Every actor knows this feeling. You’re prepared. You’ve done the work. You can run the scene in the car, in the mirror, at 2am half-asleep. Then the camera goes up, eyes are on you, someone says “stand by”… and your body stops cooperating. Breath goes shallow. Jaw locks. Hands start buzzing. You can literally feel the version of you that was brilliant in rehearsal slipping away. That moment costs people jobs. It’s not about talent. It’s not about not wanting it enough. It’s your nervous system jumping ahead of you. My work is about fixing that.

Who I am, and why I care

 

I’m Neil Sunley. I work with actors and other high-pressure performers on mindset, state control and recovery. I’m a performance psychology consultant, a working actor, and I’ve spent more than 20 years as a clinical hypnotherapist helping people manage anxiety, panic and trauma in real conditions, not just theory. Before that, I coached competitive martial artists. My entire career has been some version of: can you stay calm and execute when your body is trying to freak out. Now I work with actors, production and developing talent on exactly that problem. The work is simple: help you access your best performance when it matters, not just when you’re practising at home.

Why you “go” when the camera’s red light comes on

Actors often think “I get nervous.” That sounds harmless. What’s actually happening is more mechanical. When you’re being watched and judged, your threat response spikes. That’s the same hard-wired system designed to stop you getting hurt. It floods your body, changes your breathing pattern and shifts blood flow to big muscle groups (fight / run). That’s useful in a physical confrontation. It’s terrible for a close-up.
Here are the three most common things I see:

1.     Cognitive jam
Thoughts that were clear in rehearsal suddenly scatter. You know the line but can’t grab the first word. You think you’ve “forgotten” it. You haven’t. Your working memory just got clipped by adrenaline. It’s like trying to open a browser tab while your laptop is mid-crash.

2.     Emotional bleed
Instead of playing the character’s truth, you start leaking your own fear – fear of wasting the casting director’s time, fear of not being called back, fear of being “the one who couldn’t land it.” That fear shows in your eyes. Casting can spot it instantly.

3.     Body noise
Jaw tension, chest tightness, micro shakes in the hands. You feel “stiff” or slightly outside yourself. You start managing that instead of just living in the scene. You’re not in the moment. You’re monitoring.
This is fixable. The industry myth is that confidence is a personality trait. It isn’t. It’s a state you can switch into. You just haven’t been taught how.

 

The 30-second reset (what you can actually do, right there on set)

This is not full mindset coaching. This is the emergency brake. It’s what I teach actors to use in the gap between “quiet please” and the slate. It’s fast, it doesn’t look strange, and it stops the spiral.

Step 1. Drop your centre, not your shoulders
People always say “relax your shoulders.” That’s surface. Instead, shift your attention to low in the body – belt line / lower stomach – and picture your weight sitting there. This pulls you out of racing head-thought and down into physical presence. You will instantly look more grounded on camera.
Step 2. Controlled exhale, not big inhale
Actors gasp for air because they think “breathe!” The problem: fast inhales signal panic. The trick is the opposite. Breathe out slowly, like you’re pushing air through a thin straw. Let the inhale happen automatically. Long exhale tells your nervous system “we’re safe.” This stabilises your hands and unlocks your jaw.
Step 3. Lock intention, not outcome
Outcome is “I need them to love me.” Intention is “I’m here to get what I want from the other character.” Quietly name that intention to yourself in a simple sentence. “I’m going to make you admit you need me.” That pulls you back into the scene and out of self-judgement. Self-judgement is what kills recall and emotional truth.
Those three steps take under 30 seconds. You can use them before a self-tape, before a recall, or on set between takes. They’re not mindset theory. They’re physical state control.

 

Why this matters for career, not just nerves

Casting directors, agents and directors all say versions of the same thing in private: “I don’t just need you to be good once. I need to trust you’ll be good when it counts.” Unreliability costs roles. People assume “wasn’t strong enough” when often the real story is “froze under pressure.” That’s why mental performance is being taken seriously in acting in the same way it’s already taken seriously in elite sport. You are not just selling talent. You are selling repeatable access to your best work.

What I do with actors (beyond the quick reset)

The fast reset above is the entry point. The deeper work I do with clients is about building a personalised routine you can run before any high-pressure moment so that “nervous / shaking / voice too tight / mind blank” is no longer the story.
That usually includes:
– Identifying your specific physiological tell. For one actor it’s throat lock, for another it’s jaw, for another it’s the eyes going wide and “empty” on camera.
– Repatterning that response so your body doesn’t hijack you.
– Rebuilding confidence not as “I’m brilliant,” but as “I can stabilise myself on command.” That is the part that changes careers, because it travels with you into every room.
This is the same approach I’ve used for competitive fighters walking out under lights, and the same approach I use in clinic for clients with panic. It’s practical, not mystical.

Where to find me at Actors Pro Expo
I’ll be at Actors Pro Expo delivering a session on controlling state under pressure and staying present when it matters. I’ll also be on the exhibitor floor during the event. I’m offering a limited number of short performance strategy calls for attendees who are currently auditioning or actively working.

If you want direct support with audition anxiety, on-camera tension or recall pressure, speak to me at the Expo or book a 1-to-1 performance strategy call with me via my website: https://www.mysoulcoach.co.uk/pages/stage-fright-therapy-actors-musicians-uk

This call is only available to Actors Pro Expo attendees and spaces are limited.