We were lucky to catch up with Philip John Bedwell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Philip John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I think I’ve become a full-time creative at the perfect time. I was in a successful corporate job but my creativity was non-existent. I listened to my heart and knew my true calling lay beyond this secure but monotonous lifestyle.
I believe that everything happens when it’s supposed to, but you have to be open to the curiosities and coincidences that the universe brings you. I find when I look back on my journey I can see the obstacles and blessings that were placed in my path at the right time. I had to have these experiences to gain the knowledge and courage to become an actor and a creative. I feel the influence of the universe is feminine, playful and humorous.
I am also eternally grateful to my friends because they have supported and inspired me. I think it’s so important to have a team around you that you can give help to and ask for help from.
Timing and having patience are everything, knowing that the past is valuable but gone, the future will always be just out of reach and all we need to do is take care of the now.
Philip John, 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?
My journey to being an Actor, Performance Artist and Podcaster is a varied one! I started by studying drama in school, I can still remember being in one stage production at the age of twelve, and how the audience fell silent in a dramatic moment and I was completely immersed in it.
Secondary school is where I became fascinated by martial arts and professional wrestling. Cut to a twenty-year-plus career in pro wrestling, where I got to experience the exhilaration of physical performance. However, as I felt my career in that industry winding down I have been able to use the skills I’ve learned in a Live Performance Art career, in which I’ve been able to exhibit works throughout the U.K. and Europe including the prestigious SPILL Festival.
I’m fascinated by people and the human experience, so I’ve also been able to create two podcasts “Slouching Towards Masculinity” and “Cinema, Life and Everything.” The podcasts go far beyond gender and cinema, however. I truly just want to converse and find what makes people passionate about what they do, what gives them agency. They have taught me the value of listening and understanding.
I’ve been able to use all this knowledge to leap into full-time acting, I was a successful Personal Trainer and Gym Manager, but I felt I was no longer able to access my creative self. It was a risk, but I now feel more complete than ever, I’ve been able to tell stories, inhabit characters and collaborate with like minds.
Change can be scary, but self-questioning is vital, to understand that you are aligned with your true calling and have others around you that can champion you too. Re-invention and restarting can also be exhilarating!
I feel truly free to explore this wonderful life, and I aim to show as many others as possible that this freedom is possible for them too.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In my creative journey, I’ve had to endure the deaths of both my parents, a divorce and a separation from my long-term partner. However, the hardest part of all was losing four children.
There are moments in life which floor you. Where you are left reeling and bereft. The pain and grief are so great that you cannot even begin to start again. But one day you just do. I can’t say that it gets easier but I have managed to frame it in a way that my life that’s manageable. I still want to share my life with a partner and have a family of children who are here. But I also feel so blessed to have met such wonderful women on my journey. And to be able to experience the joy of a birth and seeing life begin on an ultrasound. I am already a father. I won’t ever forget that.
These little intrepid explorers chose to live without a second’s hesitation and even though their time here was short, they changed my world. I keep the love I feel close to me and strive to honour of my children’s memories.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal has always been to give and connect. I think getting greater success and fame can help you spread your message to more people. I believe we should be able to recognise, learn from and celebrate our differences, unique histories and struggles.
I love the fact through my acting I can show the connections we all share, the framework of humanity which we are all bound to. I ultimately believe in the good of all people, we are all one. We shouldn’t be afraid to be curious and ask questions of each other. To be able to make mistakes, show vulnerability and be open.
Rather than treading on one another, we can all lift each other. We can offer an open hand rather than a fist. And we can listen rather than drown each other out. The greatest state to be in is to give willingly to each other, the world and the universe and to not expect anything in return. Just to be is enough.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @philipbedwell
- Twitter: @philip_bedwell
- Youtube: @cinemalifeeverything
- Other: Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/3212-0165-5591 Vimeo Acting Page: https://vimeo.com/philipbedwell Agency: https://www.qmanagement.co/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0vAHSXjUkcmfu70lqVsndC?si=ff5b48127d764883 Acting YouTube: https://youtube.com/@philipbedwell8509?si=2fVgEipGOoZwG2cU
Image Credits
Sandrine Vaco Rosie @ YellowBelly Grae Davidson Megan Teo Maximum Perou Giovanni Messi Messina Paddy Cartwright Mick Child