I recently received a request to answer interview questions via email for a college student who is working on his masters project. I was just one of the many actors he was interviewing for his project. I was honored and flattered that I was asked and sent him back the answers to his questions, and I also asked him if he would mind that I post the questions and answers here; he had no problem.

First here was his the request:

You have been specially selected from a casting book I put together around this time last year to be interviewed regarding your life and work as an actor. These interviews will contribute towards a variety of research work I will be doing while in pursuit of my Master’s Degree in Applied Communications from Fitchburg State College. My long-term research goals hope to provide insight for actors and directors alike.

And here is the written interview:

Approximately how long have you been acting?
About 5 years and loving it.

Why did you start acting?
I was nearing 40 and felt like my life had no real purpose. Acting was an interest that I always had. I decided that I should give it a try; I never looked back.

Why do you continue acting?
It gives me purpose and fills me with joy; I feel actualized when acting. It gives me pleasure when my acting performances make people laugh, or distract them from the daily grind.

What are your long term career goals and if acting is a part of those long term career goals how is it a part?
I want to be a full time working actor. I don’t need to be a star. (though it would be nice) Mainly I love it so much I want to do it all the time. I would love to have a recurring role on a TV show (drama or comedy), and do lots of supporting roles in big movies. I just had a speaking role in a movie with David Carradine where I acted with him in a scene and that was amazing. I want more of that kind of thing. More of working with name actors on multimillion dollar sets. But mainly I want acting to be my only source of income. I want to give up my day job.

In your ideal situation how would acting be involved in your career? (ex. Headlining a show on Broadway, the lead in an independent film that gets lots of attention at Sundance, a teacher, dance instructor, etc.)
My ideal is to be a full time working actor; my job. I would like to teach also, and I have directed once which was fun. Might like to do more of that someday, but for now acting is everything for me.

If you aspire to act professionally do you have a backup plan to protect you if an acting career does not pan out?
I have the perfect job for an aspiring actor. I am a self-employed computer programmer. I make my own hours, and only work part time while working on my acting career.

What formal training or education have you gone through for acting? Where has this training taken place?
I have taken many workshops and classes in the Boston area. Meisner training was my favorite class.

What type of techniques do you use in character development and acting? This can be a pre-established technique (Stanislavski System, Method, Practical Aesthetics, etc.) or particular methods that you use to aid in your performance that may be original or simply taking bits and pieces from a variety of different acting theories.
My acting style is a somewhat Meisner like. But manly it is all about being fully in the moment and completely investing in the story. If you are pulled into the story by the dialog and the other actor then everything else falls into place. I don’t do a lot of analysis because I believe anything that comes out spontaneously via your instincts and intuition will be much better than anything you could have “thought” up ahead of time. I read the script a bunch of times and just try to get a feeling for its tone and hope that my subconscious picks things that will come out spontaneously.

What has been the most rewarding acting experience for you? What made that experience so rewarding? Admittedly, “rewarding” is a relative term. Can you also explain what rewarding means to you in regards/response to acting?
I think working with David Carradine was probably the most rewarding. I was very nervous that working with a name actor would rattle me. Then when I was able to perform and enjoy myself during the scene I felt like I had walked through fire and came out of the experience a stronger person.

What was your relationship with the director like during that particular acting experience? What role do you feel the director had with that performance?
I never really talked much with the director on that day. He just gave a few notes like “Don’t lean to the left, you may go off frame”, and minor technical things like that. At the end he said I did great and that was that. I used to get nervous when directors did not say much , thinking it was a bad sign. But now I have learned that if directors like what you are doing they don’t need to say much. Then at the end they let you know you did good.

Think of an ideal relationship with a director - either one you have already had or wish to have. What is it like? Do you find that it is close to the norm or more of a rarity?
I love a director who directs you without micromanaging your performance. A director who allows you to experiment and try things and who will set guidelines but not try to force you into an exact line reading. Good directors know that an actor needs to get wrapped up in the scene to be any good. I think the good directors know that forcing an actor down an incredibly narrow path will create a performance that won’t be real. These directors want the actor to live in the moment and not be caught up in their heads trying to remember detailed instructions. I find this type of director pretty common thank god and I am glad for it.

If you could ask your director one thing/for one thing what would it be?
Give me guidelines and parameters and make sure we both understand the story in the same way and then let me do my stuff while you suggest adjustments as needed. Don’t overburden me with minute details, let the scene be as organic as possible.

In an ideal situation what is your creative role on a shoot? Specifically, do you want a director who tells you how to stand, when to move, how to say your lines? or would you prefer one who perhaps provides vaguer direction, allowing more room for individual creativity? or somewhere in between?
I think I already covered this above.

Anything else noteworthy regarding your acting life that you wish to share?
I think that life works best when you have a direction or purpose. So my advice is find a passion and run with it. If you think you don’t have a passion then create one. You will know soon enough if it is right or not, if not drop it and try again. Eventually you will find a passion that brings purpose and joy into your life because you will know that every day is a step on the journey you have set for yourself. That is my philosophy on everything.

‘Tis all for now!