Talk Back: In Every Moment, Trust Your Instincts

As actors approaching our work, we rely on instinct to guide us. We speak of having a "feel" for material right from the first reading. At auditions we are often called upon to perform with very little information, relying on our gut. So why do we often choose to ignore those instincts and impulses when it comes to the business side of acting? Perhaps it is the knowledge that competition is fierce. Perhaps it is that we are taught to seize every opportunity. Whatever the reason, there are many situations where the drive to further our careers puts us into places we would have avoided in any other instance.

As a new actor fresh out of college, I told myself that I would go to every audition offered to me. When I got a call to audition for a nonunion film at the director's house way out in Brooklyn, I stapled my headshot and résumé and pulled out my subway map. Did I have reservations? Certainly. I Googled the director and found that he had attained distribution for another film. I also noted that the film appeared to involve a lot of vampires running around very scantily clad. I was wary, but the vampire film was out on DVD. I wanted to be on DVD. So I went to the audition, and upon minutes of reading the very poorly spelled sides, I was informed that they would like to offer me a part, but only if I went into another room -- a bedroom, no less -- with the director and stripped topless in front of the camera. I declined. If I had trusted my instincts, I never would have shown up in the first place.

In the few years since, I would like to think I have become much more savvy. I no longer go to every audition or accept every job. Getting my union cards and working with agents and managers have taken some of the guesswork out of assessing the legitimacy of opportunities. Getting a call from an agent asking if I would be comfortable with auditioning in a bathing suit for a paying job is very different from arriving at an audition with no idea of what to expect and no one to call should I feel uncomfortable.

Being proactive about my own career, however, I still try to find opportunities on my own. A few months ago I went to an audition for what was advertised as a SAG low-budget film. I was asked to kiss the director. There were no sides and seemingly no other requirements for booking the job. I left, but not before seeing the line of nervous-looking girls waiting to go in. I quietly told the girls behind me what had happened, and some left with me, but some stayed. I thought about it for days.

One may think this only happens to women, and certainly I have heard more stories from women than from men. However, I heard of a male actor auditioning for a reputable theatre and being asked if he was interested in gay porn. People have had to field questions abut their personal relationships; they've been invited to take shots of vodka before being photographed and to prove how hot they can be on camera by seducing the producer, no script provided. When I talk to my friends about those experiences, they all say they had a feeling before walking into the room. There are too many stories of actors being exploited, assaulted, or even killed because they were careless in hope of securing a job. As artists, we need to be open and intuitive, good listeners, and aware of our surroundings. We should bring these same gifts with us as we navigate the business side of this crazy industry.

-- Nadia Owusu

Nadia Owusu is an actor-writer and co-founder of Where's My Waitress Productions (wheresmywaitress.com). She is featured each month in Take Five in Back Stage East.