Got loads of great feedback on Conspiracy of Yes. THANK YOU! Here’s just some of it.
Thanks Bon. I needed to read that. Recently I was turned down for theatrical representation by a very well respected agency. It’s hard because I don’t get many meetings with solid agencies and it’s getting almost impossible to get auditions for TV and film without one.
But I have to remember to be grateful. Because usually a good agency will pass on me after seeing my tape. This agency actually gave me not one but two face-to-face meetings and cold readings. So I got further along in the process than normal. So maybe the next time it’ll all come together.
Love it! Great attitude. Keep at it. Always. 🙂 You’re closer to the conspiracy of yes with this one, for sure.
Bonnie,
Your Conspiracy of Yes finally hooked me! I discovered your column early this year, and after reading about the Conspiracy of Yes, I certainly could identify; I have blown one or two auditions and have been disappointed to be dropped because one role was cast before I even got to my audition. But I feel blessed to have been considered about four times out of twenty submissions, and wonder of wonders, to have made a delightful student film where the crew gave me an ovation! When considering the sheer number of submissions you mention on a project, I am encouraged! After a lifetime of playing the role of loving mother, wife, and grandmother, I came upon your column about February, and realized that electronic submissions might be my final chance to get another role in life!
I call the endeavor “My Folly,” but am sure it can only jazz up my older years, delight my grandchildren who have long declared that I should have been Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, and justify my scholarship to Northwestern’s theatre and film school eons ago. I have been delighted and encouraged by the sensitive scripts I have seen submitted to Actors Access. I welcome both comedy and drama, and love the vitality and depth of feeling that some of the young writers have assigned to senior roles. Like my mother once told me: “Remember, there is a young girl hiding inside every old gal’s body.”
I wish I had had advice like yours years ago when I needed it even more.
Virginia Shannon
Go get ’em, Virginia! Seeing actors enter the biz at a professional level later in life is always so much fun. Remember, attrition is your friend.
Hi Bonnie –
Thank you for the Conspiracy of Yes. I was reading it out loud to my husband saying, “See! This is what I’ve been saying; it is crazy out there!” And I got to your sentence: “Think that through — and I mean all the way through — just once and then find a way to stay grateful for however far you get in the process, every single time.”
And I burst into tears.
This summer I’ve been in a bit of a funk. I tested for the role of Bianca on All My Children. I was in the final five. And I didn’t get it. From what I understand, the casting office loves me and you never know down the line what may come. But it is the closest I’ve ever gotten to making this dream come true. Not that being on a soap is the end all, be all for me, but being employed as an actor is. (I’ve worked commercially; I’ve had bit parts here and there, but a steady gig?? That is the dream!) And then, a month after I tested, my manager dumped me. Said that, “testing wasn’t enough.” And what struck me was that during that month between the test and the dump, I did think it was enough. I was proud of myself for getting so far. They had been casting for months, in NY, Canada, and here. All of the other girls had at least one callback before the test. Not me. I went into one audition and then went straight to the screen test. To me, that was huge. And the person they cast is amazing in the role and she is who I would have cast, if it wasn’t me. So I was happy. I was satisfied. And I was hungry for the next opportunity. But when my manager dumped me it was like a kick in the gut and I went backwards. I thought, maybe she’s right and maybe it’s not just testing that isn’t enough. Maybe I’m not enough. And I have never, ever, in my life thought that. No matter how many auditions I’ve been on, no matter how many close calls I’ve had, I have never questioned whether I was I the right path.
Something clicked for me when I read your words. Finding a way to stay grateful has always been my forte. And I’m mad that I let someone else make me feel “less than.” My husband, my family, my friends, my teachers — everyone that I care about — they believe in me and share this dream. And I let one person make me question my worth and my gratitude.
Never again.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and striking a chord. I’m actually heading out tomorrow for a vacation with my family and when I get back I’ll be starting Class Rules! with you. I am fired up and excited to get started.
I’m so excited. I’m seriously so excited! Whether it’s my words or your own epiphany that brings you to the moment where you realize there is no need to ever let someone else take away your power, I’m glad it happened. Now you’re back on track. That’s a great place to be! The goal is not to never be thrown off track, but to be able to get back on track quickly, right? Well done!
Spot ON, as always, Miss Bonnie. I always explain the first step of casting as my “theory of piles.” Actors need to get in the little pile of submissions and not the round pile. 🙂 And after that I ask them if they wanna be rich, if they yes, I tell them to quit and go be an accountant. 🙂
Pete Vandrey
Iconoblast Talent Management
OMG, so true! I just did a radio interview for Film Courage in which I said I don’t know how to advise anyone who wants to be famous. Rich is the same deal, huh? It’s gotta be about the little rewards (and yes, the big ones come, if you’re in the right head space and do this long enough, the right way) or you’ll make yourself nuts.
Bon-
ALL of your articles are “must-reads.” But this one is definitely one that speaks to “actors of all ages and levels” and accomplishes several things:
- It is a clear picture for the newbie of exactly what is involved when choosing to pursue this career. So many have absolutely no idea how tough it is, the odds, etc.
- For the actor who has been in the biz for quite a while, and maybe hasn’t reached the level s/he wants, it is a reminder of how proud they should be for any and all of their accomplishment — and, as you point out — how grateful they should be. It is so easy for an actor to fall down into what I call “the black well of despair.” Over my more than 35-year span in this career, I have seen many dear friends just give up. If one leaves a career because one makes a POSITIVE decision to do so, that’s one thing. But to feel beaten and unhappy is another. This reminds those making that decision that they did a wonderful job while pursuing that career and can leave with head held high.
- And on the side of levity, for those who are constantly annoyed by well-meaning family and friends, bugging them about why they aren’t a star by now or why don’t they do so-and-so, well… they can simply link and send your article to them in an email or print it out and mail it to them. Tee hee.
AND YES, I am grateful.
Deborah Cresswell
I remember the analogy from The Other Costs of Acting, in which I talked about how you’d never have family members asking about every little element of the pursuit of work if you were in any other industry. It’s because ours is such a dream life for so many that others are simply curious about every aspect. And they want us to be happy. So, the goal is, get ’em to understand that the pursuit makes us happy. And that it takes a conspiracy to get to yes.
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/001218.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.