I spoke to an old friend the other night and they told me that some people we have in common are annoyed at how easily acting has come to me. I am assuming the person who said that had dreams of becoming an actor at some point, but either never tried, or were unsuccessful.
As actors, we pour our hearts and souls into our craft. We toil endlessly, chasing roles and opportunities in a wildly competitive industry. It’s only natural that jealousy creeps in as we witness the successes of our peers while our own dreams seem to lag behind. But this jealousy, if left unchecked, can become a force that sabotages our journey and steers us off the path we were meant to travel.
The green-eyed monster takes many forms. Perhaps we’re envious of a colleague’s shiny new marquee role, the accolades and attention they’re receiving. Maybe we begrudge their professional relationships, the access and connections that seem to grease their wheels. Or we might resent their perceived talent, looks, or charisma that we feel eclipses our own.
Whatever the reason, jealousy taints our perspective. It clouds our judgment and injects toxic negativity into our mindset. Suddenly, we can’t appreciate our own accomplishments or be grateful for the journey we’re on. We’re too busy stewing over someone else’s wins, allowing resentment to consume us. The irony is, the more we fixate on what others have, the more we deflate our own spirit and drive.
Jealousy is also incredibly unproductive. The energy we expend in envious thoughts could be better directed towards our own growth. While we’re obsessing over someone else’s career trajectory, we’re neglecting our own development and missing opportunities to nurture our talents. Worse, jealousy breeds insecurity, self-doubt, and procrastination – the very ingredients that cause promising artists to veer off course.
At its most destructive, jealousy can push us to tear others down out of spite rather than focus on building ourselves up. Perpetuating gossip, undermining our peers, or sabotaging projects – these toxic behaviors not only compromise our integrity but drain the very passion that fueled us in the first place. We stop being artists devoted to our craft, and instead become petty curators of chaos, undoing our own potential.
The antidote to jealousy is nurturing an “enough” mentality – knowing there is enough success and opportunity for everyone who commits to the journey. It’s celebrating our colleagues’ wins as part of the greater artistic community rather than lamenting them as personal slights. It’s competing with ourselves instead of comparing ourselves to others. It’s trusting that our path is unfolding as it should, even if it looks different from someone else’s.
Above all, it’s safeguarding our enthusiasm for the work itself rather than fixating on external validations. As actors, that childlike wonder at simply inhabiting a character’s existence is what drew us to this art in the first place. If we can rekindle that sense of curiosity, passion, and gratitude for the craft – well, that’s when we stop undoing ourselves. That’s when we reclaim our path.
Simon Shih 