I’m an Actor. My job is to please you.

Actors can be so desperate to ‘get it right’ – I know because I spent my first 10 years of acting doing it. I started young and got lucky… Somehow I managed to please the right people, again and again. I’d get auditions one after the other. I had no idea what I was doing other than I was quite skilful at listening to what they wanted. Like a cameleon I’d give it to them. It got me so far. As I began to get caught up in giving people what they ‘wanted’ I lost myself. There was no skill in what I did other than being an experienced people pleaser. I didn’t even do it very well, but in the world of TV and film finding young people who can deliver within the constraints of the industry is rare. As I got older- it wasn’t so rare. My heart was big and my mind was quick- but spiritually I wasn’t in it. It became tiresome as I struggled to keep up with the ever-increasing demands from Directors, casting directors, agents… teachers. Luckily, I found the Actors Temple and it turned my life around- I started again.
Do not fall into the trap of pleasing others. Hone your craft, become an expert in being human. Do your thing, do it your way. Find what excites you, do that. The stories that interest you, tell them. Do it because you can’t not, because you have something to say. Otherwise you’re acting to please others and will find yourself unhappy playing catch up in the rat race, pleasing people, but never yourself. – Ashlie Walker MD & Temple Acting Coach.

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