Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Kato. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chris, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I think by just constantly being inspired by everything around me, movies I watch, music I hear, video games, sports, current events. My biggest issue is having so many ideas that I won’t have time to realize them all, especially at the pace this industry moves. But there’s nothing more inspiring to me than seeing great work. While sometimes I see an idea that I had get used by someone else before I’ve gotten to it and I’m actually relieved that there’s one less idea I have to pursue, more often than not I’ve seen several films that it pains me that I didn’t think of it first because it was just so creative or simple, or I could’ve shot it for next to nothing and it was so fantastic. On the other hand, I also kind of get inspired by poor work, like “if this counts, if this got made, I won’t be the worst person to ever do this,” and that’s somewhat reassuring. But my imagination is always working. If my creativity does ever decline, I’m not sure I’ll know how to handle it.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I started taking acting classes almost 20 years ago now – yikes. I mean, I started pretty young, but it makes me feel old to say that. Although Sanford Meisner said it takes 20 years to make an actor, so maybe I’m right on schedule. The truth is, I’m not where I expected to be at this point in my journey, but they say if you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that things don’t happen on your schedule, almost ever. The important thing is to keep pursuing what makes you happy and brings you joy, and work hard on your craft. You do that, results be damned, things start falling into place. That’s what makes it exciting. You never know when or how it will happen. I’ve written upwards of 30 screenplays at this point, and only three features have gotten made so far – all three have been writer-for-hire gigs, not scripts that I wrote from my own ideas. Each one of those spec scripts I wrote were written with the idea that it would be the next thing I make. That’s literally never been the case up to this point. Then I’ve pursued all these projects as an actor that end up falling apart for any and every reason, but all of a sudden, one falls into my lap because I know the director or producer or whoever and they thought of me because we had worked together before. Or that project I read for a year ago suddenly is back on the slate and it’s time to work. This business would be funny if it wasn’t so stressful. While I wish I were in a different place in my career, I really wouldn’t change anything about it. My career is so specific to me and I’ve gotten to meet and work with some exciting people. By the way, the newest film I wrote, “Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace,” comes out this year, directed by my friend, Ali Zamani, and starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Denise Richards, and Randy Couture, as well as my other good friends, Lee Kholafai and Korrina Rico. I also just finished filming a couple of projects as an actor this year that I’m really excited about, a film by my old friend, Jean Barker, called “Save Me!” and a pilot in the Pacific Northwest called “The Disappearance of Violet Willoughby.” There are other cool projects on the horizon that I can’t wait to announce.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities or skills one can have in pursuing this or any other creative journey are patience, determination, and open-mindedness. For everything I said before, nothing is going to happen on your schedule so you must be patient. This does not mean wait around. That’s where determination comes in. Determination is kind of an all-encompassing word to describe hard work, perseverance, and hustle. And similar to patience, open-mindedness refers to being open to carving your own path instead of trying to follow someone else’s. It also refers to not having a preconceived notion about how your life and career will play out. Be open to the opportunities that come your way and don’t poo poo them because that’s not how it happened for someone else. The same goes for that passion project you have. If you can’t get that $10 million to make it, find a way to make it for $1 million. If you can’t do that, or can’t raise that kind of money, find another project that you can make for whatever is in your means. If you have access to or can raise $50k, make something for that. If you only have $1k or $5k, make something for that. There are always possibilities. But don’t let money keep you from doing what you want to do. The less money you have, the more work it’ll be, but that’s where determination, patience, and open-mindedness come back into play. Unless you’re very, very lucky, no one is gonna give it to you. You’ve got to make it happen yourself. And those are the three qualities you need to have to do that.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents have been the most impactful people in my career, bar none, simply by supporting me. Sometimes people’s family are the sole reason they can never pursue their dreams. Some feel pressured by their parents to pursue a specific profession or to support the family or to keep the family business going. And certainly, the arts are not something parents see as a beacon of consistency for their kids. That’s why young people are always steered away from the arts and told to have a backup plan or to go be a doctor, a lawyer, a business owner. Some parents might find it cool, but still think of it as just a hobby and not a viable career path. My parents always supported me in my dreams. They had no idea if I had any talent, certainly at the beginning, but they believed in me enough to pay for my acting classes, to pay for my college and let me choose film as a degree path, and they never once tried to talk me out of it. And I’m sure they must’ve felt impatient, and perhaps still do, but they still support me because they know I’m serious about it. And at this point, this is what I’ve dedicated my life to, and they’ve seen enough success to know that this is possible. I just hope that I can one day repay them for their blind faith in me.
Contact Info:
- Website: chriskato.com
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- Twitter: https://twitter.com/actorchriskato
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq_hfUmeeoCerChiPR_wqxQ
