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I'd like to ask you a question.

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What if this audition isn't the moment

that determines your future?

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What if it's simply the latest

opportunity to demonstrate everything

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you've been building?

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Think about that,

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every acting class, every scene, study,

every self tape,

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every play, every commercial, every

call back, every workshop,

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every coaching session,

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every time you stumbled and got back up,

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every time you didn't book the role,

but learned something anyway,

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every one of those experiences has been

preparing you for to day.

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So why

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would you walk into the audition room

believing that your future depends on

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this one afternoon's audition?

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Perhaps

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this afternoon depends on everything

you've already done?

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That's a healthier way to think about

it.

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This is casting actor's cast.

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Well, hello, and welcome to today's

episode of cassing actor's caste.

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I'm Jeff driesback.

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I'm a casting director with mccorkl

casting in New York.

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How were you?

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I hope you haven't a good day.

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I'm having a good day.

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And I'm looking forward to sharing this

episode with you.

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It's one of my favorite subjects.

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And that is, an audition is not an

event.

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And we're going to explain all of that

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but first, this is that moment in the

conversation

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that I just get to say thank you.

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As a thank you, I'm inviting you to

check out the website, casting actress

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casts all one word dot com.

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I'm not just trying to get you to the

website, because there's a form there

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that says, dive into the talent pool.

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If you just fill out that form and ask

for your name in your email or dress,

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automatically that's going to open up

some freebies.

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So if you want some free stuff, like a

book on doing voice over work, if you

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want a video called casting secrets,

what they don't tell you,

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all of that's available, as well as

additional resource information on the

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website.

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My book is available,

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my

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course is available.

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All kinds of cool stuff.

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There also there's jealous jeff's jots,

which are the show notes that I use to

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perform the podcast.

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And you can literally have that

information

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right there in front of you if it's a

particular episode that you like, where

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you could start a collection if you

want.

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Because of the advice that I'm trying

to give you is not something that you

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just hear once and kind of leave.

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I think

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I'm really making a concerted effort to

provide

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nuggets of information that are going

to help you grow, be more confident, be

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more comfortable in this environment,

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and also to continue to grow your

professionalism

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as you kind of continue on the journey

with me.

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I'm so glad that you are here.

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So sometimes

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actors, they ask me, Jeff what's the

most important audition you've ever seen?

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And honestly, I don't know, because I

never knew which audition would become important

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until years later.

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Does that make sense?

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I've watched actors not book one

project only to become exactly right

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for another six months later.

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I've seen actors read for a role, not

get it, and then be called back for a

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completely different project

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because someone remembered them.

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That's true.

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I've watched careers begin in rooms

where nothing was booked

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that day.

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You see

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casting directors don't simply cast

projects.

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We build mental files.

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We remember.

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We remember professionalism,

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preparation,

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kindness,

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availability,

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originality,

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truth.

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And sometimes an audition isn't getting

you to day's job,

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sometimes it's introducing you

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to tomorrow's opportunity.

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Ok, I know that sounds a little bit

corny, but honestly, if you really do

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look at it that way, in a sincere way,

I think it can make a difference,

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because you don't get to decide which

is which.

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So stop trying.

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Your responsibility

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as an actor is much simpler.

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Walk in,

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tell the story,

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leave the room,

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repeat.

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I want you to let the room do its job.

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Here's another thought.

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Once you've finished the audition,

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your work is over.

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Now, at some one else's turn, the

director has to work

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in a different way.

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The producers have work to do.

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The writers have some additional

changes to make.

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The studio has work to do, allow them

to do their jobs.

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Actors have a curious habit of trying

to cast themselves

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after they've left the building.

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You right?

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We replay the conversations, we

interpret what the Smiles mean.

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We analyze everything.

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We're trying to solve a puzzle.

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We don't have all the pieces for.

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That's exhausting.

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And I promise you, completely

unnecessary.

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Your job ends when you leave the room.

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Trust the room to do its job,

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then move on to yours.

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Now listen, I'd want you to imagine

something.

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Every actor walks into an audition,

carrying a backpack.

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Not a real one,

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an invisible one.

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Most of us don't even realize we're

wearing it.

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Now inside that backpack are all the

things we've decided this audition represents,

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this audition represents.

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So, could be your rent,

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last month's rejection,

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your agent's expectations, your

family's expectations,

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that role you almost booked,

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the fear that you're running out of

time,

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the fear that someone younger is taking

your place,

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the voice that whispers

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this has to work

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every time one of those thoughts adds a

little more weight.

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Now imagine trying to run a race

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wearing a backpack

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full of bricks.

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Could you finish?

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Probably,

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but you certainly wouldn't run.

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Your best

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actors do this every day.

