Navigating stage and screen as an intuitive empath with special guest David Chevers
This week we are honouring previous special guest the magnificently inspirational David Chevers.
David is a true force of nature. An actor, a singer/song writer, a musician and a performer. He is also hilarious and hugely kind hearted.
He tells us his story of how he was destined for stage and screen and the joy of finding musical theatre.
David also describes his experience in the business and offers some very sound advice for any intuitive empaths with a burning passion for sharing their creative gifts, who are keeping them hidden and also incredibly helpful tips for highly sensitive people currently entering into a life of stage and screen.
His mantra, “I can, I will,” serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience needed to thrive in an often cutthroat industry. Through laughter and honest reflection, we explore how embracing one’s fears can lead to unexpected opportunities and growth in the world of performing arts.
David is currently a regular on TV screens in the South African soap opera as Junior in Kelders Van Geheime.
You can find out more about the show here https://m.imdb.com/title/tt32264511/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
With so much love and gratitude.
Aline xx
Transcript
Hello, gorgeous.
Speaker A:And a warm welcome to accepting.
Speaker A:In this episode, we are honoring previous guests who took their time and energy to really kindly share with us their wisdom.
Speaker A:And it was a couple of years ago when I first started the podcast and their episodes were not shared properly to the world on the platforms.
Speaker A:So I've been really feeling it's time to share them properly.
Speaker A:So for cancer season, all the way through July and then into my birthday month, which is August, I'm going to be sharing the beautiful episodes I have with wonderful guests that came on and shared their gorgeous wisdom.
Speaker A:So get yourself comfy, get a cozy drink and let's dive in.
Speaker A:Hello and a warm welcome to the Align with Eileen Podcast Series two.
Speaker A:This series we're talking all about the art of healing.
Speaker A:And I'm delighted to introduce you today to the wonderful David Chavez.
Speaker A:David is a musician, a songwriter, an artist in every way.
Speaker A:He's an actor on stage and screen, a performer, an emcee and a presenter.
Speaker A:There isn't anything he doesn't do.
Speaker A:And he's come on today to share with us his story of how he realized his passion for the performing arts and to inspire us.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for being here, my lovely.
Speaker B:Hey, Eileen, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker B:It's such a pleasure.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:Good day.
Speaker B:Good day.
Speaker A:So if you can please tell us a little bit about when did you first realize your real passion for performing arts?
Speaker A:What's your story, please?
Speaker B:Well, wow.
Speaker B:I mean, I think I was always drawn to perform, but sort of quite surprisingly, once one of my earliest memories is like auditioning for a school play in my primary school.
Speaker B:And I don't know what, I don't know what came over me, I don't know what urged or pushed me, but there was an audition notice placed in the school ground and it was an audition in the library after hours.
Speaker B:I remember one day and I don't know what I prepared, but I did something.
Speaker B:I did some sort of a monologue or something and, and I'll never forget the faces of my two teachers in that moment.
Speaker B:Like they both turned and looked at each other and looked at me with a face that sort of told me like, this is, this is something I'm good at.
Speaker B:Like, this is like, wow, I'd never, I'd never garnered a response like that before in any capacity.
Speaker B:And maybe for a little attention deficit kid, that was a big moment, you know, that was like a, like a boom.
Speaker B:Like, I'm good at this, this works, this is interesting.
Speaker B:This is something I'd like to sizzle in and, and discover, you know, amazing.
Speaker B:And I got the role and they put me in this school play.
Speaker B:It's like as, as, as like the leading character in this school play that was like quite.
Speaker B:It was, it was called the Circus Adventure.
Speaker B:And it was about this guy who had to overcome his fears to get himself into a circus, to become the circus.
Speaker B:Sort of like strong man.
Speaker B:And he was this really sort of like scrawny little kid with no confidence.
Speaker B:And his father would teach him this phrase to say.
Speaker B:He would say nikilowy.
Speaker B:Nikilae is the magic word, which is I can, I will spelled backwards.
Speaker B:And I've never forgotten that.
Speaker B:And that's something I still used to this day.
Speaker B:Nikilowee.
Speaker B:I can, I will, I can, I will.
Speaker A:Nakil Magic.
Speaker A:Did your teachers write that?
Speaker A:Did they write the story?
Speaker B:No, it was a published play.
Speaker B:It was an actual play that was published that they directed.
Speaker A:Wow, that's so beautiful.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So you were.
Speaker A:So you started off in the right place at the right time.
Speaker A:You just saw the audition, notice it felt right, and the rest is history.
Speaker B:Well, I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't think.
Speaker B:I mean, I think I'm still sort of like waiting for that moment to drop.
Speaker B:But I mean, it definitely served me in terms of like a life path that I've sort of been journeying on for, for a long time now.
Speaker B:And it was definitely the first sort of maybe culminating moments or like sort of, I don't know exactly.
Speaker B:That sort of fired me off in a sort of very micro focused direction for a lot of my.
