We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Percy Bell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Percy below.

Hi Percy, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes, and no. The life of an actor is inherently unpredictable. Many of us rely on other work to support our dreams until we can sustain ourselves or our families solely through our creative endeavors. Filming schedules can be sporadic – a few days here and there, or, if you’re fortunate, continuous work for weeks or months. The future, even the near future, can often seem uncertain. I consider myself fortunate to have a career that provides financial stability while I nurture my acting career. I see it as a marathon. This safety net minimizes stress and allows me to take greater risks in my acting choices. It also empowers me to decline projects that don’t resonate with me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m from a very small town in northern Louisiana called Epps. According to the last census, the population was around 300 people. Growing up, we had one stoplight and one store. It’s a rural, blue-collar place where hard work is the norm. You learn to make a lot out of very little. Opportunities are limited, and the path for most is pretty straightforward—go to school, get a job, and work that job until retirement.
I was fortunate to be deeply involved in sports, which gave me the chance to travel often. On those trips, I was exposed to different people, places, and ways of life. That exposure was a major catalyst for my drive to pursue something beyond my hometown. I always felt like my purpose was bigger than the village of Epp, and in order to fulfill it, I knew I had to leave.
At a young age, I remember watching movies and saying to myself, “I’m going to be in a movie one day.” I didn’t know how or if it was even possible. Over time, as life progressed, that goal got embedded in my subconscious. We didn’t have any programs or resources to explore the arts—no school plays, no drama classes, nothing. Still, in my own way, I stayed connected to it. I would mimic people just to get a laugh out of my classmates. It was never mean-spirited—in fact, the person I was imitating usually laughed just as hard as anyone else.
After high school and college, I was preparing to move to Tennessee for grad school. During the seven-hour drive there, I decided: once I got settled, I would find an acting class and finally pursue that dream. A few months after I arrived, I joined a local acting studio. Not long after that, I attended a casting director workshop hosted by Regina Moore. She saw something in me—my passion, my potential—and introduced me to the agent I’m still signed with today.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of acting is the opportunity to step into worlds far beyond my own imagination and to navigate the lives of people shaped by complex, often extraordinary circumstances. It’s always a thrill when I read a character breakdown or project synopsis and find myself asking, “What would I do in this situation?” Every role is a chance to see the world through a completely different lens. And when you fully commit, when you allow yourself to be vulnerable and surrender to the experience, it almost always becomes a powerful, scenic and fulfilling ride.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Rejection is constant, whether it’s direct or indirect. I audition frequently, but the number of responses I actually receive from casting directors is only a small fraction of that. Continuing to nurture this craft, to chase this dream even when it feels more fleeting than you ever imagine, that, in itself, is a form of resilience. Every day I wake up with the mindset that no matter how I feel, or what happened yesterday, I’m going to run a lap—figuratively—because this is, without a doubt, a marathon.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Percy_Bell

Image Credits

Kevin Wurm

Carl Larrieu