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We don't walk into the audition

carrying only the script.

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We carry, our history,

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our worries, our comparisons, our need

for approval.

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And by the time we open the audition

room door, we're exhausted,

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and we haven't even said our first line

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here's a beautiful part.

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None of that belongs in the room.

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The casting director isn't auditioning

your rent.

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The casting director isn't casting your

fear.

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The producer isn't evaluating your last

rejection.

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They're watching one thing.

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Can you tell this story?

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Truthfully

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that's iter.

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You walk into the room, the freer you

become,

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and the freer you become, the more real

you begin to appear.

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Now, so far, in this

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past

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three or four episodes,

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I have a casting room truth that I like

to share with you.

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And today's episode is so different.

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And we're going to do the casting room

truth

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right after this message.

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Welcome back.

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It's time for this week's casting room

truth.

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Here's something that I've learned

after decades of sitting behind the table.

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The auditions we remember most

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aren't usually the biggest ones

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they're the most truthful ones.

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I honestly couldn't tell you which

actors believed in audition was the

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opportunity of a lifetime.

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I can tell you which actors walked into

the room ready to work.

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They listened, they adjusted, they

stayed present.

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They solved problems, they collaborated.

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Those actors left us thinking, ah wow.

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I'd love to work with them.

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That is what you're really auditioning

for.

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Not simply one roll,

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a reputation.

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And reputations are built one ordinary

Tuesday

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at a time.

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Thor, I didn't mean to yell just then.

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So let's move to something simple.

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Let's just call it the Tuesday reset.

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The next time you have an audition, I

want you to arrive five minutes early

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before you get out of the car or before

you walk into the building.

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I want you to close your eyes, take one

slow breath.

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Then quietly say to yourself,

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this is not an event.

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This is an appointment

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with my profession.

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My job is not to get the job.

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My job is to tell the story.

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Everything else belongs to someone else.

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Then smile

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open the door and go to work.

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Not because you're fearless,

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because you're prepared.

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Now, if you remember the backpack story,

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the backpack

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imagery I shared earlier in this

podcast,

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we talked about that earlier, I think,

yeah, yeah, we did

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the invisible backpack.

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Yeah, let's look inside one last time.

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Maybe you're

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carrying your rent,

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00:11:21,948 --> 00:11:24,651

maybe you're carrying your last

rejection.

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00:11:25,318 --> 00:11:27,887

Maybe you're carrying your fear of

getting older.

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00:11:28,121 --> 00:11:31,224

Maybe you're carrying someone else's

opinion of your career.

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Maybe you're curt carrying the belief

that you're running out of time.

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Here's my invitation.

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Leave it outside,

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not forever,

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just for the next ten minutes.

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Walk into the room carrying one thing,

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the story.

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Because that's all the character is

carrying,

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00:11:54,981 --> 00:11:58,885

that's all your scene partner is

carrying, and ultimately

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that's all the audience ever wanted you

to bring.

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00:12:05,58 --> 00:12:06,826

So I'd love to leave you with this

thought.

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Tomorrow morning somewhere,

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00:12:09,629 --> 00:12:13,466

an actor will wake up to believing

they're about to experience the biggest

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00:12:13,867 --> 00:12:15,201

audition of their life.

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I hope with all sincerity

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that this actor listens to this episode,

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because I'd like to whisper something

to them before they walk through the door.

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You've already done the hard part.

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You studied, you practiced, you failed,

you learn, you grew.

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You became an actor long before to

day's audition.

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Now

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all you have to do

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is act.

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It isn't the biggest day of your life.

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It isn't your last chance.

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It isn't the moment that determines

whether you're talented enough.

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It's Tuesday.

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And to morrow, if you're fortunate,

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it'll be Wednesday.

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Then

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another audition, another opportunity,

another chance to tell another story.

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That's what working actors do.

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If today's conversation helped lighten

the weight you're carrying into

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auditions.

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00:13:17,464 --> 00:13:18,998

I hope you'll share it with another

actor.

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Subscribe.

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00:13:20,667 --> 00:13:23,303

If you're watching on you too, leave a

review.

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00:13:23,536 --> 00:13:25,538

If you're listening wherever, you enjoy

your podcast.

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00:13:26,272 --> 00:13:29,309

And if you're looking for more

practical insights into auditions,

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00:13:30,343 --> 00:13:32,312

acting in the business of our

profession.

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Visit casting

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actors cast dad com

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00:13:35,615 --> 00:13:36,750

and Jeff dries back.

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00:13:37,217 --> 00:13:38,985

Thank you for spending this time with

me.

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Until next time.

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Stay curious,

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00:13:42,255 --> 00:13:43,690

stay creative

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00:13:44,257 --> 00:13:45,425

and keep booking