When I could rely instead on their decades of accumulated skill and experience?
Bingo.
Four years after making that decision to seek guidance from the best I could find
I was working back to back
Flying between California, New Zealand, and Australia
From Netflix, to BBC, to Sundance, to Venice
And then…
Covid struck
And, like many people
I had time to think
Time to sit still and question what I was doing and why I was doing it
And I became very clear about one thing
The lessons that those incredible mentors and coaches passed on to me
I wanted to pass them on to others
The things I hadn’t got from any acting book or drama school
Especially in regards to one aspect
I had never found a systematic approach to managing ones career
So
(And this has only taken me four years)
I finally have a little baby I’m wanting to share with others
A career course
The Actor’s Blueprint Career Course
A systematic approach to building your career… your way.
To be honest
I have made this for me
For the version of me who felt like there was no way to continue on this career path
This is everything that helped me go from sleeping on a wet mattress, miserable, hating acting and resentful of the industry
To being nominated alongside my heroes two years later after finally being able to leave set feeling fulfilled
In the most honest, clear and actionable way I can possibly pass it on.
I realised there was an infinitely better way to excel in acting
And now
That’s what I want to pass on to you
I truly, truly hope this helps…
Career Course: https://www.actorsblueprint.com/course
This is a one-of-a-kind online series providing a systematic approach to help build your career, your way.
Introduction: Welcome to The Actor’s Blueprint Career Course. A systematic approach to help you build your career, your way.
The System: A system for sustainably building your career, your way.
The Principles: Four essential principles for a sustainable career.
Chapter 1 - Secret Sauce: What is the most important factor that will help you contribute generous, meaningful and unique work to this industry?
Chapter 2 - Harbour: Get clear about what you honestly want to begin making progress towards.
Chapter 3 - Behaviour: The majority of actors allow their behaviour to be dictated by the industry. Don’t. Go first. The whole industry is waiting for you to go first.
Chapter 4 - Pressure: At some point, your value will be determined by how well you’re able to give your work under pressure. So find comfort in the chaos whilst giving your best when it counts most.
Chapter 5 - Waiting: The majority of an acting career is waiting. So, can you wait well in an uncertain industry?
Chapter 6 - Skills: Everything in your career will become easier if you prioritise skill development.
Chapter 7 - Practice: Practice in a way which actually results in progress.
Chapter 8 - Opportunities: Place your head on the pillow knowing you gave everything you wanted.
Chapter 9 - Game Plan: Do what you need to do, to get where you need to get, so you can give what you need to give.
Chapter 10 - Game Day: Play your best when it counts most.
Bonus - Agents: Musings on agents.
Conclusion: Finding joy in the effort.
x
At What Cost?
QUESTION:
Hey Mike! Hope you’re doing well. Question for your newsletter. I am currently shooting a series and am immensely self-conscious between action and cut. Usually, I find freedom, a sense of play, and a willingness to fail in that magic space. My last job was utterly freeing, and the director championed putting it all out there; however, this current job has been different. The director wants EXACT choices I made in the wide up close, no improv, no dialogue changes, and every offer is restrained. Script supervisor is ruthless to the point of "You exhaled your cigarette on that word and touched your left eye on this one", and the dialect coach is in the ear, "nope watch the upward inflection". Basically, everything between action and cut has become technical, and I am leaving scenes noticing that I am now acting for myself to hit these markers and utterly absent from my scene partner. Although I am fine with the technicalities of this medium, e.g. you won't always be in the moment, camera awareness is crucial, and sometimes you gotta bullshit to catch the light, but this has gone far beyond general screen awareness. Any tips to get out of my head and work within the constraints? Much love, Simba (name changed from privacy sake) x
ANSWER:
Simba
Holy smokes
What a scenario!
Thank you for this beautifully detailed question.
This sounds…
Honestly?
This sounds freaking exhausting.
Firstly
Let’s zoom out
This is one acting job
In your long career
So the fact that you are feeling “Immensely self-conscious between action and cut”
Let’s tack onto the end of that sentence
“And that’s okay”
It sure as hell sounds like it feels bloody frustrating & uncomfortable
But…
(And apologies if this comes across as naff but I genuinely believe this)
To be dealing with this complex challenge early in your career
This sounds like a wonderful problem to be working on for now
One which I know will pay dividends in the future
Okay
“Usually, I find freedom, a sense of play, and a willingness to fail in that magic space”
Simba
I am whole-heartedly going to agree with you on this
I am lucky enough to know your work
And what’s more
I have been lucky enough to see your work behind the curtain
You sir, play freely with a bloody incredible willingness to fail.
So when you use the term “magic space”
I believe you.
Now
When it comes to doing exactly what is asked of you
Sure
With your training and skillset
I think you know, as well as I do, that you are more than capable of doing everything that is being “asked” of you
However
The pivotal question is…
At what cost?
People might look at you from the outside and think
“You’re just lucky to have a job when so many others don’t”
Or
“Stop being difficult and get on with it”
Or
“Who cares!? Just do exactly what’s asked of you for a couple more months and then go do whatever you want”
But
No one…
I really mean this
Not a single person on this earth
Will ever fully understand what it costs you to not give your work your way
For you to sacrifice that “magic space”.
Story time
A dear friend of mine
Landed the understudy role of the protagonist in a huge hit musical straight after graduating from drama school
Now
Musicals
(You can see where this is going)
We are talking about a style which involves hundreds of lighting positions, sound cues, and movements which require extreme precision
All of which are to be repeated
Night, after night, after night
Basically
There is not a huge amount of room for creative freedom in the moment
However
To make matters more difficult
The director was obsessed with making this actor do exactly what the lead of the show has been doing
“Johnny says that line like this…”
“Johnny smiles on this word, not that word”
“Johnny says that quieter”
This carried on for a few weeks
My dear friend was feeling controlled, used, manipulated, pushed & pulled.
From the outside
It looked like a dream opportunity
A fresh graduate
First job
Guaranteed at least 2 shows a week understudying one of the worlds leading musical actors in one of the greatest musical hits of the passed few decades
But people didn’t know what is was costing him
To not have any sense of creative input
No sense of autonomy
His art - his magic space - The thing he had just spent 3 years giving his blood, sweat and tears to
Became
“Hit your mark, hit the note and do it like Johnny did it”
Until, one day, it simply cost him too much
After yet another comment of
“Johnny wouldn’t do it like that”
My friend just snapped
“I’M NOT JOHHNY!!!”
The room went quiet
You see
For my friend
It wasn’t worth it
To be paid as an actor to work on a great professional job
The result was not worth the process
The result wasn’t worth sacrificing his magic space
In fact
Most generous artists I know
Gun to the head
Would prefer a miserable result which comes from an invigorating process
Over a stunning result which comes from a miserable process
Why?
The process is more valuable than the result
It’s the process which will continue to provide food on the table over the long run
It’s the process which will provide sustainable work over ones career
It’s the process which will help them put their head on the pillow feeling fulfilled night after night
Not a one single glorious result which the artist had no real creative input towards
Now
Obviously
I’m not suggesting you snap back and shout for your right to give your work your way
Not at all
My friend was young and new to the industry
But what I am floating the idea of here is
Permission to start the conversation with your colleagues
Healthy artistic change on the job starts with someone going first
It starts with someone putting their hand up and being honest
Simba
If I was directing you
And wanting you do do everything that myself and the team was asking
And I saw you take a slow, kind breath
Look me in the eyes and say
“Mike, can we chat? Just struggling a bit at the moment, mate”
I would lean in
I promise you
I would lean in
What’s more
Is that you dropping your guard
Would encourage me to drop mine
Why is this important?
Well
For a director to enforce such strong levels of control
Something tells me its probably coming from a fair bit of fear
Something tells me that person is feeling a lot of pressure to provide a pristine result within a short amount of time
And if a conversation begins
Then the understanding of each others position begins
And people can begin to move forward with a sense of compassion
And possibly even with a sense of wiggle room
For example
What happened to my friend?
Well
The following break
He was approached by the director
And they had a conversation
About where things were at
And how they could move things forward together
It was clear to the director that my friend was miserable
It was clearly costing him too much to just be a puppet and to not have any sense of autonomy
But what surprised my friend
Was that he began to understand the situation the director was in too
The immense pressure the director was under from the team in America
For the show to be exactly the same regardless of which actor was stepping into the understudy position
The two even laughed about the similarities of what they were both experiencing
And from that place of acknowledgement & acceptance
Oddly
They began to play
The play might not have been the size at which my friend was use to
Or as overtly as they might have liked
But within the structures that were required for that specific job to happen
They zoomed in to find the tiny crevices in which they could do it their way
The moment before they stepped onto stage as they warmed up behind the curtain
The wiggling of the toes hidden by their shoe
The choice to wave with their right hand rather than their left
The secret their character was hiding behind that specific line of dialogue
Whats my point?
