Energy psychiatrist Judith Orloff, MD works with many creative people to help with issues such as stage fright. In our podcast interview about her new book Emotional Freedom, I asked her:
“Many actors get anxious about auditions, not getting work etc, issues that are kind of built in to the profession – do you have actor [...]

Gabriel Byrne on auditions
“It’s important to present oneself as relaxed and confident..”
Gabriel Byrne commented that the audition process “is really a most inadequate way to determine if an actor is right or not for a particular role. Unfortunately, it’s a situation that most actors have to accept.
“Work on developing an unshakable trust in yourself and [...]

Nervous excitement
“With any film and even theater, you never get over being scared and overwhelmed, because it’s a new character and that brings on a whole new set of circumstances.”
Alison Lohman is talking about one form of anxiety that actors experience, and may try to avoid or stifle.
But there can be value in that kind [...]

Escape into comedy
Amanda Bynes began professionally acting at the age of seven, and at age thirteen became the star of her own tv series The Amanda Show.
Bynes says she understands the feeling of being an outsider, one of the themes of the film “Hairspray” – in which she plays Penny [photo].
“I grew up having terrible [...]

Out of the comfort zone
Many people, maybe most, want to avoid anxiety, fear and other “stressful” feelings. Except for the occasional roller coaster ride.
But talented actors (and other artists) often use those kinds of feelings to guide and energize their work.
Julia Stiles [left] says she chooses projects based on “ways I need to be stretched [...]