I want to know… why is it that some actors always succeed? That it seems that everything they do, it gets handed on a silver platter- especially newcomers of who come into the biz with little to no experience and suddenly get an overnight profile and career handed to them? Or why is it that some actors can financially be able to afford it all?

Why is it that some actors always seem to fail? Or they succeed here and there and then go all the way back down again?

Or why some actors always seem to stay in the same spot?

How does one become successful? How do we get it Right? Is there a step-by-step formula? Or is it just pure luck- right place, right time, or one has there “look” right of there product, skills honed into place?

edit- i want to word that better.

This is an interesting topic since I think about this often; I'm sure all of us do.

I am going to have to think about this before I respond since I'm not entirely sure.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

My impulse answer is marketability. It all has to do with marketability.

Marketability, you mean as in the headshot, reel, how one networks and confidence to be able to walk the walk and talk the talk well?

As far as the idea of being "marketable" goes, I took it as some people just have *that* looks and or personality that sells. It is some IT factor that may or may not be explainable. If it *is* explainable, it is often a certain charisma, someone very unique and intriguing in their looks (although this could be limiting), or they have the All-American white bread look that sells (also has its limits). And when I saw "white bread" i do not mean caucasian, but very plain Jane and commercial looking, someone that you feel you know.

quote:

Originally posted by kriscal:
I want to know… why is it that some actors always succeed? That it seems that everything they do, it gets handed on a silver platter- especially newcomers of who come into the biz with little to no experience and suddenly get an overnight profile and career handed to them? Or why is it that some actors can financially be able to afford it all?

Why is it that some actors always seem to fail? Or they succeed here and there and then go all the way back down again?

Or why some actors always seem to stay in the same spot?

How does one become successful? How do we get it Right? Is there a step-by-step formula? Or is it just pure luck- right place, right time, or one has there “look” right of there product, skills honed into place?

What actor do you know of got their career handed to them on a silver platter? Even the lucky ones had to work their asses off.

Tenacity. After training, studying, life experience, networking,

promotion, etc., are in the soup, I believe it is the

ability to take punches, and stay in the ring.

This is an endurance contest. Competition

falls to the mat, victim to the blows

of discouragement, believing they

are too this, or not enough that,

and comparing their progress

to that of others. How many

punches can you take,

and remain on

your feet?

Jim

I once read that Felix ("happy") Mendelssohn was well-named, that things just went well for him from the start, even as other composers struggled, even led tragic lives.

Sometimes, no matter how gifted you are, no matter how hard you work, that's all it is: luck.

You still have to work, try, get out there, etc. But not every brilliant songwriter gets to be Bob Dylan, or even make a record, and not every brilliant actor makes a living at it or even to the big screen.

Control what you can; let go of the rest.

Luck....

I know it's sad, but I really do think that like 90% of this industry is being lucking enough to be in the right place at the right time and someone taking notice. 10% is your ability because there are so many skilled actors out there who are very marketable and want it very badly and have been working very hard to years, but are never in the right place at the right time and therefore never make it.

Also, knowing some people in high places can't hurt either - helps to get into the right place at the right time, but then you better be damn sure you're good enough to make that moment count!

I think that most successful actors are really, really down to earth. And very curious and interested in what's going on around them. They were kind to others when they were coming up the ladder and it paid off when they finally made it to the top. Some of those actors you are referring to that aren't all that great, but seem to hit a home run every time, are very dependable; people can rely on them to promote the movie/plays they are in, and they are generally nice people. You'd be surprised how far good manners and kindness will get you.

Well, this is an interesting question.

So far I like nonstagemom's response the best.

And as far as luck goes: It's all about making as many opportunities for luck to happen as possible.

I'll just throw out some quotes (I found these on infolist.com's 'Quote of the Week' section):

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." --Thomas Jefferson

(I really like that one; I'm gonna add that to my signature. )

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. The people who get on in this world are they who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." -- George Bernard Shaw

"Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." -- Thomas A. Edison

Amen to all all those quotes!

We make our own luck..

Preparedness Plus Opportunity Equals LUCK!

oh my gosh actorpat i LOVE your thomas jefferson quote!

so true, so true!

Ah, the old Inspirational Quote trick, eh?

Like I said: you have to work, either way.

But Salieri the laboring craftsman could never be Mozart no matter how hard he tried. And Tom Cruise, no matter how hard he works (very hard, I believe), was born looking like Tom Cruise.

After 12 years in this city, I've seen very talented people work non-stop, bravely, creatively and get... well, a certain distance. No further. I've also seen people drift upwards, almost without effort.

My main point is: you can't worry about this kind of thing. You do your part. Other people who - so far as you can tell - haven't done theirs may get ahead of you.

It's just not something to obsess over.

quote:

Originally posted by JimChevallier:
Ah, the old Inspirational Quote trick, eh?

Like I said: you have to work, either way.

My main point is: you can't worry about this kind of thing. You do your part.

Jim makes an excellent point in that it is indeed pointless to worry about the whole subject matter. Whatever happens is going to happen, and you should only really worry about things you can control:

-Keep your training up.
-Cultivate and maintain good relationships.
-Eat well and go to the gym.
-Do your homework; research any and everything about the industry.
-Get yourself out there. Learn to market yourself to the best of your ability.
-Be proud of your friends' achievements as well as your own; or on the other side, don't be bitter about other's getting ahead of you for the time being.

All that being said, I fully believe that if you have big dreams, keep 'em alive. Sure, you have to think realistically, but that doesn't mean you can't be the next big thing in film or TV; it just means you have to understand it takes a lot of hard work, luck, and determination; it's a many tiered process, very very few people just become a star overnight.

If you stick it out and keep yourself productive and deal with what you can control, good things will happen. Might take a while, but they'll happen. The only way you're guaranteed to fail is if you give up.

Dream big, work hard, follow the path that comes up. Even if you don't get to the destination you want, many people in the world never even set foot down their dream path. So take solace in the fact that you're ahead of the game in terms of pursuing what you hope to do in your life.

/cheese