Control of other creatives
Usually stems from a place of fear
And just like me
Creatives get real scared
Scared of losing their pay check
Scared of their work not being enough
Scared of where or when the next job might happen
But at the same time
No one knows ever fully knows what their fear & control is costing you
So permission to speak up
Permission to express when you’re struggling with the work
And permission to zoom in to find the smaller space for you to play
The moment before your take
The pause that’s half a second longer…
There is always something
No matter how small
That is within your control
My advice?
Have have fun finding it.
Hope this helps
X
Extreme Emotions
QUESTION:
Hey Mike,
For those rare moments where you do need to express extreme emotion, let's say grief for example, what are some practical tools we can use to get there?
Say I'm on set, I've got a huge scene coming up (either in the next hour or the next week, if there are different tools for each scenario), and I'm starting to feel terrified I'm going to completely shut down and become the woodiest block of dissociated wood ever seen on screen.
Any tips and tools you could share to get there would be amazing. Until then I'll be focusing on the fundamentals - breathing as myself in front of the lens.
Much Love xx
Regards,
J-Dawg
ANSWER:
J-Dawg!
What a question
Man
Yeah
UGH
I harp on so much about breathing and doing the absolute basics well before moving on
But at some point
If you have that one self tape
Or that scene being filmed next Tuesday
And the story simply requires you to go all the way with an emotional release
And the director or casting director walks up and says
“YO… I need you to go all the way”
Of course we can hide behind a sense of purity in the work
And say things like:
“My character wouldn’t do that”
Or
“Im giving myself permission to be where im at and I’m simply wooden today, and that means my character is wooden, numb, frozen and lets all accept that”
Yeah
HA
Lets get something straight
There are writers out there who have spent several years writing that one script
They have spent actual days deciding whether to use full stop or comma
And sometimes
We gotta do our damn job
Which is…
Bring what the writer has given us to life
Especially if the director has an editors’ eye and will be thinking about the music of the script whilst filming
They might simply need a very practical point so they can build the cut
Which leads us the the painfully honest admission…
Gulp
Can you?
Are you technically able to release on cue?
Many, many times…
I have told myself
“I will go all the way when I actually need to”
Or
“I’ll be able to do it when’s it’s really necessary”
And then
When received the opportunity to actually do so
Literally nothing has happened
Just sat in front of the lens
Like a wooden block
And felt the room whisper
“Oh no, is that it?”
I spent many opportunities deluding myself into believing that I would be able to release when the situation calls for it
And then getting smacked back into reality when I wasn’t able to
And on the flip side
I have also had opportunities in rehearsal room where I have been extremely happy with the work that flowed out
But then not able to do so consistently in the days or weeks after
Story time
I have a friend
And that friend was being directed by one of my absolute favourite actors of the past century
Regarded as one of the purest artists in the biz
An Oscar winner who consistently gave incredible performances both on stage and screen
Someone who all the greats looked up to
My friend was having a real difficult time getting to a place of release with a monologue in this theatre show
And finally
In one of the previews just before opening
He got there!
He released in a way where he felt like he finally served the writing
A magical moment to have on stage
And the next day
He proudly walked to the notes session
Where he was excited about receiving feedback from this director
“Brilliant”
“Just marvellous”
“You took my breath away”
He expected the director to say
You know what he got instead?
“Good work…
It’s never allowed to be less than that from now on”
Yikes
Another story
I was prepping to play one of Shakespeare’s protagonists for a show at the Sydney Opera House
And I had dinner with a director who helped build the careers of many of the UK giants from the RSC
I was hoping he would give me some magic pill advice
His advice?
“Michael… Remember… God doesn’t descend very often”
His meaning?
There is a practical reality to leading a theatre show with 113 performances
Or leading a film and having to rock up every day for 6 weeks straight
Technique becomes necessary
Want to to sustainably give generous work?
Show after show?
Day after day on set?
Craft
Yup
No magic here
Craft.
There is a very simple reality to skills here
As well as a culture of artists hiding that work behind the curtain
Which makes sense
It’s a profession which aims to help make an audience believe
“Suspend your disbelief”
As Shakespeare put it
And if every heartbreaking performance is combined with interviews from that actor giving specific details about how they were able to do that scene
It removes the sense of magic
It steals the work from the audience
Damn sure I do NOT want to watch There Will Be Blood knowing exactly what Daniel Day Lewis was technically doing
I’m damn fascinated by it, of course
But please don’t ruin my magical experience.
Saying that
As an actor
I want to know how to get better
And “oh, I just acted, hehe” doesn’t help me do that
So
Skills
The physical reality of skills
Let’s go back to the body here…
Honest question:
If your body doesn’t know what it’s like to drop it’s guard in practice
Then why would you expect it to do so when you’re on set and there’s fifty people staring at you?
Or when you’re in the casting room and there are three producers in suits a few metres from your face
And one of them gets up half way through your scene to go look at a painting on a wall (true story)
Yeah
To hope that that will be the day where you magically give glorious free flowing work
Despite having no real proof that you can go there
Doesn’t sound like a bet worth making does it?
And yet
So many of us do it
When the moment calls for it - I will magically rise to the occasion!
Nope
You will fall to the level of your training
Alright
You get my point
Develop skills to build confidence that you’ll be able to release on cue under pressure
Which leads us to the next question
How?
The brain won’t argue with the physical experience
Easier to have confidence in your skills when you have some actual proof
So let’s go get some proof, J-Dawg!
Let’s go teach the body its okay to go there :)
This is where the world is your oyster, mate
There are many different schools of thought when it comes to training the ability to release on cue
I’m literally tapping my foot against a box full of books as I type this
Some of them preaching there is only one way…And it’s their way!
(Picture me rolling my eyes right now)
I want to preface this with one principle
What works for you, for now
The goal is free flowing self expression
Not: there is a right way to do acting
Also
As we commence this discussion around techniques for emotional release
Please be careful
I have honestly been gutted at scenarios where someone is asked to drudge up childhood woes in their very first acting class
And then left to walk outside afterwards, physically shaking, with no sense of guidance or help after
The best coaches in the biz
Don’t have time for you to romanticise suffering
And if the work ain’t fun - Then that becomes the work (Making it fun again)
Okay
Back to general schools of thought
Just to name a few
(These are very broad brush strokes here)
As if - using your imagination to conjure up a fictional situation.
Emotional recall - Using past experiences and attaching them to specific dialogue or relationships in the script.
Physical - Using the body to encourage emotional flow via the use of different physical postures or movements (such as tremor therapy, or exercising to the point of exhaustion).
Breath - Breathing at different rates or from different areas in the body to induce different emotional states (such as the chest to encourage a state of panic or anxiety, or lower diaphragm to encourage a state of grief).
Dream work - The use of the subconscious to stretch oneself in the direction of their shadow & light.
Repetition - Simply taking that key piece of dialogue and repeating it hundreds, if not thousands of times.
The no acting approach - just saying that dialogue to that person you’re speaking to (highly dependant on the script, director, fellow actor & situation)
Obviously, as a 34 year old with a young daughter who now significantly influences my timezone
I have zero time for anything that’s unsustainable
Anything that messes with sleep, relationships, or tomorrows work is a no go for me right now
The best I know have deep handle over their craft
And if “god doesn’t descend very often”
Then I absolutely want to move in that direction
I want to be able to be on set and help my daughter with her homework
And then two minutes later step in front of the lens and give work I’m proud of
Not need three hours of solo time with headphones to give a take which is so out of alignment with the directors vision
Or not be able to take notes because I’m so in my own zone
And not need another 12 minutes to prep for a second take
Okay
Back to those schools of thought
What will be the ONE for you!?
Jokes
Go play!
Try stuff!
Fall on your face!
The more you experiment with
The more you can build your awareness
And the more awareness you develop
The more choice you will have in deciding what works for you & for now
I really cannot emphasise those last two words enough
For now
Permission to change as you grow.
The last film I did
There were a few scenes in particular where I believed that in order to serve the story best
I needed to hit particular moments
And what helped me most?
In one
It was late, I was exhausted, and I relied purely on physical movements to get me through
In another scene
I said a line of dialogue with zero acting. I said that exact line to that actor because I believed it was completely appropriate to the situation.
And in another
I spoke to a colleague as if they were a person I love deeply in my life and am terrified of losing
See?
