Should You Take That Role?

You finally get the message: “We’d love to offer you the part. Congratulations!” And you freeze. Do you take it? Do you need to ask your agent? Do you even want it? Here’s the thing — actors are told from day one, “Say yes to everything.” But what if saying yes too quickly is the one thing that keeps you from leveling up?.. Read More

15 mins

Oct 23

Guests

Jeffrey Dreisbach

About

You finally get the message:

“We’d love to offer you the part. Congratulations!”

And you freeze.

Do you take it? Do you need to ask your agent? Do you even want it?

Here’s the thing — actors are told from day one, “Say yes to everything.” But what if saying yes too quickly is the one thing that keeps you from leveling up?

Today, we’re diving into a topic every actor wrestles with: Should you take that role?

Because sometimes the smartest career move you can make… is learning when to say no.

Transcript

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You finally get the message,

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we'd love to offer you the part.

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Congratulations.

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And then you freeze.

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Do you take it?

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Do you need to ask your agent?

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Do you even want it?

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Here's the thing actors are told from

day one.

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Say yes to everything.

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But what if saying yes too quickly is

the one thing that keeps you from

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leveling up

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to day?

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We're diving into a topic every actor

wrestles with,

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should you take that rle?

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Because sometimes the smartest career

move you can make is learning when to

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say no.

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This is casting.

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Casting Actors Cast

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we're going to kick off the show right

after this.

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Well, hello, and welcome to casting

actress cast, the podcast that helps

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actors prepare smarter, act better and

yes, book more.

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I'm Jeffrey Dreisbach, casting

director, teacher.

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And someone who's watched thousands of

actors face this exact moment.

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Do I take it

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the, do I take it dilemma?

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This episode is about how to evaluate

an offer so that every yes you give

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moves your career forward,

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not sideways.

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Because guess what, early in our

careers, it feels like the only rule is

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to say yes to everything.

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You're hungry.

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You want experience, you don't want to

be seen as difficult.

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But over time, you realize that not

every opportunity

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is truly an opportunity.

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Some are distractions,

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some are dead ends.

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Some are traps that look shiny on the

surface,

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but leave you exhausted,

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underpaid

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or invisible.

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So to day we'll look at the following,

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why the say yes to everything mindset

can actually stall your progress.

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We'll look at the five key criteria

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that should guide your decision.

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We'll also look at the quick decision

matrix and help you say yes or no with confidence.

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And then I'm going to throw in a few

real world stories, including one about

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an actor who avoided burnout by setting

a tiny boundary.

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And at the end, i'll share a roll off

her checklist to help you evaluate your

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next offer like a pro.

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Sound good.

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Let's jump in.

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Oh yeah.

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But first, this is that moment of the

podcast where I get to say thank you so

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much for tuning into gassing actors.

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Gas.

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It's been such a pleasure bringing you

these podcasts.

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I'm not going to take up too much time

cause I want to dive into the subject,

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just like you probably do.

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But I want to encourage you to check

out the website, casting actress, cast

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dot com, you'll find all kinds of

information about the podcast, but also

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you'll find out about my book.

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You'll find out about a free a book

that you can receive on doing voice

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over work if you fill out that form

that says, dive into the talent pool.

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Just all kinds of really cool

information as well.

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What else about that?

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I think that's all I have to say.

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Here's a shoutout to my good friend at

actor's connection, actor's connection

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dot com slash, New York.

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let me just finally say, please, if you

like what you're hearing today, please

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tell your friends, please

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leave me a review.

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I really love doing these podcasts, and

I'll only continue doing them if I know

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you're out there.

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So please feel free to let me know what

you're thinking.

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Also, on the website is a form, like I

said, diving to the town pool, but

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that's why you can ask me some

questions.

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Maybe there's a lingering question

after this podcast that you might want

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to ask about.

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I'll include that in a future episode.

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Ok, that's enough for that.

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Thank you so much.

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All right.

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So let's talk to you about the first

thing that comes to mind when I think

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about this, as the trap of saying yes

to everything

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listen.

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You've heard the phrase work begets

work.

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And it's true.

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Well, it's true to a point.

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But what is also true is that saying

yes to the wrong job can signal to the

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industry that you're available for

anything.

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Guess what?

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That can hurt your professional image.

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It can dilute your artistic identity.

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And worst of all, it can keep you too

busy for the auditions or

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collaborations that might actually

matter.

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Here's a story.

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I once worked with an actor who

accepted every student film, every

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background gig, every 24 hour play

reading that came along.

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He was proud to be airquotes, now,

constantly working.

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But when a major TV opportunity that I

had came up,

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guess what,

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he couldn't take it.

