The first time I watched one of my auditions, I thought to myself, “How the hell am I not still a virgin?” My face was lopsided, one side was bigger than the other, my nose was crooked and I thought I looked terrible. Luckily, my actor friend was with me and he told me to stop and that he didn’t see any of the things I saw in myself.
I mentioned this to my acting instructor during my first acting class and he pulled up a monologue from YouTube where Willem Dafoe talks about the gaps in his teeth. I never noticed that about Mr Dafoe and while I was watching the monologue, I thought, “He has imperfections; he is a great actor; I never noticed those imperfections.” The video helped me get passed my issues with myself and now when I watch my auditions, I just focus on the acting and not what I consider my imperfections.
No one sees the issues I have with myself other than me. And as more and more people watch my auditions and I book more roles, it reinforces that statement.
Simon Shih 