Just a mish mash of shit
Messy
Grey
I think this is what I’m trying to say
There is no one way
You try things
You throw away what doesn’t work for you
You keep the stuff that does
And you keep building as you go
One thing is for sure
Do the thing
Get in the room
And do the thing
So you can walk on set
With your body knowing it is safe
Safe to release whatever work you’ve done
Safe to be a human being with other human beings
Safe to have moments of human connection
Hope this helps
X
Not Proud
QUESTION:
“Hey Michael. A bit controversial… How do you, as an actor go about promoting your work when you don’t like how the film or performance turned out? It’s a balance with being authentic, whilst also not being an absolute jerk. Sometimes my performance has changed because scenes have been re-ordered or edited (And of course, that happens). I dunno. I just can’t justify sending people to watch movies when I know they’re bad. Actor X”
ANSWER:
Hey Actor X
Thank you for sending this through
I might be the worst actor to ask this question
I have to confess
Pre 2016
I cannot recall inviting anyone to a single show
Or letting anyone know when I was appearing in some random episode of television
I just hardly ever felt proud of the work
I thought it was never good enough
So I made my best attempt to hide the stuff I didn’t like
Pretend it never happened
I wanted to bury my head
I wanted people to only see my best work
I wanted to control what they saw
I wanted to manage my reputation for them
Totally normal thing to do
Why?
Because I was afraid
I was scared of what they might think if they saw all my bits
My ugly bits
My mistakes, failings and messy work
I wanted them to only see my shiny best parts
So they could go
OOOOOOOO
AHHHHHHH
WOOOOAH
And how bloody normal
We are biologically wired to care what others think
Being ostracised by the group meant a higher likelihood of death for millions of years
And its still there deeply ingrained in us
Caring what others think is a bloody beautiful, and totally normal thing
And I certainly don’t want to waste any more time or energy on this earth
Trying to pretend I don’t care what loved ones, friends or even strangers think about me
To judge that as wrong or a bad thing
So
Permission to care what others think!
As for your question
Three points to make here
One
You cannot control your reputation
That is for others to decide
It is completely out of your control
What can you control?
Your skill development
Your behaviour
Your process
Two
It’s the teams work you are celebrating, not yours.
This has been a painful one for me
For so long I was an expert at making the work about me
I forgot about the entire group of inidivudals who actually make the damn thing
Who all put in hundreds, if not thousands of hours of their time
Who invest long nights, physical labour and deep focus into that one tiny shot that makes the cut
My wrinkly forehead might be the thing that is presented to the audience in that moment
But that wrinkly forehead is standing of the shoulders of giants.
The last job I had
We were filming the last shot of a very big day
It was about 2 am
And in the scene
I head butted a door and put a big hole in it
The next day
I walked passed in the early hours of the morning
And there were two crew members replacing that door
Which took several hours
My little action on set
Meant many hours of work for two other humans
They gave up their time they could be using to work on other things
To patch up my work
To cover my arse
Ugh
The team
We are standing on each others shoulders
And if I do media for that gig over the next 12-24 months
It’s their work I want to celebrate
The teams effort
Three
Kings who don’t accept the fool are doomed.
Resisting mistakes is a mistake
When my young daughter is playing with that weird musical instrument her granny gave her for Christmas
It is exactly that
PLAY
Which means there are no mistakes
And because she has zero fear of failure
Once and a while
A completely magical moment will occur
My point?
Find freedom in failure
Your most generous work is on the other side of it
And the only way
Is through
So
Embrace the shit
The mess, the ugly, the complex, the grey
Embrace the human bits
Your human bits
Want to give your most generous work?
Commence the slow, kind and gentle process of giving your worst work to the world
Hope this helps
X
Stuck
QUESTION:
Hey Sheasby
I’ve been faced with some hard decisions lately and have found myself feeling stuck in the limbo of indecision sometimes. It feels like I can't tell the difference between my fear and what's my gut instinct. Sometimes I feel like there isn't a wrong choice and I have to simply make one, but these prove to be even harder decisions. What sort of process can I rely on to decipher what my gut is saying?
Love, Martin Scorscissors
(name changed for privacy sake)
—————————
ANSWER:
Thank you for sending this one through Mr Scorcissors
“stuck in the limbo of indecision”
Ironically
I have been sitting in a cafe
Completely stuck as to which question to answer this week
There are so many fantastic ones that have come through
So many bloody options
And I genuinely feel stuck in limbo
Which one do I choose?
Which one do I invest the next few hours of my life into
They all require a lot of energy
They all require a lot of thought, intention and effort
And precious, valuable time
But no matter which one I think about picking
There’s a sense of
“oh god, what if I invest the next several hours or days of my life and then realise three quarters of the way that I made a mistake”?
I feel tight in the chest
My shoulders feel glued to my ears
And I just want to kind flop over and go do nothing.
In a moment like this
I want to bring it back to what I know best
One of the few things I can be absolutely certain of
(of which there are very few)
Death
I will be dead soon
35 years have already gone by in a blink
And with each year being proportionately smaller in the context of a lifetime
It’s only going to go faster
How bloody beautiful!
Imagine if there was no death?
Imagine if there was no finite time to live one’s life?
The answer to doing anything and everything could be:
“I’ll do it in a couple hundred years from now”
I say this not to emphasise a sense of haste
But the exact opposite
As a brilliant director once said
“We have so little time, we must slow down”
In a hundred years from now
No one will even remember my name
So if all I did in this moment was close my laptop
Sip my coffee slowly for 20 minutes with no phone
The world will keep turning
And that big decision I feel like I HAVE to make…
When I zoom out
Is almost never as big as it feels.
I see it over and over again
(In fact, I still often catch myself slipping into it)
Thinking that a decision needs to happen now!
Often, it comes with a forceful or pushing kind of feeling in my body
And interestingly, a judgement
What do I mean by judgement?
That the feeling of confusion or being unclear is somehow a bad thing
It is not.
To feel confused or unclear about a decision
Is a perfectly normal thing
I was in a museum with Kenzie Baby the other day
We were looking at skulls of apes
All the varies species (including us) from the passed 4 million years
You know what each of those species have done?
Made choices
Which direction will food be?
Where is best for safety tonight?
Which valley do we cross next?
Which direction to head for water?
Which berry is safe and which one poisonous?
Who is safe to be around and who is not?
These…
These were important decisions which meant life or death.
I really cannot emphasise the following point enough…
The industry will try convince you that every decision is both important and urgent
It’s not
I promise you
It is not
There are so few decisions in this industry which are both truly important and require immediate attention
I genuinely am finding it difficult to think of an example right now
Getting that new agent right now… no
Giving a clear yes or no so the production can fly you across the world to prep for that new series which starts in 6 days time… nope.
(You can still just have a nap and take care of it in an hour or two)
OOO
Okay
I have one!
It’s not acting related
But here goes
Once upon a time
Two twelve year old boys were washed off the rocks into the ocean outside my house
There was a secret track down the cliffs which no-one knew about but me
So I clambered down there in a jiffy and it ended up being just me and them
I stood on those rocks
About 10 metres away from these two screaming young boys
Thinking I was about to watch them drown in front of me within minutes
And I had to make decision
A decision which, in my opinion, was an important and urgent one to make
Do I jump in and risk drowning myself?
If I do jump in, which one do I go for first?
Do I run and find a floatation device (and risk them going under whilst I’m gone)?
When I realised the situation I was in
And the decision I had to make
I froze
I became paralysed with not knowing what to do next
But something I learned from an incredible human many years ago came to mind
A fascinating thing occurs when humans are under pressure when caught in a rip in the ocean
They think they have two choices
Sink
Or swim
Can they swim as hard as they can to get themselves out of it?
Or do they go under?
Of course, it’s fighting the current which sadly causes most to end up drowning
But there is a third choice in this moment
One which goes against many people’s instincts
To float
Huh?
Yup
Do nothing
Simply lean back and breathe
To give up on fighting nature
And simply go with her
Means one can float for a while to the end of the rip where they can then calmly swim back to shore
Back to the kids
I realised in that moment
There was a third choice
So I took a breath
Sat down
And started chatting
I told them help was on its way
And that all we needed to do was just hang out for a couple minutes
Float around
We spoke about the weather (It really was a beautiful day)
How their swim was going (they laughed at my lame dad joke)
How school was going (they were about to start high school!)
And a few minutes later
A jet-ski came around the headland and plucked the two kids up to go have some ice cream back on the shoreline
Why do I say all this?
There is a third choice
It’s not always a black or white, two option kind of deal
Sometimes
Floating is the best option
But remember
Floating is a biproduct
What’s the process that helps you float?
Leaning back and breathing
This requires a sense of giving up
A sense of surrender
Faith (No, religion doesn’t own the concept of faith)
You’re allowed to lean back, breathe, and take your time with making choices.
I have never regretted taking my time with an email, text or difficult conversation
But I sure as hell have regretted rushing these things
I sure as hell have regretted doing these things while my body is still in a place of push, force or should
Now
Back to your question:
What sort of process can I rely on to decipher what my gut is saying?
