Of all the buildings situated within Vatican City, few hold as much significance as the Sistine Chapel (西斯廷教堂). It is the pope’s private chapel and the site of papal ceremonies. It also acts as the election headquarters whenever a new pope is being selected. An architect by the name of Giovanni dei Dolci worked for eight years from 1473 to 1481 to have the building for Pope Sixtus Ⅳ erected. The structure contains an incredible amount of Renaissance (文艺复兴) artwork, including frescoes (湿壁画) by Michelangelo. Given the significance of such a place, the key to the Sistine Chapel is closely guarded. One man alone bears this immense responsibility, the clavigero or “key-keeper.”

Gianni Crea is the chief key-keeper of the Vatican Museums and carries the weight of 2,797 keys on his shoulders—well, mostly on his wrist. Before dawn—at 5:00 a.m. to be precise—Gianni begins his day by going into the “bunker” where the keys are kept overnight in wall safes. As he walks the seven kilometers of his route through the museums, the mass of metal keys hangs and makes noises from the giant key rings he carries on his wrist. He unlocks the doors, one by one, turning on all the lights along the way. The last door he opens on his journey is a tiny wooden one leading to the Sistine Chapel’s inner sanctum (内殿).

The silvery-brass key to the Sistine Chapel is not kept on the key ring with the others but in a white envelope. It also comes with rigorous (严格的) protocol. After the chapel is opened for the day, the key is put in a fresh white envelope, sealed, stamped, and placed back in its corresponding wall safe. A thick book is used to maintain careful records of all of its movements. Gianni discharges his duty with pride and has done so for the last 23 years.

You may never know why. The email will arrive and reasons offered for your rejection might be the real ones—or not. Companies do not always like to admit that they have been scrolling through your information posted on your social media sites. Yet many, particularly the big ones, are doing just that. And in increasing numbers, they are acting on what they find when deciding whom to hire and whom to pass over.

Even before the pandemic, online checks on applicants were common. Research in 2017 found that 28% of large companies had turned down applicants after carrying out such checks. Reed Screening, a large agency doing this work, was asked to run over a third more social-media checks in December 2021 than a year earlier. And in 2022, the UK government gave the practice approval when the Department for Education said schools and colleges “should consider carrying out an online search (including social media) as part of their due diligence (尽职调查)”.

The way screening works is simple. Any “problematic” behaviour will be marked with a red flag. There are laws governing such online screening. David Erdos, Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law at the University of Cambridge, says that companies are supposed to warn candidates before screening their social media and tell them that they have the right to refuse consent (同意). Some companies follow these rules, but others may not. As for the right to refuse, it is hardly practicable. “Who on earth is going to be that person who says ‘Hang on a minute — I’m not happy about that’?” says Mr Erdos. “That itself is likely to be a red flag.”

All agree that the spread of online screening is alarming, as it is so unforgiving. People may be unable ever to be free of their online past, says Mr Erdos. Some footballers recently were punished for comments made almost a decade ago when they were but teenagers, as they have found to their cost.

Those within the industry think laws should be tightened, with punishment for illegal acts. In the meantime, caution (谨慎) is advisable. In talks with university students, Keith Rosser, director of Reed Screening warns them what companies will do to their social media when they apply for jobs. They are “universally terrified”, he says. And rightly.

Once you choose to become an actor, many people who you thought were your closest friends will tell you you’re crazy, though some may react quite differently. No two people will give you the same advice. But it is a very personal choice you are making, and only you can take responsibility for yourself and for realising your ambition.

There are no easy ways of getting there — no written examination to pass, and no absolute guarantee that when you have successfully completed your training you will automatically make your way in the profession. It’s a matter of luck plus talent.

I have frequently been asked to define this magical thing called talent, which everyone is looking out for. I believe it is best described as natural skill plus imagination — the latter being the most difficult quality to assess. And it has a lot to do with the person’s courage and their belief in what they are doing and the way they are putting it across.

Where does the desire to act come from? It is often very difficult to put into words your own reasons for wanting to act. Certainly, in the theatre the significant thing is that moment of contact between the actor on the stage and a particular audience. And making this brief contact is central to all acting, wherever it takes place — it is what drives all actors to act.

If you ask actors how they have done well in the profession, the response will most likely be a shrug. They will not know. They will know certain things about themselves and aspects of their own technique and the techniques of others. But they will take nothing for granted, because they know that they are only as good as their current job, and that their fame may not continue.

Disappointment is the greatest enemy of the actor. Last month you may have been out of work, selling clothes or waitressing. Suddenly you are asked to audition (试镜) for a part, but however much you want the job, the truth is that it maybe denied you. So actors tend not to talk about their chances. They come up with ways of protecting themselves against the stress of competing for a part and the possibility of rejection.