Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Greene.

Hi Austin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At the end of 2023 I was laid off for my day job of 5 years, along with the rest of the staff in my particular department. When I last spoke with Canvas Rebel, I was hyping myself up to jump head first into a full-time entertainment career.

With a wife and four children, this wasn’t an easy or logical decision. But it felt right for me, and I followed my gut. Close to a year later I have yet to go back to a regular day job.

The hypothetical dream has come true, so the real question is, how is it going?

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My access to work has actually been far greater than I had originally imagined, my hope was that if I hustled hard enough I could get one or two big gigs within the year to make some sort of enormous difference in my life, with the smaller gigs in between to keep things afloat.

It’s actually been kind of the opposite of what I originally imagined, I have no shortage of smaller gigs to keep me afloat at the moment, but the bigger gigs are sparse. Which in some ways has been wonderful, although as an actor it’s a little overwhelming. People don’t realize how much work goes into memorizing lines, getting a wardrobe together for each of your individual gigs, maintaining your hair so that it matches to some degree with your headshots. So having so many small gigs, is difficult because I can’t put in quite as much energy and time as I would for a larger project.

There’s a million little things, most of my time is spent checking my email and submitting for projects, there will be nothing for 4 days or more sometimes, and I will experience a lot of anxiety about my next paycheck. All of a sudden, I’ll get completely flooded with three or four gigs within a few days and I have to prepare for each of them individually despite the fact that they’re overlapping. It’s all or nothing, and you have to be ready to jump at any minute.

The real struggle has been self-doubt. I am inarguably at the height of my career thus far, yet I have greater insecurities now than ever before about my craft and what it is that I’m doing. Not because I’ve gotten worse at what I do, in fact I’ve gotten a lot better, but the better you get at something the more you recognize the gap between you and greatness, whatever that means. The struggle of growing is recognizing how much more you have to grow just to catch up to a lot of your peers, it’s no wonder why people don’t wish or try to grow, because it’s painful. It’s no wonder why I was so afraid to jump off the ledge into a career because it would force me to focus on my own insufficiencies in an attempt to improve them, but that’s just what I needed. When I had my twins, I knew I either had to get really good at what I was doing or give up because it’s just all consuming. I’ve had an amazing opportunity this year to look at what I’m doing and try to improve it at every level, and in some ways I have, but this kind of growth is nonlinear and involves a lot of failure before any success. You don’t know how far you’ve gotten in real time, it’s only when you look back that you realize how far you’ve climbed up the mountain, and there’s no going down at this point. I wouldn’t want to anyway.

Another big struggle has been the lack of routine. When you work a 9:00 to 5 job it’s easy to build a routine around that job to keep yourself healthy, my workout can fit neatly around my work schedule, I spend time with my kids through this phase of the day, and I do my own personal work through this phase of the day. Now, my schedule is completely unstable, because I have to be flexible to whatever the world throws at me. This is really exciting at times, and there’s all sorts of interesting things I get to do as a result, but it can be really destabilizing, and it has an effect on my mental and physical health. One of the benefits however, I’m learning how to live more presently, when I’m at home with my kids I’m learning to relax and enjoy it, and when I’m doing my work I’m learning to get right into my work mode. I’m beginning to adapt to my new lifestyle, but it’s taken close to a year to adapt.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a full-time working commercial/film/theatrical actor. These definitions can get a little fuzzy, I’m essentially taking work wherever I can get it, provided that the work is all performance-based. In between commercial work, and short films, I’ve done pirate parties, I was Lumiere the candlestick from “Beauty and the Beast” for a couple of children’s parties, I’ve done background work for big feature films. I do simulation work for hospitals and colleges to help train their staff. I’ve done audience participation gigs where you sit in the audience for talk shows. I’m the lead singer of my band, “The Mimic”. I’ve even taken a few massage jobs since I’m still licensed just to make ends meet, and I just joined with a company that works essentially like an agency to send me massage jobs occasionally, I’ve only done a few this year however, so for the most part my income is entirely entertainment based.

Most recently, I’m probably best known from doing the Herr’s Chip commercial since it’s been playing so consistently in my region, there have also been billboards all over the place which has been pretty cool for people to reach out to let me know they’ve seen me somewhere, apparently the billboards are all over the Philly area, although I haven’t been lucky enough to see one yet. I thought about making a field trip to go see one but I haven’t found the time.

I think what sets me apart from some of my peers is my consistency; I’ve accepted my fate. I’ve been slowly chugging away at this for 10 years at this point. A lot of the people around me have improved at a faster rate than I have, and they’ve gotten approximately where I’ve gotten in half the time. I’m a slow learner, but I would venture to say a thorough learner. I’m definitely a tortoise, I will be doing this until I die and I’m cool with that. Whereas I think many people, if they’re not seeing the success that they imagined by the time they’re 40, I imagine they might change their trajectory, which is totally rational and understandable, but I’m not rational nor am I understandable. I’m simply going to show up again and again, and I’ve committed to that, there is no negotiation about if, it’s only a matter of how and when.

If I got a part in the worst film ever made, and at the end of my days that’s what I was known for, I would happily milk it at every Comic-Con I could go to. I love Mystery Science Theater 3000, and it would be a dream come true if one of my movies was made fun of by those folks. I think some of actors I’ve met simply look at success as getting an Oscar. To me it’s about being part of the lineage of filmmaking as a whole. Good movies, great movies, bad movies. I want to be in them all!

Really at the end of the day, I want something to leave behind for my children. I want them to be able to visit me whenever they want, I want these films to preserve me for them when they need me. I want my children to know that it’s not only okay to fail, but it’s necessary. I know that seems crazy, but I think every human wants to leave their mark. I’m not particularly invested in what that mark is exactly, but I’m going to leave one irregardless.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you’re going to go full time in a world as crazy as entertainment, there’s a few things you can do that will give you an enormous edge. Even in my own community, I am not the smartest, most creative, nor am I the most hardworking actor. I’m not the most talented, nor am I the most skilled.

If there was a key to the relative success that I’ve had, it might be that I try to be kind to everyone. I try to share and be generous, if I see a part that somebody fits in my community I let them know. If there’s somebody who fits a role better than I do I’ll send it to them even if I’ve already auditioned, even if that means that they get it and I don’t.

This is a long distance run not a sprint, your community is a garden that needs to be watered and the stronger everyone is around you the stronger you get. You are an approximation of those around you. If you begin to look at people is your enemies to be beaten, You will create more obstacles than you overcome. You can have a competitive spirit, and simultaneously be happy for those who are winning around you.

If you didn’t get a part, it wasn’t meant for you. If you audition for a part, and you don’t get that part. They might remember you the next time they’re making something, every audition is a success in its own. I’m a great actor in one role, and terrible in another. I’m happy when I get the part, and I’m appreciative when I don’t. I’m not transparent to myself. I can’t know how the world sees me. But when I get the part, I know what they see; when I don’t get the part. I get to know me better.

Don’t pursue fame or you’ll become infamous, remember to love what you do, and you might have some success. Every healthy actor knows themselves extremely well. So get to know yourself, treat yourself as if you’re someone you care about.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theofficialaustingreene.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin_conner_greene/