The acting industry is exciting, fun and rewarding for performers. It’s also a competitive industry.
When auditioning, you compete with a seemingly endless sea of thespians for the same role. Some actors find it daunting. Others revel in competition.
You don’t have to be a competitive person to be a successful actor, but you should be aware that competition is a natural part of the entertainment industry.
Examples of Competition in Acting
In the not-so-distant “olden” days, you’d find yourself gathered in a waiting room with several other actors of your same type. Some professional actors would be happy to be there, hoping this audition might be the one to change their lives. Others would scope out the actors in the room to determine if they had the edge.
The acting competition also occurs outside the audition room. Have you ever been in an acting class where a fellow actor knocks everyone’s socks off and all you can think about is how to outdo that performance?
An actor’s competitive nature may also strike among friends. Say an buddy and fellow actor lands a coveted role. On the one hand, you’re happy for them and wish them great success. At the same time, your competitive juices are flowing. You’re now on a mission to also land a big part, if not a more compelling one.
Are All Actors Competitive?
Everyone has their perspective on competition. Some people find it invigorating as it pushes them to grow and achieve more than they otherwise would have. Others consider competition to be a draining social friction that keeps them consumed with comparing themselves to others.
Then there are individuals who minimize their instincts to compete with others, instead challenging themselves to beat their previous performances. They may also focus their energies on being collaborators.
Famous Quotes on Being Competitive
Competition touches all fields, whether it’s acting, sports, tech or any other profession. Every person’s opinions on the subject are different, and there are profound takes.
Here are quotes from icons and legends — famous actors or otherwise — about being competitive.
“Take life step by step, pace by pace, slowly slowly, and leave the competition to others.”
— Eddie Redmayne
“I’m an ambitious person. I never consider myself in competition with anyone. And I’m not saying that from an arrogant standpoint. It’s just that my journey started so, so long ago. And I’m still on it, and I won’t stand still.”
— Idris Elba
“I am not competing with anyone other than myself. I want to be excellent at whatever I do.”
— Maya Angelou
“One of the first things I learned about acting was, the only person you compete against is yourself.”
— Ed Harris
“I’ve never been competitive with other actors. I’ve been competitive with myself, and I’m my own worst critic, a terrible critic I am, and unless I get something right, I feel very unhappy.”
— Michael Caine
“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
— Zen Shin
“Eventually you realize that the only competition is against the voice inside your head that wants you to quit.”
— George Sheehan
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”
— Muhammad Ali
“Competition makes you better, always, always makes you better, even if the competitor wins.”
— Carlos Slim
“I love competition and really going for it and doing my best, but losing isn’t really upsetting to me. I feel like if I do lose, the other person really deserved it.”
— Corbin Bleu
“Some people don’t like competition because it makes them work harder, better.”
— Drew Carey
“Competition [in a scene] is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don’t want to compete. They want to get along. And they are therefore not first-rate actors.”
— Michael Shurtleff
“A successful competition for me is always going out there and putting 100% into whatever I’m doing. It’s not always winning. People, I think, mistake that it’s just winning. Sometimes it could be, but for me, it’s hitting the best sets I can, gaining confidence, and having a good time.”
— Simone Biles
“You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.”
— Michael Jordan
“I hate losing more than I like winning.”
— Chris Paul
“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.”
— Walt Disney
“Acting in Star Wars, I felt like a raisin in a giant fruit salad, and I didn’t even know who the cantaloupes were.”
— Mark Hamill
“If you feel like you’re losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and they still stand tall and wait for better days to come.”
— Unknown
“Part of me suspects that I’m a loser, and the other part of me thinks I’m God Almighty.”
— John Lennon
“There is not as much competition as you think…There’s a lot of people coming out here, and everybody wants to make it as an actor, and the truth is only a handful get in. But I also have to give you the other side to that: A lot of people come out here, and they have no idea what they’re doing, they never figure it out, so they’re really never competition.”
— Wendy Alane Wright
“Victory is in the quality of the competition, not just the final score.”
— Mike Marshall
“Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”
— Tim Ferriss
“[Being a film actor is] not a singular sport; it’s not a competition. It’s ultimately, very much so, it’s a collaborative medium. And that’s the joy of it is that you feel supported and people uniquely understand what you’re going through. It’s very rewarding, I think, to watch other people grow and get to places and to also get help getting to places with each other.”
— Vince Vaughn
Every acting journey is different, just like every acting career. Although being competitive doesn’t hurt your chances of professional success, it’s not required when it comes to bringing characters to life. By building on those positive affirmations, focusing on your craft and trusting both the acting and casting process, you’ll achieve your goals with flying colors!
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