Speaker A:Yeah, so.
Speaker A:So after you were in the school play and you know, obviously you said about your teachers just kind of wow moment.
Speaker A:Seeing how incredible you were, how was it actually doing the performance, the first performance, how did that feel?
Speaker B:I have like vague recollections, like little glimpses of moments.
Speaker B:I remember once I was supposed to come on and this one part of the play and I'm disguised as the strongman in the circus show and how they disguised me was just putting a fake mustache on me.
Speaker B:And I remember coming out onto the stage and I'd forgotten to put my moustache on.
Speaker B:Like Bad Actor 101, forget your prop backstage and did not put the mustache on.
Speaker B:And I remember the first time my co actor improvised with me, the first time I discovered improv, which was literally this moment of him looking at me and going, instead of saying, oh, your mustache is so recognizable, he just said, that nose is so recognizable.
Speaker A:And that was your intro to Improv.
Speaker A:Brilliant.
Speaker B:And I remember that moment of electricity, that moment of magic, that moment of what I now identify as my addiction, which is transcendence.
Speaker B:I remember that moment very clearly in terms of that state of play that you were just invited into.
Speaker B:That sort of like jumping off a cliff feeling of, I either commit to this or this falls or this completely.
Speaker B:We stumble or, or we just grab the gift and go with it and, and keep going and.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So like, yeah, my, my first memories of that are very, very exciting in terms of like, like a great first introduction to improv, which has served me greatly in my sort of exploration of what that means.
Speaker A:So after you were in the play, what happened next?
Speaker A:Did you, did you study?
Speaker A:Did you join drama groups?
Speaker A:What happened next?
Speaker B:Yeah, like I. I was with the drama group in my primary school all throughout primary school.
Speaker B:And then I was advised to attend a performing arts high school where I specialized in drama for five years as like a normal school subject.
Speaker B:It filled out as two of my main school subjects.
Speaker B:I had English and Afrikaans and geography and biology and I mean, I don't know what they call them now.
Speaker B:Showing my age, like, we had old school subjects and likewise.
Speaker B:Yeah, and that.
Speaker B:And that just sort of spurred me to like, sort of focus on that for my high school career.
Speaker B:I couldn't really afford to study post high school, so I just did like a bridging program in music.
Speaker B:I did music and piano in like sort of the UNISA grade standards that I needed to sort of acquire.
Speaker B:And I did first your dance, strangely enough, because I thought, I don't know, like, I fell in love with musical theater towards the end of high school and I think that became a big focus for me.
Speaker B:And I thought if I could just up my ante in terms of my dance skills, my movement skills, I could serve me better for a sort of a future that I saw for myself in musical theater, which did then happen.
Speaker B:So, like, I did.
Speaker B:I did musical theater for about 10 years throughout South Africa.
Speaker B:Traveling, touring, musicals, you name it.
Speaker B:Everything from Sound of Music to the Rocky Horror Show.
Speaker B:Chess, the musical I did a revival of that was very special.
Speaker B:I did a beautiful big musical called the Boys in the Photograph that Ben Elton actually helped and came through.
Speaker B:I did a rehearsal with Ben Elton.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Very cool.
Speaker B: his opening of the musical in: Speaker A:Oh, we did that.
Speaker A:Brilliant.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:And because I'm going to Take you back to the feeling of that, if that's all right.
Speaker A:Yeah, so.
Speaker A:So when you, you found your love for musical theater, did that all happen really seamlessly going to the auditions?
Speaker A:And how did that all happen, if you don't mind sharing with us?
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, I think I was very inspired by.
Speaker B:I mean, just essentially starting from doing Joseph and his amazing technical dream code.
Speaker B:Like they cast me as the narrator in, in high school and it was like my final year and like such a juicy, crunchy bit.
Speaker B:Like, what excited me about the genre is that I could, I could feel it in every tip of my finger.
Speaker B:Like it was combining dance and song and acting and it was just like, wow.
Speaker B:I never knew that this sort of genre existed where I could sort of, you know, dabble in so many things that I found delicious experience so much.
Speaker A:At the same time.
Speaker A:Incredible.
Speaker B:Yeah, like, for me, it got to a point where I couldn't afford to study.
Speaker B:I was, you know, broke as fuck and.
Speaker B:And I just started.
Speaker B:I auditioned, I auditioned for my first musical, which was the Rocky Horror show for an incredible South African director named Ian Von Memeti, who's like a South African legend in his own right.
Speaker B:And it's such a gift that he was my first time, my first experience.
Speaker B:Not like that, just my first director.
Speaker B:And although, let's start some rumors, absolutely.
Speaker A:Secret, save for me and everybody on YouTube.
Speaker B:And I remember the audition process with him and I just remember it being quite a sort of life changing experience in terms of I had no idea where I was about to go, where I was about to do.
Speaker B:I was also coming off having recovered from some of the first panic attacks I'd ever gone through and went through quite a big sort of like fearful trip just before this audition process.