There’s many things here
You can do plenty of decision making courses or exercises
You can use tonnes of frameworks or systems
(I’m sure google will provide you with hundreds)
For me
Over the past decade of trying my best to consciously make decisions in regards to performance
I have only found one that I find sustainably reliable
Nature
Go back to nature
I don’t care where you live in this world
If you’re reading this
You have access
Somewhere
To nature
A park
A beach
A night sky
A boat
A forest
A valley
A horizon
A sunrise
A sunset
Create space for nature
Go to her
There is not a man-made structure on this earth which Mother Nature can’t destroy in a matter of seconds if she wishes to do so
Better to be on her side than against her
Better to listen to her than ignore her
And if you want a more logical reason as to why nature?
Being in nature will shift your physiology
Which in tern will influence your emotional state
Which influences your thoughts
And thus, shifts your choices.
Now
I’m three quarters through my article
Almost done with the choice I made hours ago
Did I mess up?
Do I regret the choice that I made?
Do I regret this article?
Was it the best choice I could have made?
I have no idea
I will never know
But it doesn’t matter
Death is coming
I tried something
And just the fact that I tried it my way
Is enough
Hope this helps
X
Acting & Identity
QUESTION:
Hi Sheasby :)
Just want to say how lucky we are to have your newsletter coming through, I still think about your analogy about acting and catching waves daily.
In this current period of my career, I feel like I'm reluctantly swimming back to shore and am trying to figure out how to get back into the water. I moved back to my home state in September, not intentionally, I needed a break to save some money and recalibrate.
But I'm still here, temping full time in the city, terrified that I made a horrible mistake, scared that I cannot make a career here. I miss my friends and the community I started to build in Sydney so I am planning to move back in July. But in the meantime I'm starting classes down here at an acting school, I am hoping this will get me back into the groove and introduce me to actors down here.
My questions for you are, how do we move through the world as actors while not doing the job of acting? How do I get up everyday and go to work knowing it's not what I love? How do I stay passionate about my craft when 'booking a job' is starting to feel like a ticket out?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read,
I really appreciate what you do.
L-Town (name changed for privacy)
ANSWER:
Great questions
And thank you for the kind words L-Town
Let’s get into it
“Feeling like I’m reluctantly swimming back to shore”
I want to add 3 words to that sentence…
And that’s okay.
Giving oneself permission to give up
For an hour, day, week, month, year
I think is one of the most important things we can do in our chosen field
To me that sounds kind
Like you’re taking care of yourself
And that, to me, sounds sustainable
Which makes you bloody dangerous in the long run.
Moving closer to loved ones
Having some form of security
Taking care of finances
Starting classes to stay in the craft
And creating more connections with humans you resonate with
When I read all these things you’re doing L-Town
I see a young artist who is making hard but important long term decisions
Permission to feel like you’ve made a mistake
Permission to miss your friends and community in Sydney
Permission to feel like a drowned rat as you clamber back onto the shore
Permission to feel what you’re feeling
But when it comes to the doing
L-Town
You are doing it!
Making hard choices makes an easy career in the long run
To me
I read that someone is slowing down now so they can move faster later
Taking care of craft, wealth, connections, community, etc
These are big pillars that will keep you steady within the chaos of our industry
I congratulate you on your journey toward becoming anti-fragile!
This is coming from someone who spent the majority of his first decade in the industry as an incredibly fragile and brittle actor
Everything was acting
And when the storms came
And I hadn’t taken care of my health, wealth, connections, craft etc
When my sole identify was based on me getting the job or not
Or having an audition to work on
When getting a role was seen as my ticket out of my shituation
Poop would severely hit the fan
It took me a very long time
To realise that I was a “when I / then I” kind of actor
“When I get that lead role at the Opera House, then I’ll be happy”
“When I get that big budget movie, then I’ll behave like a real pro”
Nope
Sorry to say
This was not the case
(For me anyway)
I got the opportunities
But I was still miserable
Still complaining
And still frustrated
And because of my habitual self dialogue
Speaking to myself in a “when I / then I” kind of way
Of course
When the opportunities came
My brain stayed the same
My self dialogue didn’t magically adjust
Why?
I was too afraid to go first
L-Town
The whole industry is waiting for you to go first
For you to live the way that’s most important to you
For you to give yourself permission to do things your way
Regardless of getting the job or a big pay check
The fact that you’re taking care of yourself now speaks volumes
I see the majority of actors allowing their behaviour to be dictated by the industry
And I see you as someone who is going first
You are taking care the most important parts (craft, people, wealth, health, etc)
Without getting that big role - which many actors believe will be the magic pill
This leads me to your question
“how do we move through the world as actors while not doing the job of acting?”
I adore this sentence
Because in it
I see myself
I see an actor
Standing at a mirror
Desperately needing that next job
Trying to convince myself or other people
That I’m an actor
Here’s a question back to you, L-Town
How long in-between acting classes or self tapes is too long for you to keep calling yourself an actor?
How long in-between acting jobs is too long for you to keep calling yourself a professional actor?
Weeks? Months? Years? Decades?
At what point does it stop?
At what point have you “failed”?
I want to challenge you on something
The idea
The belief
That you are an actor only when you’re working.
There is not a single actor that I look up to
Who acts every day
Bloody hell!
Now that I think about it
There is not a single actor that I look up to who has even worked professionally as an actor every single year since turning professional
L-Town
I don’t believe you’re only an actor when you’re working as an actor
Or even working regularly as an actor
Acting
Like life
Is grey
Very grey.
Right now
I have zero interest in taking on any acting work for the next few months
I gave everything to a film at the end of last year
And now I have other things igniting my curiosity and that I’m finding meaningful and are simply of priority
And ya know what?
I bet my bottom dollar that in 2 or 3 months after writing this
I will be at cafe, sitting with my little growing family
And I will wobble
Like a big plate of human jelly
I will go quiet
My partner will say
“Hey… where’d you go?”
And I’ll respond
“I feel like I’m no longer an actor”
How bloody normal and understandable that I’ll go there
What’s key to me in those moments
Is that A) I give myself permission to feel what I’m feeling
That if I’m feeling like a washed up actor that no-one knows about and that I will never work again because I haven’t auditioned in months
That that’s okay
And B) To bring it back to what’s most important for me & for now
That’s where it’s grey
That’s where your individual values & desires come into play
So being honest and clear about what’s most important to you for now
Give yourself permission to bring it back to those things.
Back to your question
“how do we move through the world as actors while not doing the job of acting?”
Live
You live
Your way.
You’re an actor
And as an actor
Your job is to provide moments of human connection
So go connect with the world
Go be a human
A messy, struggling grey human.
It boggles my mind how many actors stay in the bubble of this industry
When their job is to portray a human being
The last thing a casting director wants is for another person to walk into that room who’s identity as an actor is more important that being a living breathing soul
The lens sees through right through it.
So go live
Your way
Acting is not going anyway
It is a beautiful craft that will remain for you whenever you want
And the more you dive fully into the experience of life
The more your craft will benefit in those moments when you do choose to return to it.
Hope this helps
X
Silly Screen Skills
Almost a decade ago
I was doing a play
I was playing Valentine in Stoppard’s Arcadia for Sydney Theatre Company at the Sydney Opera House, directed by Richard Cottrell, with the most ridiculously wonderful & skilled cast.
Dream case scenario
But after sixty-ish shows
I had the opportunity to audition for another play which would mean going straight from one theatre show to the next
Something didn’t sit right in my gut
Despite feeling like I absolutely should go for it
I had an itch I desperately wanted to scratch
For years I had thought about screen
“what if I went all in with screen?”
“What if I really tried?”
When I thought about all the examples of acting and artists that I adored at that time in my life
The performances that kept me up at night
They seemed to all be in the style of screen acting
I knew different styles of acting required different skillsets
And so trying to get better at screen acting by continuing to only doing theatre
Was a bit like an athlete trying to get better at sprinting by training shot-put
Didn’t make much sense
So?
Time to follow some curiosity
The examples that came up for me when I slowed down and listened to what work I loved most?
(After applying 80/20 - this relates to last weeks article “Skills”)
I had two bloody clear examples of what I loved
The “I have abandoned my child” scene from There Will be Blood with Daniel Day Lewis, directed by PTA
And the “I like cools” blooper from Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master with Philip Seymour Hoffman & Joaquin Phoenix
Three Actors
All giving leading work
All in the style of naturalistic drama on film
So I began obsessively researching those three actors to understand which skills would help me most to make moving in that direction a reality
When I looked at their work, I tried to make it as simple as possible (For my small little brain)
All three had the technical ability to have an honest conversation in front of the lens
AH!
This was a big turning point
I wasn’t able to have an honest conversation in front of the lens
I was so busy trying to be interesting
That I skipped the most fundamental steps when it came to screen acting
Time to start again
Lets look at the fundamentals of screen acting
What does it require?
