Being Extraordinary

Everybody wants to be extraordinary. Yet, some of the most powerful performances in the last few years have been from actors playing ordinary people in extraordinary situations. The paradox is this… the more extraordinary you attempt to become – the more ordinary you seem (because everyone is trying to be extraordinary, see above premise). The more ordinary you allow yourself to be, the more extraordinary you seem (because everyone is trying to be extraordinary, see above premise) as you are unique!

Sure, there are extraordinary performances – I’m thinking of Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, to name a few. But, if you look at their early performances, they were playing ordinary people in extreme circumstances. Sometimes, with an accent. As their careers grew, so did their artistry.

Everybody is unique. You do not have to find your uniqueness, it is already there. It’s like looking for your car keys and discovering them in your pocket. You can’t try to be somebody, you can only be yourself. Acting is simply bringing forth some aspects of yourself and letting other aspects fall away.

Uniqueness is not something to be discovered or found, it is already there. Just allow it. It is your gift to the world. As long as you’re running to find your “specialness”, you won’t be able to stop to accept what is divine about you.

As long as you try to be extraordinary you will be ordinary. When you become ordinary, you find what it is about you that is extraordinary. I love a good paradox!