Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Indah O’Reilly. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Indah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
Yes, I am happy as an actress. I love the idea of pretending to be someone else temporarily. I feel that each character I play inspires me on who to be in real life. I’m young and not everyone in their 20s know who they truly are so playing different characters allows me to feel what its like to have different personality traits and observe what type of person I’d like to be. Of course sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a regular job with a fixed income. I think about how it might be easier and stress free to start a 9 to 5 job knowing I am guaranteed work, knowing I am guaranteed a pay check at the end of the week or month but I know deep down its not what I truly want to do in life. Of course there’s nothing wrong with another actor having a 9-5 job, especially when it can help you get by for the moment money wise and to be honest if I had the opportunity to start a part time job that I know would help me I would probably take it but I wont prioritise it over acting. I understand that not every actor can do that. Some really do need the financial stability that I may not need at the moment which leads me to say that I am forever grateful for my family being able to help me in this aspect.
Indah, 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?
Growing up I’ve always loved the fictional world. Whether its reading books or watching movies and tv shows. I realised that every time I would read I would always feel the emotions of the character whose point of view I was reading. I truly felt like I turned into that character temporarily. It was then when I realised I wanted to give acting a go. I started off as a background actress when I was 17. I’ve worked on many different movies and tv shows including Fair City where I used to play the Brewzers waitress every now and then. A lot of people in the film industry tend to look down on background / extra work which to be honest I don’t understand why. Its a great way to earn some money while also learning what its like to be on a film set and the rules of being on a film set. Its also great for networking. I’ve met plenty of different types of people on set. Some would be aspiring actors like myself but I’ve also met people who are involved in different careers. However I will say one thing; don’t get stuck. I’ve learned from experience that its easy to get stuck in your own comfort. While starting off as a background actor is great for many reasons, if its not what you want to do all the time then learn how to let go. I found comfort in extra work and even though I knew I wanted to land bigger roles I kept putting things off and wasn’t auditioning as much as I could have. It wasn’t until 2 years later when I was 19 that I finally learned to let go and move forward. I started a 7 week screen acting class with ‘Stage Screen Classes’ with Conor Armstrong Sanfey as my teacher. During these 7 weeks not only was I provided with acting techniques such as Stanislavski and Meisner and basic necessities such as a showreel and acting CV I also created bonds with classmates that changed my life. I am now self represented for the time being and audition for as many roles as I can.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I feel that some people like to romanticise the idea of being an actor and think that its a perfect and easy job which its not. I’m not saying it’s the hardest job out there. Of course we have it easier than others but its not what everyone thinks it is. Apparently only 2% of actors actually become successful. When most people think of actors they think of the A-list celebrities that work on big production movies like Marvel or Disney who get to go to all these glamours events. Not all actors live like this. In fact the majority of us are financially instable and aren’t able to book enough jobs. We spend a lot of time learning scripts and filming self – tapes for auditions for us to almost always get a “Thank you for your audition but unfortunately – ” back. Which is completely understandable though! Directors and producers are looking for specifics and not landing a role isn’t always due to our acting but possibly due to things we simply cannot change. All we can do is just accept and move forward. What’s meant for us will find us.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an actress is being able to enjoy what I do. As I’ve said before, I love being able to play different characters. Every day on set is a different day. One day were filming casual scenes with not much emotions the next we could be preparing to do scenes that involve stunts. Every day is never the same and that’s what I get excited for, I’m not following a weekly schedule. You’re also never alone. You’re always working as a team whether it be with other cast mates or the film crew. We also have coordinators we can talk to in case we get uncomfortable during specific scenes like a stunt or intimacy coordinator.
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Hazel Preda and Madhav Karla