We recently connected with Sam Lukowski and have shared our conversation below.
Sam , appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
I don’t know.
I think a lot of us artists and creative-types tend to stay inside our own heads for too long. I think we think about things too much. We tend to put too much meaning onto symbolism that doesn’t really matter. And what’s worse, we seem to worry about things we just cannot control.
My job as an Actor is not really all that important in the grand scheme of things. Entertainment is a luxury product for Audiences who can afford to buy entertainment – and right now with inflation the way it is – the pool of Audience Members out there has gotten smaller. At least for right now.
I think it’s important for us Actors to remember that we are paid to tell Stories to a paying Audience. And we tell those Stories by playing the Characters in those Stories. That means we have to accept that we are playing Character Types – not ourselves – not real people. We do not represent Audience Members – we just play Characters. I think this fact is unfortunately getting lost on a lot of us right now.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
This is a bad question to ask an Actor.
But I’m actually glad it was asked.
The more an Audience knows about an Actor – the less likely they are to believe the Actor is the Character.
And that just ruins the Magic Trick for everyone. It’s all an illusion – and it’s all dependent on the power of suggestion.
So, all I can really say is, I started performing on stage when I was 6 years old and I fell in love with it – and I never stopped auditioning. But I also never became rich and famous – I am not a Celebrity – Hell, I’m barely even on Social Media. The boring truth is, when I’m not performing on Set, I’m working several different labor day-jobs to pay my bills. I have no nepotism or trust-fund to help me or connect me to anyone in the Industry. All I really got is my hustle & grind and my commitment to never give up. Any more information about me or my personal life is just gossip.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Actors don’t get to pick the Characters they play – the Casting Directors do.
And like it or not, what gets you in the door for a Audition is your Type.
So, I say, figure out your Type. Learn to accept your Type. And start Marketing your Type to Casting Directors on Audition Breakdown Sites like Backstage, or Actors Access or Casting Networks.
If the word Type scares you – try calling it ‘your brand’ – it means the same thing.
In 4th-Wall Storytelling, you don’t get to pick your Type – but you can learn to make it work for you.
Remember, unless you’re a Celebrity – a Type-Cast Actor is an Employed Actor.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The true threat out there for everyone – not just artists – is A.I. Technology.
A.I. is a great tool – but it’s going to be used to eliminate jobs and destroy entire careers – not just art – and all in the name of corporate greed. The tool will be used as a weapon to maximize profits by eliminating workers.
Art and artists are just the first to go – we’re like the canaries in the coal mine.
If you’re using A.I. technology right now – you’re helping corporations erase a job with automation – plain and simple. And eventually, someone else out there using A.I. will erase your job too.
Some people hear that and say, “Oh, well – I give up,” but not me.
I don’t give up. No matter how bad the odds are.
So, I say – support Indie-Productions. Show Hollywood that Stories made by people, with people, and for people have a paying Audience. If Audiences buy Indie – then Indie becomes competition to the current C.G.I. / A. I. Blockbusters. And if Indie becomes competition – Studios in Hollywood will see them as worth investing in again. It worked back in the 70’s and 90’s and it can work again now. And speaking of right now, Indie Horror Movies, (both in Foreign and Domestic Markets), are really leading the charge in this fight. A lot of critics believe that the Indie Horror Genre is a niche Market – but it’s not – it’s actually the most translatable. A joke is dependent on Audiences understanding a specific language to be funny – but you don’t have to speak the language to understand a scream – it’s universally relatable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4033051/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samlukowski/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukowskiSam/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamLukowski
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjpoDgV-0Sc
Image Credits
TLP Photo, and Robert Israel