This business is hardyou knew that when you started.

But thats why our

Backstage Experts are here for you. As industry professionals spanning various
areas of the business, our Backstage Experts are casting directors, acting teachers,
coaches, and beyond, and they know the difficulties youll have to face. Thats why
we knew theyd be the perfect group to ask the following question:

What is the hardest lesson (or harshest truth) an actor will learn throughout his/her
career?

Here are answers from 15 industry professionals!

(And if you missed the last installment of this column, check out What Makes an
Acting Class Right for You? and see how to get your acting questions answered at
the bottom of this article!)

Paul Barry, L.A.-based acting teacher and founder of Acting 4 Camera

Actors should be learning harsh truths at least a few times a week. If they dont,
their progress is going to be too slow to truly capitalize on opportunities before
many of their most marketable years have passed them by.

Understanding that hard work does not always equal success though is the harshest
of all truths. We all know a great older actor that has worked consistently his or her
whole career on bits and pieces, and yet cannot seem to break through to the next
level. Conversely, some lazy young actors can simply become surprisingly lucky,
which seems patently unfair to everyone else. The simple matter is that life does
not promiseor even owe youfairness. Hard work does not always equal success,
but it does always equal growth.

Your journey is your journey. At times breathtakingly simple, and at times

phenomenally challenging. Learn to enjoy the entire roller coaster ride, and not just
the peaks. When you do, youll find that the harsh realities are every bit as
enlivening as the lucky breaks.

Joanne Baron and D.W. Brown, L.A.-based acting teachers

One of the hardest truths actors discover in this industry is that the most talented
people dont always book the job or experience the greatest success in their
careers. This can be a harsh truth to face because when we first start out, we
expect talent to win out.

Much to our surprise, there are spectacular talents we remember from our acting
classes that somehow never work professionally. This can be a harsh reality to face
when an actor sees someone they feel is less naturally talented book a much
sought after job. A successful TV series producer told Joanne once, We went with
someone less talented who got less nervous the more callbacks they had, rather
than someone who dazzled us in the first audition with their natural gift, but
became less effective with each callback. So the harsh reality is it may not be
talent but resilience, perseverance, hard work, and a clear head that determines an
actors fate.

Marc Cartwright, L.A.-based headshot and editorial photographer

As an actor, you are the instrument, and its easy to take things personally. Dont.
Its not all about you. Casting decisions are about putting a puzzle together. Its
about putting the correct puzzle pieces in the correct puzzle. As an actor, your job is
to serve an audience. People that only think of or talk about themselves arent very
interesting. Invest your time and energy in learning what types of projects you tend
to fit in and how you can offer inspiration and service to others. You will be a more
compelling artist.

Stephanie Ciccarelli, co-founder of Voices.com

One of the hardest realities to face as an actorbut perhaps also one of the most
reassuring onesis that you will always be who you are. As we know, you cant
please all of the people all of the time. Youll win some roles and be passed over for
others. The more roles you audition for that arent your strong suit, the more
disappointed youll be. This is why it is important to know yourself, be objective
about your talent, and set realistic expectations. Audition for roles you are confident
in booking and have a strong desire to perform. When it comes to not getting the
gig, be able to separate your feelings from casting decisions, which are, in fact,
business decisions (nothing personal). Choose to be happy for the person who
booked and move on. More opportunity awaits you!

David Patrick Green, founder of Hack Hollywood

I think the hardest lesson an actor will learn is that once they have developed their
skills, the work has just begun.

Everybody wants to be an actor and simply going to acting school is not enough.
You have to be incredibly focused, motivated, talented, and have a razor sharp
positive attitudenot to mention a willingness to sacrifice everything else to reach
your goals.

There are people literally sleeping in their cars to get their chance and if you are not
willing to give it everything you have got for years and years, your chances for
success are infinitesimally small. It is not for the weak of heart.

Cathryn Hartt, founder of Hartt and Soul Studio

The harshest truth is how much people change when money and fame are in the air;
how much people are willing to sacrifice of their own inner beauty to buy into the
cheap facade of a chance at stardom.

The good thing is that you might be one of the ones who realize how sad that
is...and you might choose to stay true to your heart and laugh at the foolishness of
those who lose their souls on the way to their dreams. I hope you are.

Stefanie OConnell, founder of the Broke and Beautiful Life

Careers arent linear. Thats true to some degree in every field, but especially so in
acting. Scoring your dream Broadway show or feature film isnt a destination, its a
stop along the way. Its always smart to keep in mind what lies beyond that pinnacle
moment, even when you're just starting out.

