This post is inspired by a actress friend of mine. She is beautiful, talented and one of the sweetest people I know. Like all actors, all she wants is to perform good, provocative and artistically satisfying work in the industry she’s chosen. Over lunch one day, she expressed her biggest fear was not being liked. “I’m an actor. It’s my job to make everybody like me.”
Whoa, hold up.
“No,” I said. “That’s not your problem.” It should NEVER be your problem.
And that is true for anyone in any industry. Whether or not someone likes you shouldn’t be your problem. It’s theirs. All you can do is be the best and most honest self. It’s taken me years to really put this into practice in my day to day life, and even now it’s still difficult. I just have to keep reminding myself.
what is an actor’s job?
In addition to taking care of your physical and mental health (because this should be your number one priority), an actor’s job description is to:
- Study
- Prepare
- Create
- Audition
- Perform
There will always be people who like you and people who don’t. Let them decide based on your true self. And if they don’t like you, it’s not your problem. It really isn’t.
Repeat after me. “Whether or not someone likes me is NOT my problem, it’s theirs.”
You are beautiful, and you are enough. Just the way you are.
