We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Pierce a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
I think it’s always easy to point out what a parent may not have done “right” when raising a child, especially when you’re talking about your own life experiences. But for me, one thing that was instilled from a very young age, and something I’ve spoken about throughout my life, is a strong work ethic. That responsibility became a strong foundation for everything I’ve done since, it is one of the reasons I find myself and have found myself constantly working even when not required to.
In acting, that work ethic shows up in my daily grind. The audition process, self-taping, classes, rejection, the constant need to create and always stay ready. That is the part of me that keeps showing up even when I KNOW the odds are completely against me, and it would be very easy to say “why?” when the 100th booking doesn’t come through or when there is no feedback at all or when you don’t agree with it or it is just vague. In my professional life outside of acting, it’s what’s helped me lead teams and meet deadlines and stay accountable when things get tough, and trust when I say I work in a chaotic environment. I did not grow up in an environment that had advantages but I did know that hard work mattered, and that if you wanted something, you didn’t wait for it to happen. So, THAT is what my parents did right.
Michael, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve been part of the entertainment industry for quite a while; long enough to have seen it evolve in ways I never could have imagined when I started.
My journey began with a simple love of storytelling. As a kid, I didn’t come from much, but I was fascinated by how movies and television could transport me somewhere else, how they could make me feel something. That fascination never left me. I remember seeing “2001: A space Odyssey” as a six year old at a drive in theater and once I realize that this was a movie and make believe, I could not stop thinking about it.
From Magic and Puppetry, I eventually found my way into acting, first through theater and later through television and film. I’ve been fortunate to play a range of characters, but based on my bald look, I’m generally cast in roles that are a little nefarious; characters that live in the gray areas of life. Whether it’s the conflicted priest in “Confessions”, a hustler, or a loan shark in “A Lions Game” just trying to survive; I love exploring what makes people tick and what redemption looks like for them.
Beyond acting, I have evolved into writing original content for myself and others, short form series, short films, personal performance pieces, and even documentary work. Much of this drawn from my own life: growing up in a lower middle-class household, learning resilience the hard way, and finding my own sense of identity. I like create stories that come from real places or experiences, even when the tone is comedic and absurd. I want someone to potentially see themselves somewhere inside the story.
I think what might set me apart is a combination of that authenticity and my work ethic. I approach each project with the same demeanor I bring to my professional life outside the entertainment industry. I spent many years managing teams and operations and finances for many companies during the day by day. So that discipline has taught me how to build systems.
At this time in my life I’m proud of the fact that I’m still doing this, and still hustling, success isn’t just about fame or money; it’s about the joy you receive while you are doing what you love to do
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that hard work alone will guarantee success. As I mentioned previously, growing up, I was taught that if you showed up, and gave your all, pretty much everything would fall into place. And to be honest that work ethic has served me well in many ways, however what I realized is that in life and especially in the entertainment industry effort isn’t always the deciding factor. What also comes into play is timing, opportunity, who you might know and yes, even luck.
Listen, I used to take rejection personally. It stung. But the truth is, sometimes the “no” has nothing to do with your talent. Maybe you’re just too tall or too short, you’re too fat, too familiar, and not familiar enough. Or maybe, it’s just not your time yet. There is that too. I always like to say that there is math in the casting of actors. And what I mean by that is this equation. Even if casting likes you and is pushing you and you did a great audition but you don’t have enough costar credits the producers may go with the next person who does have more costar credits, even though casting maybe wasn’t pushing that person and they may not have been choice number one. I let go of the idea that success was something I could control so long ago, and I just ignore the repeated questions of, “why didn’t you book that?” I don’t even bother to answer that question any longer, because I simply don’t know.
That unlearning opened the door for something better; calm. One great thing that I was told, or read that I think most work or auditioning actors know is that once you are done with an audition and have submitted it, let it go. It is done. Don’t stress about it, if it goes further, great. But letting it go gives you peace. You have just had the opportunity to act. And that in itself is a fun experience. The right opportunity will come along, when the timing is right. But you just have to keep working at it as if the next job is yours, even if it isn’t.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Looking back, I wish I had understood the power of community much earlier in my creative life. I mean I did understand it but I didn’t allow it in my life the way I do now. Especially when I was young and eighteen and alone in Hollywood. Acting can feel like a solo sport. Sometimes it feels like it is you against the world. And what I mean by that is this. This is my personal analogy. When I was in high school and both my parents drank, I dealt with and lived in a crazy at home life. I truly thought I was the ONLY one that had that life. I thought I was the only one that had a dysfunctional family home life. (Thank goodness I had my Grandmother and Great Aunt and Great Uncle who took me out of that environment on most of the weekends). But it wasn’t until I got out of High School I realized that EVERYONE I knew had dysfunctional families. No one spoke about it in High School, everyone hid it. I wish it wasn’t that way; life maybe would have been so much easier to deal with or at least understand. It felt like it was me against the world at times.
And it’s the same way starting out in the acting community, going from audition to audition, trying to figure everything out by yourself. Especially when you are young and new and sign with a new agency, they don’t teach what you need to know unless you ask. And you don’t know what you don’t know, so you don’t know what to ask, until after the fact. I didn’t realize until much later that having a solid circle, acting classes, coaching, or even just a few trusted creative friends can make all the difference.
I also wish I had known more about online casting platforms and self tape setups early on. I had to figure all that out on my own. During COVID, learning how to build a proper self-tape space, use good lighting, and handle editing software became just as important as the craft itself. And unfortunately there was a time when it wasn’t standard; Each casting director seemed to have their own set of rules, backdrop, slating information they wanted. It took a while for it to have standardization.
On a deeper level, I wish I had known that mental health affects everyone. I don’t think we talk enough to young actors about how much rejection and uncertainty can affect your mental health and it is a true thing that happens. I remember being eighteen years old and alone and living in a studio in Hollywood and losing my first acting job and being broke and literally hungry and really being depressed and stressed and really not knowing what to do next and not having someone to talk to or a mentor. Being reprimanded on a landline telephone I couldn’t afford because I wasn’t coming home to visit enough on the weekends. Yet, no one ever asked if I could afford the gas round trip to get home and back to LA. We don’t talk enough about how much depression, rejection, cost and uncertainty can exist with a creative career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaeljosephpierce.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelpiercesd/
- Other: IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3019537/
Image Credits
Chris Jon
The Bove Company
William Bay