With the least amount of essentials as possible
Screen Acting
Screen
Acting
Two words
Lets break it up
What are the requirements of SCREEN (an environment with cameras, lighting, sound, set)
If I just vomit everything onto the whiteboard
I can get 50/60 things that I might think are requirements for working on screen
Everything from animal work to working with microphones, to Michael Checkohv’s psychological gesture, etc
But
In an ocean of technique
There will be a few key techniques that will apply to the majority of people in the majority of circumstances - these are the ones I’m trying to find.
These are the ones most worth investing in.
When pressing myself to distill everything down to what I believe is actually NEEDED for screen?
Three essentials keep coming up
One
Hitting a mark
Technology (lighting and camera) has still not evolved to the point where I don’t need to hit a mark
In a close up
If I am an inch off
It could mean the difference between pickups in 9 months time, or an easy process for editor.
Two
Eye access
I don’t mean looking at the other character the whole time like a psychopath
I mean allowing your eyes to accessed by the camera
Is the audience getting the opportunity (at some point) to see what you’re going through internally?
And three
Nothing
This is SO important
Slight detour
If we want to give leading work on screen
We need to be able to do 3 things bloody well
One
Ownership of darkness - the shadow, all the parts of ourself that we judge as bad, ugly or wrong
Two
Ownership of light - love, vulnerability, the willingness for our softness to be seen
Now
Those two things
Darkness and light
Only make up a tiny portion of what we will be required to give in leading role work on screen
And we will only get those opportunities to release the darkness and light in leading roles If we can spend the majority of time doing the third and most important skill…
(This skill is the most valuable and yet least practiced area in screen training)
That skill?
Nothing
Can you technically do nothing?
I’m being a smart arse
What do I mean by nothing?
Can you simply breathe as yourself in front of the lens
You are the most valuable currency in this industry
Not who you think or feel you should be
If you can breathe
You can become present
If you are present
You can be interesting
That makes you a bloody dangerous actor.
For example
Let’s look at an actor who is the most celebrated character actor in the western world
Daniel Day Lewis
If you watch all his films
You will see a glimpse of him smiling or laughing in the same way in all of them
He was asked about this similar mannerism all his characters possessed
His response?
“If there isn’t me in all my characters then they wouldn’t be my characters”
The greatest character actor of all time is stating the importance of giving a piece of yourself
That no matter how much you have to play with in terms of costumes, makeup, accents etc
All your work starts from the same place
Your breath
Even working with Mel Gibson on Hacksaw Ridge - I watched him give some of the most beautiful advice to wonderful human who was just starting out their acting career
“Acting is just breathing” he would whisper in his ear
It all starts with your breath
So
In summary
Requirements for screen?
Hit your mark
Give the camera access to your eyes
Breathe as yourself
Wanna be working on screen?
Become great at those 3 skills
Stick to those 3 skills and they will take you the majority of the way.
Sounds too simple?
Great!
Amateurs try do lots
pros do less, that’s why they do it better
Bloody smart idea to become a monster at those 3 skills before doing anything else.
Next
What was our second word again?
Screen ACTING
Acting!
Let’s breakdown the requirements for acting!
Again, trying to distill it down to its most basic parts
What does an actor do?
Reminder here
An actor helps share meaningful stories which helps humans connect which helps the tribe survive
Yes… But what does an actor do?
What do they provide to the story?
Well
An actor plays a character - a living breathing human being
Who has relationships - human beings don’t exist outside of relationships. We are always attached or connected to others in any given moment.
Within a specific context - a moment in time
Mmm
A human
Who has connections
In a moment of time
Therefore
An actor provides moments of human connection
Now…
Obviously
We can keep going here
Breaking down each one of those 3 requirements for screen
And those 3 requirements for acting
We can keep building entire systems for
Creating a living breathing human
For building attachments/relationships
And for honouring the context
Breaking each one down to most simple iteration that we can then sustainably practice 2-3 times per week
But I just wanted to give an example of how to scratch that itch of identifying skills for you to advance in whatever field you’re most curios about :)
The point is to get you thinking about the direction you actually want to make progress toward
(what’s the work that inspires you most / makes your body feel most energised?
& how you can identify the skills you need to actually do that.)
We really want to let go of the shoulds here
I have boxes of acting books in my garage telling me hundreds of ways I should prepare for a roll
Or what I should focus on when it comes to screen
Its exhausting and unsustainable
What’s most important here:
ONE
Run it through the inner child filter - is this actually enjoyable?
It might be way more enjoyable for you to simply put on a costume and go walk around in public rather than sitting with a script and writing down everything you should like you’re doing homework at school
And for other artists it might be the reverse
Listen to your body
what’s energising for you?
TWO
Do less, better
Boil it down to a few simple things.
Becoming great at those few things will take you so much further than spreading yourself thin.
No one walks into the gym on day one and tries to lift 500kg.
But suddenly when It comes to acting, many actors think that’s a great idea
“I’ll just read this book and do everything it says in the next 30 days”.
Nope
Keep it simple, stupid
If you can instil a culture of excellence by doing just a few things very well in the next 6 months
You will normalise those skills, which means in another 6 months you can advance yourself further by moving onto the next few things
And after letting the wonders of compound interest run its course
You can reinvent yourself as an artist in a few short years.
So
Slow down in order to go faster
Hope this helps
X
Skills
Aka: The most important investment you’ll make as an actor
Alright
As with any craft
To begin
We start at the end
Death
Why death?
Because death provides meaning
It gives us a finite amount of time to contribute value to this earth
To make this world a tiny bit better because you gave your work during your existence
*Chefs kiss*
When I coach other artists & performers
None of them are striving to contribute their average level of performance
They want to give everything they can
They want to provide as much value as possible
So they can place their head on the pillow feeling fulfilled
Feeling grateful that they allowed themselves to express themselves
Joyful that they got to play as freely as they did as a kid
Point being
We only have so much time
So why not make it meaningful
Why not make the craft and the career as meaningful & joyful as possible?
“Meaning”
For the vast majority of the homo sapien experience
The meaning of life has been very simple
Survive
why?
Because surviving has been so bloody hard
Every part of our biology is designed for one thing… survival
For hundreds of thousands of years
(Up until less than a hundred years ago!)
A mere scratch could mean death
A human being standing alone and naked in the wild is bloody vulnerable creature
And just to survive and raise the next generation was an incredible feat
It meant the continuation of the species
But change occurred
Something allowed us to go from the middle of the food chain
To the top
Connection (& technology - but let’s put that aside for now)
Let’s look at connection
Human relationships
Our attachments to each other
Allowed us to climb the food chain
Connections meant more resources & watchful eyes
Connections meant better protection and ability to provide
Thus
Connection equals Survival which equals meaning
Now
What influences connection?
Stories
Stories helped the group connect
Both literal (Doug got eaten by bear at water hole, so don’t go to there)
And symbolic (in doing our work together today we will be pulling the sun from one horizon to the other)
So
Stories = connection = survival = meaning
Now
How does one tell a story?
This is where individuals get to play their way
Some direct
Some edit
Some make tiktoks
Some sing
Some do poetry
Some dance
Some paint
Some do puppetry
Some tell jokes
Some act
ACTING
Acting helps tell stories
Stories help individuals connect
Connections help the group survive
Surviving another day
Another generation
Bloody meaningful
**another chef’s kiss**
Therefore
Acting can be bloody meaningful if you want it to be
Let’s talk acting
And as with any craft
It requires…
Drumroll
SKILLS
But hang on
Before we start identifying which skills we need to improve our craft
We have to identify what is the specific craft that we want to get better at
Let’s get more specific than just saying “acting"
Saying you want to get better at acting is like saying “I want to get better as an athlete”
It’s very generalised
A powerlifter is not going to train the same skills as a sprinter or long jumper or gymnast
Get. Specific.
What kind of acting are we talking about?
Different kinds of acting require different skills
For example
Theatre acting comes with a non-negotiable
The audience member at sitting in the back row has to hear you
Comedy comes with it’s own requirements
In particular when it comes to rhythm and pace
As does Brechtian theatre
Mime
Musical theatre
Commedia dell’arte
Etc
When I was 22
I was lucky enough to receive a grant which meant I got to go to The Globe in London for the International Shakespeare Festival
One month
Every one of Shakespeare’s plays
Performed by a different theatre company
From a different country
In their own language
I wahtced a slapstick Brazilian Portuguese Romeo and Juliet where every actor was over 60
Romeo did the balcony scene whilst on stilts, playing an accordion and holding an umbrella
When Juliet died she turned into a swan and flew around the stage as a ballerina
I saw an absurdest German interpretation of Timon of Athens
Where the actors started the play in tuxedos
And ended it naked in a pile of mud
I saw a naturalistic Armenien King John
Different style after different style
All demanding their own skillsets
Even within screen acting - different styles exist
I had a friend get an evening tv sitcom in America
Which meant filming on a live stage with 3 cameras - a style completely of its own!
