Last night, I went to a screening of the new Ron Howard flick, "Rush," plus Q&A with it's stars, Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor) and Daniel Bruhl (I don't know how to do umlauts on this computer.) It's a beautiful film that is a character study about the Formula 1 drivers these guys play and the rivalry between them. Both actors are amazing in their respective roles, each doing a wonderful job taking on these iconic drivers.
What I found interesting was these guys talking about how they got these roles. Each had to audition. Yep, one has a SAG award for his work on Inglourious Basterds under his belt and the other is Thor, from the 3rd highest grossing film of all time. And both had to audition.
Here is what really struck me: Chris Hemsworth couldn't get an audition for this film. They weren't interested in seeing him. (Did I mention that he is THOR?) He wanted the role so much, once he read the script, that he proactively put himself on tape. He picked a monologue and had his wife tape him in his hotel room (and, he says, approximately 115 takes later he was finally happy enough with it to send it to his agents in hopes that Ron would watch it.)
When I first heard this, I thought, if THOR can't get auditions, what hope could I possibly have?
But, that is the incorrect response. What you should get out of this, is that no matter where you are in your career path you have to be proactive. Sure you should get a hold of scripts, find roles that are right for you, and put yourself on tape. But beyond that you got to be getting yourself out there, constantly creating. Write roles for yourself, create characters, do plays.
What will absolutely kill your career is sitting home and waiting for someone else to call you with an opportunity.
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