Here’s something that happens in performing companies. You psyche yourself up for an audition, and in your head, you already have the part. Then later, you come crashing down to earth again when it didn’t turn out as you expected. Isn’t that how it is in life? A rude awakening. It’s certainly a character test because your pride is hurt. How dare they give the part to them? They have less talent than I. You can persuade yourself of all kinds of injustices and form a little grievance list.
Well, you could do that, but it’s not very productive. Parts are decided upon for all sorts of reasons that you wouldn’t know about. Over the years, I’ve met very few parents who directly complain about such things. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but in any case, once a decision has been made, it’s not going to be shaken up by somebody else’s say-so. Better to get on with what you’re given.
If you do get on with it, you generally discover that it’s not as bad as you thought. We need this in our lives, a wake-up call that the world is not there just to satisfy our needs.
How annoying that some people seem to glide effortlessly into getting what they want. But in our hearts, I think we know that isn’t true. There is a cost to every action, and envy or bitterness are going to destroy you piece by piece. Staying open and interested builds a better you, and it will ultimately reward you. The world has a funny way of working itself out.
Making the best of what you’ve got is a cliché, but also true. You can’t shine at everything, so be humble and learn. In a theatre company, you get used to handling what you’re given. You don’t think of it as failure. You don’t realise it at the time, but how you negotiate that moment brings out important qualities in you.
After I had taught Catherine Tate for about 5 years, she applied for drama school. She set her heart on only one and auditioned. They turned her down. So she returned every year for the next 5 years, when they finally took her. I find that interesting. Firstly, she set her heart on a particular drama school, and secondly, she went back and back and back until she succeeded. What drive, what self-belief, but also what determination. She resisted the temptation to try somewhere else. Single-mindedly, she pursued what she wanted. That tells you a lot about her.