Ya get the point
Different styles of acting
Means different skill sets to invest your precious resources into
Now
Time for the big question
How do you know which style of acting you want to get good at?
Simple
What do you love?
What keeps you up at night?
What energises you?
What do you think about?
Forget about what you should want to get good at
Go back to the body
You’re going to be dead soon
In a 100 years no one will even remember your name
So may as well have a crack at the one which your body is calling you towards
Listen to your body
Let it lead
Give yourself permission to go in the direction your gut is saying to go (for now)
(with full permission that in 6 months you might wake up and love a completely different style as the one you love today!)
Exercise: Inspiration
Step one
Write down the art that inspires you most
The scenes, films, plays, actors, artists etc that make you stay up late
That make you forget to eat or sleep
The work that makes your body go fuck yes
The work that springs forth if I put gut to your head and said:
“Be honest - what do you want to contribute most to this industry”
No judging, editing, justifying etc
Just write
Let it flow out
Mess and all
Step Two
Identify why you think you love their work
What is it that they do which makes you feel alive and meaningful inside
What is it about their work that inspires you?
Again no good, bad, right or wrong answers here
Guess away!
Step Three
80/20 (Pareto principle)
Pick 20% of the examples that inspire you most
And identify the skills required to deliver that kind of work
Drumroll
These are your skills
These are the skills most worth investing your precious resources into
Step Four
Ask yourself
Where can I go, or who can help me best with these specific skills?
Curious!
Time to go dive into the deep end of skill development
Then?
Just add some time
Why time?
Skill development + patience = Deliver the work you dreamed of giving
***Final Chefs kiss***
Hope this helps
X
Overwhelm On Set
The following is a recent text exchange with a professional actor (It has been edited for privacy reasons).
ACTOR: Okay. I am on set. Have filmed a bit. As time goes on and there are delays I catch myself doubting myself. The other actors on set have been leads in ******** and all these huge shows with huge American named actors. Can’t help but wonder what they’re thinking of me and my acting and how low do I rank on their list. How bad am I doing? Why am I acting like this? Curious. I feel like I’m an awful actor because I’m not getting praised for being good. I need to work harder. I need to study more. I need to go back to acting school. I missed a stage of learning because how I’m saying these lines is rushed. I need to breathe. Have I understood the nuance? Have I missed out on anything? How do I become what people consider a great actor? How do I begin to trust myself when I know what I’m doing isn’t worth being amazing. Anyways. Rant and thoughts. I know I need to just breathe and put myself in the room. But it’s tough haha.
MICHAEL: Incredible honesty. Love this - thank you for sending. Such beautiful awareness and bringing it back to what is within your control (your breath). Permission to be exactly where you are. It’s not good, bad, right or wrong.
ACTOR: How does one get better though?
MICHAEL: Let’s dive in. Specifically - are you referring to skillset or mindset?
ACTOR: I’m talking about talent.
MICHAEL: Okay. Next question. What is your definition of talent?
ACTOR: It’s just that thing that makes someone effortless and good. Like they almost don’t have to do any study or homework or prep. It’s like the kids in school who never studied but would get 100% in exams, and they’d be all nonchalant about it. It’s like what people say “they have that thing”. I feel like I’m constantly being the mechanic trying to build the magic machine that will eventually trick people into believing I have “it” but the machine is currently outdated.
MICHAEL: Curious. Let’s keep going. This is important. Please name me some artists you think are talented (“effortless and good")
ACTOR: You. Phoenix, Del Toro, Plaza, Pugh, Chamalet.
MICHAEL: Firstly, here is an article I wrote specifically on the idea of talent (https://www.actorsblueprint.com/articles/how-to-be-more-talented). My second point… research each one of those artists’ backgrounds that you mentioned. There will be clues everywhere. Practical things that remove the magic… there is no magic. There is no raw talent. I truly believe this and have seen no proof that disputes this.
ACTOR: I think if I was to take it a step further, it’s that overwhelming realisation that whatever I’m putting down is captured and people will watch it. And they’ll not see my progress they’ll just see me in this time capsule. And then I’ll never get work. And I’ll never make that place of effortlessness. Because I’m constantly having to prove myself, that I’m better than I was before. I know it’s so crazy but it’s that.
MICHAEL: Beautiful! Brilliant! Absolutely nothing to do with your definition of “talent”. Just 101 innate fear of failure. “I know it’s crazy” - this is where the problem starts. Don’t judge these thoughts. Why? They are perfectly normal! You giving yourself permission to be exactly where you are is the next step. “I’m afraid of looking like a fucking failure… and that’s okay”. Sit with that, breathe that in. If you keep judging and resisting it then it will keep bursting through under pressure. Quick story - I had to walk out of a scene during The Nightingale because I thought I was about to have a panic attack. I couldn’t stop the thoughts “this is shit, I’m fucking this up” etc. The trick was I had setup a system on set - I created a relationship with the vocal coach whereby she would pull out her watch, time me for 90 seconds, I’d say all my fears, then I’d walk away. No trying to fix or solve, no trying to be other than where I was. And no judgements… just permission. In short, my answer is… Setup a system for when you start to judge yourself. I’m right here - so feel free to send me that 90 seconds when you need, then you can get on with giving your work :) Love x
ACTOR: Mike. You’re the best. And I appreciate you. Thank you for listening to me. I really, really fucking appreciate it.
Dangerously Sustainable
Man I’m lethargic
The end of a year
And the start of new one
Brings with it an increase of questioning & thinking about results
Did I cross off enough goals?
Did I tick important boxes?
How can I smash this year ahead in my work & career?
Ugh
Feels draining in the body
And a bit hopeless to be honest
I remember a time
When I had a piece of paper stuck on my wall
I was twenty one
I had just graduated from drama school
I had all the tools under my belt
I had all the drive and energy to claw for results
And I was deeply afraid
Of not being able to land any work in my first year in the industry
Of being the first one of my year group to have to throw in the towel because it “just wasn’t working out”
The new year had just started
So I sat down
And thought about what I should do in order to be a good actor who gets results
Key words being “should”, “good” & “results”
Immediately
I had a flood of things come to mind
All the bits of advice from three years at a prestigious acting institute
I came up with a program for myself
A good actor’s checklist
And stuck that bad boy right in the centre of my wall
Where I could see it every day
Some of the boxes included
“30 minute voice warm up every day”
“60 minute movement warm up every day”
“Two hours practice every day”
“Read one play per week”
“Summarise one acting book per month”
“Two self tapes every week”
“Get one film, one TV show & one theatre show this year”
The list went on like this
I still giggle when I think about this piece of paper
At the start of every week
I would stand there
And see exactly what I “should do”
Feel completely exhausted by simply looking at it
And then try complete it
Week after week
Month after month
Push
Force
Should
After a while
It was pretty damn obvious that I wasn’t getting everything done each week
So just to hammer home how important this list was to my success
I added a quote on it which came from my main acting teacher at drama school
“Michael
You will never be good enough at acting
Because you are too afraid of failure”
HA!
“Let’s see who has the last laugh”
I told myself
“I will work so hard and fail so much that I’ll show him!”
So not only did I have this great big list of shoulds on my wall
But now
I also had a little extra fuel of shame each week if I hadn’t completed absolutely everything
And?
Did I get more done?
YES
I did!
For about three days in a row
Then the wheels would come off
Simply unsustainable
Like bashing my head against a wall and wondering why it kept hurting
Now
Let’s juxtapose this whole chapter with another that comes to mind
I remember a time
Many years (& failures) later
When I got a call from my agent
To tell me the news I had just gotten one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling jobs I ever had
I didn’t pick it up
Why?
Because I was practicing with a friend
And when I did eventually call her back in my break and receive the news
She was dumbfounded that I wasn’t desperately clambering for more information
Or screaming at the top of my lungs
Yes - I was absolutely grateful and happy to receive the role
But I simply wanted to get back to practice
This was at a time when I had zero goals
Zero shoulds to tick off each week
Certainly no list on my wall of results to achieve
And even zero expectation to practice
I just kept showing up to peoples homes to tape
Why?
Because I was having fun
I was practicing with 2 or 3 really energising people each week
We would meet up
Share snacks
And then just play around for 45 minutes each
No pressure on results
No pressure to push or succeed
Just one focus
Playing infant of the lens
And playing meant fun
And ontop of having fun
Playing meant the entire concept of failure vanished
There was suddenly no way I could fail
And this run of practice went on and on
Sustainably for over a year and a half straight
So
Two chapters
One
All about pushing for results and doing what a good actor should do
Which resulted in nothing getting done
And the other?
