No Begging

God never seems to respond to my begging. Each day I hold countless amounts of money in my hands in the form of copy. Whether it's commercial, animation, promo, narration, video games, or any other kind of voice over script, the spoils go to that ONE voice which impresses the fickle ears of "They" who hold a poor voice actor's future in their powerful hands. Whether an actor adds a vocal inflection going up or down at the end of a line, or the tiniest breath or pause between a word can mean the difference between a six figure salary or going back to work at Trader Joe's. (Not that I've ever worked for Trader Joe's. I hear it's a pleasant environment and can be fulfilling work.)

Really, though. Can you blame me for occasionally falling to my knees after leaving the booth and pleading with God, "Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh PU-LEEEZE let me book this campaign!" or "Please, God, just this one leading role on an animated series that's been picked up for 52 episodes!"? These types of prayers, I've gathered, must fall on deaf ears. Well, perhaps God does hear me, but for whatever reason is unmoved by my pathetic petitions. I suppose it's understandable. After all, God did not create me to place myself at the mercy of others to determine my happiness. One of the greatest gifts from our creator is the power to control our own minds and therefore create our own happiness. I don't need some casting director to give me a job that will make me and my family financially secure for the rest of our lives to make me happy...Ok, that would be nice, but my point is that if your chosen vocation in life is in the entertainment industry, be prepared for the roller coaster of daily rejection speckled with heights of elation when bookings do come.

Don't get me wrong. I do ok. I'm making my living doing something I absolutely love. In fact, I suppose in some third world countries I would be considered quite rich. I guess what I'm trying to say is that life as a "working" actor is spent in what many would consider a sort of balancing act between truly living and simply surviving. As "working" actors, acting is our only job, yet we are not quite celebrities and sometimes we never know when the next gig will come. Usually we are living off our salaries from our previous jobs and just when the bank account starts to dwindle and we're tempted to fall to our knees and begin the begging again, we get a call from our agent and hear the sweetest words, "Hey, I've got a booking for you." Ah, yes. Very sweet words indeed.

My agent called me yesterday, in fact, with those very words. It wasn't a booking for a campaign or series that will change my life, but still it was a booking, for which I am always grateful. I suppose therein lies what many consider to be the secret to true happiness. An attitude of gratitude. I have had the unfortunate displeasure of being in the presence of many ungrateful people. They are quite possibly the most pathetic human beings in existence. Definitely nothing I would want for my children. After all, when they see Mommy crying and whining about jobs I don't book, what on earth do I expect from their behavior when they don't get their way? It's amazing how we as adults still possess the ability to lose all self respect and melt into a sniveling pile of brattiness when things don't go our way. Especially actors! We're quite good at making that very transformation.

So, as I head off to my next audition, in stead of begging after leaving the booth, I will simply say, "Thank you for the opportunity." I will not beg to book a life changing campaign or series. I will be grateful that I am a working actor, a happy mom, and loved wife. My knees hurt anyway.