Speaker A:And how many of you, don't mind me asking, please.
Speaker B:I was like 21, I'd imagine around 20, 21.
Speaker B:I'd been hospitalized for about two weeks and like sort of licked up to an EKG machine to check my, my brain waves and all that.
Speaker B:They thought I had temporal lobe epilepsy at a stage which they then eventually just wrote off to panic disorder.
Speaker B:And that was the time that I auditioned for this show and, and got it.
Speaker B:And I remember it like sort of just being such an affirmation and at the same time life changing because it sort of took me from zero, like just sort of auditioning to now being part of a national tour where I got to see my entire country play a principal character in a show seven nights a week, seven shows A week.
Speaker B:And I continued like this for two years.
Speaker B:And then sort of, that led me to book, sort of go from show to show and strength from show to show.
Speaker B:Did I answer your question?
Speaker A:Yeah, completely.
Speaker A:Because one of my other questions, and I'm so glad you brought up about how important it is looking after yourself as well and well being when you're in any kind of performing arts.
Speaker A:Excuse my voice, by the way, everybody.
Speaker A:One of my questions was going to be about was there ever a situation where you, you felt not good enough and you weren't going to proceed.
Speaker A:But it's almost like those panic attacks came in but you push through them.
Speaker A:This is one of the things, or excuse me, I said my Darth Vader.
Speaker A:And this is one of the things that I really want to help people with and share with, you know, so because people look up to you, you know, they aspire to be you and seeing that you're human, that you're an empath, I feel it's going to help so many people and such a sensitive soul.
Speaker B:Like my sensitivity.
Speaker B:It's been the longest walk of understanding that my sensitivity is a great power for me in the rehearsal and a great powerful, mean and an exploration of a character.
Speaker B:But for a long time, I mean, I wished I was stronger.
Speaker B:I wished I was built differently in terms of being able to navigate an industry that is quite superficial at times, quite cutthroat at times and doesn't.
Speaker B:And it's really sort of full of empaths who are maybe misunderstood and also trying to one up each other.
Speaker B:I think this panic disorder that started for me and walking this path specifically with the Rocky Horror Show, I used to have such a meditative process before walking out onto that stage.
Speaker B:It would start with a half an hour warm up process which included like a good 5, 10 meditation before walking out onto stage.
Speaker A:Amazing.
Speaker B:Because of the amount of fear that I was sort of carrying constantly.
Speaker B:So if I hadn't, I hadn't had that half an hour, I would walk out onto the stage with great fear every night.
Speaker B:I sort of feel like it's been a process of managing my fear and walking with my fear.
Speaker B:Because it's not something you ever get rid of, right?
Speaker B:Like, yeah, fear is always there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I have got, I have however gotten so much better at walking and loving my fear, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's gorgeous.
Speaker A:Because one of the things that I've been delving into is instead of it being our inner critic is being our inner protector.
Speaker A:And all those thoughts and fears are purely just to Protect us.
Speaker A:And when we say Darth Vader, when.
Speaker B:We say Darth Vader's sexy wife.
Speaker A:When we say to ourselves, our mind, our body or soul, I've got this, I'm doing this.
Speaker A:And embrace it.
Speaker A:I mean, look what you've achieved.
Speaker A:It's incredible and massive, Massively inspiring.
Speaker A:Thank.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I think, like, things, things come to you and I think I'm always scared in the beginning.
Speaker B:I think fear is always like a beginning factor to any process.
Speaker B:And it's amazing what you can do even if you're lied to and if, if you're lying to yourself fully.
Speaker B:I think one of the scariest things I've ever had to do was, and I only found this out later, but my, my agency and all the agents of mine had lied to a production company here in Spain.
Speaker B:And one within the first three years of living in Spain, they had put me up for a telenovela to shoot seven episodes in like 19th century sort of Spanish, very classic Spanish with a French accent laid on top of it.
Speaker B:I later found out that my agency had told them I'm a French native.
Speaker B:And here I was for like a month and a bit, preparing before the shoot date just like, as if this was something that has been handed to me with all the mantras of like, this is not bigger than me, it's come my way.
Speaker B:Like, I'm sure I'll be able to do this and literally just learn the lines and dialogue like a parrot.
Speaker B:I mean, and we're talking about a stage where I could hardly speak Spanish of, Of a level good enough to be able to just be able to understand the subtext or what the character is doing between the lines.
Speaker B:Like I had to Google translate everything.
Speaker B:So you.
Speaker A:They'd lied then, did they, did they eventually tell you?
Speaker B:No, I found this out after, after I wrapped on shoot, after I did the seven episodes because I couldn't bring myself to have this conversation before because I was so scared of what it would do to my self confidence in the process.
Speaker B:I thought, rather, let me just stay in this place believing that this is mine and it's working out.
Speaker B:I remember after I shot the first episode, I was like, oh, like the greatest sigh of relief and like, I can do this, Davey.
