You're Not Being Graded Anymore

Leaving Student Thinking Behind

What if I told you one of the biggest obstacles in your acting career isn't your talent...

isn't your training...

isn't your agent...

and isn't even your auditions?

What if the thing holding you back is a grading system that doesn't exist anymore?

Today we're talking about something I see every week.

Actors who graduated years ago...

sometimes decades ago...

but are still living like they're waiting for someone to hand them a report card.

And that mindset may be costing them more opportunities than they realize.

Let's talk about it.

INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone and welcome back to Casting Actors Cast.

I'm Jeffrey Dreisbach.

Thank you for joining me.

Whether you're listening while driving to work...

walking the dog...

doing laundry...

or avoiding memorizing your audition sides...

which, ironically, we'll discuss in a future episode...

I'm glad you're here.

Today begins a special five-part series I'm calling:

The Actor Reset Series.

Over the next several episodes we're going to challenge some assumptions actors carry around that may no

longer serve them.

We're going to talk about:

How you think about yourself.

How you prepare.

How you perform.

How you present yourself professionally.

And how you can build a healthier, more productive acting career.

This first episode may be the foundation for all the others.

Because before we change behavior...

we need to change mindset.

And one of the biggest mindset traps actors fall into is believing they're still being evaluated the way they were

in school.

Now before anybody emails me...

I'm not anti-training.

Far from it.

I've spent years teaching actors.

I love training.

I believe in training.

Training matters.

But there comes a point where the habits that help you succeed in school can actually start hurting you

professionally.

Let's talk about why.

SECTION ONE

THE INVISIBLE REPORT CARD

Imagine this.

You finish an audition.

You get into your car.

Close the door.

Take a deep breath.

And then immediately begin grading yourself.

Anybody ever do that?

Of course you do.

Actors are Olympic-level self-evaluators.

You replay every moment.

The slate.

The first line.

That weird thing you did with your hand.

The moment you looked down.

The callback adjustment.

The goodbye.

The walk to the elevator.

The elevator itself.

Sometimes actors analyze the elevator ride longer than the audition.

You start assigning grades.

My slate was a B.

My first page was an A-minus.

Page two got a little shaky.

That's probably a C-plus.

And then I forgot that one word.

Career over.

Pack it up.

Become a beekeeper.

I don't know why beekeeping is always my backup career.

But it seems peaceful.

The point is...

many actors walk around carrying an invisible report card.

And they don't even realize it.

Every audition becomes a test.

Every callback becomes a final exam.

Every booking becomes proof of worth.

Every rejection becomes proof of failure.

That is an exhausting way to live.

And here's the problem.

The professional world doesn't work that way.

There is no acting GPA.

No Dean of Auditions.

No semester rankings.

No honor roll for self-tapes.

No academic probation for forgetting a line.

The grading system ended.

But many actors never got the memo.

SECTION TWO

WHERE THIS MINDSET COMES FROM

To be fair...

it isn't your fault.

Most of us were trained this way.

Think about your educational experience.

You perform a scene.

Teacher evaluates.

You do a monologue.

Teacher evaluates.

You complete a semester.

Teacher evaluates.

You get a grade.

A score.

A ranking.

Feedback.

Approval.

Disapproval.

For years your brain learns a simple equation:

Performance equals evaluation.

Evaluation equals worth.

The better the evaluation...

the more successful you feel.

That system makes sense in school.

Schools need a way to measure progress.

But once you enter the professional world...

everything changes.

Suddenly nobody is giving grades.

You're getting information instead.

And those are not the same thing.

An audition isn't a test.

It's a conversation.

A callback isn't an exam.

It's a collaboration.

A booking isn't proof you're talented.

A rejection isn't proof you're untalented.

It's simply information.

But actors often keep treating every experience like they're trying to pass Acting 101.

And that's where trouble begins.

REAL-LIFE CASTING EXAMPLE

Let me give you a real casting-room observation.

Over the years I've seen actors walk into auditions with extraordinary training.

Brilliant schools.

Impressive resumes.

Fantastic technique.

And they were terrified.

Not because they lacked ability.

But because they were trying to get an A.

Everything about their audition felt cautious.

Safe.

Protected.

Calculated.

They wanted to be correct.

Then another actor would walk in.

Less training.

Fewer credits.

Less experience.

And completely own the room.

Why?

Because they weren't trying to be right.

They were trying to be alive.

They were present.

Engaged.

Available.

Human.

And very often...

those actors booked.

Not because they were perfect.

Because they were watchable.

That's a very different goal.

ECTION THREE

WHAT CASTING ACTUALLY SEES

Let's continue this conversation by talking about something actors often misunderstand.

What exactly are casting directors evaluating?

Notice I didn't say grading.

Evaluating and grading are not the same thing.

A grade implies a score.

An evaluation is simply an observation.