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His schedule was so full of commitments

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that didn't advance his career,

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but he was committed to doing them.

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I hope that doesn't happen to you.

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So remember,

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sometimes busy

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is the enemy

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of better.

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Ok?

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Somebody write that down.

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That was really good.

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Busy is the enemy of better, sometimes

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not all the time.

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I have five strategic criteria

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for accepting or declining a role.

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So here's the framework I recommend

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when you get an offer, ask yourself

these five questions.

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Question one, does the role align with

your trajectory?

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Is it the kind of part that pushes you

forward or keeps you in the same box?

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If you're building a reputation for

authentic, grounded characters?

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And this new offer is a slap stick

sketch with no script.

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it's not the right fit.

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Alignment doesn't mean limiting

yourself.

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It means strategic growth.

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Does the role represent where you want

to go?

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question number two,

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who's on the creative team.

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You see, reputation matters,

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so asking questions and finding out

who's directing,

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who's producing, who's behind the

camera.

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If they've got a track record,

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and their track record is treating

actors with respect, or they have a

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good reputation,

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they finish projects, for example,

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and they show case quality work.

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Guess what?

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That?

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I would consider gold.

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If on the other hand, you hear we're

still figuring out funding, or will pay

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you with exposure?

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Yeah, proceed with caution.

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The right collaborators

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elevate you.

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The wrong ones

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drain you

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here's question number three,

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what are the terms?

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I know?

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I know this is absolutely the least

glamorous, but most important part

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contracts

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pay

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and rights

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that are written out in contract form.

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Questions like, are you being

compensated fairly?

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Are you signing away usage rights

forever?

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Are there clauses that prevent you from

working elsewhere?

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Like I said, I know it's not fun to

read legal fine print,

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but future you

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will.

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Thank you.

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Here's the question.

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Number four,

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what's the time and energy commitment.

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So asking about rehearsal hours, asking

about travel and flexibility,

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sometimes the schedule alone can make

or break your decision.

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Now here's a story that I teased

earlier.

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An actor I know got an offer,

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and it was a small, but it was an

exciting role in a short film.

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Now the chute was just three straight

days, Friday through Saturday.

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She asked politely if they could start

Saturday.

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Instead,

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she had another commitment, Friday

morning.

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Guess what

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the production said?

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No,

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well, she had already that previous

commitment.

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So she trusted her gut.

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And then she passed.

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Now, a week later, she learned that the

first day's shoot got reined out.

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It got rained out.

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Anyway, they rescheduled it.

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She avoided a logistical nightmare and

an exhausting

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week.

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But that one boundary,

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simply asking for a day,

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it kept her sane.

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It kept arrested and ready for her next

auditions.

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Boundaries aren't barriers

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their protection.

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Now question number five, is the trade

off worth it?

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What is the trade off?

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Well, pretty much the way I think of it

is money versus exposure.

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You see, sometimes we take low paying

jobs for a great exposure.

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Sometimes we take a well paid job that

won't be seen by many people.

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Both can be valid, but

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only

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if you are clear about why.

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Ask, what's the real payoff here?

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Experience,

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networking,

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resume, credit,

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cash flow.

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Pick one,

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don't pretend.

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It's all four.

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When you're clear on the real benefit,

you can accept the offer without

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resentment later.

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That's key.

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Here's the five minute decision matrix.

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If you're unsure, I want you to do

this.

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Take those five criteria I just

mention, and rate each one from one to 55

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means.

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This totally aligns

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one means red flag.

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Now add up your points.

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A solid twenty plus means, go for it.

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A twelve to nineteen means,

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negotiate or clarify.

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Anything under twelve,

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probably a pass.

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And here's the key.

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When you use this matrix, you remove

guilt from the decision.

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It's not emotional, it's strategic.

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You can even say to your agent or the

producer, I'm considering the offer

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carefully and just need a day to confirm

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that.

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One line communicates confidence and

professionalism.

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I've got more amazing tips and some

real world stories

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right after this.

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Welcome back.

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Here are some real world actor

takeaways about whether you should take

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the job or not.

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So let me share a few quick lessons

that I've seen actors learn the hard way.

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One actor accepted a role that promised

massive exposure,

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so it premiered online

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at two a m.

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No one saw it.

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You see, exposure isn't guaranteed

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confirm distribution.

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That's the lesson.

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Another actor turned down a low budget

web series because the script didn't

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sit right now.

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That same team later produced a feature

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and brought that actor back as a lead

because she handled her rle,

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her decline of the previous project

with grace.

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And that actor I mentioned earlier who

set her boundary,

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she later got an offer from the same

production company

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at better pay.

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And with her schedule respected.

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When you respect others,

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you respect yourself,

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and others will follow suit.

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