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Is Talent Enough?
“I don’t care how talented you are. Of course, your talent grows with your knowledge, right? In most jobs, the more talented you are, the more opportunities you’re given. Not so, in this business.” — Michael Jai White
Well…no. RECOGNIZED talent is recognized, but to be “rewarded” it has to be a specific talent that the person rewarding you sees as something that will make THEIR life better. Michael Jai White, a ferociously talented individual, seems under the illusion that people in other professions are rewarded in direct proportion to their talent? As judged by who? In objective arenas, or given objective standards, it is certainly easier to convince people of your value, but it is that “convincing others of your value” thing that gets the job done.
And is “acting” the talent, or is it “getting butts into seats” which is the BUSINESS of “show business”? Anyone who can demonstrate this talent will get work, because they will eventually meet someone who wants to make money, and if others have rejected them, their price drops while their value remains the same. Someone will snap up a bargain…unless they have a reason to care more about something else more than they do money. Bigotry or politics are a couple of things that can depress your market value, in spite of a theoretical value in the market place — the “gatekeepers” really can squeeze the flow.