Transcription of podcast:

An Acting Success Formula

Brian Timoney with Joe Ferrera

June 2016

Acting Success Formula: Insights and advice on getting it right

Brian and Joe delve into what it really takes to make it in the acting industry, with a look at the behind- the-scenes effort, investment and approaches needed to succeed. With tips and guidance based on their own personal experiences and examples from some of today’s acting greats, they present an Acting Success Formula that really works.

10 things you will learn about:

• Acting success: The vital role of your belief system • Making it big: Why it’s all about approach & attitude • A winning audition: The importance of mindset • Building your acting muscle: Learning from failures • Analysing your achievements: Finding the winning trend • Why you need to invest – And how to do it right • Honing your approach: Getting advice • Starting from scratch: Cutting your losses & doing it again • When “putting your eggs in one basket” is a good thing • Examples from Acting Greats: Bradley Cooper and Sacha Baron Cohen Page 2

Full Transcript

One man – One mission: To rid the world of low-standard and mediocre acting, once and for all.

Brian Timoney, the world’s leading authority on Method Acting, brings you powerful, impactful, volcanic acting and ‘business of acting’ techniques in his special Acting Podcasts.

It’s Brian Timoney’s World of Acting – unplugged and unleashed.

Brian: Hi, it’s Brian Timoney here – and welcome onto today’s podcast. And I’ve got Joe with me – welcome, Joe. Joe: Thank you very much for having me. Hello everybody out there. Brian: Right, so, what we’re going to be talking about today is self-belief – and the reason being what is it that actually has to happen for people to become successful in the acting industry, or indeed anything else? Joe: Yes. Brian: Because there is a certain sort of belief system that people have that allows them to persevere and get there in the long run, and there’s also a reason why people don’t realise something that they want. Joe: Yes. Brian: I’ve seen this a lot actually over the years in the acting industry. I’ve seen some actors who are really, really talented that haven’t really got to the level that they should have realised – and it wasn’t to do with their talent, it was to do with how they thought about their talent and how they thought about the acting industry. And, you know, the acting industry’s tough, you know. Joe: It’s so tough, yes! Brian: So there’s no point in making it worse. Joe: Look; we just want you guys to know – we keep saying – it’s so tough. It is so tough. It’s the toughest industry/business probably on the planet – for a reason. Brian: Yes; if it was that easy, everybody would be a movie star, right? Joe: Right! Brian: And it’s not that easy and you do have to have a certain perseverance and attitude towards it. Joe: That's right. Brian: What I’ve seen is, from my experience of teaching people, is that often it comes down to the attitude in that person that will dictate the level of success. Joe: Yes. Brian: Because, you know, we can even point to really famous actors that are not so great but are major stars – and why is that? Why them and not somebody else? It comes down to the fact that they’ve got a certain way of thinking about it and going after it. Joe: Yes. Brian: Because there’s other actors I’ve come across that just “self-flagellate” for one reason or another: ‘I’m not good enough. Other people are better than me. It’s so tough – I’m never going to be Page 3

