Overcome Nerves and Anxiety

When I was a younger actor, I was cripled by the massive anxiety I experienced both before and during the audition.  I thought the profound doubt and massive insecurity I was experiencing meant there was no hope for me to give a dazzling, honest audition.  I erroneously believed that I either needed to be having “character” thoughts and feelings, or I needed to feel uber confident and “in the zone”.  

It turns out that experiencing profound doubt and massive insecurity is a good sign – it’s often the price of admission for doing something meaningful and alive!  Those watching your audition don’t see what you’re thinking and feeling – they see what you are doing.  So if you have that very specific, One Honest Thing that you are actually doing during your audition, despite whatever you might be feeling or thinking, facing life as it truly is in the moment…then the audience sees a real human being!  The illusion of character is formed in the mind of the audience/viewer/casting director by allowing them to witness your brave and actual human struggle- by you acting through whatever your internal experience is. This is not achieved, however, by attempting the impossible task of manipulating your own thoughts and feelings.  

The key is to accept your fear! Yep, ACCEPT those anxieties and ambiguous feelings. The trap is to attempt to control or be rid of all those inner energies instead of transforming them into the powerful fuel they are meant to be!  How do we create this transformation?  By going back to our Action, to that One Honest Thing, again and again and again.  Your fears and doubts then become the waves you learn to joyously surf!  

FEAR can be 

Fu@k

Everythin

And

Run 

Or it can become 

Face 

Everything 

And 

Rise THROUGH ACTION!