Benjamin Schnau shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Benjamin, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m proud to have built a reputation for myself that allows me to work on incredible film and tv projects that let me express my acting abilities and led me to phenomenal experiences on and off set being rewarded with awards as ‘Best Actor’ in the US and Europe. Being in high demand as an actor doesn’t come without sacrifices along the way. I believe in discipline and putting in the work when others don’t to differentiate yourself and establish your name as the GO TO actor. Over the last two decades I developed a strong and diverse acting skillset that sets me apart from the majority and puts me up in the ranks of the 1% of actors that constantly work on big studio and blockbuster projects. My diversity as an actor being able to speak multiple languages natively and being a professional trained boxer that worked on projects globally provides me with an extra edge that most people don’t have. The film industry is a unique place where you have to work towards your strengths to improve yourself every single day as you always want to be prepared when the next opportunity comes around. I therefore will continue my path as I started as it made the person that I am today being able to live a career I worked hard for.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Benjamin Schnau is an internationally acclaimed actor, public speaker, host and author of the book ‘The Reality of Hollywood’. He speaks English, German and French natively and is a professionally trained boxer and experienced in stage and weapon combat. He is widely known for my role ‘Minion’ in the Academy-Award Winning movie ‘Mank’ alongside Academy-Award Winner Gary Oldman, directed by David Fincher, released on Netflix, ‘The Current War’ opposite the protagonist George Westinghouse portrayed by actor Michael Shannon and for his lead role ‘Jupp Klein’ ‘Megastructures’ produced by National Geographic available on Netflix. In addition to acting in movies and television roles, Benjamin has been acclaimed for his “live” acting expertise, as manifested by his serving as the on-air “host” for prestigious Hollywood events like the red-carpet events at the American Heart Association.
He won the award for ‘Best Actor’ for his role of Leon in the movie ‘Against All Odds’ at the Oniros Film Awards and New York International Film Awards and also ‘Best Supporting Actor of the Year’ at the Top Shorts Film Festival for his role of Gunther Wolfgang in the movie ‘The Little Picture”.
Due to his bilingual ability, he is an established voice-over actor as well who has given his voice for movies like “American Animals” and “Nothing to Lose” which have been released in 2018.
Benjamin’s book ‘The Reality of Hollywood’ was released worldwide in 2021 to educate and guide upcoming actors to establish themselves in the film industry in Hollywood long-term.
Feature Film “Silent Night in Algona” shows him besides Hollywood Actor Taylor Nichols known for his roles in “Metropolitan” and “Jurassic Park III “which was released theatrically at the beginning of 2023.
His latest feature film Righteous Thieves playing the critical role ‘Mauren’ was recently released by Lionsgate in movie theatres throughout the U.S. and will be released on Apple+ Amazon Prime in Fall 2023.
In 2024, Benjamin worked on hit shows like the Netflix show “The Diplomat” starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, as Brian in the upcoming blockbuster “A Working Man” starring Jason Statham, and his latest project ‘Citizen Vigilante’ where he plays Jack alongside acclaimed actor Armie Hammer which is going to be released at the end of 2025.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4250622/
https://www.instagram.com/benjaminschnau/
Book ‘The Reality of Hollywood’: https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Hollywood-Success-Through-Actors-ebook/dp/B09WQD71YF/
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-reality-of-hollywood
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother really encouraged me to be an actor when she saw me playing in Macbeth on stage when I was a teenager. She was my first and biggest fan. It’s important that you have a support system of family members and friends that cheer you on all the way and stay by your side as compass guiding you the right direction, not just for acting but in any profession, you need trustworthy people around you that truly care. My mother was this person for me. If it wasn’t for her who knows what profession I would have gone into. Probably still acting but it would have felt differently.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
The beauty about suffering is hard for most people to see but it’s the challenges that it’s creates for you. I’m a true believer that you can’t and will not grow as a human being if you are not being challenged in life. If life is comfortable, we don’t feel the need to try things or motivate ourselves. We end up lacking goals and purpose as it becomes hard to leave this comfort zone. So, if anything, suffering will guide you on a path subconsciously to become a better version of yourself. It’s hard to see at the beginning as it takes courage, consistency and patience to get to the other end. But if you stick to it knowing that it will pass, you will get there and realize that the never imaginable will become a reality. So stick to it believe in yourself and never ever give up.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, the public version of me is 100% myself as I believe in authenticity not just as an actor but the real me. Knowing yourself and being 100% honest to yourself doesn’t let you act or behave any other way but being the real you. Especially Acting showed me a lot of things about myself, who I really am, connected me even closer to my emotions and explained how and why I react in certain ways even in real life. It is an incredible gift to know you truly are as it makes you more confident and lets you navigate even the most difficult situations. You want to be accepted as who you are, so not being yourself in public and pretending to be someone I believe is not just sustainable but also unhealthy for your wellbeing long-term.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope that people will remember as the actor that told them story, they could and still can identify themselves with. One of the reasons I became an actor is that I believe that every has their own unique way of connecting with a story or character. The beauty of art and especially film is that it’s very subjective and every watching a movie or TV-show has his or her own take on it which makes it very personal experience. I love the idea to give every single person who is watching my performances a moment of truth and self-reflection on their own life, helping them to overcome things, rethink and feel about their own emotions in certain situations or even just escape into another world for 90 minutes to get inspired and maybe learn and uncover things about themselves they thought would never be possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/de/name/nm4250622/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjaminschnau/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@benjaminschnau
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