All about playing
Which resulted in fun
And that fun kept going sustainably
In fact
Now that I realise it
That run of fun practice only stopped because I got four jobs in a row which took me away form the action
Damn!
I’m sitting in my garage with a deer-in-headlights kind of look on my face
Of course
When I focused on getting results
I came up with a bunch of exhausting shoulds
And I never maintained the processes
Plus I felt tired, ashamed & guilt the majority of the time
But when I focussed on playing
I simply did things the way I wanted
With people I felt energised by
And the only reason I stopped
Was because I became busy working professionally
So
What’s my point?
Going into 2024
Thinking about your craft
Thinking about your career
I have one question…
“What would acting look like if it were actually fun for me?”
Hope this helps
X
Yearly Acting Review
At the end of each year
Instead of coming up with some new year acting resolutions
Which usually include a bunch of shoulds instead of wants
Examples include:
“I should get a main role in a great TV series or film”
“I should warm up my voice and body for one hour every day”
“I should go to class twice a week”
“I should practice a self tape every day”
And my personal favourite:
“I should read one play every week to be a good little actor”
Sidenote
If an actor doesn’t have goals to be working in the theatre
Why are they allocating time & energy trying to develop theatre skills by reading plays when they don’t actually enjoy reading plays?
An incredible old teacher of mine at drama school told me to
“Give a play ten pages
And if you don’t feel genuinely excited about turning to page eleven
Close it”
That’s some damn wonderful advice from a very smart old artist
We work too damn hard in this industry
And make too many damn sacrifices
We may as well create space to actually enjoy what we do!
ANYWAY
Instead of these kinds of New Years resolutions
To help me learn from the past year & guide me into the year ahead
I do a Yearly Acting Review which is based off my body
Why my body?
Because Mother Nature is in charge
There is not a manmade thing on this earth she can’t destroy whenever she wants
We all come from her
And we will all return to her
So better to be with her than against her
Millions of years of biology have gotten us to this point
So I’m pretty sure she knows what she’s doing
And damn sure the most exhausting moments in my life have been when I have tried my hardest to ignore the signals my body is sending me
Maybe better to let her lead
Okay
Here we go
Yearly Acting Review
Requirements?
Some private time & space
Paper & Pen
Maybe some music or a favourite beverage?
And If you keep a calendar or schedule this will be immensely helpful
Step One
Write down all the things your body found to be energising over the past year
The friends, colleagues, coaches, teachers, books, activities, environments, events, etc
That made your body feel light, excited, awake, exhilarated, free, love, growth, play, joy, bliss, alive, etc
Step Two
Out of all those energising things
Circle the (roughly) 20% that were the most energising
So if you wrote down twenty energising things
Circle roughly four that were the most energising
Curious
Step Three
Now write down all the things your body found to be de-energising over the past year
The people, colleagues, coaches, teachers, books, activities, environments, events, etc
That made your body feel heavy, tight, lethargic, stuck, anxious, locked, exhausted, etc
Step Four
Out of all those de-energising things
Circle the (roughly) 20% that were the most de-energising
So if you wrote down twenty five de-energising things
Circle roughly five that were the most de-energising
Curious
Now…
There might be some very interesting insights coming your way already
But let’s use this info to create change
Step Five
Time to replace the most de-energising things with the most energising
The key is to start now
Book it in
Send the text
Organise the time
Click send
Invite that person
Reach out to that friend
Ask that mentor
Schedule that event
Pay for it
Put that activity in the calendar
Just take action in some way shape or form
One little step at a time
Nothing will come from nothing
And every action has a reaction
Make it easy for yourself to show up to that which makes your work and life worth it
The goal here is to essentially let your body lead in a very practical way
To allow your bodies energy to flow in the direction it wants
If it wants more of those people, environments, activities etc
Give it to it
An incredible coach of mine once said to me
“Mike, the easiest energy is yours”
And I wholeheartedly agree
Acting has never flowed for me more than when I move in the direction my body wants me to go
Rather than trying exhaustively to push against it
I really hope this helps
X
No Actor Does It Alone
I believe
The most important resource you have as an actor
Is your curiosity
But second to that
Is the people who you choose to share your curiosity with
No actor moves through this industry alone
We are surrounded by people
Readers
Agents
Managers
Teachers
Coaches
Mentors
Colleagues
Class mates
Those we run lines with
Those we shoot self tapes with
Those we go to for guidance when we feel utterly stuck
Those we celebrate with when we get wonderful phone calls
Those we cry with when we get rejected for the 23rd time in a row
Point being
Relationships are a crucial part of our journey
They are highly influential over where we end up as artists
As well as being deeply wired into our nature
So I believe it’s really worth paying attention to who we surround ourselves with
The following is an exercise to help you build energising connections in 2024
You will need a paper and pen
And as always
Your honesty
One
Write down the most energising relationships you have in this industry
(those which make your body feel full, light, honest, open, expansive, love, excited, calm, home, etc)
Then out of these, circle the top 20% most energising
Two
Write down the most de-energising relationships you have in this industry
(those which make your body feel locked, tense, clenched, exhausted, anxious, small, etc)
Then out of these, circle the top 20% most de-energising
Three
Write down the 5 people you spend the most time with
Four
Now, write down the 5 people your body would like to spend the most time with
Question
Is there a difference between steps 3 and 4?
If so
Curious
Time to open your hand and reach out
Send that message
Make that call
Book that coffee
Ask to help out with that next self tape
Write that email to express gratitude
Share some love
Remember
You are going to be dead soon
So no need to spend time with people you think you should spend time with
Simply hang out with people your body loves hanging out with
I truly believe
In this industry
One wonderful & energising relationship
Is worth far more than a hundred de-energising ones
What’s my point?
Make a conscious decision to share your curiosity
With people your body says “fuck yes” to
Hope this helps
X
How to Reinvent your Career
We see it over and over again
In only a few short years
Someone going from a dead end in their career
To suddenly delivering exactly the kind work they dreamed of
In other words
Reinvention
And acting is no exception
For the vast majority of actors
There is a common feeling of
“This just isn’t going anywhere”
And that’s okay
In fact
If you’re noticing that thought
Celebrate it
Because it means you’re aware of it
And awareness equals choice
And choice means change
I repeat
You have a choice to change
Trust me
I’m a complete idiot
How much of an idiot you ask?
Earlier this year I ruined a take by trying to pick up a prop whilst facing away from camera and I split my pants
($30 million dollars and what do you get? Michael Sheasby’s undies)
Ahhhh what’s sad is I have so many more stories like that
ANYWAY
I’m an idiot
But even I went from feeling utterly stuck & resenting acting with all my being in 2015
To being nominated alongside my heroes for work I was genuinely proud of fourteen months later
So if I can do it
You absolutely can make progress toward whatever meaningful goals you have over the next year
So
The following is a slow, kind & simple (I said simple, not easy) process
For reinventing your career in 2024
This process will require the most basic & important ingredients of honesty, clarity, and action
Here we go
One
Inspiration
Identify the work that inspires you most
The work that makes your body feel energised, alive, playful, exhilarated, meaningful, light, love… home
The work where you know, deep down, you belong
The work that makes you think “If I could just give that to this world, it would all be worth it”
The work that brings an easy breath to your body
Let’s avoid the de-energising shoulds here
The artists, films, plays, styles, that you should like in order to please others
Listen to what your body is yearning for
Let it lead
The body is the best guidance system we have
Better to trust millions of years of evolution
Over exhausting, erratic & fashionable noise
It’s simple really
Gun to your head, what kind of work makes you feel “fuck yes”?
Two
Skills & Behaviour
Once you are clear and honest about the kind of work that inspires you most
Identify the skills & behaviour required to give that kind of work to this world
The skills will be influenced by the style of work you love
If you love American 3-camera sitcoms
This will require very different skills to that of arthouse films
The skills of pantomime on stage will be very different to that of modern day musicals
etc
Then
Look at the kind of person you have to be to gain and deliver these skills
The kind of person who is honest when it’s hard to be?
The kind of person who focuses on what they can control?
The kind of person who surrounds themselves with energising people?
The kind of person who asks for help?
The kind of person who spends more money on practice each month then on drugs?
The kind of person you trusts their instincts?
Etc, etc
Three
Prioritisation
Use Pareto’s principle (AKA 80/20 Rule) to prioritise the skills & behaviour most important for your reinvention.
Roughly speaking
In an ocean of technique
There will be a few
Which will work well for the majority people the majority of time
These are to be prioritised
So if you wrote down ten skills which are required for you to deliver the kind of work you love
Clarify the two most important ones
Then focus your time & energy on only those two skills
Forget about the other eight for now
Remember
Amateurs try do lots
Pros do less
That’s why they do it better
Four
Action
Distill those specific skills & behaviour down to their simplest & most repeatable iterations.
