Jayne Atkinson
The Actors Center Journal Vol. 1 No. 2, November 2009
Actor’s Voice: Jayne Atkinson
When I left school all I had was the diploma, the knowledge that I had worked hard to get it and that I was talented. The challenges I faced as a young actor starting out were that you either worked in film or television and never the twain would meet: Stars were Stars and you wouldn’t be one if you worked on television. Those were my mountains to climb.
Today all that has changed. “Stars” are no longer only in the heavenly realm of movies, but in the mundane world of television. The other drastic changes include cable television, internet access and an economic crisis.
The analysis: it is DAMN hard out there!
But hasn’t it always been a climb up a steep mountain for an actor to have a career? You don’t go into acting if you don’t have the stomach for what lies ahead, which feels at times like a spin of the roulette wheel or the luck of the draw!
There will always be that mountain to climb. That is the nature of achievement and the cost of desiring success. Facing a world that seems like it has less to offer, less to give is now the keeper’s key to the gate of our young actor’s entry into our profession. The tools that I used to face my mountain as a young actor still apply: I believed in every fiber of my being that I would act and that I would be seen. I liked my face, I liked my acting; I felt I deserved to find work and be employed. I surrounded myself and drew to myself an amazing support system of wisdom, knowledge and creative care. “No” was not an option.
That’s me. That’s how I roll. That’s what I offer to our young actors. It’s what you make of it—
it’s what you decide you want no matter how it looks out there. Now, more than ever there are so many ways to wash the dishes! Creating a TV series; on the internet through YouTube; making your own film; documentary, CD—it’s all at your finger tips….write a show; make a movie about something you love…. Be funny, be alive in what you love. These are things that no one, no business, corporate executive and economic crisis can take away from you.
Believe in yourself. Surround yourself with people who say, “Yes we can.”  Forget the facts—pretend that it’s all great and you are great! Should be easy—you’re actors!
Jayne Atkinson graduated with a B.S. from Northeastern and a M.F.A. from Yale.  She is a two time Tony nominee for The Rainmaker and Enchanted April.  Film work includes Recount and Syrianna.  She has memorably portrayed Karen Hughes on 24 and Erin Strauss on Criminal Minds. She has recently—and proudly—been seen on Broadway as Ruth in Blithe Spirit with Ms. Angela Lansbury.