Get some professional advice from Benedict Cumberbatch & Co.
Today has seen the release of this fantastic short Bafta video in which actors like James McAvoy, Hugh Dancy and Benedict Cumberbatch speak about acting and becoming an actor. And there’s some really really great stuff in there. I myself have just arrived where I always wanted to be professionally and a lot of what is being said in this video resonates with me. Because the excellent advice given by these seasoned actors can be applied to all kinds of careers. Let’s look at some of the more universal advice they mention:
- “How interesting is this going to be to watch?”: Benedict talks about how he approaches new characters. As an actor he is working for an audience. His goal is to provide a performance that grabs and holds their attention. This can be applied to a lot of professional output. Who is your audience or target group? Are they going to like what you’re putting out there? Try to step into their shoes and think: “Would I want to watch/hear/read/eat/see that?”.
- “Let things sit”: Hugh Dancy talks about giving an idea some time to develop. Sometimes you have to leave your work alone for a day or two. Even for a few hours, if longer isn’t an option. I am sometimes quite unhappy with my work (I’m a translator) when I’ve been tweaking it for too long. It usually looks a lot better the next day. Or it’s a lot easier to iron out some issues once you’ve got some distance from the project.
- “You have to be allowed to fail”: Colin Farrell makes a very good point here. I would even add: You have to allow yourself to fail. I made a major mistake a couple of weeks ago and had to stay up a couple of nights to make it right again. I was SO cross with myself. I detest making mistakes. I cannot stand to fail. BUT we learn through our mistakes and we need to learn that to err and fail is human and necessary. And Benedict adds a nice quote from Beckett a bit later in the video: “Fail again fail better.”
- “You can never perfect what we do”: Benedict is talking about acting here, but this applies to a lot of professional output of course. Perfection does NOT exist. We are human beings, not machines. There are usually hundreds of possible ways to do a certain thing. And all of them are right and valid. Even for that reason alone it will be interesting to see how Benedict approaches the role of Hamlet. We all bring different interpretations of the same thing to the table. And this makes life exciting.
- “Drama school is a great idea”: If you want to make something you are passionate about into your profession and there’s a good school offering practical education in that area, try to go. If there is any way you can make it work financially and you have a true gift for something, apply. It doesn’t matter if you have to move far away or overcome some personal issue, it’s the best thing you’ll ever do. You will get to practice doing what you love in a safe environment, you will learn from others and you will network. Never underestimate the networking. My friends and tutors from Uni have basically made my career happen. And you get to make mistakes. So many mistakes. But others will be there to help you back on your feet and share their tales of failure.
- “See lots, read lots, hear lots, experience life as well. Keep observing”: Classic Benedict. Just gobble up life and the world, basically. So, so true. Stay interested, stay hungry. Do scary stuff. Ask questions. Very preachy, I know. But very true.
- “Spread your net as wide as possible and more work will come” and “Take whatever comes your way” and “Adjust yourself to things you thought you couldn’t do”: This right here might be the most important advice ever. Grab all the jobs that come your way (within reason, don’t let others exploit you!). Throw yourself into opportunities that scare the hell out of you. I have taken on SO many jobs I thought I wouldn’t be able to do in the last 12 months or so. I was scared shitless most of the time. But my CV grew and jobs kept coming. And suddenly I had to postpone jobs and turn away clients because I was getting so many offers.
Just jump, guys. Enjoy the free fall. And the landing will be worth it.
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