Excuses: The Actor's Self-Sabotage

by Mario A. Campanaro

Excuses: The Actor's Self-Sabotage

by Mario A. Campanaro

In over two and a half decades of teaching acting to artists from all over the world—at every level of their careers—I’ve heard countless actors say, “Yes, I want to do this,” often with passion in their voices. But I never take anyone at their word—this is acting, after all. It’s not about the words. It’s about the action. I take action as truth. I look for proof in the pursuit.

I always ask, “How much do you really want this?” Because it’s one thing to say you want it, and another entirely to make excuses about why you can’t follow through—especially when it comes to studying and training to be the best you can be at the very thing you “say” you want to do. And yet, I’ve seen actors with every obstacle in their path—money, time, personal hardships, this and that—and still, they find a way. Why? Because they really want it. So they find a way. They don’t use their obstacles as a reason they can’t. They use them as fuel to find a way they can.

What holds most people back? Excuses. The excuses they keep making. The excuses they keep telling themselves. The excuses they give to others. And ultimately, the accumulation of those excuses—that maybe, deep down, they never really wanted it enough.

Most people wait. But wait for what, exactly? If we are what we do, then wouldn’t that technically make someone a “waiter”—not an actor? And no, I don’t mean the noble, hardworking (and often exhausting) job of serving tables to support your dream. I mean the kind of “waiting” that lives in a constant state of hesitation. A professional “waiter.” Not a professional “doer.”

Waiting for a sign? Waiting for more clarity? Waiting for someone else to say “yes”? Let me tell you: their yes means nothing. This is your life. Your yes is the only one that turns the switch on.

Waiting for more money? “I don’t have the finances to…” — Listen, I get it. I’ve been in this business since I was eight. I know the ups and downs. I say this with empathy—truly. But I also see those same people spending $6 on a black coffee at a café—money that could go toward their dream, not just their craving. Or $12 on a vodka soda. $9 on a Stella Artois. Where is that money really going? What’s it building—your future, or your habits? I have no right to tell anyone how to spend their money. No one does. But the point is—if this is truly important to you, your focus will reflect that.

Are you too busy at your “safety job”—pouring hours into making your boss’s dream come true—while you just try to get by? When you’re working that job, you’re investing your energy into someone else’s vision. It may be safe for your finances—and for that, be grateful. But it can also be dangerous for your dreams if it starts to trump them. At that point, it’s no longer your safety job—it’s your trap.

Let me ask you: How many hours are you putting into their business—and how many are you putting into your own? Are you dedicating even half as much effort to your dream—your acting—as you are to theirs? Let that sink in. Whose dream are you really building? And what, exactly, are you waiting for?

Waiting for that job to magically give you time off? Waiting for life to “slow down”? Waiting for a manager or agent—even though you’re not ready to deliver yet? Waiting for auditions to appear—or disappear? You better be ready. Because when opportunity knocks, it doesn’t wait.

Still waiting for more time? For life to get a little easier?

Let me remind you of this: As Lao Tzu said, “Time is created. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.’”

And as Bill Nighy wisely put it, “Everyone wants to put off the moment they have to act.”

Well, guess what? That moment you keep imagining may never come—at least not in the way you expect. Life doesn’t slow down. You have to learn how to navigate and move through it—not wait for it to pause.

Waiting for an audition to validate your desire to act? That’s backwards. An audition is just a means to a part. And if you do get the part—are you truly ready? Do you have the process? The craft? The technique to deliver?

Overwhelmed by auditions? Good. That means you’re in motion. But don’t confuse auditioning with acting. Auditioning is a skill. It is not the craft. It doesn’t fully engage deep listening, environment work, emotional intimacy, or truthful connection with a partner. It’s technical, and it matters—but it’s not a replacement for the real work.

Whether you’re booking or not, you should be working on your craft. Always. Sharpen your tools. Deepen your instrument. Push yourself to grow.

Recently, Vincent D’Onofrio said in a SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview: “If you’re an actor… I hope you’re studying. I hope you’re not lazy. And I hope you’re reaching every time to do the best work you can.”

I hear actors hesitating all the time. I hear every excuse in the book. And I always ask them: “When? When is the right time? What are you really waiting for?”

If you truly want this—find a way. Have the honest conversation with yourself: “Do I really want this? And if I do, how far am I willing to go to nurture my innate talent—so I can consistently do work I’m proud of—instead of depending on hope or luck?”

More and more these days, I see actors afraid to walk into class—but willing to walk into an audition. Here’s the truth: You can fail in class. You can’t afford to fail in the room. Your reputation follows you like a spotlight or a shadow.

Class isn’t there to call you out as a beginner—it’s there so you’re never a beginner again. It’s a safe space. A training ground. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know, of what you haven’t discovered yet, or of the areas in you that still need growth. Get paid in growth. Why would any serious actor not want to grow? Not want to get better? Class is where you strengthen your instrument, where you challenge yourself to evolve—not just as an artist, but as a human being. It builds community. It builds support. It’s where your craft is cultivated in an art form that is never finite, never complete, and always unfolding. It’s where you learn how to deliver—again and again—with greater depth, truth, authenticity, and freedom.

Excuses like “I can’t because…” are self-imposed cages. They block the path to fulfillment. But willful persistence—that is the key. It unlocks the cage. It dismantles limitation. And it transforms your dream from a distant idea into an active, lived reality.

So if you want to do this—do it. Train. Study. Exercise. Grow. Expand. Give yourself the gift of self-discipline, commitment, and investment in your dream. Because no one is going to want this for you more than you. And no one is going to do it for you. You’re it. And if you don’t do it—someone else already is.

Remember this: Every action is a pebble dropped into the quantum field of creation. And you get back what you put into that field.