Article July 4, 2005 Issue

'roll camera! take 2!'

By Joy Osmanski

After many rejections, an aspiring actor finds new confidence and success through humble prayer.

As an actor living in Los Angeles, I'd begun thinking of each day as a "take." In every scene during the day, you just hope for one perfect moment, a "breakthrough." So I've often thought it ironic that the daily list of Hollywood auditions is called the "breakdowns."

People will tell you that acting is a cutthroat business where rejection is daily fare, chronic unemployment is expected, and actors are legendary for their massive, yet fragile, egos. There's a reason why a movie about Hollywood producers is titled Swimming with Sharks. Yet for all the actor jokes, scary statistics, and grim adages about "the industry," for me, acting actually inspires spiritual growth. And I can say honestly that ego, fragile or otherwise, has nothing to do with it.