Dexter's Julie Benz, How to Thrive Even After You've Been Killed Off

Julie Benz is an actress.  She's been working steadily for a long, long time, but probably most recognizable as Dexter's wife, Rita, on Showtime's Critically Acclaimed smash hit, Dexter.  What you may not know is that Julie was a serious figure skater from the age of 3 to 13, on a high level.  Her rigorous training, from such a young age, has no doubt had a big effect on her career, perhaps mostly in the area of her mental game.  This is why she not only survived, but thrived after being killed off of Dexter in the 4th season's finale.  She claims to be lucky.  I beg to differ.  In my opinion, her success is the result of her ability to out-grind the competition, but you decide for yourself.    SHOW NOTES:  Growing up as a competitive figure skater, (3:20). Reasoning behind doing well on auditions for acting, (5:54). Transitioning from skating to acting,(9:05). Practicing discipline as a figure skater, (12:30). “I think the hardest part about what we do is when we are not working and when we do get a string of ‘No’s.”, (15:15). Coming off of Dexter and entering pilot season, (17:00). Testing for the show, Dexter, (19:55). “For me, it was freeing to take the mask away, but in the eyes of critics and Hollywood, I was so brave to go on camera with no makeup on.”, (21:32). Listening and reacting on set, (24:57). Learning to deal with being replaced, (26:21). Having to go to therapy after such trauma, (27:12). “It was the best thing to ever happen to me. The moment when I was killed off the show. The moment that everyone still talks about.”, (31:34). Suffering from panic attacks finding out her character’s death, (34:07). How Matt and Julie met, (36:55). “In the moments when I feel rejection, I have a method writing 10-20 things I’m grateful for.”, (38:27).  Experiencing a bad audition once in a while, (42:55). Recalling the story where everyone has a bad day, (43:47). Having much love for acting, the set and the crew, (45:57). “I’ve always loved being an actor. It was never thought I was going to do when I was a kid.”, (46:12). Realizing she wasn’t a natural actor early on, (47:35). Proving yourself over and over again in the acting industry, (50:52). Encountering mean producers on her first television series about her weight, (52:50). “The more secure you are with who you are is what resonates in a room.”, (55:47). Overall benefits of challenging yourself overtime, (57:30). Seeking out coaches and mentors, (58:05). Underlying theme of. “You are not alone.”, (58:17). Reframing the “No”, (58:38). Working at reframing her mind through exercises, (59:00).     LINKS:  IMDB: Julie Benz Film / TV Credits  Instagram: @JulieBenzMFT  Twitter: @JulieBenz  Vanity Fair: Dexter Q&A;  Audition Self Taping: Jonathan's Hot Shots Self Taping    RELATED PAST EPISODES OF 10,000 “No”s:  Ep 87: How to Survive Being Killed Off a Sitcom Prematurely  Ep 90: Honesty and Authenticity on the Journey to Being a Professional Actor  Ep 94: The Go-to Acting Coach of Oscar Winners    If you like what you hear, please Subscribe, leave an iTunes review and spread the word. You can also listen to all episodes at www.10000nos.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.