You probably remember Didi Conn’s portrayal of Frenchy in Grease. Recall that, on a whim, Frenchy quit Rydell High in order to attend beauty school. Within weeks, she’d failed every class and given herself hot pink hair. Even Frankie Avalon had to come out of the clouds to chastise her for being a “beauty school dropout” before telling her to go back to high school.
Frenchy made a rash decision. If you have to think about quitting your day job for show business, you shouldn’t do it. Well, unless you want to follow Frenchy’s poor example. I’ve talked to several performing artists—be they actors, writers or musicians—and they’ve all said they must perform. They are struggling to get a break while surviving anyway they can. You’ve never heard of them. That’s the point. Thousands of actors get barely enough credits to merit inclusion in the Screen Actors Guild casting book then pay the SAG dues every year until their friends and family tell them, “Quitting your day job for show business wasn’t a good idea.”
You’ve seen the long lines at auditions for American Idol and other reality TV talent shows. Do you think those 100,000 people each spent a weekend enduring that audition as a lark? Of course not. They were trying to get noticed by someone who could advance their careers.
I understand your dilemma. I once wanted to work in radio. I was going to be the next Howard Stern or Jim Rome. I was asked by people in the business if I could be happy doing anything else. If so, I should go do that instead because I’d otherwise find radio far too difficult to succeed.
Before you commit to quitting your day job for show business, ask yourself if you have a backup plan. If so, you know the answer to your question. My struggling artist friends don’t have a “Plan B.” They would be forever unhappy if they were doing anything else.
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