We recently connected with William Suarez and have shared our conversation below.
Hi William, thanks for joining us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best investment I ever made with regard to my acting career was investing in a coach who specializes in the business side of acting.
Since very early on in my career, my focus was on perfecting my craft. I took acting classes, did background work in movies to get familiar with a film set, I got an agent, and more recently began reading books on auditioning for film and TV. All of those were worthwhile investments both in time and money.
However, my ultimate goal of becoming a working actor was always out of reach. It seemed that the only acting work I could get was in student films and small projects. A glimpse of hope came when I landed a supporting role in a feature film called The House That Jack Built. I had done background work in major movies like Spider-Man 3, but this was my first time working directly with the director and hearing all the terminology that is used in filmmaking. I thought that after that breakthrough, the doors were wide open for me to succeed. I was wrong. I went back to booking only small projects.
Not being one to stand still, I started doing research. I purchased books on the business of acting. One book, Secrets of Screen Acting, helped me learn and understand the terminology which was such a mystery to me. That led to other books and then I went to YouTube, where I got scattered bits of information about the other side of acting. It was in YouTube that I found the person who would eventually become my coach. Her name is Wendy Alane Write, and her YouTube videos inspired me to consider investing her coaching program.
It was a difficult decision because my day job provided just enough money to cover the bills and basic living expenses. I had to get creative, so I started cutting down of things that I did not need, such as lattes at the coffee shop, meals at restaurants, and streaming subscriptions, I saved up for a few months and soon had enough to sign up for the coaching program. From the first class, I received more valuable information than I had acquired in decades of just winging it on my own. At first I kicked myself for not doing this sooner, but I soon realized that this type of coaching was not available to the average actor back when I started. The thing that helped me and many other actors discover the value of this type of learning was the arrival of the pandemic, which caused many of us to spend more time on our computers and less time on the streets going to auditions.
Since finding my coach, I’ve had a chance to meet major players in the film and TV industry, I have learned how to present myself as a professional actor, and I am even learning how to do my own PR work which is how you found me for this interview.
I hope that my story helps up and coming actors who feel that they’re stuck in limbo realize that they haven’t failed, they are just in the dark for a while. But there is a way out, it just requires a commitment to explore tools and ideas not taught in school.
In general, it is better to fail than to quit, but once you know what you want your life to be with such certainty that you feel it’s your destiny, it is almost impossible to fail. I wish you great success.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born in the Dominican Republic to a relatively poor family. When I was 4 years old, he took us to see a movie by the famous Mexican comedian Cantinflas. During the a quiet moment in the movie, there was a scene in which a sheep was running through a house. Believing it was dog, I yelled out a phrase that is very common in DR and which includes a curse word. The phrase was, for those who can read Spanish, “A perro Coño”. The whole movie theater exploded in laughter, including my very austere father. That was my first experience getting a reaction from an audience.
The following weekend, My father took us to a restaurant for dinner. Back in those days, you could take your entire family for dinner in DR for the equivalent of 5 US dollars today. Once our table had been cleared, a song that was played in the movie started playing on the loudspeaker. I decided to do what Cantinflas did in the film. I got up on the table and started tap dancing. Once again, I had an audience. This time, they responded with a combination of laughter and applause. I was filled with a joy I had never experienced. I knew right then, at 4 years old, that I loved to perform.
A few years go by, and I am now in school. In second grade, my class got invited by one of my favorite Kid’s TV shows to attend the recording of one of the episodes. My classmates and I were taken to the TV studio and brought to the set. I was surprised to see that the small boat full of kids that I saw on TV every week, was not actually on water. I learned about blue screens, and cameras, and boom mics. The magic of the show was dispelled as I was now one of the kids on the boat and the whole traveling across the seas was fake. But rather than disappointed, I was absolutely fascinated. After that brief experience, I never saw movies or TV shows the same way. Now, when I watched all of my favorite shows, I speculated about how they did this or how they shot that. I annoyed my friends when they came over, telling them how I knew that Herman Munster didn’t really have a flat head or bolts on his neck.
It would be decades before I had a chance to perform to an audience again. I came to the United States with a resident visa in the mid 80s and worked as a Deli clerk, a dishwasher, a bus boy, a waiter, and a printing machine operator.
At around age 20, I started my own small sign-making business. That’s when I decided to try to get into acting. I had no idea where to start and started looking for classes. In the local newspaper, I saw an ad for a casting agency in my area. I lived in Long Island at the time. The ad promised to get me work as an actor. I made an appointment and met with the “agent”. He told me that I had a great look and would do well in commercials, but I needed to get professional photos for my portfolio. I told him I would find a photographer, but he said I had to use theirs. You know where this is going. Needless to say, the whole thing was a scam. I paid hundreds for photos that never got me any acting work. After two months I went back to the fake agency to complain, but they had already moved. That was my first life lesson in the error of trying to take shortcuts.
