Acting requires confidence, stay in class!

Time and time again I hear that confidence is most of the battle. Of course the only way to gain confidence is by doing something tirelessly until one day you begin to simply embody confidence. The first time it came up for me was back in my early twenties after several years of honing my craft. I was running some lines for an audition with an actor named Esai Morales. He said to me, “Steve, for you the only thing is confidence.” I knew immediately what he meant. I always recognized confidence in other actors and felt their energy to be somewhat magnetic. They seemed to shine for some reason. I remember many years ago, sitting in casting offices with guys like Skeet Ulrich, Matt Lablanc and James Marsden to name a few. I was always fascinated by their quiet, calm confidence. I wanted so badly to be in the audition room to witness what it was that made the casting director give them the green light. What was so damn special about these actors? Among other things, confidence is what sold them. There’s an actor I’ve known for many years that always got all these great parts. I asked a mutual friend of ours why this guy, with just a drop of talent, was so successful. His reply was, “He has great meetings; he’s confident”. Some people are born with it and some of us develop it. Either way, if we’re not confident in that audition room, forget about it. No one wants a lack of confidence on a set. Therefore, it is vital for an actor’s development to get in front of people as often as possible. That’s how we learn to master the ability to have a personal experience in public, with confidence. Stay in class!

Steve Richard Harris