Being an Actor

"Oh, it must be so glamorous to be an actor!"

This is something that you hear so much, when the reality is so different. 95% of actors are out of work and known as 'resting actors'. This was me for many years—working as a paper girl, a waitress, flyering on street corners. I'm fortunate now as I have a few projects already in the pipeline and films I have worked on are starting to be released in some cinemas (hooray!). Guys, this has taken fifteen years of my life, sacrifices that I have made to keep the dream and hope alive. If you want to be an actor, your skin needs to be as thick as a crocodile's skin! I can assure you that you can do it. Take the rejections as lessons, rather than failures. Once, I was told after being down to the last two actors for a role, "Sorry, Rachel, you are so talented, but your cheekbones are wrong for the character". I mean, I couldn't exactly say I'd go to a plastic surgeon to maybe change my cheekbones...so instead of destroying my face I thought, "what good can I take away from this rejection?" 1) I got down to the last two out of thousands of women, 2) they said I was very talented.

The castings are not the hard part of acting, it's the life you build around acting and jobs you're willing to take on to support yourself. My advice: try to take on a job where you are not frowned upon when you tell your boss that you have got a role. This creates so much negativity and you're more than likely going to get the sack when you finally land a role and have nothing to return to. Write down a list of things you love doing and from that list choose a day job that inspires you, frees your spirit—it's essential that this job does not destroy your soul, I've been there.

Now, I see working a million hours in jobs that I hated as character building. My younger self would've loved some advice and guidance to be happier during these times, so hopefully I'm now able to share some with others.

Your career starts to get you onto the red carpets!

After fifteen years of rejection, doubt, negativity, and questions like "Rachel, when are you going to start a family?" or "Rachel, when will you get married?" I fought against society's expectations and realised, after many years, that I'm different. I want different things! The happiest I am is when I'm on set, in my comfort zone, and able to bring a character to life (or with my family and dogs).

Do what you dream of doing, believe in yourself, find out who you really are and try to connect with yourself. Ask yourself, what makes you happy? I personally love to walk my dogs in fields, so I try to give myself this time as much as my career allows me to. Make yourself a cup of tea and be grateful for that cup of tea. It's amazing what a shift your career can make once you truly believe in yourself. I have film scripts being sent to me without having to turn up to a cattle call casting, and it's life changing, but it didn't come without many battles. I'm truly blessed and full of gratitude for securing the films I'm working on, and cannot express how excited I am for the films I have down the pipeline. I'm so grateful for this, but also know that it can change in a second, so I cherish the moments I'm blessed to have.

Live in the present moment. Everyday, I still work very hard in securing a next role. I love helping people, and if I'm able to inspire even one person to keep living and working hard to reach their dreams, writing this will have beentbe worth it.

Be true to yourself

Be true to what you want out of life. You can't fully map out your life—we're thrown new life experiences even when we don't want or need them. Just know what you want and do whatever it takes to not allow anyone to knock you off your path—within reason, of course. This is your life and your vision. You can get there.

If you know that in 20 years you'll get there, ask yourself, can you live the life you have now for 20 years? If the answer is "No", change it. It may mean selling things to support yourself financially, it may mean ending a relationship, it may mean starting a new job...whatever it is, you need to create a path that makes you happy. Is your glass half full or half empty? If you are seeing everything in a negative light there is no way your mind can open up to new exciting opportunities. So, work on healing and developing yourself. Many years ago, I was getting rejection after rejection and I was totally lost in my acting life and personal life. Then, I found meditation, I joined a mindfulness group and, to be honest, the first few visits was super tough. I remember sitting in silence and whilst everyone sat there with their eyes closed, looking peaceful, I would peep to see only 5 minutes had past! I would fidget, my body would start itching even though I didn't actually need to itch...but after the 4th visit I began to calm my thoughts and brain down and couldn't believe the effect it had on me. I started to become aware of being in the moment, I started enjoying the little things in life again. This, in-turn, started to have a positive effect and impact in my life. I'm not saying meditation is for everyone, but if you're feeling restless, worthless, or frustrated and that glass is half empty, I encourage you to look into something that brings you joy and fulfillment—whether that's meditation or joining a local running club, or growing your own herbs in your garden. Find something that is personally rewarding to you. If your glass in half full, fantastic! A positive attitude can really help, especially in our darkest moments. It can save us.

Keep believing, keep working hard, and make sure you are prioritizing your values in your life.

Love to all.

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Small clips of the movies I have worked on.