Soon after that minor setback, I signed up to an acting class and learned about legitimate agencies and how to find acting work. I studied the Stanislavski method and learned about Speech, diction, and voice projection. I got my first acting job at the school, performing in a play where I played a drag queen. I continued getting acting work on and off for years, but never anything meaningful. I got my first movie role playing a doctor in a student film. That gave me a bit of hope, but once again, my career hit a plateau, and years passed with no meaningful acting work.
In the mid 2000s, I signed up with an agent who sent me out on film and commercial auditions. I was not able to book any roles, but it was good for me to be auditioning on a regular basis.
One day, I asked myself: Why am I not booking? In those days, all auditions were in person, which meant that I could not see myself and find out what I was doing wrong. I knew it had to be my acting. so I made a decision to study my favorite actors to see what they were doing that I wasn’t.
I watched movies staring Denzel Washington, Shawn Penn, and others trying to find patterns. I noticed that the one thing they all had in common was that they all did something with their hands while saying their lines. Denzel would often pick up a bottle of water or a cup of coffee and take a drink before or between his lines. Brad Pitt would often eat something between lines. That made their performance look natural, like real life. I was trained in the theater where that hands were used mostly for exaggerated dramatical gestures. Film is different as I observed. The framing made it impossible for those grand hand gestures to be seen. Everything had to fit in the frame and still look believable. I decided to try their approach on my next audition.
The opportunity came when I was called to audition for the role of a crackhead in an urban drama film. I chose to go all in as if I was given the role and was already on set. I came dressed in my old work clothes and shoes, no makeup, and unshaven. I did not even brush my teeth that morning. I came in for the audition and while saying my lines, I remembered that I was playing a crackhead. Having seen real ones before, I made the choice to grab the edge of my shirt and squeeze it repeatedly while saying my lines. The fact that I was really nervous added even more realism to my audition. The result, I got the role. This was my first time booking a role in a full feature film.
From that moment forward, I made it my mission to learn more about acting for film. I read books by Michael Cain, Peter Skagen and many others. The two most helpful books I read were “Sanford Meisner on Acting”, which taught me how to bring characters to life, and “Secrets of Screen Acting” by Patrick Tucker, which taught me about framing, camera angles, and terminology in film so that I can better follow directions both at the audition and on set. I am still learning and growing but I am booking a lot more now that I’ve embarked on this journey of self-education.
Acting is a difficult job, but if being an actor is what you truly want, remember that it is better to fail than to quit, for failure is temporary and based on many factors, some of which are beyond your control, but quitting is permanent. and based entirely on the choice you make. Also, ignore the competition. People close to you will tell you that there are hundreds if not thousands of actors who look just like you. Take it from a bald guy with an accent. There is no one in the world exactly like you. Not even your twin. I was cast in a short film opposite another actor who looks a lot like me in general terms, but we each had a distinct role which worked great for the film, If acting is in your blood, then nothing can stop you from achieving success but yourself. Enjoy the journey.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I wish more people understood that actors, singers and performing artists in general are regular people with regular feelings. We may have a very public job and appear very confident, but that is just a facade. Most of us are shy, insecure and vulnerable to criticism and hate. We suffer years of constant rejection on our journey to become successful artists. We have good days and bad days just like you. Good projects and bad projects. We fail and try again. We endure all this because we love to entertain you, the ones who buy tickets to the movies or to the concerts or watch our TV shows. We work hard to make you all happy because we love the audience.
You can bring out the best in us when you support us not only when we are at our peak, but also when we fall short. This applies to everyone with whom you interact in life, if you can’t find something good to say about them, it is best to not say anything at all.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I am extremely grateful for were we are today technologically. I have ADHD, and can truly say that before the invention of tools like Casio digital watches in the 20th century, and Google calendar in the 21st, I would not be able to manage my life and career the way I do.
With regard to my acting career, the things that were most helpful to me were the books I read, or rather listened to such as Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner, Secrets of Screen Acting by Patrick Tucker, The Audition Bible by Holly Powell and An Actor Prepares by Constantine Stanislavski. Most recently,
The resource I am currently making the greatest impact in my career is the coaching program with Wendy Alane Write. By teaching actors about the business side of the industry, this woman is tearing down the walls of secrecy that for decades kept up and coming actors from getting to the next level of their careers. She’s a real blessing to us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.williamdejesussuarez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/william_de_jesus_suarez/
Image Credits
Some photos curtesy of Luvinwhatido Productions, TV Writers Studios, and Novah Productions