Boil the skill or behaviour down until you find the smallest gem you can
Then take that gem
And make it non-negotiable
That’s the tiny little thing you do
Every day or week
Rain, hail or shine
Small gems don’t add up
They compound
(Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world for a reason)
And finally
Five
Patience
The ability to slow down when your fear urges you to speed up
In an industry where it can feel like you are falling behind if you haven’t had an audition in a week
It takes a hell of lot to build the muscle of patience
To say no when you really feel like you should say yes out of fear
I am sitting in my garage right now
Sweating
I received some news a few hours ago
And my fear is yelling at me to push, force and try claw at things which are outside of my control
So I have decided instead to interrupt the system
Go back to my breathing
Try my best to let my body know its safe
& that it’s more then okay to stay in my timezone
Rather then rushing into everyone else’s
Sometimes
The hardest thing to do
Can simply be nothing
Hope this helps
X
Desperate Times
I have a recurring dream
Or more specifically
A recurring dream sequence
I find myself standing in the wings of a theatre
With old cast mates
I find them looking at me
With somewhat concerned eyes
I try convince them
That I know what I’m doing
But I have no idea what I’m doing
Then at some point
I realise everyone is waiting for me to actually step onto the stage
“But I don’t know my lines”
I tell myself
Then I realise
That I have been asked to just quickly step in
For a revival of an old show I have done at some point in the past
Sometimes it’s Romeo & Juliet
Sometimes it’s Henry V
Last night it was Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia
I played the mathematician called Valentine
Yes - Stoppard named his Mathematician “Valentine”
In love with the world of numbers and the meaning they can convey
Deeply romantic about the unemotional laws of thermodynamics
I have pages and pages of dialogue
Monologues about the desperate attempts to predict the weather
And what will happen to this earth as it eventually cools like a cup of tea
Valentine’s brain explodes with glee
“It’s the best possible time to be alive
When almost everything you thought you knew
Is wrong”
I know my lines
Then
As I step onto the stage
To see what happens when I wholeheartedly surrender to the chaos of live performance
I wake up.
God I miss acting
I miss being in theatre rehearsals
I miss the playing
The experimentation
The slow, kind & intricate building
The smashing of what’s good & right to try find something real
From nothing
To something
Back to nothing
I miss the people
I miss the beautiful language & ideas
The glorious mess of experts having no idea what they’re doing
But yet still trusting each other with everything they have
I take a breath
Time to rise and shine
Kenzie Baby is now sleeping through the night
So we are up before she is
Which means we get to be the first thing she sees when she wakes
She does a little head shake
Opens her dark brown eyes
Stares up at her gleefully smiling parents starring down at her like an identical pair of Mr Beans
And then all happiness breaks loose
Arms go flinging
Legs go kicking
Smiles are uncontrollable
She simply hasn’t learnt to dull her emotions state yet
There is no other choice for her but to feel what she’s feeling
Happy
Angry
Sad
Calm
Frustrated
It ain’t good, bad, right or wrong
She just goes there
No hiding
No numbing
It’s beautiful to watch
A reminder of what’s flowing behind each humans’ eyes
When they simply breathe as themselves
Whilst fighting to present a facade of stability to society.
We meander to a local cafe
Kenzie Baby playing with Maurice
Her green dinosaur teddy
I sit in silence
Thinking about my dream
Feeling like an anxious cucumber
I notice the internal voices
The stories I’m telling myself in this moment
“I should be auditioning”
“I should be working”
“I should be out there doing it”
I feel heavy
Like there’s a knot inside my chest
Hang on…
Stop
I love this thing
I love what I do
Then why so many shoulds right now?
It was only the other day I finished leading a feature film
And was feeling a deep sense of contentment
Of patience
Like I knew it was okay to go slow
And take my time
Let things settle
I felt so clear about what I wanted to be doing right now
Being there for my family
Helping other artists give their most generous work
And getting some time in nature
Clear
So why the change?
Why the recent shift into insecurity?
Why the sudden angsty desperation crawling under my skin?
Oh
I immediately feel embarrassed
Ashamed
Gross
You see
A day or two ago
I went onto social media
(Yes - The Actor’s Blueprint is now on Insta)
And I stalked an old colleague
I saw what they were doing
They looked so busy
So smiley
So involved in the biz
And immediately
I began to question my decisions
Gotcha
I celebrate
“I caught the thought!”
Mmm
I’m just afraid
I’m afraid I’ll get left behind in the industry
I’m afraid all my efforts or achievements will become unimportant
I’m afraid I won’t matter
Well
Guess what
That’s guaranteed
I don’t even know the names my great grandparents
In less than one hundred years from now
It will all be forgotten
All my efforts, work, accomplishments and failures
Gone
Erased from memory
And that’s okay
And furthermore
I’m allowed to love something even if I’m not doing it
I still love being in nature when I’m writing in my dark garage
I still love my daughter when I’m away on set
I still love being in theatre rehearsal rooms even though I haven’t stepped in one in two years
Just because I have a deep love for it doesn’t mean I have to be doing it in this very moment
Or, more importantly
That I should be doing it in this very moment
Acting will always be there
For me to enjoy in my own time
And how beautiful to let others enjoy it in theirs
Permission to listen to my own rhythms
Permission to stay in my own timezone
Permission to breathe at my own pace.
I take a sip of my coffee
Kenzie Baby wants a cuddle
I slowly reach down and pick her up.
Hope this helps
X
Turtles Win Races
Hello
It’s been a while
I’ve been pretending to be a guy called Jack
In a film called Two Ugly People
Yes - I’m one of the ugly people
It was a massive few weeks
Filming in rural motels
Chinese karaoke bars
And country back streets at 4am.
If I put an imaginary whiteboard in front of me
And pretend the whole film experience is up there in front of me
A few key ideas pop up
One
I simply have no idea what acting is
Two
Human connection is everything
& Three
Turtles win races
Here we go
One
I say the following not to gloat but to prove what an idiot I am
I started acting at fourteen
I got into NIDA at eighteen
I was leading onstage at the Sydney Opera House by twenty five
I have worked with multiple Oscar winners & nominees
I have been nominated alongside Australia’s best
I help other artists around the world to give their work in their respective fields
As well as leading the screen acting lecturing at Australia’s most prestigious acting institute
So believe me when I say…
I really
REALLY
Feel like I should know what acting is by this point
But in all honesty
I don’t have a clue
I’m fucking stumped
Right now, I feel like I’m wrestling with a cloud
Mmm
Maybe there’s a hint
“Wrestling”
Like I’m trying to fight with it
Control it
Maybe that’s the point
That it’s not something to be fought with
Controlled
I can hear the great Eleonora Duse calmly saying
“There is no one way. Every actor must find their own way.”
Maybe I’m in a place where I need to unclench my fists
Let myself get lost in the grey mist of a craft which is never supposed to be leashed
Two
I have just had the privilege of working with a wonderful actress
Yes - she is the other ugly person
This actress has zero background with training or acting technique
And I was blown away
There is simply nothing more wonderful than working with someone who doesn’t know what they should be doing
Who doesn’t know how to please generic acting teachers or books on “how to get the part!”
Because their energy is focussed on only what is most important
Human connection
I have just had the greatest privilege of working with someone who only focussed on the most real of things
After twenty years of experience
I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to know
That at any point
No matter how scared, stupid, or lost in the scene I felt
I could look up
And there was a human standing opposite me
With open eyes
Who was brave and generous enough to be willing to connect as a living, breathing human
That shit builds trust like no other
And it has absolutely given a nudge to the direction ill head in with the 2024 NIDA students
Courageous human connection
To be clear
There is not a casting director I know
Who would prefer an actor to get the scene right
Rather than connect honestly with the person standing opposite them.
Three
A few nights into filming
We were doing a very long shot
A walk and talk
The night was getting on and as more lighting was being set up
I snuck aside to have a look at playback on the monitor
I saw two people
Walking along a beautifully lit corridor
Under the night sky
At a Mexican-themed rural motel in the Australian bush
The shot reminded me of something
And I immediately began to well up
You see
Eight years ago
I was sitting with the writer/director of Two Ugly People
In a dingy Newtown apartment
During a particularly cold and wet winter
I remember the obsessive conversations
The clarity and drive in his eyes
About what he wanted to contribute to the industry
The stories he wanted to give to the art of cinema
The on-screen relationships he wanted to build
The shots he wanted to paint with lighting and lenses
And all these years later
To watch someone I love realise a decade long dream
It clarifies for me one idea
How damn possible it is for people to build their dreams
When they do it slowly
To sail steadily toward a clear harbour on the other side of the world
Damn that’s dangerous
And bloody generous too
I think most actors vastly overestimate what they can accomplish in a year
But drastically underestimate what they can achieve in a decade
Remember
Steady turtles outlive frantic hares
Hope this helps
X