Acting: Cut the Crap, Cue the Truth

Living the Life and Doing the Job

Natalie Burt

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781849434959
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Mezzi di comunicazione e arti performative
• Subtopic: Arti performative e business

Acting: Cut the Crap, Cue the Truth fills a gap in the drama school curriculum, tackling many areas which are unaddressed during training and discussing issues that are more often than not hushed up afterwards. Starting from the vital final stages of training, and on to life as a professional, Natalie Burt – a young, jobbing actress – moves systematically through the challenges that every actor faces; from making strategic career decisions, to the logistics of TV and film sets and voice over work, to more personal matters such as renting and flat-sharing, finance and well-being when out of work. Rejecting gimmicks and quick fixes, she encourages motivational thinking and entrepreneurialism using an informal, unapologetic and humorous tone whilst sharing information that is current, relevant and from the frontline. Or, as Natalie puts it, 'a thorough, constructive and ball-achingly honest chat about the industry, written by someone who still has all their own teeth.' Contributors to the book include Spotlight, Equity, James Penford from Hatton McEwan Penford agency and Alice Purser from Andy Pryor Casting. Endorsements: 'What Natalie Burt has done here is remarkable. She has written a luminously honest, very funny, often very touching voyage of what it is actually like to be afflicted with the unquenchable desire to dedicate oneself to being a professional actor.' Timothy Spall O.B.E(ese) 'A refreshing and entertaining take on the challenges facing actors and how best to surmount them.' Ben Seale, Managing Partner, Spotlight 'Natalie's book is like her acting: playful, irreverent, and accomplished. An invaluable resource.' Laurie Sansom, Artistic Director, National Theatre of Scotland 'At last! The book all aspiring actors have been waiting for. A truthful, comprehensive, funny guide to life as a jobbing and sometimes not jobbing actor.' Caroline Quentin 'The best book ever written.' Natalie's mum

1. AN INTRODUCTION

Why, oh why another bloody ‘How to be an Actor’ book?

Hello.

Ooh, suddenly I’m feeling incredibly self-aware writing this introduction… The introduction is meant to be the ‘pull’ isn’t it, the bit that determines whether you buy the book or get distracted by a nearby volume of ‘DIY for idiots’? …

Wow, ok… Well, here’s a new sales technique – I have nothing to sell you. The information I present here is an offering, no more and no less, and as with everything else in this book you have the choice whether to take it or leave it. I’m merely suggesting not instructing.

For those of you who already find my approach less than mildly entertaining and/or borderline peculiar, goodbye (and good luck with the DIY). For those still with me, look back to the shelf. What do you see? An array of ‘how to get work’- and ‘ticket to success’-type titles, promising the undeliverable and seducing the venerable? Gimmicks and formulas will of course seem attractive to an actor whose agent can’t pick them out of a line up, or whose last job was a devised adaptation of Macbeth in a barn in Holyhead – (It was great by the way, I saw it; the use of polyfiller and puppets was, erm, interesting.) And who exactly writes these books that litter the artsy sections of bookshops? Teachers? Ex-actors? Milkmen? Probably not milkmen. Hey, look, I’m no author, I don’t claim to be anything but an actress, and I certainly don’t claim to know much else outside of being one; which is why you’ll be relieved to hear that I won’t be attempting to explain the history of British Economics (maybe next year)… Nope, instead I’ll be sticking to what I know. I am in fact doing what every writer is told to do; to write what they know, and if there is one thing that I certainly do know about, one thing that I can claim is ‘my area’, it’s what it’s like and what it takes to be an actor today, this very day. I didn’t leave RADA in the 70s hayday, nor do I profess to have a glittering display of achievements and accolades behind me; but I do know what I’m talking about simply because I do it; I did it yesterday, I’m doing it today and I’ll do it tomorrow; I live and breathe it and if that doesn’t qualify me to write a book about it, I’m not sure what does. What better author is there than one who is also the target audience?

