Who Will Tell You?

I have some news for you and it isn’t good.

Your last piece of work may not have been very good.

I’m not saying that to upset you.

You see; the trouble is, I may be the only person that is willing to tell you.

Your friends and family, the director and producer, your agent, they have too much invested to tell you the truth. You could shit on a plate and they would support you.

But that doesn’t mean that it was good.

Secretly, perhaps you thought it too.

You see an acting coach, a good one, they aren’t concerned with the consequences of telling you the truth about your work.

They are concerned with the consequences of NOT telling you the truth.

A weak coach will be concerned that you will leave them.

A good acting coach isn’t your friend for that reason. Sometimes they have to say the thing you least want to hear.

There is no need for brutality, the only need is that give you their honest appraisal without resorting to an ad hominem attack.

You won’t like it. You may prefer not to know. But if you are brave, you will hear it and take from it the lessons the coach can offer you.

Do they always know best? No. But their agenda is in helping you to excel.

And if you ever think they have any other agenda, then drop them.