Be different

My mother, who was a teacher, had a saying 'I can be right or I can be wrong or I can be different.' Now, as she grew up with only one parent in an impoverished childhood and was widowed while still in her thirties, yet went on to lecture at Oxford University and travel round the world, her words are well worth taking heed of. What she taught me was to work hard, have a good head for figures and never give in. And, above all, not to be afraid of being different. You see, the subtext of 'I can be right or I can be wrong or I can be different' is that the best thing is to be different, to step outside orthodoxy and be distinguished by your qualities as an individual.

It's therefore not surprising, perhaps, that so many of my pupils both now and in the past have been people who some would consider to have the wrong accent, be the wrong colour, be the wrong age, be too eccentric, have the wrong orientation. I believe in inclusiveness and integration but not the politicians' idea of setting minorities up as competing 'victim groups.' Very destructive, that is, and ultimately guilty of the very prejudices it purports to seek to eradicate.

So how does this apply to the life of an actor? Firat, consider what there is in yourself and your experience that makes you stand out from other people. Enhance those things. Always be looking to add to your experience and knowledge, particularly in unusual ways. Don't limit your friendships to people in similar lines of work. In a highly competitive field littered with disappointments beware of adopting negative attitudes: such attitudse are infectious and dangerous. Don't wear the uniform: avoid being instantly recognisable as an actor or actress. After all, there aren't that many parts as actors, are there?

And remember the Words of Wisdom: 'I can be right or I can be wrong or I can be different' so be different.