We all make mistakes in our lives, careers, and relationships. I’ve made mistakes in my career as an actor.
But the actors who are most successful are the ones who have learned from these mistakes and have moved on to build better careers for themselves.
The problem is, many actors do not learn from their mistakes. They keep making the same mistake and getting the same result…over and over again.
To help you avoid these mistakes, I’ve put together a list of 6 deadly ways actors can ruin their careers.
If you want to be successful as an actor, watch out for these pitfalls and avoid them at all costs!
6 Deadly Ways Actors Can Ruin Their Careers
This is a list of the most common ways I see actors ruining their own careers and how to fix it. Please keep in mind that this list is based on my opinion only and is meant to be used as a tool for people to think about their own way of doing things.
1. Not having a career plan
2. Having low self-esteem
3. Acting like divas
4. Not being willing to take risks
5. Being afraid of rejection
6. Being closed minded
Actors are trained to be open and vulnerable, which makes them more prone to self-sabotage because they aren’t always aware of what they’re doing wrong. The first step toward fixing these mistakes is recognizing them and taking action against them by changing your behavior or thinking patterns in order to achieve success.
There are many ways actors can ruin their career on stage or on camera and these are just a few of them. I’m sure you can think of more, but these are the big ones.
Be as professional as possible and never let your ego get in the way of making new connections in your acting career.
Recently I had a work-related phone call with a young woman named Sara. Not only was she pleasant and polite, but she also had a great speaking voice. She was articulate, easy to understand, and made me feel at ease.
“Thank you for your time,” she said as we ended our conversation. “It’s been a pleasure to speak with you.”
“You’re welcome,” I responded. “And by the way, have you ever considered doing voiceover work?”
She laughed. “Actually, I’m an actor.”
As soon as those words came out of my mouth I felt like an idiot. Of course she’s an actor! Why else would her speaking voice sound so good? Why else would this be a work-related phone call? She was an actor and her job was to get me to hire her for something! But Sara didn’t seem to mind my faux pas at all; in fact, she was grateful for the compliment! And why wouldn’t she be? If I were in her shoes and someone told me my speaking voice sounded great, I’d be happy too.
I mention this story because it got me thinking about how often actors ruin their careers simply by not acting professionally — especially when in the public eye.
The problem with these actors is that they don’t want to do what it takes to get the job. You can’t just say a line of dialogue or two and hope that’s enough to get you hired.
You need to realize what casting directors are looking for in an actor. They need someone who will be able to handle the role and bring something different to the table. They need someone who can give them what they need without wasting time or money on training.
They want someone who can take direction, but also show some leadership qualities as well. If you don’t have those qualities, then you’re not going to get hired.
The real issue is that most actors don’t know how to find out what casting directors are looking for in an actor. They do this by paying attention to the direction they give, listening to how they talk about the character, and asking questions about what they think of their performance in previous roles.
If you do this, then you’ll know exactly what casting directors are looking for in an actor!
1. Don’t take your craft seriously
2. Be a diva
3. Be afraid of rejection
4. Be afraid to fail
5. Compare your career to others
6. Waste time
