Out of all the training you could possibly endure, through all the scene study, dialect classes, movement and so on, there is one key element that cannot be taught; confidence. It is an actor’s best friend in any performance.
“If you sell it, the audience will buy it.” Actors must realize that this is the absolute truth. If an actor were to walk into an audition room stressing about his lines, worried about what to say to the casting director and “hoping” it goes well, red flags will rise on the other side of that table. An actor needs to stroll into the audition room without any worry, make strong choices and “know” that he will do well. Even if an actor has a horrible performance; if he goes into the room with confidence in his actions, the performance will be believable and authentic.
If a thespian is lacking this investment to the art, then there is a good chance they are playing it safe in the audition room by making weak choices. Weak choices get you nowhere! They must be strong and bold choices in order to take the scene to a whole new level of entertainment. Otherwise we are watching a person reading lines through a camera lens. Let’s face it; anyone can do that. An actor’s confidence is the catalyst to making strong choices and putting authenticity into their work. Even if you make a strong choice and it’s the wrong choice, the director will believe your performance and recognize the fact that you’re not afraid to commit and that you can act.
You will rarely be cast if it looks like you don’t know what you’re doing. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing out there, pretend like you do and invest yourself into your scene. It allows you to break down the walls of being scared in front of a camera, and submerge yourself into your character. Guaranteed your work will appear stronger. You don’t need to be “Mr. Buff the Stuff” or a cocky actor to show confidence in the room. You just need to wrap your mind around “knowing” what you’re doing and knowing that you’ll do well. After all, confidence is key.