We recently connected with Zach Attwood and have shared our conversation below.
Zach, 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 honestly try not to think about that too much. I do think I would be further in my career had I started earlier and gotten plugged in with the right teachers and people. I really didn’t start thinking about acting until my junior year of high school. I had always done school plays since I was a kid, but I never considered it a career path until then. If I hadn’t become so fascinated with acting I would probably be in the military. I think if I started earlier, I would’ve missed out on some of life’s experiences that allow me to understand what a character is going through. I’m satisfied about where I began this journey and ultimately don’t think I’d change it. I’m excited to see what the rest of this year has to offer in continuing to grow as an actor and advancing my career. Watch out!
Zach, 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?
I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. I’ve always had a passion for film and acting. Watching movies and actors like Jim Carrey inspired me to want to act. Watching him play and go places emotionally was so fascinating and I wanted to do that too! In high school, I bought my first video camera and started making nature videos and creating day in the life videos. I enjoyed learning about lighting and how to film and stabilize a shot. That summer I always had a camera in my hand. I eventually joined the audio video production class at my high school and started to make videos for school there as well. I began acting in my classmates videos and my teacher suggested I try out acting in the school plays. I later joined the theater program at my school and the theater teacher there encouraged me to pursue acting outside of school as well. I joined a few Facebook groups and started to apply to films and tv shows. Most of my acting experience outside of high school started as being an extra on tv shows. I loved going on a set and watching the leads act and trying to learn from them and watch how a real production works. Eventually, I booked my first role in a short film called “Mortal Coil” and was flown out to Burbank, California for filming. This role resulted in me booking several more short films and from there, I was able to sign with an agent and begin auditioning for major films and tv shows. After acting in several films and even writing my own film “Morning Travis” I eventually booked my first pilot currently under development, being produced by Captive Atoms, an Austin-based production company. I have several more projects on the way this year that I’m looking forward to sharing.
To the fans and people that follow me, keep chasing your dreams. Although this industry is not easy, I encourage you to keep at it, you never know what may be just around the corner for you.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Seeing someones story come to life. Especially, when it is based off of a real person. I’ve always enjoyed talking with the writer and what they were envisioning for each scene and how it actually turned out. It’s satisfying seeing it go from script to screen. I love seeing how the films we make affect people after watching them and seeing people laugh at the funny parts, cry at the sad parts, etc.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
For most actors, there may be a time when you just seem to stop booking work. For me, that was the reality just a year after starting to take acting seriously. I realized that I did not have a strong method or strategy to approaching characters and the story behind them. I needed to find a technique that I could easily understand and work for me. After watching many videos and reading books on acting techniques the Meisner Technique was by far my favorite. I liked the idea of taking the focus off myself and directing my attention to the other actors in the scene. I enrolled in a Meisner Technique class taught at In the Moment Acting Studios, by Laurel Vouvray. After taking many classes and learning how the Meisner Technique is done I began to transfer this over into the auditions I would do. Soon after utilizing this I began to book more projects and I became a lot more confident in my acting abilities. I still use this technique today for many of the films I do and audition for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.me/zachattwood
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachattwood/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zacharysattwood
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEeBcAGsbC82-NCGorGkB7w
Image Credits
Kimberlee Watson, Arthur Marroquin
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