The Hardest Part of an Acting Career Isn’t Always the Audition
Building actor confidence between auditions isn’t always easy, but the time between opportunities can be one of the most important seasons of growth in an acting career.
When most people think about acting, they imagine auditions, callbacks, film sets, and opening nights. What they don’t often think about in the beginning however, is the waiting. Lots of waiting.
The days between auditions, or the weeks, even months between projects.
The periods where nothing seems to be happening, even though you’re working hard behind the scenes auditioning, studying and giving it your all.
I’ve learned that these moments can be some of the most challenging parts of an acting career. Not because they lack opportunity, but because they create space for doubt to creep in.
When we’re busy preparing for a role, our energy has somewhere to go. When we’re waiting, our minds often fill in the blanks.
We start comparing ourselves to other actors, begin to question our progress, and wonder if we’re doing enough or if we are enough.
And before long, our confidence begins depending on how recently we’ve heard “yes.”
The truth, is that confidence isn’t built during the booking.
It’s built during those periods of waiting…
1. Remember That Growth Doesn’t Stop Between Auditions
One of the biggest mindset shifts I ever experienced was realizing that my acting career wasn’t on pause simply because I wasn’t actively auditioning. Growth happens in the quiet seasons, too. Often more than you realize.
Every acting class you take, every scene you study, every script you read, and every skill you develop is moving you forward. It’s your audition preparation from the real world, giving you golden nuggets to take away for future auditions and work you book!
The industry may not always see that growth immediately, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable. Some of the biggest breakthroughs happen long before anyone else notices them.
2. Focus on Your Craft Instead of the Outcome
Actors spend so much time thinking about bookings, that we sometimes forget why we started.
Most of us fell in love with storytelling before we ever booked a role. So instead of worrying about why you didn’t hear back or didn’t book that one role you desperately wanted, try to redirect your thoughts back to the beginning.
Reconnect with what you love during the still moments between auditions and bookings. Read a new play or watch your favorite movie. Study a character or work on a monologue for yourself with no pressure to “do it right.”
When your attention begins to merge back in line to the craft itself, confidence begins growing from a much healthier place.
You’ll feel a weight lifting off your shoulders and the excitement to keep going will come back to life!
3. Build Evidence for Your Confidence
Confidence isn’t magic, and I believe it’s evidence you are on the right path.
Every time you challenge yourself, learn a new skill, improve your self-tape setup, or complete an acting class, you’re creating proof that you’re growing. The problem however, is that many actors only count bookings as evidence.
Imagine if athletes only counted championship wins or if musicians only counted sold-out concerts… Especially in the beginning of their career when they didn’t have the massive following they have earned over the years.
Progress would feel impossible. Every audition rejection would pile up and outshine any booking you got so far in your career.
This alone is why your confidence deserves more data than that! Your evidence has to be more than that booked role. Don’t forget to add up all of those little pieces of the puzzle that is tangible proof that you are growing and moving forward!
4. Invest in Your Future Self
One of the best ways to combat uncertainty is through action. When you don’t have an audition to prepare for, prepare for the opportunities that haven’t arrived yet.
This might mean:
- Updating your website (consistently)
- Refreshing your headshots
- Improving your reel
- Strengthening your Actors Access profile
- Learning a new skill
- Creating content that showcases your work
As a professional actress, I’ve found that confidence often grows when I know I’m actively investing in the future version of myself. Keep pushing yourself to take those action steps. It really does help a lot!
5. Protect Your Actor Mindset
Confidence is difficult to maintain when you’re constantly feeding your brain comparison. Social media is one of those necessary evils that can make it seem like everyone else is booking, working, moving forward and living their best life as a performer.
But you’re only seeing highlights though. Their good side they want to share with you. You’re not seeing the auditions that didn’t work out, or the doubts that are lingering in their head from day to day. You’re not seeing the years of effort behind those success stories.
A healthy actor mindset requires boundaries. One way to create those boundaries is by paying attention to what inspires you and what drains you.
Not every piece of content deserves your attention if it puts you in a spiral. Maybe one day you can take more in and celebrate your peers wins, but know that it’s ok if you can’t do it the next day. Listen to yourself and close the app if you need to.
6. Take Care of the Human Behind the Actor
This one is easy to overlook too. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your acting career has nothing to do with acting. NOT A THING!
Go for a walk, spend time with people you love, read a book, travel somewhere new and get a pedicure. Heck, take a class unrelated to performance like painting or sword fighting! Just live your life and enjoy it.
Great actors don’t just collect credits, they collect experiences. They get out there and live life, and all of those experiences become the foundation for richer performances later.
Personal growth and creative growth often go hand in hand. That’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about creating experiences that help performers reconnect with themselves outside of auditions and bookings with creative retreats to reset the body, mind, and soul.
7. Create Your Own Opportunities
One of the most empowering things an actor can learn is that confidence doesn’t have to come from waiting for permission.
Write something and film it. Collaborate with creative friends and work on a project together. Tell a story that matters to you.
The more ownership you take over your creative journey, the less your confidence depends on someone else’s timeline. It will also allow your mind to open up in more creative ways that again can help your performance down the road!
This is me on set with a cast and crew I put together for a project we filmed in Tennessee. It was great! We all learned a lot, got a new credit to add to our IMDb, and created something together.
I don’t know what you think about that, but I think it is pretty darn cool! We also didn’t have a budget but we did it anyway! Nothing and no one can come in your way of creating your own opportunities.
What Research Says About Confidence
According to the American Psychological Association, confidence and self-efficacy often grow through mastery experiences—situations where we actively practice, learn, and overcome challenges.
In other words, confidence doesn’t appear first. Action comes first and confidence follows.
This is one reason why taking small steps between auditions can be so powerful. Every action becomes evidence that you’re capable of growth.
Building a Sustainable Acting Career
The actors who build long-term careers aren’t necessarily the ones who book the most roles right away. They’re often the ones who continue growing when nobody is watching.
They keep learning, creating and investing in themselves (reading, studying, getting new headshots, updating their portfolios, etc.)
But most importantly, they understand that confidence isn’t something that arrives after success. It’s something that helps create success.
The next audition will come with a new opportunity. Until then, trust that your growth still matters. In fact, it matters more than you realize.
Because every step you’re taking today is helping shape the actor you’ll become tomorrow!
Continue the Journey
One of the things I love most about this industry is that no one builds a career alone. Every audition, project, class, production, and opportunity is made possible by people coming together to tell stories that matter.
Whether you’re an actor working to build confidence between auditions or a creative professional looking for your next collaborator, I hope you’ll remember that growth rarely happens overnight. It happens through consistent action, curiosity, and a willingness to keep showing up.
If you’d like to learn more about my work, discuss a potential project, or simply connect with a fellow storyteller, I’d love to hear from you.
Until then, keep creating and believing in yourself!
