Rejection is the one thing you will ALWAYS have to deal with as an actor so you might as well mentally prepare yourself for it now. You’ll go out on many auditions but realize that you will not get all the roles. In fact, you’re not gonna book a lot of the auditions you go out on. However, this does not mean you are a failure or that you’re a bad actor. Also, getting rejected (not getting the part) does not mean you’re not a talented or gifted actor so keep your head up.
Audition day. You nailed it. Your interview went flawless. It’s down to the wire. They’re gonna cast the role any day now. You worked it. You lived the part. The casting director loved your performance. A few days go by. You call your agent to see what’s going on. You find out you didn’t get the part. There goes that “rejection”. You let it sink in. You take your breaths. You ask, “What happened?” Your agent states, “Oh they went with someone else because…”
So what really happened? Well, guess what? It should make you feel better to know that losing out on a role usually has nothing to do with your performance–especially if you know you’ve pulled off a brilliant performance. You ever stop and think that maybe they decided to go with someone else because you were a bit too short? Or maybe you were too tall. Maybe the director changed his mind at the last minute and decided to go with another ethnicity. Or maybe they decided to change the role and go with a girl instead of a guy or vice versa. Maybe the producer was good friends with the casting director’s niece and they ended up giving the part to her. Ah, now you see why you have no time to fret about being rejected in this business?
It’s a numbers game. Most times you not getting the part has nothing to do with you. Your job is to do the very best you can on each and every audition. If you focus on doing an exceptional job on each audition–you will eventually book a role. You will work a lot. Never be pessimistic before you go on an audition. Never count yourself out before your audition. Believe in yourself whether you get the role or not. Focus on on all the good things you did on the audtion. Even if you don’t get the role, if you pulled off a great performance–a casting director will never forget you. This is what you want. You want the casting director to remember you ’cause guess what? There will be many other auditions!
Having this newfound knowledge should help you better accept when you don’t get the part. Just know that it’s nothing personal. They are not rejecting YOU. Keep your head up!
