How can actors make a difference?

You may be thinking:

“But actors are powerless. Actors are at the mercy of production teams, and casting professionals. How can actors possibly make a difference?”

When in fact:

Actors are in a unique position of power to change the way underrepresented groups are depicted on stage and screen.

Production teams and casting teams don’t know you the way you know you—no one does. And anyone behind the table cannot legally ask you about who you are.

That’s why it’s up to you.

You, the actor, are in the position of power.

THINK OF it like this:

There’s a leak under the sink, and right now production teams and casting professionals are trying to fix the leak by themselves. Without a wrench. The problem is, we actors are in the hallway, holding the only wrench. It’s up to us if we want to step into the room, and hand the production team and the casting professionals the one tool they don’t have. It’s up to us if we want to stay in the hallway and watch the leak and shrug, or if we want to step into the room, share the perfect tool for the job and fix the problem.

So,

Listen

to yourself.
to your colleagues with vastly different life experiences from your own.
to the world around you which we reflect in the stories we tell.

Reflect

on your lived experience.
on the lived experiences of your colleagues who come from wildly different places from yourself.
on how those experiences impact the way we tell stories.

Talk

to yourself (JK. Don’t. Or do. That’s cool, too. No judgement).
to your colleagues with different experiences.
about how the state of our artistic community reflects those varying experiences.

Advocate

You have a voice.
You have power.
Use them.

We’re actors. We use our talents, passions, and experiences to get up on stage and create worlds. Why not help create a better world out of the one we all live in together? Am I right?

Thanks for joining the conversation!