Fall in Love with Acting, All Over Again!
If you’ve lost your love for the craft of acting, just remember the difference we, actors, make in the world
(By Carmichael Phillips)
(Photo: rawpixel/Unsplash)
Valentine’s Day is a day filled with love. And, whether you’re celebrating a long-lasting love, a new relationship or simply loving your single-self, love is undoubtedly in the air.
But don’t let the sun set without also falling back in love with something else: Acting!
You should love acting. I mean, LOVE acting. Every day! Through all the struggles. All those failed auditions. All those callbacks that never went anywhere. All those money problems.
We actors are not doctors, saving the lives of the mortally wounded. We are not scientists discovering cures for what ails humanity. We are not politicians passing laws that affect the masses.
However, we do make a difference in the world. A difference that we should be proud of! A difference that we should love!
Here are 5 simple reasons to fall in love with acting, again:
Actors entertain:
We bring joy and fun into the lives of millions. After a long week of work, what better way to unwind than with a great movie. Or a phenomenal television show.
We, actors, give people a fantasy world to escape to. One filled with dragons, or zombies, or aliens or monsters. We make that fantasy possible and believable. We take audiences to places they can’t possibly dream up themselves.
And, when they exit the fantasy world we create for them, they usually discover that their problems were not as bad as they seemed. After all, once you briefly live in the world of fire-breathing dragons, your domineering boss doesn’t seem so scary.
Actors heal:
(Photo: Zach Vessels/Unsplash)
They say laughter is the best medicine. And we actors bring the funny! We take people who are stressed out over losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their families, losing their livelihoods, and even, losing their loved ones, and we tickle their funny bones.
How many lives do we save? Who knows. But, is it possible that there have been people who might have considered jumping from a bridge and plunging to their deaths if they didn’t have a funny movie to laugh at; if they didn’t have a hilarious sitcom that lifted their spirits and brought them a smile when they needed it most? You betcha!
Actors inspire:
We breathe life into the characters that inspire young boys to become better men. Boys who might grow up without a father, or who grow up with an abusive father, can witness, on-screen, what manhood is really all about.
We breathe life into characters that inspire young girls to love their perfect imperfections. Girls who might grow up with a poor self-image can find characters who make it cool to be a little quirky or a little overweight. Girls who grow up with low self-esteem might find strength in the stories of powerful women who take no mess from a man!
Actors educate:
We bring to life historical figures like Winston Churchill, Thurgood Marshall, Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King. We tell the stories of women like Margaret Thatcher, Erin Brockovich and Frida Kahlo.
We tell the stories of the brave, nameless soldiers who laid down their lives to ensure our survival and freedom. We ensure that mankind never forgets its heroes. We inform. We educate!
Actors transform the world: 
Once upon a time, gay rights were not a priority on any politician’s list. Many were downright hostile to any push for equality for the LGBTQ community.
And then, a lady named Ellen DeGeneres used her show, Ellen, to help transform our culture. Her character came out as gay, reflecting Ellen’s own real-life revelation. Her show introduced audiences to themes they previously found uncomfortable. They got to see the humanity in gays and lesbians. They found them to be, for the most part, just like themselves – wanting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It was only a matter of time, following the courage of people like Ellen DeGeneres, for a cascade of gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance to occur in the US, culminating in a landmark Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed the fundamental right to marry for same-sex couples. Quite a transformation!
So, if you’ve lost your love for the craft of acting or lost your love for the struggles associated with being an actor, just remember the difference we, actors, make in the world.
This Valentine’s Day, or any day, take a moment to fall in love with acting, all over again!
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