Quote of the day:
“I created a production company out of necessity, because if I literally waited for Hollywood, I would still be [playing] mama [roles]”
(Viola Davis)
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This quote from Viola Davis is a perfect illustration of how the modern actor should do more than simply audition and wait for the phone to ring. The modern actor should also work to create their own opportunities, by creating their own content.
It echoes one of our recent tweets:
Don’t just wait to get cast. Create your own content. Control your own destiny.#actorslife
— Acting Magazine (@ActingMagazine) January 7, 2019
Simply waiting to be cast puts the actor at the mercy of the industry, because the volume of opportunities is largely out of the actor’s control. Likewise, the types of opportunities are also largely outside the actor’s control. Why wait for Hollywood to create a great role that showcases your unique skillset, when you can create it and produce it yourself, using all the amazing tools available to the modern actor.
Even established actors and actresses, like Viola Davis, recognize this.
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Brief Bio
Viola Davis is a three-time Academy Award nominated actress, for roles like Mrs. Miller in Doubt (2008), housemaid Aibileen Clark in The Help (2011), and as Rose Lee Maxson in the 2016 film version of Fences, which earned her her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. A graduate of the prestigious Julliard School, Davis has also won Emmy and Tony Awards which, along with winning the Academy Award, makes her the first African-American to win all three.