This is getting a bit ‘selly’. Let me try and guess what you’re thinking… Out of all the scores of actors, why me? Why bother? Why now? Well, it’s certainly not because I’m famous and because my face and name will sell books is it? (It’s Natalie by the way, in case you’ve forgotten.) You’ll not recognise my face; other than thinking perhaps that I slightly resemble (to quote a drunken holidaymaker in Ibiza in 2001) a ‘Poor man’s Rene Zellweger’… Outside of that flattering label however, I am simply a jobbing actor, like most actors, not a famous one, not a pretend one, just one who sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.

Why have I bothered to write this? ’Cause it beats temping in a call centre? I jest. I’m not saying that writing a book doesn’t beat temping in a call centre, because it absolutely does – wiping arses at a daycare centre beats that. Marginally. However, the real reason I bothered to write this was because as a young graduate I was absolutely stunned, I think is the best way to put it, by the lack of reliable support available for actors new and old, whether that be professional, financial or emotional. After our showcase I watched my friends and colleagues crash from elation to devastation as reality hit, and felt powerless to help. It seemed that the bottom simply fell out of drama school, and we were all left to sink, swim or float aimlessly, with nothing but bewilderment for company. Drama schools cannot continue to cradle forever, of course not, there has to be a point when the chicks leave the nest; I’ve come to realise that the reason it felt so harsh, so abrupt, so disarming was because there was, and is, a distinct lack of pragmatic information available to aid us when it happens; as we attempt to live the life, as well as do the job. Those two things are not detached by the way, they are inextricably linked because as an actor you are your work, and your work is your life. Wearing that 24 hours a day, 365 days a year takes a hell of a lot, and I know I would have been pleased to receive any unbiased, constructive assistance that was offered to me. It is my hope that a reliable source of advice, written by someone with no other agenda than to reassure and encourage, might go some way to providing what I feel is so desperately needed. A little understanding and an ounce of guidance can be the difference between survival and demise.

The question of ‘why now’ is rather simple; it’s an itch I’ve been meaning to scratch since graduating, but one that I knew I couldn’t and shouldn’t attempt before I was ready. I’ve been mulling the idea over since then and feel now that I can offer what is needed, both in terms of experience and objectivity. After seven years in the business I have formed my own strategies and philosophies and, perhaps rather arrogantly, have decided that putting a bunch of words in the right order might be of some use to each new batch of graduates who arrive at the playground only to be bewildered by the game the big kids are already playing.

So that’s enough about me, this isn’t a sodding autobiography. Let’s get down to you shall we? If you have picked up this book and are considering buying it, borrowing or perhaps stealing it, then the likelihood is that you are an actor? Or a criminal with artistic aspirations… If you are the former, which I rather hope you are, then congratulations, you are (undeniably) cool as fuck. We all are, did nobody tell you?! You are part of a tiny percentage of the human race that are following their dreams against all odds, striving to realise them, daring to hope and willing to try. You are dodging the vacuum of normality, refusing to feel indifferent about a nine to five job; you do this, not because of something you want, but because of something you are, and instead of burying it or ignoring it you have embraced it, and that is both courageous and commendable. However, what you also ‘are’, is buggered if you don’t give yourself the best possible head start in a race where the finish line moves, the rules change and the other competitors sometimes quite blatantly cheat. Cue a bit of Bond theme tune? It’s my book, why not; in the words of Chris Cornell:

‘Arm yourself because no one else here will save you’

… Casino Royale, what a film.

