One time I was feeling really weird. My face was hot, I was dizzy, I had slurred speech. So I typed my symptoms into WebMD, and it turns out I was only drunk.That, or I was in the middle of an audition battling the demon: nervousness. You’re going to deal with it a lot in the beginning, but through sheer experience it will subside. It’s kind of like how NFL quarterbacks claim the game “slows down” for them in their second year. Eventually your head will stop spinning.
But in beginning, when auditions are infrequent, how do you deal with nerves? By listening to the advice of a few of my acting teachers, hereby paraphrased by me:
Jim Gleason:
“Stop thinking about it as an audition. Just have a conversation. Have fun. And later that night, as you get into bed and recap your day, you’ll think, ‘I was good today. And that’s all that matters.’ That’s how you should view acting. In fact, I think that’s how you should view all of life.”
Stuart Robinson:
“Try not to get caught up with how much an audition might change your life. Think about it this way: let’s say you were just walking down the street one day and someone popped out of a building and said ‘Hey, you wanna audition for this film?’ You’d shrug your shoulders and reply ‘Okay,’ and just relax and go inside. Remember – the role was never yours to begin with, so you really can’t/won’t get nervous about losing it.”
Jack Plotnick:
“There is no such thing as ‘nervous.’ The physical sensation of what some people call ‘nervous’ – i.e., your heart racing and butterflies in your stomach – is the exact same physical sensation as ‘excitement.’ And let me say this loud and clear: YOU MUST BE EXCITED IN ORDER TO ACT! Your heart MUST be racing! Your stomach MUST be full of butterflies! It’s why you became an actor to begin with – so you could feel that thrill of excitement. That feeling of excitement is there to help you. Without that adrenaline rush you wouldn’t be able to give the performance you want to give. It’s that extra flow of blood to the brain that sharpens your senses, improves your memory, and makes you emotionally available. It’s ‘excitement’ that allows a basketball player to shoot a ball through a hoop from mid-court. If I was feeling what some people call ‘nervous’ before an audition, and someone asked me how I was doing, I’d reply, ‘I’m excited, THANK GOD, and am currently in the process of releasing some negative thoughts.’ See, in this way, I’M the one in control. Not some monster called ‘nervousness’ that I have no control over. All actors feel excitement. It’s up to you whether you want to use it for or against yourself.”
Here’s the bottom line, guys: you will get nervous, you will trip up in auditions, but you will also get better. We’re not perfect. Giants stumble. The mightiest ships hit icebergs. For every Joe DiMaggio, there’s always a 57th game. You’re gonna be great.
