Category Archives: News and Updates

“You have no talent.”

I read a piece written by Bob Fraser recently that told the story of Harrison Ford’s acting journey, and I thought a couple of my students would benefit from my retelling of Harrison’s path.  Remember, if people tell you you have no talent, you shouldn’t ignore them.  Well, you shouldn’t ignore them if they are said by multiple casting directors, teachers, and agents.  You should take the remarks in and assess the validity.  Try different classes and teachers to make sure you are working at a professional level.  Don’t allow “not having talent” to stop you though.  Allow these remarks to fuel you.  But in the end, just because you don’t fit the mold that these handful of people are looking for, it doesn’t mean you aren’t the next big thing.   And what the heck is talent anyway?

In 1964 a major studio (Universal) fired Harrison Ford after having only a few bit parts including playing a bell-hop with two lines in”Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round.”  Ford was told that he “had no talent.”   After a few months he was able to land another contract with the help of some friends at Universal only to be fired less than a year later.  When he was fired the second time, he still only had done a handful of very small roles.

This was at the time when Studios hired you as a contract actor, and actors would work for the studio acting in various projects.  So, after being fired twice Harrison decided to put acting on hold for a bit (he had just had a baby) and pursued carpentry (which he learned from a book) to support his family.  As a carpenter Harrison Ford became pretty well known around town amongst people in the “business”.  He would build anything from storage cabinets to small backyard recording studios for people in the entertainment industry.

During his time as a carpenter Ford got to know Fred Roos (a casting director and eventually a producer) very well.  In 1972 Roos was casting a low budget movie called “American Graffiti” by a new director–some kid named George Lucas.  Roos tried to pitch Harrison to Lucas and hired him to build a custom door at Zoetrope Studios (right outside the room where casting sessions were being held for the new movie) so Ford would be there in case Lucas would see him.  Finally, Roos was able to get the carpenter  in to audition for Lucas (after much cajoling).

Harrison Ford read fairly well and was offered a small role for $500 a week for 4 weeks.  This sum was not much more than he made as a carpenter, but Ford took the job.  After shooting the film Ford could not land another acting job, so he went back to doing carpentry work for the next 2 years!  Then, George Lucas was shooting another film, and Fred Roos (always in Harrison’s corner) lobbied to get him in for an audition.  Lucas, however, didn’t think he was right for any of the roles but agreed to hire Ford as a reader for other actors auditioning.  After weeks trying to cast a supporting role, Lucas was frustrated that he could find no one that really fit the bill.  Lucas gave Ford a chance to audition for the role.

After more than 12 callbacks (yeah, more than a dozen), Harrison Ford finally landed a role in this low budget movie called “Star Wars.”  Once “Star Wars” was filmed, Harrison Ford never stopped working.  He became a movie star in films that grossed over 5 billion dollars.  It took Harrison 13 years to “make it” as an actor!  It’s a good thing he didn’t give up.  I’m sure a lot of us benefited from the many movies that he has starred in.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that an actor’s life has to be a big struggle and that it takes people 13 years to make it.  The reason I passed this story along is to show you that sometimes the “experts” are wrong.  If Ford had listened to the Universal executives that told him he had no talent he would have given up right then and there.  But Ford stayed tenacious.  When he was working as a carpenter, he always had his dream/goal on his mind.  He was actively patient.  He made it known that he was an actor who was doing carpentry work and not the other way around.  He got someone to believe in him (Fred Roos).  He knew that his career didn’t have to end just because he needed to make some money to live.  The life of an actor is life-long.  It isn’t over until you’re ready to give up.  If you don’t have an acting job right now it doesn’t mean you’re not an actor.  An actor is someone who acts.  If you maintain your ultimate goal of being a professional actor, it will happen.  Just keep acting.

You never know what types of projects that will come up that are right up your alley.  Many people will have an opinion about what you should do with your life.  Your parents, siblings, friends etc. all want what’s best for you.  However, they may think getting a “real job” is what is best.  Thank them kindly for their love and know in your heart that they just don’t get it.  It is hard for many people to wrap their brains around what it means to be a professional actor.  Know that all of their seeming negativity about your dreams is more about them loving you and wanting to protect you.  They will come around.  This is your life not their’s.  You only have one so you have to live it the way you want to.  It will be scary at times.  You are not alone.  We are a family of actors who embrace you as one of us.  We will not let you fall.

When it comes to pursuing the  art-form  of acting as a way of life, odds only exist for people sitting on the sidelines.  People who worry about the odds of “making it” as an actor are the ones who never accomplish anything great.  You have a dream worth failing for.  In having faith that this dream will become a reality and that it’s only a matter of time and tenacity, you will transcend any “odds” that others project upon you.

You are actors.  Go act.  Know that the next Fred Roos and George Lucas are looking for you just as much as you are looking for them.

Thanks for reading.