We were lucky to catch up with Brennan Cooper recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brennan, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Definitely my parents. My mom and Dad have been an inspiration my whole life and have always pushed the saying “work hard, play hard” on me. They have taught me that things are never easy but they are worth the effort regardless. If you want something you have to work for it. If you want to do something you need to put in the effort to achieve it. My parents have always been kind people, but they have never let anything come without proper work and effort beforehand. We wanted to go out with friends? We had to get the chores done. We wanted to buy the newest gaming console? We had to work to earn the money for it. We wanted $100? We had to get good grades in school.
It’s all about the effort and proving that you truly wanted it. And that has translated into my adult and professional life. Acting is not something that is just given to you. You’ve got to work for it, and a lot of times it’s all for free. I’m not getting paid money to do the indies and student films I’m in right now. But I am getting paid in experience, friends, and networking. Everyone has to start somewhere and getting over that starting hump is not easy but it is necessary to go all the way. So thank you to my parents for teaching me young the disciplining life lesson of “work hard, play hard”.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a film and tv actress! I have been an actress since I was younger doing things like theatre but have recently transferred to film in the last 3 years. I love getting to tell so many stories that so many people have poured their hearts and souls into. Stories that then move on to allow people to feel emotions they wouldn’t normally feel. I love getting to meet new people from all different walks of life. Their stories, their goals, their ambitions. It’s wildly fascinating how we can be such different people all united by one thing. It’s beautiful really.
Recently I’ve got an indie thriller film called Detrimental coming out where I am the lead! I am also a supporting character in some other indie projects that I cannot speak on yet as they are still in post production but they have been very exciting projects with some fun characters.
I am currently waiting for the film world to pick back up again so I can chase some more ambitious dreams, but I am loving getting to work with my friends on some of their passion projects right now!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Learning to not let the world influence you has been one of the biggest skills I have learned. It can be really hard to not be influenced by the newest trends to try and build your social standing especially in a field where, unfortunately, popularity gets you the job. Learning to just be yourself and enjoying what makes you happy is so much more freeing and healthy than anything the world has to say.
Learning how to put yourself in the character is a good way to start with that. Most people think that acting is playing a character and it kind of is but you’re not necessarily “playing” a character so much as you’re “becoming” the character. You become so much of the character that you start to reference yourself in the first person as if you’re in the characters mindset. It builds a different kind of connection and makes the emotions and actions so much more real and raw. While not everything the character has experienced is something you’ve experienced, most people have gone through similar things or know someone who has. Study the character, study their backstory, write it into your heart, your mind, your soul until it becomes second nature. In doing that, again, remember who you are really and learn when to separate yourself. “Yes this character might be a murderer and I must play and understand her as such, but that doesn’t make me a murder.” Understand? Once you learn the distinction it can be pretty easy. It’s also kinda fun and scary to be crying one second because the character went through this very emotional thing to then snapping out of it the second the director calls cut and everything’s fine again.
Finally, listen to others. Never ever think you’re the smartest person in the room. You’re not. You rarely are. Everyone has something to teach others. Listen and learn. Understand what other people in this industry have known and are sharing with you. A lot of what I have learned has been taught to me by others that I have then taken and honed into my own. Find the art in learning something new. Learn to appreciate the opportunities to grow and cultivate. It will only benefit you. You don’t have to take everything they say. Learn what works for you and toss the rest but learn regardless. I know too many people who have allowed their egos to think they are above everyone else and have nothing else to learn and we must bow to them. No. Don’t ever adopt that mindset. It will be your downfall and everyone will recognize it.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I always find questions like this so fascinating. I have never been a fan of the one hit wonder. Jack of all trades are so much more fun and so much more useful! Learning a bunch of things in many areas is so good for enrichments sake. It allows the creative side to keep flowing and the fire to keep burning. Too much of one thing can make you burn out quick. I love acting in films and while that is my main love and strength, there are other things in the film world that I want to try and learn about. I sat and watched a man pull focus on set for a whole day simply because it interested me. I would love to learn how to do that! That being said, don’t degrade yourself if you’re not good at something first try. I, for one, am very bad at this. I am always someone who gets down on myself when things don’t go right the first time and it can be very hard to pull yourself from that mindset. Which is why I mention it now.
Don’t be like me. Take a step back, take a deep breath, take a moment. Reflect on what’s not going right and how you can fix it. If it is something that just doesn’t click for you, don’t be upset that it wasn’t a perfect fit. It’s okay. There are other things. I want to be a good ice skater but I hate the cold so I moved to rollerblading instead. Adjustment or cutting your losses is not failure. Your strengths will blossom in other ways, your talents will shine, and you’ll be forever grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pro.imdb.com/mobile/name/nm15389335/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bren__coop?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
