Never Too Old

This week we lost a very talented character actor, Kathryn Joosten.  I didn't know her personally, but she always had a place in my heart as Mrs. Landingham in "The West Wing." 

Here are a couple facts about Ms. Joosten:

• She chose to follow her dream to become an actor at age 42.
• The first role you probably remember her in, "The West Wing," she booked when she was 59.
• She won two Emmy Awards for "Desperate Housewives" and the first one when she was 65.

People think Hollywood is only for the young and that as an actor you have some kid of expiration date stamped on you.  Many actors say that if they don't "make it" by 30 or some other completely arbitrary number that they will pack it in and go home. 

The truth is that there are a lot more than just young people in movies and on television.

Don't use your age an as excuse to give up, because the wonderful thing about acting is that you can do it no matter how old you are.  This isn't a sport that requires youth.  The acting muscle actually gets better with age and life experience certainly makes you a better actor.

There is no age limit on following your dreams.  Sometimes when we are young we take the easy path or path that was right at the time, but we come to realize we wish we were on a different path.  Many people might just look wistfully at the path they wish they had chosen without realizing that it's never to late to change things. 

It's never too late to start over, or try something new, or reach for something you never thought possible.  It just takes a little bravery and a willingness to take that first step.

A New Year and New Goals

New Years is fast approaching and people will start asking you what resolutions you made, like that question isn't the least bit nosy and intrusive.  My answers are the same as everyone else: to work out more, eat healthier, stop procrastinating, blah blah blah.  They are all good ideas but they lack specificity and for that reason I'm making the same resolutions every year.

One of my teachers at Playhouse West gives out a great goals assignment every year that helps with those pitfalls.  The first step is to create goals not resolutions.  Goals are something that have a finite end point and they are only goals if it is something that you can do on your own without the approval of someone else.

So, how do you create goals?

I start with my dreams.  You know those things that you want so bad and seem so far away that saying them out loud makes your stomach go into knots.  (I talked a bit about that here.)  This is one of my dreams: to become a series regular in a hit TV show.  The reason this is a dream and can't be a goal is because I cannot do it wholly on my own.  I need other people's approval to get cast and an audience to watch. 

The next step is to break your dream down into smaller dreams that lead to it.  In the case of getting a series regular role the steps before that would be booking some guest stars and before that would be some co-star roles.  That is a more manageable place to start, but it is still a dream and not a goal.

What goals would help me book some more co-star roles? 

• Always attending acting class unless I have an acting gig or am sick and I will always be working on a scene.  Perfecting my craft will make sure that when I get an audition I am 100% prepared to be my best.
• Communicate with my agent at least once a month about what I need to be doing to make it easier for them to pitch me.  Make sure they know what my dreams are so they can help me achieve them.
• Attend one workshop a month with the casting directors who work in the type of TV shows that cast my type.

These are just a few ideas of the type of goals you can make that are specific and are something you can achieve.  The best thing to do is write your goals down in a place you see everyday as a reminder and then revisit your goals a few times during the year to adjust them as you achieve your dreams.

Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year filled with success.  Keep Dreaming!