Joseph Pearlman, L.A.-based acting coach

The hardest lesson an actor will learn throughout his/her career is that success will
never be handed to them, or magically fall into their lap. And, having representation
is never a magic pill, as 99 percent of agents and managers will not pitch their
clients over the phone. They will send an online submission. This is the equivalent of
pulling the lever of a slot machine, as the submission disappears into an abyss of
thousands of other clicked-on online entries.

No industry professional (agent, manager, casting director, director, producer, etc.)

will bestow a career upon you. You must actively, aggressively, and strategically
create your own opportunities (writing, directing, producing, singing, comedy, etc.)
to create a platform for yourself to be taken seriously. Career success is consistent
with the amount of focused work you put in and with your ability to build and
maintain relationships with other industry professionals.

In my career coaching program, I help actors get noticed faster and launch their
careerson their own termsby forging game-changing relationships with major
directors, writers, and producers.

Jessica Rof, founder and artistic director of A Class Act NY

As the artistic director/founder of A Class Act NY, an award-winning acting studio for
kids and teens, I would say one of the hardest things for young actors to learn and
accept is that you are not going to be right for every role you go out for and,
oftentimes, it comes down to your height, or your look, something that is not within
your control. It can be incredibly frustrating, demoralizing, and difficult for a child to
grasp this notion that its not about who wants it most or who is the best singer,
actor, and/or dancer, but that there are other factors that weigh into the casting
process.

Shaan Sharma, L.A-based session director

That you will never be discovered. That acting is not a matter of talent but of skill.
That means your success will be determined by how hard you work and your
competence in the craft of acting and storytelling, not by which agent you have or
what parties you go to or who you sleep with. Virtually every overnight success was
years in the making. Dont put all your hopes and dreams on wishing to be struck by
lightning. Be the lightning.

Bret Shuford, NYC-based actor and the Broadway Life Coach

One of the hardest lessons for me to this day is that Broadway (and show business)
is a purely for-profit business. I used to dream that the business rewarded the most
talented, most deserving people, and sometimes it absolutely does. However, in the
end its a business whose bottom line is profit. How many tickets is this person
going to sell? Letting go of the need for validation within the business is key to
staying strong so that the journey is more enjoyable than the destination. A good
question to ask yourself is, what would I be doing once Im in that Broadway show
(or film, or on that TV show)? And start to live your life that way now!

Denise Simon, NYC-based acting coach

Heres the hardest lesson I had to learn: Its not about me! When an actor doesnt
get a part he thinks he wasnt talented enough, good looking enough, personable
enough, or likable enough. Although you may not have been at the top of your
game on audition day, chances are you didnt get the job because the casting
director or director wanted someone taller, was looking for blue eyes, had a bad
date the night before, may have been sick or the role had been cast already. Do the
best you can and let it go. Why you didnt get cast has nothing to do with you most
of the time.

John Swanbeck, director-author

The hardest lesson an actor will learn throughout his or her career is that he or she
is not necessary. Actors have no power unless theyre stars. How many actors get to
be stars? How many even ever get to make a living acting? For a group of artists
that, generally, have no power, actors are awfully demanding that the rest of us
accommodate their process. This is an odd phenomenon for the rest of us because,
well, generally speaking, were the ones doing the hiring, not actors. The easiest
way for actors to learn this hard lesson is to start thinking like filmmakers and less
like actorsand I dont mean become directors. Everyone involved in the process of
making a film needs to think like a filmmaker, not just the director. Trust me when I
tell you real filmmakers arent looking for good actors. Theyre looking for good
actors, who think like filmmakers. Actors who think like filmmakers make us better
directors. Then we need them. Then they have power.

Ryan R. Williams, L.A.-based on-camera coach, founder of Screen Actors System

Some people enter this business strong.

If you come to it strong already, you will have to learn that you are never strong
enough. I have had students with Academy Awards who still push like they are
brand new.

Ive had middling, working actors who feel they have no room to grow. They pretend
to know everything only because they lack the strength to reach for the next level.

The better you are, the harder that next level comes.

So the strong ones must make peace with this fact: Growing artists are cursed to
look back on past work and see it as second rate.

So what about the soft actors? The weak, lazy, narcissistic, entitled ones?

They go away all on their own. This is not for them. The champagne wishes and
caviar dreams turn into dust after an average of four years. You wont be missed by
the strong; they never noticed you were here

Some do grow strong along the way, but most crumble. But the soft can take
comfort in this: When the bell rings at the end of 12 rounds in this town, show
business will be announced as the winner and still champion. I just look forward to
seeing who is still on their feet.