How Actors Can Leave Their Mark On The World

Tom Hanks in the movie 'Philadelphia', 1993 (Credit: IMDB Photo Gallery)

A lot of aspiring young actors face obstacles to building a career. Some of those obstacles are external – family and friends being unsupportive of their career choice, for instance – while others are internal: an actor’s own thoughts and fears threaten to stifle their creativity and ability to move forward.
Sometimes these negative influences can leave you with self-doubt about you own ability, and perhaps make you question whether it’s really worth their while to pursue acting professionally. Setbacks can also come early on from auditions that don’t go so well, a bad review, or the long slog of working through smaller roles in the hope that one day a bigger role will come your way.
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So it’s good to be reminded from time to time about how an actor benefits society at large by the work they do.

1. Actors can create empathy for marginalised people. Movies, plays, TV and musicals have a significant impact on public opinion – and even if you’re just a small role in a larger story, you can make a difference. Back in the early 1990s, Tom Hanks took the starring role in Philadelphia, a film which cast a new light on the discrimination suffered by people with HIV AIDS, shifting people’s awareness about the disease and the additional pains caused to sufferers by prejudicial actions taken against them. The musical West Side Story presented Latinos and their culture on the Broadway mainstage for the very first time, throwing light on racial issues in American society. The musical Hair in the 1960s famously helped older generations to understand younger generations and their protests during the Vietnam war. TV series like CSI, presenting key female characters in forensics and police investigations, caused a rise in female applicants to these professions. Even the movie Black Panther reputedly caused an increase in the adoption of black cats from animal shelters, when previously they were neglected due to cultural associations with bad luck! There are many more examples besides. When actors do their job well, they cause their audiences to experience empathy for the characters they play. This can sway the tide of negativity in society.
2. Actors help others to connect socially. One of the great scourges in our society right now is social disconnection and division – despite us all being connected 24/7 to social media. There is so much research now to show that participation in the creative arts, as both an active creator and as a spectator, is good for our social wellbeing. In the UK, there has been a push for medical doctors to prescribe the arts as part of health plans for people suffering various ailments, on the basis that good social connection hastens recovery from illness. The arts bring people together for shared experiences, end loneliness, inspire creativity, and provide personal enrichment – all things which enhance general health and wellbeing. Actors are part of this effort, whether they are bringing people together through performing a play, are conducting an acting workshop for the community, or simply by being in a movie that’s a point of conversation between people. Actors can contribute to social connection in direct and indirect ways.
3. Actors create significant life memories for others. When actors tell stories that matter, they create memories for people. And as we’ve already said, memories are often shared experiences. So not only do we remember a particular movie, play or musical we’ve seen, as often as not, we remember who we saw it with. This is all part of the experience – and actors are significant in this process. Our favourite film or show stays with us – perhaps it was a character that reminded us of ourselves, perhaps it was a story that touched our heart, perhaps it just spoke to us in a way that made life clear in that moment. Often we’ll quote lines from a favourite movie, or we discover ourselves humming a tune from a favourite musical. These stories work their way into our subconscious and make a home there, becoming part of our own story. Actors are a big part of our experience in this way. Without the actors telling those stories, our lives would be the poorer for it.
4. Actors can draw attention to important issues off-screen and off-stage. Because of the pulling power of actors, and our fascination with celebrity, often when an actor has something important to say, people listen. The #MeToo movement, which was promoted by a number of prominent actresses, has drawn attention to the sexual harassment of women in society so that it has become an issue that is addressed across many industries. Many prominent actors have given their names, their time and their money to important causes, whether it’s Australian Samuel Johnson and the Love Your Sister cancer foundation, or Leonardo DiCaprio and his environmental activism, or Emma Watson and global gender equality. While not every actor garners as much attention as these icons do, every actor can work into their lives a cause they want to follow and promote. Life is never only about art, it’s about leaving a legacy in other areas too: in our families and our society. Together these elements give us meaning. So when the eyes of the world do happen to glance your way, there may be opportunity to draw attention to a cause that’s close to your heart.

So next time you’re feeling discouraged about your journey as an actor, remember these important lessons. What you do does make a difference to people – and you may not even realise the impact you are having. Acting will help you leave your mark on the world – so make it a good one!