How many ‘no's do we have to face before we get that life-changing ‘yes’. A LOT! It’s a matter of being able to cope with the rejections, and that is hard to do. See many of us blame ourselves for the opportunities that did not arise when we wanted them to. A good friend of mine said that “opportunities will always be there”. That resonated with me because it allows me to take a load off of my shoulders, recognizing my timing may not be the right timing.
Incorporating faith into your day-to-day life is essential in building good habits that will take effect when you see your life not going as planned.
How much responsibility do we hold as performers to stay true to ourselves so that it can show in our work?
This brings me to our next Introducing segment with a very special person to me. I am so excited to formally introduce our next guest. She is a SAG-AFTRA actor, best known for her role as Vanessa in Chicago Fire, she loves the arts, and is very spiritually in tune. I am very fortunate to have her as my life partner, let's welcome...Samantha Ashley Gonzalez, also known as Samantha Ashley, and better known by most, Sam!
Sam and I had an amazing and pretty formal interview talking about her journey starting as a working actor, and how faith has played a role in her love for her craft, ENJOY!
Arielle: Introduce yourself, and tell us about your journey as an actor!
Sam: I have been acting since the 8th grade. I knew I wanted to do this when I grew up, so I decided to just do it. Throughout high school, I was in a play, and I sought a community theatre, called ArtHouse in Jersey City New Jersey, where I am from. That community theatre is when I started in Musical Theatre. I tried to stay involved so I took on whatever I got exposed to. Then I took an acting class at Montclair state in NJ. Then I pursued my theatre degree when I moved to FL in my second year of college. That is when I even directed a play, which was a wonderful experience. I attended Performers Studio Workshop, which is where I began my official training as an actress. I studied the Eric Morris approach with Kathryn Laughlin, CSA.
A: What was your inspiration that brought you to acting? Why acting?
S: I knew I wanted to act since I was a little girl. My first experience watching a play and seeing people perform, along with the number of movies I saw growing up, all inspired me. Even to this day, for example, the movie 'SOUND OF METAL'. Watching that movie brought me back to that love of why I want to do this. Being brought into the world of a deaf person, which is what it did, exposed me to that life. That movie reminded me, I don't need to have experienced what the character is going through, to be able to relate to it. I can immerse myself in someone else's life, and have empathy for them, all from watching people act. As my journey as an actress evolves, and the more I'm learning about the craft, I'm going on this self-journey as well. I kept finding more reasons to fall in love with acting, and it grew a deeper love and passion within me.
A: Being an actor can be the career of “no” until you get that "yes". Would you say that can be very detrimental to a performer?
If so, what is the role that faith plays when pursuing your goals?
How do you incorporate faith during those unfortunate times?
S: By exploring the craft of acting, I’ve started the journey of self-discovery. Having to go into understanding a character, made me realize I had to understand myself, to do that. And my acting class pushed that idea a lot, how it's important to know the instrument you are working with as an actor.
I realized how little faith I had through my acting. I started to realize my lack of presence, and I guess that's what raised the questions of faith, and what I believe in.
With acting, I realized how important it is to be present, and how I lack that in my life. The more I explored this journey, the more doors opened, and the more faith I began to acquire.
When it comes to letting go in an acting scene, and being that freed actor who works with impulses, and trusts themselves, comes with putting in that work. When I hear the phrase manifestation, it's knowing that comes with doing your part of the process, you have to do your part, and God will do his part. You have to trust your scene partner to do their part... it all connects.
A: Let's talk about the parallel that we are noticing here of acting and self-discovery. So we as actors hear a lot, “90% of the acting work is preparation while the other 10% is letting go and playing on stage”. Same thing with self-discovery, broad example: you gotta put in the self-care work so that you can let go and be present.
S: Exactly, having a goal or dream is one thing, and sometimes we may not fulfill that potential to accomplish those goals. Granted, a lot of people's circumstances are very different. But, we have to apply ourselves to make our dreams come true. You have to position yourself to receive the opportunities that God has for you.
A: Actors portray real life in imaginary circumstances. With that statement in mind, what is the responsibility of an actor to be completely present in their reality to use those skills when portraying a character's reality?
S: It allows you to live in that moment, it can be from a personal choice or imaginative one, but it makes the scene feel real to you. It allows you to be as truthful and honest as possible. Raw.
A: Every character that we play, we are telling their truth. Even if it is a sci-fi story, those are their circumstances. That's their real world, and as an actor, we have to resonate with that, we have to be able to tell THAT truth.
How can we deliver that if we aren't present in our own lives?
S: We can't.
A: What are some of the lessons that you've learned?
S: Listening, I learned that early in my acting class. Imagine a parent trying to beat something in their child's head till they get it, that's me, with listening.
You have to listen and respond in a scene, you have to listen to be present in a scene, this whole interview I had to remind myself to listen when you are asking a question. Being in a relationship, you have to genuinely listen to your partner. You can never do it enough. Being on set as well. Having to listen to the many directions, you have to be attentive and present. With listening comes presence.
A: What's NEXT? Goals, projects, travels, ALL THE ABOVE.
S: I have some ideas for a future podcast, it's still an idea I am toying around with, taking the steps to execute before I announce. I directed a play in college and I hope to do that again. When I'm not acting, I love working with actors. Whether that's directing, putting people on tape, or teaching. I love sharing my knowledge and having open and transparent conversations, like this.
A: Well, Sam, thank you so much for talking with me. I know a lot of people are going to connect with what you had to say. That's our goal, for people to see the connection between their craft and their reality. Parallels.