There’s a ton of ego when it comes to performing. Everyone is an expert. And the funny thing is, everyone kind of is an expert.
Almost every human being on the planet has watched a movie or television show, and we all know when something isn’t working. Our brains are trained to notice when something feels off. Maybe it’s the set. Maybe it’s the direction. Maybe it’s the performance. Usually, it’s some combination of all three. But what happens when an actor simply refuses to take direction?
As a director, a lot of things come into play. I’ve dealt with this more than once, but one situation has always stuck with me. Part of the service my studio provided was filming demo reel content for members. Actors could write their own material, or we would write it for them. These weren’t random lines thrown together for a reel. They were usually three- or four-page scenes with two or three actors, one or two locations, and an actual beginning, middle and end. My responsibility was to make sure every performer walked away with footage they could genuinely use to promote their career. But what happens when one performer starts ruining that opportunity for everyone else?
Here’s where ego becomes a problem. If you’re filming demo reel scenes and you’re not already being called straight into final rounds of auditions, receiving direct offers, or represented at the highest levels of the industry, I don’t think you have much currency to tell another actor they aren’t qualified to work alongside you. I once had an actress repeatedly tell me she wasn’t comfortable acting opposite people she felt didn’t have substantial enough résumés. So I looked her up. She had zero credits.
I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. That kind of attitude can come from years of rejection, insecurity, or simply getting terrible advice somewhere along the way. But I also have to protect the environment I’m creating for everyone else. I don’t lose my cool in those situations. I just deal with them. I revoked her membership and moved on.
Of course, a bad Google review followed. But even that gave me an opportunity to explain my side of the story. It is what it is.
This is a creative industry built almost entirely around subjective opinions. You can’t spend your life fighting every disagreement, every rejection, or every person who doesn’t see things your way. At some point, you have to let shit go. For me, the bigger picture has always been more important: grow the studio, protect the work, and create a positive environment where actors can actually take chances, improve, and help one another get better. Because the second one person’s ego becomes more important than the work, everybody loses.