In its simplest form this is what my book is for, to arm you. Arm you with knowledge you can use, strategies you can enforce, examples you can learn from and questions you can answer, freely and honestly. The idea is to make you stronger too, (we want to make sure that there is no H at the start of Mr Cornell’s lyric!)… In fact, it isn’t to make you stronger at all, it is to enable you to access the strength you already have; to add to the tenacity it’s taken for you to get this far. All I can do though is offer things to you; it is up to you to be receptive and open and realistic throughout this process, if this is to be anything more than some crappy handbook. You have to want to make this work; you have to want to make sense of things and be prepared to work your arse off to do so. There is nothing terribly unique about an actor who can act, but there is something electric about an actor who will move heaven and earth to work and to learn; who is assertive enough to hear the truth, realistic enough to process it and savvy enough to use it to their advantage. That’s what gets results and what makes people stand out from the crowd. Now is the time to tap into your entrepreneurial skills, to merge them with your knowledge and use them both alongside your practical abilities.

Within the business there are simple mistakes to be avoided, vague areas that I can clarify, and so many things swept under the carpet that the carpet is more or less brushing the bloody ceiling. I will be exposing these and discussing them with you openly. I will not be polite and I will not be censored, as you may have already grasped, but I will be honest and always constructive; my honesty coming from the reality I encounter every day as a jobbing actor and my constructiveness born from a belief that using such honesty should always serve you instead of me.

There may be stuff included here that some of you already know, of course there will be, we’re not starting at the very beginning; when this happens please know that I am covering bases rather than trying to patronise you, and if there are jokes and witticisms that you don’t get/consider amusing, please assume that they sounded funnier in my head; most things do. Apart from ‘You didn’t get the job’, and ‘You should’ve used protection’… Neither of those are funny in or outside of my head.

I’m sure that other actors similar to me, either in age or ‘level’, might have a slightly different take on a few points or angles, but the main principles of surviving and progressing will be mutually understood and practised by the vast majority. These are the principles I am loyal to here; everything else is about judgement calls, instincts and luck. The information I present to you is an offer of advice, not an instruction and not a formula. As I’ve said, it’s a joint effort; I give this information, these tools to you gladly, but it is up to you to use your intelligence to assimilate what I’m saying and your gut to guide you through how much of it you choose to utilise. I’ve used the word choose there and would like to mark its first appearance. This is a word you will hear SO much in this book you will feel as if you should use it to name your first child… Don’t, ‘Choose Smith’ just sounds weird…but it’d be a fab name for a future little politician though eh? I digress (which will also happen a lot, but stay with me). There are a variety of things I’ll say that you will agree and disagree with, and I very much hope there is a healthy helping of both; opinion and initiative (with a dash of shrewd rebellion) will serve you well in this industry, and will not only make you more interesting to work with but also far more fascinating to watch.

I probably should mention before we go any further, that this is not a ‘how to act’ book. First of all, I do not believe that one can learn such an indefinable, empirical skill solely from a book (even if I did, I wouldn’t be the one to write it – we’ll leave that to Stella and Stan). Secondly, I am assuming, rightly or wrongly, that by now training will have done its best to nurture and discipline the craft within any person who shows interest in this book. The practical skills and the passion to fuel those skills are no doubt fired up and ready to fly. However, for every five minutes in front of the camera in a casting suite, or in some wooden-floored, drafty loft with a director, there are weeks and months of ‘coping’ required in order to ensure that when those five minutes do present themselves, you shine; instead of fading, cracking or quitting. This book is less about acting and more about being ready to act.

I’m going to be completely honest with you from the off and admit that probably 92% of the time I’ve spent writing this book I’ve felt like a bit of a fraud. In no way have I got it sorted, far from it; I know no secret codes to success or quick fixes for fame and fortune, (evidently not, just last night I coloured in some scuffs on my boots with a permanent marker pen). I don’t have it made; but I’m still going strong, making progress every day and loving every minute, even the shit minutes (in a way). There aren’t that many actors who can put their hand on their heart and say that after ten years. I think the only reason this is the case for me, is because I have almost faultlessly kept the faith; I have fought to maintain positivity, sustain my enthusiasm and determination in the face of adversity, and sought to improve with every passing lesson. And most importantly, I have used all the shit that I’ve endured over the last ten years to make me stronger.

