Michael Coleman on Setting your Value
The Power of No
It is no secret. The life of an actor can be a life of feast or famine. We are often programmed to take any audition or role offered to us, partly in fear of not being asked again if we refuse. This is more prevalent in our earlier years as professional actors where we are actively building our resumes, trying to showcase our skills and diversity, and just grateful for any opportunity to work alongside other creative individuals on a similar career path as our own.
But here is where it is important to realize you can always say “no.” I am not just referring to the types of roles you will perform or the lengths you will got to for your craft. I mean this also in the most general sense of word.
I still remember the empowerment I experienced when I turned down an audition for a role I had been requested for in the earlier days of my career. My agent was blown away that I would have the audacity to turn down an invitation for a role in which I has been specifically requested. While these are never a guarantee of work, it is often a sign that your odds of booking the role are increased exponentially.
But the audition was scheduled for the same day I was leaving for my honeymoon. I had discussed the opportunity in advance with my wife, and she said she would be fine either way, and I believed her. She is an incredibly kind and supportive soul and delaying our departure by a day or a few days likely wouldn’t be the end of the world. But I decided early on that I would have work/life balance, and as important as my career was to me, my personal life must also be equally important. This is one of those moments where I chose to keep my commitments and pass on the acting opportunity.
The role ended up going to a friend of mine who made a lot of money on this show for years, and yet I have never looked back with regret. It wasn’t my first audition and wouldn’t have been my last. I don’t turn down a lot of opportunities like this one, but I am very happy I did on that day and kept my promise to my wife and maintained the idea that our marriage would always come before my career.
SET YOUR VALUE OR OTHERS WILL SET IT FOR YOU
You always have the ability to set your worth. In fact, if you don’t, you leave the door wide open for someone else to set it for you and chances are you will have it set far lower than you would ever set it.
This is a career where you can be offered all kinds of compensation from food and a copy of your work, to more money than you could spend in a lifetime.
However, you must be prepared for others to not see your value and risk them pursuing someone else they can hire at a better rate or deal. It is imperative for the professional actor to set their own value. This can be “scale” (what we call “minimum wage” in the acting industry) or it can be above scale or below scale. But you always have the power to decide.
Be realistic, but never apologetic for asking for fair compensation for the skills and experience you build over your career.