The Professional Actor’s Reset: 10 Habits to Drop If You Want to Book More Work

There’s a particular kind of momentum actors feel when the industry wakes up. Submissions increase, self tapes multiply, workshops pop up, and suddenly you’re “doing everything.” That surge can be energizing and is certainly necessary. It can also be the exact moment you accidentally trip over your own shoelaces.

The acting industry runs on relationships, reputation and professionalism. One poorly labeled file, one overly familiar email, or one unfocused reel can shift how casting perceives you. The quiet truth? Most actors don’t even realize they’re making these errors.

Key Insights

Casting directors are evaluating your professionalism as much as your performance, and small habits quietly shape their perception of you.

Oversharing, apologizing, and unsolicited outreach create friction that distracts from your work and signal inexperience.

Clear labeling, focused reels, accurate submissions, and clean communication make you easier to cast and easier to remember.

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1. Stop Oversharing With Casting

Casting is not your therapist. They’re not interested in long, drawn-out excuses about why you’re late or why your clothes are wrinkled.

Oversharing can look like:

Long personal explanations in slate videos (“I’m sorry if this isn’t my best take, I’ve been sick with … ”)

Emotional backstory in emails (“I’ve wanted this my whole life, and I’m finally ready … ”)

Traumatic details to “prove” your authenticity

A running commentary about your anxiety, illness, breakup, burnout or frustration with the business

None of that helps them cast you. Even when it’s sincere, it can put casting in an uneasy position: they can’t respond the way a friend would, and they can’t make decisions based on your personal circumstances. Plus, they really aren’t interested in your drama.

What to do instead: Keep communication clean. If you need an accommodation for accessibility reasons, communicate it professionally and briefly. If you have a scheduling conflict, say, “I have a scheduling conflict.” There’s no need to tell casting what the conflict is. If you’re late on a deadline, own it in one sentence and deliver the file without a monologue.

A good rule: Casting wants your work, not your weather report.

2. Stop Sending Unsolicited DMs, Emails, and “Just Checking in” Messages

Social media has created access to behind-the-scenes areas. But unsolicited outreach almost never achieves the intended goal.

Common versions:

DMing a casting director on Instagram: “Hi! I’d love to be considered!”

Emailing casting directly after submitting: “Just bumping this!”

Messaging producers/creators you don’t know with your headshot attached

Reaching out after a workshop with a long pitch

Here’s what casting hears in the background: This person might also ignore instructions in an audition.

Casting offices are inundated. Your message is rarely the exception. If your note requires them to take an extra step (click, download, search, reply), you’re adding friction.

What to do instead:

Submit through the proper channels (Casting Networks, rep submissions).

If you have what’s considered a real reason to reach out (a director refers you, you previously worked with them, you’re being considered for a specific role, or casting asked you to stay in touch), keep it short, precise, and professional.

A good rule: Make your package undeniable and your process painless. That gets remembered.

3. Stop Apologizing in Your Slate

Slates are not confessionals. You’re not on trial.

Apologies sound like:

“Sorry, my lighting is bad.”

“Sorry, I don’t have a reader.”

“Sorry, my dog barked.”

“Sorry, I’m sick.”

Apologies plant a flag in the viewer’s brain. Now they’re noticing things you highlighted that they may not have noticed. Also, it subtly suggests you’re not ready.

What to do instead:

Slate simply: name, height (if requested), location (if requested), role.

Then act.

If something truly disrupts the take, redo the take. No announcement needed.

A good rule: Professionalism is often silent.

4. Stop Turning Your Submission Into a Scavenger Hunt

Casting should never have to guess what they’re watching.

If you send files labeled that resemble the below, you’re creating confusion.

“final_take_REALfinal_USETHISONE_v3.mp4”

“Audition.mp4”

“Scene 2.mp4”

“Take 1.mp4”

A Google Drive link with no access permissions

A WeTransfer that expires in 24 hours

An email that says “see attached” with five mystery files

What to do instead: Label files clearly.

A clean format:

PROJECT_ROLE_FIRSTLAST.mp4

Example: SUNSET_BARTENDER_ALEXJONES.mp4

If there are multiple files:

PROJECT_ROLE_FIRSTLAST_Slate.mp4

PROJECT_ROLE_FIRSTLAST_Scene1.mp4

PROJECT_ROLE_FIRSTLAST_Scene2.mp4

A good rule: Always follow the breakdown instructions. If they ask for one file, send one file. If they ask for separate clips, send separate clips. The instructions are the test before the test.

