What to do when you don’t land the role

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Have you ever had your heart set on a role? Did you go to the audition super hyped because you knew this was the one? Me too. I love that feeling, of course there are a few nerves to deal with but that’s normal. The high of just knowing this role is right in every way makes you feel on top of the world. Have you ever got ahead of yourself? “This will look great on my showreel”. “This is the role that’s going to open up a few doors”.

Unfortunately you weren’t successful on this occasion

What to do when you don’t land the role

1. ASK FOR FEEDBACK

This seems pretty obvious and it is. The only way to grow and develop is by finding out what worked well for you and what you could have done to improve. Remember every person’s feedback is biased to each audition, but by seeking feedback you may find some patterns developing that you can change to allow you to grow. This also shows that you take your career and development seriously and is a great positive habit to develop.

2. LET IT GO

After you’ve discovered you’ve not landed the role and you’ve asked for feedback the worst thing you can do is ruminate over it. You can’t influence the decision once it’s been made. Act upon the feedback however you feel appropriate. One thing to keep in mind is that it wasn’t personal, there could have been a number of reasons for you not landing the role. By holding on to it you are not doing yourself any favours. Let the feeling pass without judgement. It’s always good to put these things into perspective if you’re struggling to let go. Will there be more auditions in the future for you? Was this the only audition suitable for you? Could you have read the casting directors mind and known exactly to the tee what they were looking for? Did you do your best? Have you learnt form the situation?

3. STAY FOCUSED

Rejection is part and parcel of the acting industry. It sounds cliche but rejection will actually build you up in the long run. You should aim to learn from each and every audition. To stay focused go back to your original goal in your big vision. If you haven’t got one go and set yourself one. Is your BIG goal to earn more money from acting than your day job? Is your BIG goal to earn an award? Is your BIG goal to land a lucrative TV role? Once you have gone back to this ask yourself WHY you have this goal. I have to achieve my big goal because I promised my Granny I would (she wanted to be an actress and wasn’t allowed to be). I want to make her dream come true too through our shared passion. The why is important, it must be so strong that you won’t get off track. This will help you over come any negative feelings you may have over not landing the role.

4. MINDSET

This is number 4 but I believe it is the most important. Ask yourself what your mind set is right now. Are you in the frame of mind that you let things get you down easily? Or does your mind wander off into thoughts of “I’m not good enough”? Changing your mind set to respond more positively to these outcomes will help you tremendously. My mind set is that I try my best, if I don’t get the role it wasn’t right for me at that time but there will be another that is. I think rationally about auditions. I don’t have to land every role. If I land just 1 out of 100 that pays the bills plus more that is a win. If I didn’t land the role, I still made a connection! How can you reframe the situation and change your mindset?