Why Not Me?

“UGH… That stupid bitch,” I thought as I watched a Fisher Price ad play during the commercial break. “That was supposed to be me!” You see, I had been put on hold for this exact national campaign a few months back and seeing the ROBBER OF MY JOB really interrupted my peaceful time reserved for Netflix. After all, seeing a girl that could basically be your twin say a single line and play with an infant on TV makes you want to shout to the heavens “I CAN SO DO THAT! WHY WASN’T THAT ME?!”

Well, why isn’t every opportunity reserved with a golden nameplate that says “Kelly Dankbar—Awesome Girl—Queen of Fun?” That would be because not every opportunity is reserved especially for me. As much as I would love to bask in every opportunity I dream of for my career, that’s just not reality. Sure a few opportunities come along and are the products of hard work mixed with a bit of luck; but the GRAND majority of the others are a big fat NO. Why? Well, no one really knows exactly. However, what I do know is that a no for me is a yes to ANOTHER ACTRESS’ hard work. I’m not the only dedicated actress up in Los Angeles, CA. Quite frankly, there’s like a fucking million I’m pretty sure.

So hey, remember that bitch I was talking about that booked my Fisher Price commercial? Oh yeah, so 24 hours after my thoughts called her a bitch, I worked on set for a project with THAT EXACT GIRL. And no, she’s not a bitch. Her name is Laura and she is super nice and a lot like me (shocker why they had us both on hold for the same gig). As I learned a bit about her, it was quite a moment for me when she mentioned she booked her very first commercial for Fisher Price recently. I mean, honest to god, I wanted to throw my new iPhone X on the floor at first, but after that absurd urge, I thought, “Awe, her first commercial..." I remember booking my very first commercial back in 2013 and it was the most exciting and fulfilling moment. To think that me booking that ad would have taken that kind of moment from her put A WHOLE LOT into perspective for me.

Continual losses in the acting world make it easy to fall into the “I MUST SUCK” trap. But it’s really simple, some opportunities aren’t mine... NOT because I’m a shitty actor, but because it’s just someone else’s turn. Of course I will continue to celebrate the opportunities that hold the golden “Kelly Dankbar” nameplate, but now I will also celebrate the one’s that don’t call my name as well. Instead of whining over my lost moments, I’ll now remember Laura’s face and picture another girl just like her, that is celebrating a grand win. After all, this selfish day and age could definitely use some more people being happy for another’s wins.