able to do it.’ And if you come into it with that attitude, that leads to a certain set of actions and a certain energy as well that people give off. You know, it’s like a self-defeating energy. Here’s the thing, Joe: when you go into a casting, when you go into an audition, if you don’t believe you can do it, if you don’t believe you deserve that part, well, why should anybody else? It’s like you are actually in the process of trying to convince those people watching you that you are actually able to do it – and their mortgages depend upon it, their life income depends on it. So, if somebody walks in the room and they kind of have a feel for this person that they don’t believe in themselves so they’re not really that sure, then you can be sure that they are picking that up. Joe: Yes. And let’s define that a little bit more for people out there. It’s not about you going in and you’re just like steamrollering everybody – that you’re going to be like so determined that you’re not going to listen or be able to take direction. No. it’s not about that. It’s about you going in the room and saying, ‘Look’ – this is how I kind of see it sometimes, Brian, so just bear with me: I go into the room and I go into a casting situation or an audition and I do – I’m with you guys, at the forefront of it – and I go in and I say to myself, ‘Hey, for this 10 minutes, I get a chance to act today, to create something, to be artistic – and that’s part of the business.’ I get a chance to play, to do something and get paid to do something I love – right? That’s the core belief. And then from that, how can I lose? You know what I mean? I spend 10 minutes doing something that I love to do! So if that then translates into getting the job, then even better – then I get paid and I can continue my life as I’ve chosen, right? If I don’t get that opportunity, then I enjoyed that moment that I was given to hone my skills in terms of like I maybe needed to create and prepare something really powerful so I got the opportunity to do that. I got the opportunity to meet a really good casting director or director – and this, let me tell you, guys, out there, it’s happened time and time again. I may not have gotten that role that I went up for, but I got called back for something else and it was even a better role or it was equally on par because they thought, ‘Maybe he could do this instead.” So it always seems to work out. But to begin with, I always feel like you’ve got to go in with the preparation and expectation that you’re going to win this; you’re going to take the job. You’re not just going to be given it. You know, it’s a big difference in that sentence: are you going in and taking the job, or is it being given to you? You know, if it’s being given to you, it’s like they gave it to you – but if you went in and took it, you know, they can’t think of anybody else to play this role other than you now because you took it – that’s a whole other way of thinking and working. And it’s not just about believing something just for the sake of self-belief; it’s about putting things in your life that actually mean something to you and that you can use as a foundation. Brian: Yes. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there, Joe, and I think it’s going back to this thing about authenticity as well… Joe: Absolutely. Yes, Brian. Brian: …because I think that what can, when people are going into audition rooms, the thing that it can be is I’m trying to be something I’m not, or I’m trying to push or I’m trying to prove – and you are there to kind of prove that you can do the role. There’s no getting away from that. But pushing to do it or going too far with it, or being too overly confident or cocky, that is not going to help you either. I know what you’re talking about: it’s an inner confidence about you know who you are and… Joe: Yes – and within that, Brian, you might have a bad day. You know, you might have a day where it’s not going well or something in the moment in that room hasn’t gone well. And it’s about saying to yourself, ‘This isn’t my only chance. I’m going to learn from this. What did I learn from the successes Page 4

that I got? What did I learn from the failures that I got?’ So, what have you learned from that – and building within yourself a career, because no career is born overnight. Stop being delusional – that you’re going to go in and walk in and somebody’s going to give you that role because you’re perfect. You are going to walk in to that job and you’re going to be perfect – after you’ve done all these other things. But, you know, you’ve built muscles up, you’ve built an understanding, you’ve investigated and invested time in yourself and in the craft. Brian: I see that. That is exactly it. Now, to get to the point where you can really believe in yourself, you have to invest in yourself… Joe: Yes. Brian: …because it’s like, you know, I’ve actually sat down and did this once, Joe, because something said, ‘This is something interesting to know. Take anything in your life that you managed to achieve that at one time you thought seemed might not be possible or it seemed hard to achieve.’ And that could be anything, from learning to drive a car, to getting a part, to – whatever, right? It could be anything in life. And the question that was set to me was like, ‘When you look at those things that you achieved, what is it that happened in each of those things? What were the things that were consistent as in they consistently happened each time you achieved something?’ And I thought, ‘That’s quite an interesting question.’ Because they said, ‘There’s usually a trend in it. There’s usually something that you do that happens that allows it to happen, and you repeat the process – unconsciously, usually.’ So, here, what it is – it’s very simple for me and I think probably it is for most people – is that I’ve usually found that the first step was that I’ve usually found that somebody else has done it. So if I take the learning to drive a car example, if you’re going to learn to drive a car, you’ve got to go and find a driving instructor, somebody who’s already done it – right? Joe: Yes. Brian: Then I’ve usually invested heavily in that thing – and I mean financially. It’s like in some shape or form you have to put your money where your mouth is and put money into it because it’s not going to materialise by itself, you know. And from the acting perspective it’s like your training, your showreel, your headshots, putting stuff out there, creating productions – all of this needs investment. And it’s like really, as an actor, you’re getting a small business off the ground; any business that gets off the ground requires investment. And then the third part was I watched to see if it was working or not, and if it wasn’t, something I was doing wasn’t working, then I tried something else. And I kept doing that until I got there. Joe: Perfect. Amazing. Yes. Brian: It’s a simple process but I noticed it was one that I’ve done… Joe: So, there’s some listeners out there, some young actors, some people who are professional, who already maybe graduated, or who retrained, or who didn’t train and have got this dilemma – it might not be what I call “booking the job” or “getting the job”. So, what can they do in terms of like following those three simple actions, then, Brian? So, the first one was what? Brian: You find somebody else that’s already done it. Joe: Yes. So, you look who’s done what you want to do. Brian: And, by the way, that can break down into many different categories – right? Joe: Yes, absolutely. Brian: So, for example, say you wanted decent headshots, then you have to do research into, ‘Well, who’s already got good headshots?’ Page 5

