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Hack Back Resistance: A Checklist to Protect Your Boundaries and Stretch Your Comfort Zone
I recently did something I was scared of: turning down an audition sent by my manager. I got his email, confirmed before reading the script, then followed up with another email. I thanked him for sending me out and let him know that that was not the part I could see myself doing. I wished him well and I said I looked forward to the next project.
It took me a while before hitting “send”. I was nervous. This could burn a bridge. My manager did not reply. A few weeks later, he sent me a big, juicy, alpha-female part for a feature film that I fell in love with right away.
I was glad I said no. It was not an easy no, but a well-contemplated, well-deserved one. This “no” reaffirmed me that I was not an actor always looking for the next job, but an artist who defended her artistic boundaries.
I’ve always had a lot of resistance — from parties, small talks, a new project, a major life change, or sometimes a big audition. While I knew most resistance was rooted in fear and needed to be tackled with, I couldn’t ignore its impact. I decided to track them down, like a detective tracking down suspects. They are my suspects, and I have to figure out who did what.
