Hard Work: It’s Overrated

The definition of a crazy person we’re told is one who does the same thing repeatedly and expects different results. But, let’s face it, that’s only if the effort fails. Isn’t it called perseverance when it works?

The hard truth is our assessments are always after the fact. If an actor (or indeed anyone in any line of work) is at for years on end without any success and finally makes it we congratulate him on his stick-to-itiveness. If, on the other hand, the artist is engaged in relentless wheel-spinning with no satisfactory end game, we feel (depending on sensibility) compassion for or superior to the poor soul who is just a tad delusional.

Still, we’re obsessed with the secret to success, its ingredients, the how-to of it. Perhaps, that’s a peculiarly American phenomenon. And like good Americans, we’re hot to trot with notions of taking the right steps coupled with hard work. We love hard work. It makes us feel we’re in control of our destiny.

Just for the record no one bought into that idea more than I did. But I’ve been forced to reconsider. For the past (gulp) 20-plus years, I’ve been a journalist, covering trends, news events, and news-worthy people. Much of my career has been spent profiling successful individuals, mostly in the arts but in many other fields as well, such as business, education, and communication. Some were super-stars in their fields, others had more modest achievements. But they were all considered accomplished enough to warrant a profile.

As a writer of these pieces (hundreds of them) I wondered what unified these people. I wanted to know the secret of their success. At first glance there was no common ground. It wasn’t geography, ethnicity, class, or even education. But there was a pattern. The overwhelming majority were on their way fast and early and with a modicum of effort. Contrary to what we’re taught, they were not struggling for years on end before scoring. It’s a myth.

Check out my last few interviews. I picked up several at random. Keith Carradine landed a role in the original Broadway production of Hair after serving as an accompanist to his brother who was auditioning. Carradine had never auditioned for anything short of school productions. Following a year in Hair, he was promptly cast in his first film, A Gunfight with Kirk Douglas. And he has been working steadily ever since.

Same for Robert Davi, best known as the evil drug lord in License to Kill. After leaving Stella Adler’s acting class, he nailed his first audition. It was for Contract on Cherry Street, starring Frank Sinatra. The picture came out and Davi was offered a contract with Columbia Pictures. He’s another one who has worked steadily ever since and is now making his directorial debut with The Dukes. 

Maura Tierney of ER fame graduated from New York University’s School of the Arts and relocated to Los Angeles because her friends were doing so. They sent pictures to agents and she followed suit. Unlike her pals, however, on the basis of her picture she was auditioned by an agent who signed with her, and less than a year later Tierney was working on a fairly regular basis.

These stories are not extraordinary. They’re typical. Nonetheless, the question persists. Why did it happen to these actors and not others?

One has to assume they had the right looks and talent that was obvious and marketable. That’s not to say others don’t have it. What they lack is luck or karma or whatever else one wants to call it. It certainly has nothing to do with not working hard enough. Indeed, it’s usually just the opposite: The longer you’re at it and the harder you’re working, there’s an inverse ratio of success.

-- Simi Horwitz

Comments

[Joaquin M. Rosa]

Thanks alot!

Really encouraging! Why don't you suggest that 95% of people on the planet just stop trying and give up, whatever there given field.

Again thank you!

[Dan Lehman]

Malcolm Gladwell's new book, 'Outliers,' discusses this same topic at length -- of course, not specifically related to actors, but all forms of celebrity and success. Interesting.

[Luke Crowe]

There's a lot to be said for hard work and keeping up the struggle. And there are lots of examples -- in acting and other businesses -- of people not making it big until later in life. . . .

But it is very interesting (and a bit discouraging) to see how many successful people actually have their big break very early on. Simi makes a very good point.

On the other hand, some of these people also peak or burn out or get stereotyped early as well, so there are downsides to early success.

But undoubtedly having success early in one's career makes the rest of the individual's career easier overall -- because instead of having to put all of their efforts into trying to get through the door, they instead find themselves on the right side of the door from the start, and can then just concentrate on staying there.

But that's not to say that everyone shouldn't keep working tirelessly to make it through the door as well, regardless of their age. It's just to acknowledge the full spectrum of what everyone is up against -- competing not just against others struggling within the industry, but also competing against the vets that have already made a name for themselves. The competition is always fierce.