We recently connected with Declan Clifford and have shared our conversation below.

Declan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I didn’t start acting until 29 and sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I started straight out of school. I always wanted to be an actor but following my dream was terrifying to me and I know so many people feel that way. I didn’t officially start taking acting classes until 29. I had a career as a lawyer for 6 years before I enrolled in my first acting class. But ultimately I feel now that all those twists and turns on my path to becoming an actor made me the person I am today. I lived a lot of life and that fuels your inner artistic world, and you can bring a lot of experience to your characters. So for anyone who wants to pursue a career in the arts and feel that they’ve missed the boat, don’t listen to that voice. It is never too late for you to start. I studied with people in their 40s, 50s and 60s. We need actors at every stage to tell stories about different points in life. Your life experience is what will make you a great actor. Don’t let the fear or regret for not having started sooner stop you from starting.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m an actor and writer originally from the island of Tasmania off the mainland of Australia. In 2024 my husband and I packed up our house and moved to the US to pursue our acting careers.

I was a theatre-kid growing up but high school made me very shy so I quit all performing and hid myself away in the library. Despite still loving acting, my fear and self doubt won out and after school I chose to study law, even though I never feeling a strong passion for it. By 29 with my 20s almost behind me I started thinking more about what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life. My own mortality hit me more so I enrolled back in acting classes and instantly fell in love with the process of acting. I was terrified but I’d never felt more alive than when I was performing. Each new character makes me feel like I’m living many lives in one.

Acting classes led to short films, short films lead to a feature film, then plays and then my first television pilot. Three years on and I’ve been fortunate enough to star in the new dark comedy ‘Hive’ (official selection at Dances With Films New York 2024) and the award-winning plays ‘Holding the Man’ and ‘Torch Song’. I also appeared in the indie feature film ‘Strange Creatures’ and since arriving in Los Angeles have been working on the new popular vertical series.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Watch every video and read every book you can on mindset. I believe your mindset is as crucial to your success as an actor as your talent. Everything from confidence in auditions, dealing with inevitable rejection (for every 1 yes there are 100 nos) and enjoying each day of your life. Some books I love and recommend to every artist: The Artists Way by Julia Cameron, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As an actor and writer I love being involved in stories that make people feel entertained and happy. There’s so much going on in the world right now and I love the thought of people being able to help people escape in a story and set of characters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12722716/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/declanrclifford/