Speaker B:You got this.
Speaker B:You know, that's how I speak to myself.
Speaker B:I say, go, Davey, go.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:Yeah, but they told me after it and, and I, I mean, I was flabbergasted.
Speaker B:Like, ended a relationship with my agency out of the.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Like, you can't do that to an actor.
Speaker B:And like, thank God I didn't know, but if I did know.
Speaker B:But it also just tells you once again that Nakila, we.
Speaker B:I can.
Speaker B:I will.
Speaker B:Like, the power of the mind is huge and the power of how you speak to yourself and fearful moments is everything.
Speaker A:You know, I just feel you were set up with Nikki, Louis.
Speaker A:I mean, that is the most beautiful mantra to hear as a child.
Speaker B:It's such a beautiful reminder.
Speaker B:Thank you for reminding me of that.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Because I think that is.
Speaker B:That is incredibly powerful that out of my first memory and something that I've chosen to do for the rest of my life.
Speaker B:Life and have been doing for over 25 years now.
Speaker B:It all starts with a really beautiful mantra and I still apply to this day.
Speaker A:It's so beautiful.
Speaker A:One of my questions was on along your journey, have you been surrounded by many supportive people, agents?
Speaker B:I've had some dodgy agents.
Speaker B:Incredibly.
Speaker B:Like, I remember my dad's.
Speaker B:My dad's always been like my number one fan and my mom's always been incredibly supportive.
Speaker B:My family's always honored that I've.
Speaker B:I love to do this and have been part of as much as they can be.
Speaker B:I'm always so excited to share with my family anything that's happened.
Speaker B:Now especially I'm.
Speaker B:I'm an uncle of seven nieces and nephews.
Speaker B:So now, like, I'm really, really excited to do work that they can watch and enjoy.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, like, sort of that becomes more of a goal than anything is that my nieces or nephews could see this.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, like, a lot of the stuff is not really content that they can see yet, but they'll get to an age where they could.
Speaker B:But yeah, a support I definitely feel.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's also a perspective thing because I spent many years feeling like I didn't have support in my family in a perspective that I sort of feel like I've received healing in.
Speaker B:I've done a lot of therapy in terms of my relations towards my family and myself.
Speaker A:Wonderful.
Speaker B:So in terms of that, supported.
Speaker B:Yes, but mainly by the support that I bring myself to through psychological support, through daily meditative supports, through a constant checking in of self.
Speaker B:I'm very grateful that what I do for a living is an exploration of the internal and encouragement to do so.
Speaker B:And I find the more I've delved in, the more I delve in and continue to delve in and the more I continue to love Davey and know.
Speaker B:Know who I am, the more everything else sort of slots into place and works out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Doesn't it, that.
Speaker B:Yes, it does.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And so you knew from a really, really young age.
Speaker A:This is what I'm going to ask you as well, because you mentioned about the one upmanship.
Speaker A:So when you were doing the Tools for the Rocky Horror show, for the sound music, were you with a supportive cast?
Speaker B:Very much so.
Speaker B:Like, I think one of my favorite Stanislavski quotes is he's the father of method acting.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Stanislavski.
Speaker B:It's a quote that states, there is no accident that brings us together in art.
Speaker B:And I really feel like I have seen that proved over and over and over again.
Speaker B:There is no accident in the friends and connections that productions I've been included in have brought me.
Speaker B:Specifically with that show.
Speaker B:My first professional experience, I was ushered in by some incredibly talented South African performers who were very generous and very kind.
Speaker B:There's a toxicity that I became very aware of.
Speaker B:Straight in the beginning, I think, regarding my sexuality.
Speaker B:And a consciousness about, I think, coming out of a toxic era of that where I was very aware that my homosexuality was something that needed to be hidden or, okay, honed in.
Speaker B:I needed to butchered up.
Speaker B:Like, I was always very concerned that when you walk into an audition room, you butchered up.
Speaker B:You're over masculine rather than under masculine.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Which is something that I've dealt with over the years.
Speaker B:And I feel like I've gone through maybe a decade in South African theater that was like, a little toxic st. And that sort of, you know, we hadn't had the revelations of.
Speaker B:I think what's happened in the past five, you know, 10 years in terms of that sort of psychology and that shared information has changed a lot of things in terms of how people treat each other in the workplace.
Speaker B:I'm seeing a lot of that changing, you know, and a lot of, like, sort of.
Speaker B:I don't know, maybe like my bane in the beginning was like, my.
Speaker B:My biggest fear was, like, toxic male attitudes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Being intimidated by a lot of men who are maybe bigger than you, tougher than you, or, like, in a.
Speaker B:Maybe sort of on a higher pedestal than you.
Speaker B:I was very aware of that.
Speaker B:And I think I have come across a lot of that in my time.
Speaker B:But generally, creatively, I've always felt really, really supported and really beautifully ushered into this.
