Basically, you're selling a world as an actor, right? I mean it's like any sales person: if you believe in your product, you know your product, you sell it a lot better.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
You're creating a different world and the actor's job is to be able to convince the audience to enter into that world, whether it be actually something that you recognize from your own life or not.
The minute you start the process of deciding to make a film and you're communicating that vision to anyone, you're in the process of selling. If you don't understand that, you're not in show business. You're just not.
I think basically an actor is a salesman.
There's no real excuse for being successful enough as an actor to do what you want and then selling out. You do it pure. You don't try to adapt it, make it commercial.
A worldly actor is a better actor. It sounds pretentious, but I think having these experiences can translate back into your work.
For an actor, you're rejected eight or ten times a day. All you've got to sell is yourself. You're not selling products, they're not turning down a car, they're turning you down. Most people can't handle that. Most people are essentially not set up that way.
The reality is, I've started multiple companies, so actually I'm probably more of a product/creative person than I am sales. Although I can do both.
The thing I learned about being in this industry is the core of hosting and the core of acting is authenticity. So if you're just real in those moments, no matter what you're doing, that's what translates and makes you successful.
As an actor, you're never really in control of the product. I think the goal is to create what you want. And if you can get as close as you can get to the creation of something, it starts with development.
Actors are sellers, and I figured out a long time ago that if you wanted to work a lot, you had to be on the buying side.