Joe: Yes – ‘Who got that headshot? I really like that photographic style/I really like what this guy’s done/this lady’s done, photographed this actor that I admire. So who did that for them?’ Brian: Or it might be you want to do a production, want to start a film or something – in which case the sensible thing is go and find somebody who’s done that and ask them… Joe: ‘How did you do it?’ Brian: ‘How did you do it? What was involved?’ And maybe they’ll be kind enough to tell you and give you advice. Joe: And reach out and give you advice, yes. And then if it’s like an acting thing, where you want to be in a job, you want to take that job, in a casting situation what’s the thing that you can do there?

And cut! Okay, take five, people. Listen; if you want to get the transcript for today’s show and free access to Brian Timoney’s Online Method Acting Course, then go to worldofacting.com and get your free gifts.

Okay, let’s get back on set. Lights. Camera. And... Action.

Brian: Well, I think, again, it would come down to making sure your audition technique is rock solid. Joe: Right. Brian: So, who can help you with auditions? Who can help with audition technique? Other actors who are good at auditioning are an excellent source for that. Joe: Yes – so don’t go to the one that’s not working; go to the actors that are working. You know, ask them: ‘What did you do?’ And they may say, ‘Oh, I don't know. I don’t think about it. I don’t think about it like that’ – which has happened a lot; I’ve spoken to a lot of people I know and they’re just, ‘Oh, I just did it,’ you know? And I’m like, ‘No, no, no – that’s not enough for me.’ Maybe it’s the semantics of you and me, Brian, where we go, ‘No, no, no. I need to know what you did because that’s the mirror of an artist.’ It’s like we have to take the things apart to go, ‘Okay, this component in my career isn’t working. How do I fix it?’ So, my problem was that I was in the room going in too heavy. I’d be too intense. I’d be too like – I’m not a needy person but I was needy in terms of like I wanted to get the job, so I was really going hard. And people were like, ‘Well, he’s a bit scary’ – right? And then I’m like, ‘Oh. I never thought of myself as scary. I just thought of myself as me.’ So then I started to make an adjustment and come in and go, ‘Right. Hi, everyone. How’re you doing? This is my work,’ present my work, present my acting, enjoy that, think that, in my mind’s eye, that I’m doing a little piece of Shakespeare or doing a bit of Tennessee Williams – and then leave. So, once I changed that, bang – I started to get all the jobs again. Brian: I think that’s really interesting, Joe, and I think this is an absolutely key part of this little process. And here’s the other thing about this: you might be able to talk to somebody and they might give you free advice. That can happen. But the other thing is that often valuable advice is not free; it’s like often you’ll have to invest in that, or if you… Joe: You have to put your money where your mouth is – which is what I did. Listen; I went to New York; I went to LA; I followed a Method coach. We studied and we broke everything down and it was hard. Page 6

