Aaron Marcus argues there's no single test for being a good actor. Most success comes from years of study and playing to your strengths, not innate talent. Booking a role is unreliable proof of skill because external factors decide outcomes.
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Hey, in this video I'm going to be talking about how do you know if you're a good actor? And so that way, after you watch the video, you'll have a much better gauge and idea of what that really means. Okay, let's get started. Hi, I'm Aaron Marcus, and welcome to the Actors Career Center and the Acting and Modeling Quick Tips channel, where I try to do this at least twice a month where I upload new acting and modeling videos that help people who are interested in getting started in the industry and also helping those who've been in the industry for a while take their career to the next level. If you haven't done this yet, don't forget, click the subscribe button, the bell, the notification button, so you always know when I upload a new video. And if you like the video, please give it a thumbs up. Okay, so what does it really mean? Are you a good actor? So when when people have told me that statement, they've given me that statement. I I really don't understand it. I I really don't. I don't know what that means. You know, are you a good actor because you think you're a good actor? Are you a good actor because people tell you you're a good actor? Maybe you're able to cry on cue, or you do different dialects that people. Believe. Maybe you make people laugh. Maybe you memorize lines quickly and you think that that's what makes you a good— I don't know. And here's the hard part about that statement. You know, it's like there really isn't a test that you can take that says you are a good actor. So, you know, here's the crazy thing. Does it even matter? You know, does it really matter that people view you as a good actor or that you believe yourself to be a good actor? Here's the thing. Look, you want to be as good as you possibly can be. Look, there are some people in this world, very few, but there are some people who just have these Innate skills, these innate abilities. They just seem to explode in front of a camera. They just internally know what to do. You know what? But there are people who hit the $250 million lottery too. Most of the people who you see who are very, very successful are people who've been studying for many, many, many, many years. And so when somebody is just getting started and they say, well, look, I know I'm going to have success. I know agents are going to be jumping up and down because everybody is going to want to sign me because I'm a really good actor. I don't know how you can qualify that. And like I was saying before, does it really matter? So of course, yeah, I mean, you do have to have skills. But here's the thing within the acting world, and I don't know if this is going to be controversial. Certainly other people are going to have different opinions, and that's fine. Look, we all have different ideas about what works, what doesn't work, how to do things, what not to do in the industry. You know, some people are really into the method, and some people view it as a dangerous way and a non-believable way of acting. You know what? It doesn't matter to me. It doesn't make any difference. Whatever gets you there, whatever allows you to give a great performance, that's wonderful. But as far as whether you are good or not, here's the reality. There are very few people in this world who are just phenomenal actors, and there are some. But there are a lot of successful working actors who might not be, you know, the top actors in this world. What they might be able to do is do some things well. And it's not a coincidence, and I'm not going to name names, and it doesn't make any difference, and there's— I'm not saying anything negative about them anyway, but there are some actors who get very similar roles Over and over and over and over and over again. And to me, that's incredible. That's wonderful. Because once again, you don't have to be the greatest in the world to have success. So I just want to make this really clear. I'm not saying, yeah, you don't have to bother studying, you don't have to bother practicing, you don't have to have a lot of experience. Sure, you know, any— anybody can just get up there and have success. I'm not saying that at all. But what I am saying is that you don't necessarily have to be the best in the world to have success. And what I have found is that, look, we all— well, maybe I shouldn't say we all. Most actors have limitations as to what they can do. This might surprise you, but I have never been cast As the lead for a motorcycle gang. And the reason— not to say that maybe I couldn't pull that off in a true way, but nobody's going to believe me. I could be the accountant for the motorcycle gang, but I'm not the head of Hells Angels. It's just not going to happen. I don't have that look. I know what my strengths are. And that's what I use. And certainly, I try to get better all the time. I take classes periodically. I've studied with people later in life because sometimes I don't have time for a full class and there might be some specific things that I want to work on. So I will do that to try to get better at my craft. But I also realize That there are certain things that I do that are okay, and I get hired for doing those things. So, you know, when people say, you know, I'm really good, I'm talented, okay, that's very nice, but here's, here's, here's a real indicator. Are you getting hired? You know, are you getting booked? Now, it's also true there are lots of actors who are Unbelievably talented, but maybe they don't have the audition skills that they need. Maybe there are other things that are keeping them away. Maybe they are going after and trying to audition for roles that aren't right for them. So maybe that isn't a great indicator all the time as to whether you are a good actor. You might be great, but maybe you're not auditioning for the right roles. But here's the thing, don't get caught up. In that, in that mind game of whether you're good or not. And it's kind of like when, when I walk out of an audition, I don't walk out and think, oh, did they think I was good? Did they think, you know, I did a really good read in there? I don't think that way at all because first of all, I have no way of knowing. And also ultimately it doesn't make any difference, you know. I certainly will judge myself and I will think, okay, did I— well, first of all, my number one goal is just having a good time. That's what I want to do. But then I'll analyze the audition, you know, and I'll start thinking, did I do what I wanted to do in there? And if not, then why? What was stopping me? What was preventing me? But if I did, then I think, great, that was a wonderful day. I did exactly what I wanted to do. Was I good? I don't know. It felt right to me. That's all I can go by. And, you know, booking and not booking the job doesn't give you an indication either. Here's a great example. I recently did a casting for a company, and I had probably about 18, 19 really talented actors audition for this project, and every single one of them could have booked the job. Then it starts coming down to other factors. So as it turns out, the client decided— it was for a company— the client decided they wanted to use someone in-house. They didn't want to hire an actor after all the casting was done. So all those actors might be thinking, I guess they didn't like my audition. I guess I wasn't very good in there. Maybe I'm really not such a good actor. They didn't have a chance, as it turns out. I mean, I just found out the other day. They decided just to go with somebody who works for the company. I liked a lot of the auditions. I was really happy with what people did. So you can't even base it on whether you book the job or not as to how well you did at the audition. So the important thing is don't get caught up in, am I good? Am Am I talented? Honestly, nobody can really tell you that. They can't, not with honesty. Oh, they can tell you, and people will tell you all the time, but it doesn't matter. It really doesn't make any difference. Certainly, you know, you are hoping that you've worked really hard. Like I said before, you've practiced, you studied, you knew what you were doing, you had a game plan, you did what you wanted to do. And that's, that's it. Then you have to let it go. So I guess what I want to share with you is just get rid of that whole concept as to whether you're good or not good. And here's what I would love. Please, if you have any of those thoughts, do you think you're a good actor? Do you not think in those terms? Please share your comment below on, on my YouTube channel. Let other people know, you know, and I've said this before, I want to build this place up, this channel, so that actors and models are helping each other. So please share your thoughts here so we can all learn from each other. If you haven't done this yet, don't forget, subscribe, click the bell notification button, and if you like the video, please give it a thumbs up. That's always helpful. I am Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya. See ya.