Speaker B:Even in terms of directors and the people who are at the helm of it all, whose responsibility I really feel it is to navigate a ship and make sure that all the crewmates on the ship are contributing and feeling great and loving what they do.
Speaker A:That's so beautiful.
Speaker A:And I really.
Speaker A:Well, I know you're hugely inspiring anyway, and I kind of feel for you.
Speaker A:There may be a little book in the making, my lovely.
Speaker A:So you can help actors who, who in a similar situation, maybe dealing with the homosexuality as well.
Speaker A:You can help them on that side of things.
Speaker A:But also, I mean, it's definitely.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's an interesting.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm sure a lot of men my age share a similar feeling and story about sort of coming up in an industry that's now sort of evolving very rapidly.
Speaker B:And with that, toxicity is no longer included.
Speaker B:And I sort of feel like I came from a time where that was acceptable.
Speaker B:I accepted the toxicity because I thought this was how it's going to be and this is how you have to sort of pay your way through.
Speaker B:It's a navigate.
Speaker B:Because of.
Speaker A:You had to take it.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I mean, it's incredible what's happening now, the diversity, the acceptance.
Speaker A:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker A:In terms of, in terms of sensitivity, because there's so many people I particularly like to help, empaths.
Speaker A:That's why I'm here, because I am an empath myself, as are you, my lovely.
Speaker B:Namaste.
Speaker A:Namaste.
Speaker A:So when people say you have to have a really thick skin for this industry or, you know, you, you, you couldn't possibly be in a room or in a.
Speaker A:In a shoot with too many people with all this going on because you feel everything, what would you, what would you say to people who are in that kind of area of fear because they're scared, they're going to pick up on too much and they're not going to be able to.
Speaker A:To perform because they're absorbing everything else that's going on around them.
Speaker A:What would you, what would you say to them?
Speaker A:Please?
Speaker B:Yeah, that's something.
Speaker B:Great question.
Speaker B:That's something I navigate a lot.
Speaker B:I think I've gotten better at certain things.
Speaker B:I've gotten better at surrendering.
Speaker B:I've gotten better at letting things go to a member.
Speaker B:And I think that's the hardest thing to, to sort of feel and sort of step into, you know, make part of your skin.
Speaker B:I don't think so much having a thick skin is important, but being able to let things go is everything.
Speaker B:Being able to just surrender things.
Speaker B:I personally, for myself, adopt more of a spiritual path on this planet.
Speaker B:I feel like what works for me is to surrender it to God in terms of what I believe, in terms of whatever you want to call it, the, you know, zephyr in the sky.
Speaker B:I feel like, yeah, I'm much Happier, living faithfully in trust of whatever is coming my way is something that is meant for me.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:That what.
Speaker B:What will come to me comes to me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What doesn't come my way is not for me.
Speaker B:Like we were speaking about earlier, I love the idea now of thinking about not booking a job, rather as protection in a way, too, of, like, maybe that wasn't for me.
Speaker B:That, like, as much as I might have felt like I could have nailed that part, killed it, maybe there was something in it that was protecting me from something I'm not ready to wake up to or.
Speaker B:Or haven't woken up to yet or.
Speaker B:And just was a trust in the stillness of maybe nothing happening where you would have booked something that.
Speaker B:That what you need is on the way already here.
Speaker B:And also, like, one of my favorite mantras is, like, I have everything I need.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like, I already have everything.
Speaker B:But in terms of that sensitivity in the room with a lot of people, that's hard.
Speaker B:That's something that you just have to keep navigating as an empath.
Speaker B:I'm always going to be bowled over by how the people are feeling in a room and aware of that and also aware of the fact that I'm being paid and employed to produce an emotional path here, too, for this character, or not to manufacture, but rather live and sort of breathe in this space, too, where I'm contributing these energies to.
Speaker B:To a room.
Speaker B:It's hard.
Speaker B:It's hard.
Speaker B:Sometimes you deal with.
Speaker B:You deal with narcissists.
Speaker B:There's so many narcissists in this business and everywhere.
Speaker B:There are so many people who don't listen.
Speaker B:Where I feel like the most important thing you need to do as an actor is listen.
Speaker B:Like, if we're missing that, then it can become very complicated.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I think it's a process that I've gotten better and better at.
Speaker B:I'm still tough at it.
Speaker B:It's still hard.
Speaker B:I still.
Speaker B:I try and live my life.
Speaker B:No expectations, no judgments, and no fear of tomorrow.
Speaker B:That's sort of like a mantra that I sort of hold for my daily self.
Speaker B:And especially when it comes to casting, especially when it's like, oh, when you add cash figures to it, and this job is worth 10,000 grand, and this job is worth, you know, Netflix series premiere or, you know, like, the weight that you attach to whatever you're doing.
Speaker B:I try not to.
Speaker B:It's hard not to, but it's.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's just a process of surrendering.
Speaker B:I allow myself a day.
Speaker B:I Allow myself a day with things.
