"And a quality of an actor is to be half in love with rejection. Because that's what you're gonna get. I mean, actors get more rejections than Jehovah's Witnesses." ~ Tom Baker
There's a spectrum of emotions that actors can select from when they get cast. It starts with rejection, a bitter kinda cold feeling that usually resides in your stomach area. It ends with elation, a bubbly, light, shaky happiness that can't be dulled by any attacks to your self-esteem. It's usually in your chest/heart area, and makes you feel like you rule the entire universe.
But...on a scale of 1 to Elation, there is a 5: Disappointment. I can't even pinpoint where in the body you actually feel this emotion: all I know is that you feel it a lot. Do yourself a favor and when you read Baker's quote, just substitute the word "rejection" with "disappointment" (that makes me really like the whole JW part). Being in love with disappointment: a very difficult task and no one has actually mastered it yet, (that I know of) but here is some news and advice surrounding it.
Just yesterday, I finished my audition process for my annual school play. This year is You Can't Take It With You, about a girl with a zany family who wants to get married to a guy with an uppity rich 5th Avenue type family. Families collide and hilarity ensues. There was one part that I was actually shooting for: Gay Wellington. There isn't a ton of stage time, I admit, and the time that you are onstage, you're drunk. You pass out after about 10 minutes and remain onstage for the last half or so of the play. It's a super great part, there is SO much opportunity. I thought I was gonna get it, but I didn't. Then I got a little bit of the 5 feeling, just a tinge.
After realizing that I was a tad bit disappointed, it just brought me back to the root of all my issues. Expectations. Oh darn those things! My mother wisely tells me all the time that expectation ruins relationships... until I realized that expectation ruins pretty much everything. My advice: when you go into an audition, keep your expectation to a minimum. This is a sure shield against every feeling below 5. It also keeps feelings 6-10 really, really pleasant.
Another way to steer clear of disappointment: pay attention to your fellow cast members. Congratulate them, encourage them, offer to run lines with them. In the end, the cast is your family, and why be disappointed if you get to be a part of it? The cast is the thing!
TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT:
Rule 1) No expectations.
Rule 2) Remember each other.
Rule 3) Run with Rule 1 & 2 everywhere...even outside the stage doors.
