One of the hardest things for actors to do, it seems, is savor the moment. There is always this sense of, “Ooh, things are going to be so great when…” where actors are concerned. (Heck, not just actors. I’ve worked with producers who have this “Who is our next offer going out to?” disease, rather than celebrating that we’re in final negotiations with our first choice actor and that it just takes a little time to bring everything together. I’ve worked with writers who are obsessed with telling me about the next project we’re going to do together, rather than enjoying every moment on this current project. Agents will stop hearing me trying to cast one of their clients because they’re so eager to pitch me another client on the next film I’m working on.)

Hey, I don’t fault anyone for embracing the “gotta take advantage of the momentum” mentality. Piggybacking on immediate hype is one of the most efficient ways to continue working in this town. So, good. But what I would love to see is a sense of detachment, as it’s dangerous to become addicted to the “bigger, better, next thing” in this business. We all know how fickle this town can be, and that many actors will go from being very busy, high-earning stars to being the answers to non-sexy trivia questions within a few years. So, needing to always have some bigger thing looming is a dangerous mindset.

Enjoy the now. You got the audition? Yay! Celebrate that. Don’t fixate on the “what ifs” that go with the elements you can’t control that may or may not come next. You got a callback? Double yay! Celebrate that. No need to turn up the emotional investment on the next level of “what ifs” now either. And you booked the role? Triple yay! And isn’t that awesome? Sure, it might lead to a better agent or a recurring character or a pilot next year or, or, or… but rather than reveling in the anxious, emotionally-charged imaginaries of where this could go, why not bask in a bunch of glee over the booking that you got right now?

Yes, plan for ways to make the most out of this booking, but don’t shrug it off as “nothing compared to the next thing.”

An intern once read a script I was bidding on to cast and she got very excited to imagine that I would end up getting to cast this film. “Aren’t you excited?” she asked, as I was writing up the bid. “Sure,” I answered, calmly. “Why aren’t you more excited?” she asked. “I’ll be excited when the check clears,” I retorted. And the check clearing comes many, many, many steps beyond where I was at that moment. Sure, I love the anticipation of “what might be.” It’s why casting is such a cool job for me! I get to play with all of the potential cast configurations like puzzle pieces, trying to imagine all of the ways this film could end up looking, based on each one of those casting decisions. But I’m not going to be emotionally invested in each and every one of those potential configurations. Some offers, I care more about than others, sure. But even if we get the guy we want the MOST for the starring role, his deal could go bad and we’re back to square one. These things happen. So, why get all twisted up in the “what ifs” instead of just enjoying the ride?

Here’s a great example of what I’m talking about. Whenever I’m at any sort of event that can turn into an occasion to do a little networking, I find that I’m asked, “So, what do you have going on right now?” I list the couple of projects I’m actively casting and that’s it. Every now and then, if I’m accompanied by someone on my team who knows what other stuff I have coming up within the next few months or couple of years, I’ll get a nudge of, “Oh, you should tell him about such-and-such.” And I really dislike that! “Such-and-such” will be something to talk about after I’ve finished working on these projects that are front-and-center right this moment. There’s a time for talking about that next thing, when it’s no longer “the next thing.”

But there are others who cannot wait to tell you about the ten things they have in the queue. “Oh, yeah, I’m working on that, but let me tell you about this amazing new screenplay I just optioned for us to do in 2010.” And then the next hour is all about how much this producer’s life is going to change (and of course, the lives of everyone she knows, since she’s good to “her people” like that) because of this major acquisition. Yeah. Deals fall through. Checks don’t clear. Locations get dislocated. Stars pull out. Strikes are called. Things go awry.

So, why not enjoy the project you’re working on right this moment?

And if that project is a scene for your class? Great! Embrace it. Attack it with all of the gusto you have and really own that role while you’re exercising your actor muscles. What if, in this particular week’s class, you’re being scouted by an agent friend of your instructor, who has said that the agent can sit in and watch scenes? And then that agent wants to sign you? And pitch you? And get you into casting offices you couldn’t get into before? And then you get a series? And then you’re a household name? And then, and then, and then…? You can’t know. And because you can’t know — and because even what you’re often sure you know can fall through at a moment’s notice — why stay emotionally invested in the anticipation of what may never even come to pass?

Stay in the now. It’s good for your craft. It’s really good for your sanity.

Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000851.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.