Speaker B:If I'm affected by something, if I'm affected in a rehearsal room, can bitch about it.
Speaker B:I can feel it.
Speaker B:I can moan about it for a day.
Speaker B:I'm not allowed to wake up the next day and keep that process going, like just for myself in terms of my sanity.
Speaker B:I let myself feel it, I let myself sit in it.
Speaker B:But it's something I don't have any power over.
Speaker B:I can't change, I can't alter something.
Speaker B:I have to accept and surrender, let.
Speaker A:Go because it's so important rather than pushing down what's going on because it will just explode and know in a situation where we might not particularly want it to explode in.
Speaker A:So I love.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Sit in those feelings.
Speaker A:That's wonderful.
Speaker A:Love that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And like trying not to get to a space of reactivity.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Within a rehearsal or even on a set.
Speaker B:Because as soon as you're being reactive, you're not open to create you.
Speaker B:You're not open to.
Speaker B:To be a vessel or to receive or to really listen to what you're being asked to do or.
Speaker B:Or what the other actors really saying to you.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I think, yeah, like about like sort of getting.
Speaker B:Getting.
Speaker B:Getting rid of things that could potentially hinder what you're there to do.
Speaker B:And just like it gets easier and it's not.
Speaker B:They're good days and they're bad days.
Speaker B:There are days where I feel like I'm doing all the work not to be reactive in a moment or I'm doing all the work not to just like absorb what the director's feeling me other than beyond what he's actually trying to tell me to do, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Trial and error.
Speaker B:Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Speaker A:That is amazing though.
Speaker A:And I love the.
Speaker A:The beautiful honesty and then talking about the protection as well, because one of the topics.
Speaker A:Topics is.
Speaker A:Is huge really is about rejection, isn't it?
Speaker A:And I like the way that it's.
Speaker A:You reframe it.
Speaker A:So I've heard someone say before that, you know, when you're auditioning, yes, you're auditioning for a part, but you're.
Speaker A:You're also auditioning the other side to see if they're right for you.
Speaker A:That's the right fit, you know, so.
Speaker B:And more and more than not, you can.
Speaker B:The casting process denotes for me oftentimes what the production company is like and the sentiment you get through that process of what this production is going to be like.
Speaker B:I just had an experience shooting on a series where like I was briefed with Six pages to prepare in two days and got the part.
Speaker B:But that was, that denoted exactly what the production was like.
Speaker B:I was getting pages a day before shoot, six page, like, you know, five page scenes, like a day before shoot.
Speaker B:And like they had cast me because I'm a quick turnaround actor.
Speaker B:I'm able to process a lot of information quickly and do it, thank God, because of the skills I've developed in myself.
Speaker B:But that's what they needed, that's what they were looking for.
Speaker B:So there wasn't going to ever be more of a luxurious time to sort of sit in it and find my feet.
Speaker B:They needed someone who was able to do that quickly.
Speaker B:And that sort of denoted the whole.
Speaker A:Process, you know, and, and it goes back to what you were saying before about, you know, when you were first in the business and there wasn't this acceptance that there is now of diversity, of different sex, you know, of sexuality.
Speaker A:And, you know, you were in a situation where you were accepting treatment.
Speaker A:So now, you know, by, by seeing that you can, you know, what you will and what you won't accept.
Speaker A:And they're, they're bloody lucky to have you, actually.
Speaker A:Bloody lucky.
Speaker B:Oh, I have that feeling sometimes, my darling.
Speaker B:I do, I do, I do.
Speaker B:But also, I mean, every experience, for every experience is a gift.
Speaker B:And when I keep reminding myself and keep trying to sort of be aware of is that there's a gift in everything.
Speaker B:Improv taught me that.
Speaker B:Improv told me that there is a gift in every thing, in every moment and in life.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, I think improv taught me so many life lessons, these great spiritual life lessons of yes ending everything, of not saying no to things like, like what if you said yes to things?
Speaker B:What is the potential of.
Speaker B:What does that add to?
Speaker B:What does that become?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, one of my teachers a few months ago basically said to us all, just say yes now.
Speaker A:Yes to everything.
Speaker A:So, okay, yeah, what you got to.
Speaker B:Lose, you know, and like.
Speaker A:Which is.
Speaker B:Yeah, because I think we're more likely, we're more likely to say no.
Speaker B:And a knee jerk response generally is to go no.
Speaker A:Well, this is what I'll ask you.
Speaker A:Was there any situation where you were just like, I really can't do that.
Speaker A:This is too big for me.
Speaker A:I'm going to say no.
Speaker A:But you said yes and it turned out better than you could have imagined?
Speaker B:Well, that one going back to that telenovela in Spanish that I shot a couple of years ago, that one was definitely a moment of like, I do not know if this is even in me I.
Speaker B:There was not literally.
Speaker B:There was no Spanish in me, so, like, I really had no clue that I could do that.
Speaker B:Sorry, sorry, what you say is that.
