Tackling Talent: Part 1 – A Guest Blog from ACS Assistant Coach Karli Evans

How many successful actors out there do you think built their careers on talent?

The answer is, probably 3.

Not only is acting not exclusive to those very few who have true talent, true talent being the ability to instinctively live truthfully under the imaginary circumstances of the play or film EVERY time, but someone with talent very rarely works hard at acquiring a technique. Why would they need to? They have talent and, so far, it has always worked. But what happens when it doesn’t work? You don’t instinctively feel it? The muse doesn’t strike? Where do you go and how do you still give a truthful and exciting performance?

A technique is designed to be a fail safe system that an actor uses when needed, to create consistently great work. That doesn’t mean being exactly the same every night, but being consistently honest, real and in the moment and therefore watchable and exciting. And a technique is learnable. You aren’t born with a technique.

Can you build a successful career on talent? The necessary characteristics of an actor extend much further than the ability to act well. An actor needs to have a fantastic work ethic, self motivational skills, incredible staying power and the ability to constantly accept rejection without slipping into self loathing and despair.

If an aspiring actor is not as naturally gifted or talented as others, to continue on this career path takes grit, passion and absolute love for the job. Does this mean talented people are less passionate because the same level of grit and hard work are not essential?

My thoughts are that true talent (making it work instinctively EVERY TIME) is so rare that it doesn’t matter and even a truly talented person must find somewhere to showcase their work and get themselves known. Everyone who wants a career as an actor needs to put in the work. Some natural ability can be a good starting point, but a football player with natural ability still needs to train every week to make the professional league.

Remember that acting is learnable. A technique is learnable. Acting is not an exclusive club for the “chosen ones”.

We often see a great film or play with great acting and say “Wow, they’re talented. They’re so lucky to have gotten their break.”

Anthony Robbins’ definition of L.U.C.K

Labour

Under

Correct

Knowledge

Nowhere in that statement does it mention talent.

What you and everyone else see up there is not talent, but the result of hours upon hours of hard, gut busting work.

All the best

KARLI