If you are an actor in today’s day and age, it can seem difficult to feel like you stand out from everyone else. People all look amazing these days, I don’t know if it’s the water or bad air quality in LA but I personally feel like every time I go to my audition I feel like, “Why didn’t I do MY hair really nicely today? Everyone else’s makeup looks amazing…” etc… These creepy and bad thoughts happen at any given moment in a busy day and they can ruin an opportunity to make a really excellent impression in the audition room. This is where being a “triple threat” comes very much in handy. Being a triple threat has several benefits, one of which is being able to show off in any situation where you may feel uncomfortable.
A Triple Threat is normally defined as someone who can sing, act, and dance, but I have officially repurposed the word to mean anything in the industry. I am a triple threat because I act, do comedy, and write. Being able to actively do any of these three things at a given moment is sometimes what saves me from those gross aforementioned thoughts. If I am in an audition waiting room and start to look around and feel uncomfortable, instead of letting those thoughts take control, I turn to one of my “threats.”
I pull my phone out and begin to write a blog about how uncomfortable it can be to wait in an audition room with your fellow competition that may or may not book this job that you are trying to book yourself. I create a standup routine based on the fact that the girl who was called into the audition room right before me was also named Tabitha because who in the world is named Tabitha other than me?! I focus on my audition piece and really try to get into character, making sure that I am completely prepared and ready for anything that may come my way in the audition room.
Being a Triple Threat means much more than just being able to perform in several different ways. Being able to do more in the industry gives you different outlets to put yourself into when one is going slower. When pilot season starts and auditions pick up, you may find that you have time for nothing else. But I know that I find myself right back at an open mic any night of the week when audition season is slow because I love being able to create and to keep working on all of my different art forms and crafts. When you are able to work on other things while still keeping your creativity up, you become stronger and more powerful as an artist.
Making sure that you are constantly working on your crafts and continuing to get better and better as an artist is one of the best ways to find happiness in your craft. Also it doesn’t hurt to be able to crack a joke and make the Casting Director laugh hysterically. Believe me, that never hurts a thing.