Speaker A:One of the clips on your casting role?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think there's one little clip of me coming in and saying a line in Spanish to a lady and.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, there's a tiny little clip in my book.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:No, it's.
Speaker A:It's incredible.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm going to put all David's information in the, in the links below anyway, so you can find him.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's very gorgeous.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But that, I mean, you would have no idea that that had all been going on before.
Speaker A:That was just.
Speaker A:Yeah, brilliant.
Speaker B:Sorry, I'm.
Speaker B:I have geriatric moments and I'm coming in closer to listen.
Speaker A:It's all right.
Speaker B:What was your question?
Speaker A:It wasn't.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:It was just praise.
Speaker A:It was just a compliment, love.
Speaker B:Oh, thank you.
Speaker B:Please tell me the compliment again.
Speaker B:I'd love to hear it.
Speaker A:You would have no idea.
Speaker A:I can't hear you now, sorry.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Can you tell me the compliments again?
Speaker B:I didn't hear it.
Speaker A:Of course.
Speaker A:I will show you.
Speaker A:It was just to say that watching that clip.
Speaker B:Are you laughing at my geriatrics?
Speaker A:I was saying is you would have absolutely no idea that that had happened from.
Speaker A:All that happened before from watching the clip now.
Speaker B:Thanks, darling.
Speaker B:I think I got it.
Speaker B:I think I got it.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's the thing.
Speaker B:It's like you'd never know, like, how much fear and anticipation is involved in the lead up to this and to any job, really.
Speaker B:Like, I mean, now, like, when I watch things in terms of production and shows that I love to watch, like, I'm always pulled away by, like, the level of production and the level of so many things attached to a scene that you're watching or a series that you're watching.
Speaker B:And it never, it's never lost on me, the amount of work and the preparation that goes into everything that I feel like as, as a nation now, like as a, as a global, as a.
Speaker B:As a planet, we're digesting so incredibly quickly.
Speaker B:Like, we become super sort of like.
Speaker B:What's the word?
Speaker B:Like, sort of greedy about what we consume.
Speaker B:We consume an insane amount of information and I don't even know if it really lands with a lot of people.
Speaker B:Like, the preparation, what goes into it.
Speaker B:I mean, like, movies take a long time to happen.
Speaker B:Like, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm now.
Speaker B:I've now got a movie coming out this year that's playing out at the short film circuit that I started, that the director started making six years ago.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:And I shot four years ago and now it's coming out, you know, for 19 minutes.
Speaker B:It's a 19 minute short film, you know, and like, that's that amount of work.
Speaker A:Six years of work.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Will I be able to put a link about that as well so people can find more information or.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure.
Speaker B:Okay, sure.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I will do that.
Speaker A:Everybody.
Speaker B:Hello, everyone.
Speaker A:Hello, everybody.
Speaker A:So, I mean, this, this I got.
Speaker A:I've got first of all one question and then I've got another couple of advice questions.
Speaker A:But this kind of goes without saying.
Speaker A:I mean, how important is it for you to have fun when you're creating?
Speaker A:I mean, that's just up there, isn't it?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That's everything.
Speaker B:I think what I love to do, I love to play.
Speaker B:That is part of my core.
Speaker B:I love to play.
Speaker B:I think if I'm not playing, I don't feel like I'm contributing or I'm creating.
Speaker B:I have to be in a state of play to feel like I'm actually doing something worthwhile with the character or with the scene and generally.
Speaker B:And that's because of a couple of things.
Speaker B:And I'm only able to play if I walk well with my fear, if I'm speaking nicely to myself, if I prepared.
Speaker B:Like, preparation for me is huge.
Speaker B:Like, I have to be well prepared, especially when it comes to dialogue.
Speaker B:Dialogue needs to be secondary for me.
Speaker B:And I work very hard at studying lines.
Speaker B:It's a big part of what I do.
Speaker B:But that needs to be able to, like, I need to be able to throw that away when it comes to standby.
Speaker B:Like, it needs to be able to be something that's sort of part of my skin that I can trust, that I trust myself to jump off that cliff in that moment and play.
Speaker B:I think that's your courage.
Speaker B:For me, that is for me, being a really courageous actor and showing up is to show up and play, not just show up and say the lines.
Speaker B:Anyone can do that.
Speaker B:Anyone can do that.
Speaker B:You show up and you play, I think is real courage, is real bravery.
Speaker A:That's gorgeous, but is talking about bravery and courage.
Speaker A:So some people who've been in situations where they've either never been to an audition or they've had a really bad audition and never gone back again, what would you.
Speaker A:What would you.
Speaker A:What would your wise words of wisdom please be for anybody in that situation, Any empaths in that situation who went into the audition were really happy.
Speaker A:And then all of a sudden, there's all this noise going on around them and it kind of went a bit wrong.
Speaker B:Well, my first advice would be in their opinion.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker B:It's normally in our own opinion.