5. Stop Sending Huge Attachments When Links Are Requested

Follow the upload rules regarding links vs. attachments.

What to do instead:

If the platform accepts uploads, upload there.

If they want a link, make the link viewable without requesting access.

A good rule: one click, instant play.

6. Stop Using An Unfocused Reel As Your “Proof of Life”

An unfocused reel is a montage of your confusion.

If your reel contains any of the below, casting won’t think, “Wow, range!” They’ll think, “What am I supposed to cast them as?”

Seven genres

Five accents

Two different hair colors

Scenes where you’re barely visible

Scenes where you’re not speaking

A two-minute clip where you build up to one line

Casting loves specificity. Reels should answer: What do you book? What do you look like onscreen? What do you sound like?

What to do instead:

Keep it tight. Lead with your best scene.

Put your type-forward material first (the roles you want to be called in for).

Cut anything that doesn’t show you clearly, speaking and active.

Consider multiple reels: comedic, dramatic, commercial, hosting, VO, stunt, etc.

A good rule: Your reel should be a trailer for what you should be hired to do next.

7. Stop Submitting For Roles You Clearly Don’t Match (out of hope)

Hope is not a strategy. And spam-submitting hurts you.

You’re training casting to scroll past your name if you’re submitting for:

An age range wildly off

A union status you don’t have (when required)

Skills you don’t possess (languages, instruments, specific sports)

A role that requires a specific lived experience you don’t have

A look that is clearly not you, with no believable transform

Of course there are exceptions in casting. But most breakdowns have non-negotiables. Submitting anyway doesn’t make you “ambitious.” It makes you noise.

What to do instead: Submit smart. Build credits that align with what you can book now while you grow into the next tier.

A good rule: The goal is not to be considered for everything. The goal is to be remembered for the right things.

8. Stop Making Everything “Big” When the Medium is Intimate

Many actors still play to the camera in their theater voice.

On-camera acting is a game of restraint. The microphone will be close by so there’s no need to belt out your lines.

What to do instead:

Let thoughts land before words.

Trust stillness.

Make the stakes real without making the volume loud.

Watch your best takes on mute. If it still reads, you’re on the right track.

A good rule: Casting doesn’t need you to show them you’re acting. They need you to live in the circumstance as if it were everyday life.

9. Stop Making Your Materials About Who You Were, Not Who You Are Now

Old headshots, outdated clips, resume credits that don’t reflect your current level, reels that no longer match your look, or profiles that haven’t been updated are all red flags.

What to do instead:

Refresh headshots when your look changes.

Replace older footage with current, type-relevant footage. If you don’t have new footage, it’s easy enough today to create your own.

Keep your Casting Networks profile sharp with recent photos, accurate stats, clean credits and clear skills.

Cut clutter. Make the good stuff more straightforward to find.

A good rule: You don’t need more. You need cleaner.

10. Burning Bridges Over Small Disappointments

The assistant who frustrated you today might be a casting director next year. The actor who got the role you wanted might become a collaborator on your dream project. Stay away from sending critical or hostile responses to rejection, publicly complaining about specific casting decisions or industry professionals, badmouthing other actors who booked roles you wanted, and arguing with feedback, even when that feedback feels unfair. And definitely do not post anything on social media about your auditions or potential roles (wait until you’ve earned the role and cleared it with your team).

What to do instead:

Process disappointment privately

Maintain cordial relationships even when outcomes aren’t what you hoped for.

Recognize that today’s rejection doesn’t define tomorrow’s possibilities.

A good rule: Understand that industry memory is long, but so is a career; there will be future opportunities with the same people.

Simple “Stop Doing” Checklist to Keep By Your Desk

If you want a quick filter before you hit submit, ask yourself:

Am I following the instructions exactly?

Are my files clearly labeled?

Is the link accessible without requesting permission?

Does my reel/profile show what I’m submitting for?

Is my message necessary, brief, and professional?

Am I sharing work, or sharing feelings?

Am I making this easy for casting?

If the answer is yes, you’re doing the thing that gets you invited back.

Sustainable acting careers are built on patience and professionalism. The actors who work consistently aren’t necessarily the most talented; they’re often the most professional. The goal is to be genuinely you while respecting the norms and boundaries that allow the industry to function.

Key Takeaways

Follow instructions exactly and make every submission seamless, accessible, and effortless to review.

Present who you are now, not who you were, with updated headshots, type specific reels, and current materials.

Protect relationships at all costs, because in an industry built on memory and reputation, professionalism compounds over time.