When I'm watching auditions, I'm usually not sitting there thinking:

"That actor was an A-minus."

I'm thinking:

"Interesting."

"Believable."

"Compelling."

"Too young."

"Too old."

"Wrong energy."

"Exactly the right energy."

"Wonderful actor. Wrong role."

"Wonderful actor. Keep them in mind."

Most casting decisions are not about quality.

They're about fit.

And that distinction changes everything.

Imagine buying shoes.

You walk into a store.

You find a beautiful pair.

Excellent craftsmanship.

Wonderful design.

But they're three sizes too small.

Do you conclude the shoes are bad?

Of course not.

They're simply not the right fit.

Yet actors routinely leave auditions believing:

"I didn't book it. Therefore I wasn't good."

No.

You may have been excellent.

You simply weren't the right fit for that particular role on that particular day.

Professional actors understand this.

Student-thinking actors often don't.

One of the healthiest shifts you can make is understanding that many auditions are not judgments.

They're sorting processes.

We're looking for alignment.

Not perfection.

THE MYTH OF COMPETITION

Let's talk about another dangerous school habit.

Competition.

I can't tell you how many actors have said to me:

"I wonder who I'm competing against."

Or:

"I need to beat the other actors."

No.

You don't.

Because acting isn't a race.

And auditions aren't sporting events.

There isn't a scoreboard.

You are not competing against the other actors.

You're solving a casting problem.

Big difference.

Here's what I mean.

Let's say we're casting a detective.

One actor walks in and immediately feels like someone who has spent twenty years solving crimes.

Another actor walks in and feels like a charming young lawyer.

Both may be terrific.

But they're solving different problems.

One happens to solve the problem we're casting today.

The other may solve a different problem next week.

The actor who understands this stops worrying about everyone else in the waiting room.

Because the truth is...

you can't control them.

You can't control who gets called back.

You can't control who books.

You can't control who has a cousin producing the project.

You can't control who resembles the director's favorite actor.

What can you control?

Preparation.

Choices.

Professionalism.

Presence.

And that's enough.

A HUMOROUS OBSERVATION

Years ago I imagined what an actor's audition GPA might look like.

Let's see...

3.7 in procedural television.

Strong work in dramatic reaction shots.

Needs improvement in commercial slating.

Excellent attendance in anxiety.

Outstanding achievement in overthinking.

Dean's List in self-doubt.

Magna Cum Laude in checking IMDb after callbacks.

I know I'm joking.

But not by much.

Actors often create an imaginary scorecard for things nobody else is measuring.

One actor leaves an audition and thinks:

"I was only 82 percent truthful today."

Eighty-two percent?

Where did that number come from?

Did you bring a calculator?

Did you measure your emotional availability with laboratory equipment?

The truth is...

many actors are inventing standards that don't exist.

And then feeling bad for not meeting them.

That's a rough way to spend a career.

SECTION FOUR

WHY SOME A-STUDENTS STRUGGLE PROFESSIONALLY

Now let's tackle a difficult subject.

Some of the strongest students I've ever encountered struggled professionally.

Not all.

But some.

Why?

Because success in training and success in the profession require different skills.

In school:

You are rewarded for analysis.

In the profession:

You are rewarded for execution.

In school:

You are rewarded for insight.

In the profession:

You are rewarded for behavior.

In school:

You have months to prepare.

In the profession:

You may have twenty-four hours.

Or less.

In school:

You are evaluated by instructors.

In the profession:

You are evaluated by the marketplace.

Completely different systems.

I've known actors who could discuss Chekhov for three hours.

Analyze every beat.

Break down every objective.

Identify every emotional transition.

Then completely freeze during an audition.

Why?

Because they were still trying to get the answer right.

Professional acting is not about getting the answer right.

It's about committing fully to a choice.

That's why you'll sometimes see actors with less formal training book more work.

They're not necessarily better.

They're often more willing to play.

More willing to risk.

More willing to fail.

And ironically...

that freedom often makes them more watchable.

THE ACTOR WHO STOPPED CHASING APPROVAL

I remember working with an actor years ago who constantly asked:

"Was that okay?"

Every audition.

Every workshop.

Every callback.

Every performance.

"Was that okay?"

Eventually I asked:

"What answer are you hoping for?"

And after a long pause they said:

"I guess I want to know I'm doing it right."

There it was.

The hidden motivation.

Approval.

Validation.

Permission.

Like many actors, they were still waiting for someone to tell them they belonged.

But here's the truth.

Nobody can give you permanent permission.

Because even if someone tells you today...

you'll need someone else to tell you tomorrow.

And the day after that.

Confidence built on approval is incredibly fragile.

Confidence built on preparation is much stronger.

Confidence built on experience is stronger.

Confidence built on curiosity is stronger.

The actors who last the longest eventually stop asking:

"Am I good enough?"

