We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brian Shoop. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brian below.
Hi Brian, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I’m an actor and I live in Oklahoma. Those sound like mutually exclusive facts, but both are true. I moved to Tulsa with my young family in 1980 because opportunities for a carpenter here exceeded those in Toledo, Ohio. However, it was here, in the middle of the country and the middle of my life, that I discovered my love for acting – my purpose. I was not shopping for purpose, it came looking for me. I was asked by friends to participate in a church production which I loved. I found an audition notice in the mail for the local theater. I was cast, and was completely overwhelmed by the fulfillment I felt from that art – rudimentary though it was. Over the next few years, with full support of my wife and family, I was able to pivot from framing houses to building characters. That path led from community theater to acting classes to TV commercials to Hollywood and back. Today, I’m a professional actor with over 30 years’ experience who also knows a lot about home construction. Not surprisingly, I’m still working and it’s still fulfilling because acting is my purpose, Here’s what may surprise you, my wife and I celebrated 52 years together this past June.
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?
My job as an actor is to help the audience feel. Mercifully, not everyone has to endure all manner of tragedy in life. Not all of us get to experience every kind of joy either. We’re not all winning athletes. We’re not all astronauts. We can’t all perform magic, or fight dragons, or dive to the bottom of the ocean or fly. But then again, we can – with the help of actors who take us with them on those journeys into every experience and feeling imaginable. That’s my job. Help the audience experience it all, feel it all. And in order to do that, I feel it all. I experience firsthand those fears and tears and joys and victories within the magical world of the story. But, while those feelings are real, the environment is not. The process can be exhausting – day or night, hot or cold, rested or tired. Take after take until that particular piece of the story is captured and filed away for editing later. It’s not glamorous, it’s hard work. But it’s rewarding work, and I’m grateful for the privilege. I’ve worked all across the country – even overseas,. I’ve worked with famous actors. (so cool) And I still am. As an example, I fly to NYC in a week to shoot an episode in a television series with a celebrity director and seasoned award-winning cast. Who wouldn’t love this job?
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Acting is an art that can be learned. Like any art, information coupled with discipline, hard work, and persistence results in growth and maturation of the artist. But even more important to a successful acting career is an intentional sowing of good relationship seeds. In other words, be intentional in treating EVERYONE with respect, in surrounding yourself with those who demand excellence, by distancing yourself from those who only excel in negativity, and in leaving EVERYONE with an impression of you that will welcome future relationship. This may seem like fairly common-sense advice, but sadly it’s not common at all – especially in this industry. So, while developing your skill and your acting resume, develop the skill of being memorable. Who you know is not nearly as important as who knows you – and likes you – and would love to work with you. That kind of capital is true value. Acting skill is a given, be as skillful as you can be. That acting skill will get you a job. But the other skill of building relationships will get you a career.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I’m 73 years old! That makes age and health my biggest obstacle. Most guys my age are retired and playing dominos. But I’m not done. I don’t want to quit. So, here’s what I’m did. I got a diet coach and lost weight, got a trainer and I’m going to the gym to gain strength, and I found a manager in LA who thinks there’s a great market potential for old guys. Plus, I joined an actors’ workshop so I’m still learning, and preparing a scene every week to keep my mind sharp. The result? So far, I’m working more and on bigger projects than ever.
Contact Info:
- Website: brianshoop.com
- Instagram: brian.shoop.90
- Facebook: brian.shoop.90
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0794865/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_q_brian%2520shoo
Image Credits
Photo by Johnny Bazarrio Phot by Ryan Dunlap
