
Kevin Costner silenced the entire room including the director, in a scene we were in together; and yes that really happened. Do you want a cool conversation starter like this?
Well, my friend, today is your lucky day.
From time to time I get asked the question about how I got into acting. Want to take a wild guess at how I did it? never mind, I'll just tell you, I spoke it into existence!
Acting is such a glamorous job that a lot of people like the idea of it and most people dream about it, but just don't know where to start. is that you? Ok, so I'm going to tell you something that you already know. You have to speak it into existence. I know what your thinking" I talk to my friends all the time about acting, I think I've been doing enough speaking." au contraire my friend, I'm not referring just to conversations, you need to have a serious pow-wow with yourself and imagine you living this life. Once you have done that, you have officially planted the seed into your head that you truly want to be an actor.
Now the second step is to do some research. You now have the Internet steadfast at your fingertips; which is how you came across this blog right? So use it to your advantage: read about your favorite actor and his or her journey into stardom, agencies, managers, classes, the list goes on. By taking action in this investigation phase you have taken that seed that you initially planted into your head, and you have now sent it out into the universe. Now all you have to do is be patient and keep grinding, doing your research and networking until It boomerangs back and shows you doors that you will soon open.
Keep in mind, there is no one way to break into show business anymore, but the one thing that will never change is the need to hit the pavement and network! I remember living in Japan and trying to figure out what my next step was after my enlistment in the United States Marine Corps was complete. Check out my Instagram to see me in uniform (@aswanharris).
Out of nowhere, I had a strong urge to act even though I had never even been in a school play or talent show. I was in San Diego transitioning out of the service when I started using my connections in an attempt to move to Los Angeles and pursue acting. Well, long story extremely short; I talked myself out of pursuing acting and never made the move to LA, instead I went home to the sunny state of Cleveland, Ohio. well, three months out of the year at least. There is where I actually began my acting career. Through networking I heard about a play that I auditioned for "Out of Order" I landed a part, got bit by the acting bug and never looked back since.
I can recall working as an extra on Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise, and during lunch, I and a stand-in were talking about wanting to get into stunt work. In less than a year what do you think happened? I was doing my first movie as a stunt double. Are you starting to see the trend here? Although I talked myself out of acting when I was in California, It didn't change that energy from being blasted out like a rocket into the Universe. My feelings were so strong about acting that it actually found me when I wasn't looking for it.
A ton of actions goes into being a working actor and I'm afraid this is just the tip of the iceberg. Still have questions? I would love to hear from you, leave a comment below, and stay connected with me on social media: IG: @aswanharris Twitter: @aswanharris_ Snapchat: @mroptimistikk