Speaker B:It's always our own opinion.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It's like it doesn't matter what anyone else says to you unless they say you booked the job.
Speaker B:Then we'll tell ourselves, oh, I was good enough guessing.
Speaker B:Maybe I think for myself.
Speaker B:I'm speaking for myself.
Speaker A:That makes sense because it's, you know, seeking, isn't it?
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:It's really about your perspective.
Speaker B:I think your perspective is power in this industry.
Speaker B:If your intentions are true, be honest in your intentions, know what they are.
Speaker B:But then also know that a casting director wants you to be the one.
Speaker B:You walk through that door and a casting director.
Speaker B:I've worked in the casting industry also for years.
Speaker B:That's a day job.
Speaker B:I studio direct for companies and I cast commercials.
Speaker B:And here's what I'll say about that.
Speaker B:As an actor, stop thinking about commercial, the commercial realm as being part of what you do.
Speaker B:I do not consider myself an actor.
Speaker B:When I walk into a commercial set, I'm not generating a performance.
Speaker B:I'm a model, potentially.
Speaker B:I'm cast because of the way I look.
Speaker B:And I'm being directed throughout my performance by a director telling me to lift a cup higher, smile a little smaller.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker B:Like, look happier, look less angry.
Speaker B:So for me, that I can surrender a lot of sort of like ill feelings about the commercial industry, because I understand that it literally is just about a look.
Speaker B:Write it off as it's about a look.
Speaker B:You're one in a million.
Speaker B:It's not about your talent.
Speaker B:No one is looking at you in a commercial, casting and going, what an incredible actor.
Speaker B:You know, we're going, oh, he's got pretty light eyes and he looks like that guy from Grey's Anatomy.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:You know, or whatever.
Speaker B:That has given me a lot of peace about things.
Speaker B:Knowing that they really want you to do well.
Speaker B:You're walking into an audition room.
Speaker B:We want you to be the person.
Speaker B:We want you to be the constable.
Speaker B:We want you to show up.
Speaker B:People are rooting for you in that situation.
Speaker B:Getting over a bad audition.
Speaker B:Look at.
Speaker B:I'd say, like, look at what your thoughts were and what you believed about that bad situation.
Speaker B:Because generally that's feeling badly is because we've chosen to believe something.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Like, I've chosen to believe a certain perspective on something.
Speaker B:That's why I'm now feeling bad.
Speaker B:So, so check what your thoughts are.
Speaker B:Keep, keep a healthy.
Speaker B:Keep a healthy head on you in terms of your routine and how you're loving yourself so that when you walk in front of a camera and walk out of that room that you're unchangeable like that.
Speaker B:That, that I, I like to walk out of room and think, I did that.
Speaker B:David, you played.
Speaker B:You played today.
Speaker B:I jumped off a cliff.
Speaker B:That's what I'm supposed to be doing.
Speaker A:You know, and you prepared and you.
Speaker B:And I prepared.
Speaker B:That's all I can do.
Speaker B:That's the only part of it that I can control is to make sure that I'm prepared as buck and, and that I'm unshakable in that, you know.
Speaker B:Um, yeah, but then.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:What's your thoughts, what's your thoughts on what you're telling yourself in these casting rooms and waiting to go into casting rooms and conversations with people and other actors before you go into rooms and after rooms.
Speaker B:And a lot of it is coming from places of great hurt and pain in other people.
Speaker B:To be aware of that.
Speaker B:Be aware that you might sometimes be speaking out of your hurt body, out of your pain body.
Speaker B:You know, that you're also in a situation where, like, it's high stakes for you, you really want the job.
Speaker B:But I surrender rather to that belief I mentioned earlier of, like, if it's meant for me, it'll come.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Watch your thoughts and look at the, the thoughts that were there because, you know, sometimes people can go into a situation and they, they've still got this burning passion, but they're so scared to go back into it again.
Speaker A:And that's really beautiful advice.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Really beautiful.
Speaker B:Yeah, cheers.
Speaker A:Thank you so much, my gorgeous.
Speaker A:And thank you for being with us.
Speaker A:Oh, my darling.
Speaker B:Just here in Barcelona on a bloody beautiful Terrasa.
Speaker B:It's been gorgeous chatting to you.
Speaker B:Thank you, my friend.
Speaker B:I really appreciate.
Speaker A:Thank you, my beautiful, so, so much.
Speaker A:I love you very much.
Speaker B:Love you.
Speaker B:Thank you very much.
Speaker B:And, and hope everyone listening had a good time.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm going to share absolutely a good time.
Speaker A:I mean, you're half naked.
Speaker A:We're going to say so thank you so much to everybody for tuning in.
Speaker A:I'm going to pop all David's information in there in the content information and wishing you, my gorgeous, all the success, all the love and the world needs to see you.
Speaker B:Thank you, my darling.
Speaker B:I wish you the same love and light.
Speaker B:I love you.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:I love you.
Speaker B:Ciao, darling.
Speaker B:Bye.
