The Actor's Job

It's been a pretty busy few days for me. I was out of town for Easter--wonderful to see friends and family and, I hadn't realized I missed wide open spaces until I was in them-- and then came back to double stacked auditions. Today I have two more in the Loop.

Which brings me to: What, exactly, is the actor's job?

I was recently listening to an online seminar, and the lecturer stated that the actor's job is to audition. Not to get booked, but audition. I don't agree with the statement. In my opinion, the audition is simply a job interview. The purpose is to determine not only whether I am capable of performing the part (which lots of people who audition will be), but also whether I (me, myself) am a good fit for the project. Do I look like what the director wants? (Do I look exactly like the lead when I'm being called for a supporting role?) Do I present myself as someone people would want to spend weeks and even years with? This is why it's so important to be "on" the second you walk into the building. You must be nice to the monitor, you must be personable. There is no sense in blowing an interview because you're having a bad day and take it out on the person checking people in. The audition isn't your job, it's the gateway to a job. We just have a higher turnover than other trades.

A job pays, auditioning does not. If we are serious about pursuing this as a career, we must believe that what we do, what we bring to the table is worth compensation. I don't consider an interview in any other business my job, and acting, as much as we may resist, is a business. We need to acknowledge it as such.  

Right now, I'm auditioning LIKE it's my job, but it's not.

Any opinions? Am I just arguing semantics again?