All great actors embrace learning. Accents, physical feats, and languages are all par for the course. If you’ve been cast in a role or are auditioning for one that requires you to learn a new skill or language, here’s how to put your best foot forward.

Do It

You’ll never know unless you do. The first step with any new skill or language is to simply take a leap of faith and awkwardly do the new thing. It’s going to feel weird. It’s going to feel amateur. But this feeling doesn’t last long. It’s only ever there the first time because the more you do it, the better you become at it. And the better you get, the easier it is to incorporate that into your role naturally.

Focus on the Hard

With all practiced things, there are going to be aspects that really challenge you and there will be things you can pull off with no difficulty. While it is more fun to hone in on the easy stuff, don’t. Instead, practice the hard parts to force your mind to concentrate, giving you a more valuable study period.

Teach Another

To truly test how well you know something, teach it to someone who’s new to it. It’s a quick way to see the holes in your knowledge and receive feedback. Teaching a skill forces us to break it into understandable chunks that help us digest it better.

Remember to Relax

The brain can and does suffer fatigue, especially with newer, more challenging skills. If you feel like you’re burning out quickly, that’s okay. Simply step away from study, refuel with food or exercise, and come back once you feel ready. Your brain is working hard to connect everything new you’re learning and it’s easy to get ahead of what can be processed.