Actors and self esteem
“Mustering up enough self-esteem to say, ‘I want to be an actor,’ was a big turning point.”
Julia Roberts [Parade mag. Nov 9 2008]
Many creative people report feeling incompetent, inadequate and having low self esteem at times. But there are ways to shift those feelings.
A number of film actors report they don’t watch their own movies. When you can be seen in close-ups on twenty foot high theater screens, it may be especially hard not to criticize your appearance and performance.
Joaquin Phoenix has said he doesn’t like how his teeth look, or his lips.
Kate Winslet has admitted that before going off to a movie shoot, she sometimes thinks, “I’m a fraud, and they’re going to fire me… I’m fat; I’m ugly; I look like a whore! [laughs] [Interview mag., Nov, 2000]
[From my article Being Creative and Self-critical.]
Bill Nighy has commented, “You come to realise there is this huge disparity between what you think about yourself and your work and what other people think about you and your work, at first you either think they’re insane or that it’s a conspiracy to make you look stupid. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re right, and you’re sometimes quite good at what you do.”
Even someone as accomplished as Meryl Streep admits she has “varying degrees of confidence and self-loathing…. You can have a perfectly horrible day where you doubt your talent. It could be about not feeling able to achieve a certain scene or about an emotion you feel you weren’t able to get to… Or that you’re boring and they’re going to find out that you don’t know what you’re doing… any one of those things.”
[From the page Self-esteem / Self concept - which has a number of other quotes by actors.]
So what can you do about low self-esteem or self-confidence as an actor?
Developing yourself as a person and an actor, taking classes, getting into commercials or community theater or any performance work can help feelings of low self-esteem.
And there are specific products and programs that can help.
The Self-Esteem Supercharger, a CD program from Learning Strategies can help enhance confidence.
According to the site, “Many professional and recreational athletes have found listening to the Self-Esteem Supercharger before a game or match improves their performance.”
Professional soccer player Michael Cestone says, “I had tried subliminal tapes with limited results, so I had to try the Paraliminals because they were different. I was desperately looking for something to help me prepare for the season. I noticed results immediately.
“The first time I used the tape I felt more focused and was able to read the game better, as well as make faster decisions. That was only the beginning.”
Learn more about The Self-Esteem Supercharger in the section:
Self concept / self esteem Products and Programs.