Brian: I did the same; I moved from Scotland to London. I sold the car, I put everything on the line; I saved up and I put it into acting training. Listen; when I said that this is the process, literally everything from learning to drive a car, learning how to act, doing anything in life, practically, you can apply. I’ve noticed it within myself; I think, ‘Oh, yes, I’ve achieved this.’ Like setting up the acting studio. Joe: Yes – I mean, phenomenal, you know – come on, man. Yes. Brian: It’s the same thing: it doesn’t happen by itself. And don’t expect yourself not to have to invest. The money thing is a strange thing, isn’t it, Joe… Joe: Yes. Brian: …because there is something that happens around that that commits people to action. Joe: Yes. Brian: Sometimes when things are free or they don’t cost anything, there’s no value placed on it and there’s no commitment. You know, there’s a difference; when a movie gets made and somebody decided to put down five million of their own money, you’d better believe that they’re focused on it! If you made your own film and you’re putting down your own money, I bet you’re really focused on making that work! It’s like if something happens that the money commits the individual to making sure they give it everything they’ve got. Joe: Yes. So, if you’re investing in getting a mentor to guide you financially, to guide you in helping you get the success of the job, you’ve committed to it financially – and let me tell you, so everybody knows, I’ve done that, as well as Brian, in his commitment to the Studio financially, and my commitment to my career financially. You know, it didn’t grow from the trees; I had to go and earn it and invest in myself, you know. Brian: And, you know, there’s a funny thing that happens around it because the world or the universe seems to reward that sort of commitment. Joe: Yes. Brian: Here’s another: Bradley Cooper, when he started acting training, he knew he was getting into get into an industry that was more precarious than others, and his dad is a big finance guy in New York and he could have financed his training. And Bradley Cooper said, ‘I didn’t want him to do that. It was almost like I wanted the debt, because then I knew I had to make it work.’ And also he says, ‘It shouldn’t be his money on the line; it should be my money.’ That’s the way he felt about it. It’s not to say you shouldn’t – you know, if you’re in a situation where you can get help, then fine. Joe: Yes. We’re not saying – yes. Brian: It’s just how he felt about it at the time. And I can understand that. There is something about it where you think it fuels you to think, ‘You know what? There’s something on the line here and I’ve got to go out and make it work.’ Joe: Yes. It’s like if you’re on the gambling table on the roulette wheel and your career – you know, you had like your – whatever/however much amount you’ve got was put all in on the roll of the dice or the spin of that roulette wheel, you know, you’d best believe that you’re going to really – that’s going to drive you. You’re going to be really intense and focused and driven. You know, when you have no other choice but to gamble the last bit of your money on that to make sure that you get what you want, you’d be after. If it’s a bit, ‘Hmm’ and ‘Ah’ and wishy-washy, then it’s not going to drive you enough, you know? If you can find a way out, then you will find a way out. So you have to put all of that into the… Brian: You know when they say, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”? Page 7

Joe: Yes. Brian: I think there’s occasions where you should put all your eggs in one basket. Joe: Yes, you should. Brian: Because it almost becomes like, ‘I’ve got to do it. There’s no way out.’ Because in some ways, if there is an exit – and we do live in a society now where it’s kind of easy to leave things and do other things, and there’s instant gratification expected in nearly everything these days… Joe: Yes. Brian: But it’s being able to commit yourself and put your own back against the wall and a gun to your head and say, ‘Look, I’ve got to follow this through.’ And often the financial commitment will do that. Look, I had a guy who came to me once that auditioned for the programme and I thought, ‘He’s got talent. This is somebody we could take on.’ And as it turned out, he wasn’t in the financial position to go forward with it. You know what he did? For the next two years, he worked three jobs. He basically worked through the day, he had a night job and he saved up every penny he had. Joe: Wow. Brian: And then he came back and said, ‘Right, I’m ready to do it.’ Now, that shows me something about that individual. And not surprisingly, after the programme, the work and he’s making it happen, because it tells you that that process is not just about having to go and accumulate money; it’s the process of what you have to go through to get that. Joe: Yes; it’s sort of formulating neurons and emotional pathways in you that make you stronger and more powerful and ready to receive the gift of the rewards, so that when you get given a really good role with lots of financial rewards, you are ready for it – you know, emotionally, physically, so it doesn’t throw you off course like we’ve seen many people it can do in their careers and then we never hear of them again. So you’ll be prepared; you’ll be easy to work with; you’ll be someone that other people want to work with because of your approach. They want to be around that energy. Brian: You’re right; it builds the muscles that are required to be successful in the industry. Joe: Yes, to be successful within the industry – because it’s hard to get in and to stay in. Do you know what I mean? This is a different subject all together, but staying in is also hard, and you need to be able to know that what got you in there is what keeps you in there – that drive, that sense of like, ‘Okay, what do I want to do?’ Brian: And it’s easy to look at it – because recently I saw Sacha Baron Cohen and Sacha’s worth in the region – it’s reported – about 105 million… Joe: Oh, my good gosh. Wow. Brian: Which is a lot of money – right? Joe: That’s a lot of money, yes. Brian: But he started out doing Ali G on little skits. Joe: Skits! Brian: And, you know, don’t underestimate the amount of hustle and hard work, commitment, dedication, putting his own money on the line that had to happen in order to make these leaps from Ali G to getting a film made to doing the next thing. Joe: Yes. Brian: So, becoming successful in the industry is not just about talent. There’s a lot of talented people there. A lot of it’s attached to this type of process – the thinking process, determination and commitment. I know we’re running over slightly but… Page 8