The life of an actor is a complex tapestry of bollocks and brilliance, a rollercoaster that truly does both exhilarate and nauseate; it caresses with one hand and slaps with the other. Your love will be tested, continuously, and unless you are sufficiently prepared, thoroughly informed and utterly grounded, those tests may get the better of you.

Ideal timing, Mr Jovi would like to add a pearl of wisdom to that:

‘Success is falling down nine times and getting up ten’ Jon Bon Jovi

Cue ‘Blaze of Glory’…

2. YOUR 3rd YEAR OF TRAINING

Countdown to the release date.

First of all let’s annihilate that chapter title. From now on refer to your ‘3^rd year of training’ as your ‘1st year as a professional actor’. Ooh, I hear you say. Yup, and so it begins. Adopting this attitude is crucial when it comes to many things, including the image you portray to the industry, the continuous development you will undergo and the product you are now beginning to shape. It also has a profound influence on the decisions that you will make, both in your immediate future and beyond.

Though there is some debate around the ‘necessity’ of conventional training where acting is concerned, there is no doubt that drama training is hugely beneficial for any ‘wannabe’ actor, and a path that should be considered if a career in the arts is sought; it is a safe and trustworthy incubation tank and a first step that is recognized and well respected by the masses. Though the location and type of training required may be up for discussion, there is no question in my mind that training of some sort, whether educational or vocational, is a requirement; whether ‘lessons’ are learnt in a studio or out on location, the lessons must be learnt, and the correct muscles should be discovered, exercised and understood. It is an essential process whereby potential is nurtured by those whose experience qualifies them to do so. Though the setting for this chapter is drama school, the specific phase I dissect here is relevant to anyone hoping to make the transition from amateur to professional.

Talent is a peculiar word; it’s frequently suggested that someone either ‘has it or they haven’t’. I won’t deny that there is an innate flair in most actors and that they tend to show signs of it very early on; it may seem that a child possesses some personality traits, and hints at having some key skills that are widely recognized as attributes intrinsic to the ‘performer’. Whether they understand at that stage what a future channelling those attributes entails is a completely different story. But talent is a word that most actors shy away from. Maybe because it carries with it ‘god-given’ type connotations, as if a mystical gift has been bestowed, readying us to fulfil a prophecy of some sort… (Romanticism and Crap are always only a gnat’s fart from each other in my opinion, especially in this business!) That train of thought also suggests that a fully formed skill simply sits there; that it is somehow effortless to execute and sustain, which in my mind diminishes the work, hours, blood, sweat and tears that go into the learning of the craft. I believe in giving credit where credit is due! Surely we as actors do ourselves a huge injustice if we support such uninformed assumptions?

I believe in natural ability, sure, but I also know that a diamond can be shaped and polished to increase its appeal and value. It is ability that provides the possibility for brilliance, but practice that delivers it; they go hand in hand. There is a world between having a skill and having a career and only you are truly in control of using the former to build the latter.

You may notice that some of the ‘front runners’ in the first year of drama school are floundering towards the end, either because panic is setting in as the realities of the industry lose their soft hypothetical edge, or as their ability peaks, their development stalling at the height of its potential. It is within the process of development that ability, application and ambition need to join forces, each dependent on the other and all vital. All we have in the beginning is potential; our ability must be coupled with a willingness and capacity to assimilate information and then apply it. What’s more, we must have an unequivocal love of the practice, a need to do it, a need way beyond simple desire. Is this you? If you are reading on, I think there’s a good probability that it is.

Any drama course, whether it be at a drama school or university is a peculiar, possibly even unstable mix of funny farm, playground, intensive care unit and party bus. I found it hilarious that for the first few years of my career the most common question between actors, a question that rolls from the tongue and is universally understood by the acting community, was ‘How long have you been out?’… Drama school (or Uni) can seem like a jail sentence and therefore similar terminology is adopted! One can become quite unknowingly institutionalised within the ‘system’ and too reliant on the structure and guidance provided (not dissimilar from Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption)…

IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION PUT THIS BOOK D...