And start asking:

"What am I discovering?"

That is a professional mindset.

Not a student mindset.

SECTION FIVE

THE ACTOR RESET EXERCISE

Okay.

Let's make this practical.

Because if you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, you know I don't want these episodes to

become motivational posters.

I want them to be useful.

I want you to finish an episode and actually do something with it.

So here's your Actor Reset Exercise.

For the next seven days, I want you to eliminate one question from your vocabulary.

Just one.

The question is:

"How did I do?"

Now before anyone panics...

I'm not saying stop evaluating yourself.

I'm saying stop judging yourself.

Those are different activities.

Instead of asking:

"How did I do?"

Replace it with three questions.

Question One:

What worked?

Question Two:

What surprised me?

Question Three:

What will I try next time?

That's it.

No grades.

No rankings.

No emotional punishment.

No audition report card.

Just information.

Let's say you finish a self-tape.

Instead of saying:

"That was terrible."

Try:

"My preparation was strong."

"My eye line drifted."

"Next time I'll simplify my choices."

That's growth.

That's professional thinking.

And professional thinking leads to professional behavior.

A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE FROM CASTING

Let me share something I've observed repeatedly.

Actors who stay in this profession for decades tend to approach their careers differently than actors who burn

out.

The actors who survive understand something important.

Every audition has value.

Even the ones that don't lead to work.

Think about that.

You prepare.

You practice.

You solve problems.

You build confidence.

You strengthen your instincts.

You learn how to recover when things go wrong.

Those are wins.

But actors carrying an invisible report card often miss all of that.

Because they reduce every experience to one question:

"Did I book it?"

If the answer is yes...

they feel successful.

If the answer is no...

they feel unsuccessful.

That's a very dangerous system because bookings are influenced by countless factors beyond your control.

I've cast projects where the final decision came down to height.

Age.

Chemistry.

Availability.

Scheduling.

Budget.

Network preferences.

Producer preferences.

A costume fitting.

I've seen actors lose jobs because another actor looked more like someone else's sibling.

You cannot build emotional stability on things you cannot control.

You simply can't.

What you can build stability on is preparation.

Growth.

Professionalism.

Consistency.

And that's where your focus belongs.

STOP WAITING FOR THE GOLD STAR

Let's talk about something uncomfortable.

Many actors are still waiting for a gold star.

You know the gold star.

The symbolic one.

The magical moment where someone important says:

Congratulations.

You are now officially a real actor.

Unfortunately...

that moment never comes.

Not permanently.

You book your first job.

You celebrate.

Then you worry about the next one.

You get your first co-star.

Then you want a guest star.

You get a guest star.

Then you want recurring.

You book recurring.

Then you want series regular.

You get series regular.

Then you want the next thing.

The finish line keeps moving.

That's why external validation can never fully satisfy you.

Because there will always be another mountain.

Another goal.

Another challenge.

The actors who seem happiest aren't necessarily the most successful.

They're often the ones who learned to enjoy the process.

They stopped chasing gold stars.

They started chasing growth.

And that's a much healthier relationship with the profession.

THE PROFESSIONAL MINDSET

So what does a professional mindset actually look like?

A professional actor says:

"I prepared."

"I committed."

"I learned something."

"I'll be ready next time."

A student mindset says:

"I hope they liked me."

A professional mindset says:

"I presented my work."

A student mindset says:

"I hope I pass."

A professional mindset says:

"I hope I connected."

Do you hear the difference?

One is rooted in fear.

The other is rooted in contribution.

One seeks approval.

The other seeks expression.

One is trying to survive.

The other is trying to communicate.

That's a profound shift.

And it changes everything.

YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK

So here's your challenge.

For one week...

after every audition...

every self-tape...

every rehearsal...

every class...

every performance...

replace:

"How did I do?"

with:

"What did I learn?"

That's it.

Simple.

But powerful.

And if you're really ambitious...

keep a notebook.

Write down the answer.

At the end of the week, look back.

I suspect you'll discover something surprising.

You've been growing the entire time.

You just weren't giving yourself credit for it.

CLOSING

As we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with this thought.

School gave you many valuable tools.

Technique.

Discipline.

Analysis.

Craft.

Training matters.

But one thing school often forgets to teach is how to stop being a student.

Eventually you must become a professional.

And professionals understand that every experience is information.

Not judgment.

Every audition is an opportunity.

Not a test.

Every callback is a conversation.

Not an examination.

And every rejection is simply part of the process.

Not a verdict on your worth.

You are not being graded anymore.

The report card is gone.

The classroom is over.

The only question that remains is:

What are you learning?

And how will you use it moving forward?

Next time in Part Two of the Actor Reset Series:

STOP MAKING ACTING YOUR ENTIRE IDENTITY

We're going to talk about why some of the most successful actors have lives far bigger than acting itself...