Joe: That’s okay. Brian: …just to finish off on this topic – the last stage of it – which is to notice whether something is working or not because sometimes you can go down a certain route and you realise, ‘You know what? This isn’t working too well,’ don’t be afraid to ditch it and try something else. Joe: Yes – ditch it! Do what everybody else would do, like in any industry. You don’t like the colour of the wall – paint it a new colour! If you don’t like something, you change it! So if it’s not working – but that means that you have to have your approach, that original approach that you just discussed, and you have to take the component parts apart and go, ‘Ah, now I know why that didn’t get it, because this part isn’t working. Let me fix this part and ditch this attitude or I lose this behaviour.’ That might be a relationship; that might be a negative behaviour. ‘I ditch that and I introduce something better.’ Now, the reintroducing of something may take a little time for it to work in the long run. Brian: Yes. Joe: It’s like a tennis player or a golf player has had to change their grip – or something like that. But then all of a sudden, bang – you hit something and it’s going and you’re away, and all of a sudden that was the problem and you’ve got the success. Brian: You’ve got to be consistent in trying different things as well, to make it work. Joe: Yes. And I don’t mind that we’ve gone over in this one, Brian, because I think the listeners need to know that there is a process, and you have to concentrate a little bit harder on the podcast today and stay with us, because that’s what is the question and that’s what necessary, you know? Brian: I think you’re right, Joe. What we’re discussing here in this podcast I think could possibly be the most important thing that people could take on board when they’re thinking about becoming an actor, because I think, you know, it’s nice to think about all the rewards, you know, of being an actor – being in front of the camera, getting on stage and everything – but the hard work has got to go on in the back end and it’s having the right attitude to that work and keeping going and thinking about those three steps. Joe: Yes. So, repeat them for them. Brian: So, basically you’ve got to find somebody who’s done it before – whatever it is – who is really great in that particular area. And then you’ve got to invest in it. So that could be maybe you have to pay for that advice, or maybe you have to invest in getting whatever it is that you need to get in order to move on to the next stage. And then step three is notice whether it’s working or not; for example, if you go and get headshots done and they’re not working particularly well, then maybe you need just say, ‘It’s not working…’ Joe: ‘It’s not working.’ Brian: …and you get some more done by somebody else. Joe: And it might be six months down the line, and you’ve just got to go, ‘Okay – it’s not working.’ Cut your losses. Start again. You know, go back – earn a bit of dough and go back and do it again. Brian: And I think if you keep repeating that process and never give up, you will get there. You will get to where you want to be. And sometimes that changes along the way – but you’ll get there. Don’t give up. Joe: Yes. Brian: Okay, well, I think that brings us to the end – and we’ll look forward to speaking to you on the next one. Joe: Thanks for listening. Page 9

And cut! Okay, guys, that’s a wrap. Hey – don’t forget, if you want to get a transcript of today’s show and free access to Brian Timoney’s Online Method Acting Course, then go to worldofacting.com and get your free gifts now.

Thank you for listening to Brian Timoney’s World of Acting Show. See you next time.