“Great, let’s get two more shots before we wrap.”

The director’s voice calls out from behind the viewer. This is a typical day on a movie set, but it feels like it’s too much today.

“Actually, I need a moment.”

I don’t wait for an answer before I exit the stage heading for my dressing room. I’ve never enjoyed acting, but I’ve recently started despising the “craft.” It was never my idea to act. Instead, my parents vicariously lived out their Hollywood fantasy through me. My reflection catches my eye as I sit down in my vanity chair. I have the Hollywood look, sun-bleached hair, tan skin, and a jawline that could cut steel, but I don’t recognize the man staring back at me.

Before being thrust into the spotlight, I had been a regular kid. That all changed after being “discovered” at the park. My parents were thrilled being the Hollywood rejects they were, but they had to drag me to my first audition. I was petrified, but I was able to use that energy to wow the casting director. He called me a natural, and the job was mine. That first audition turned into many; before I knew it, I was booking gigs like wildfire. For a time, it was fun, but that fun quickly turned to dread. With every job I booked, I felt like I lost more of myself until nothing was left. I take a few deep breaths to center myself, escaping the negative thoughts that have taken up residence in my mind. I plaster a convincing fake smile on my face and return to set.