Meet Edoardo Ballerini

We recently connected with Edoardo Ballerini and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Edoardo, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?

When I first started studying meditation and Buddhism one of the core ideas was of “letting go” and “giving freely.” As part of the practice I began to give as much of myself as I could, both in terms of time and acts of kindness. What I found was that it came back to me, and so I’ve tried to continue to give as much as I can. It seems to be good for everyone.

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’ve been an actor 30 years in film and television. Over the last 15 years I have also worked extensively in audiobook narration, where I’ve made a name for myself. I’ve also directed short films, co-authored stories, published audiobooks and taught at universities. What I find most exciting is opening myself up to what might be coming next. Often we don’t know what that is, but if we are true to ourselves, the right thing will come. I also find it important to have creative hobbies that aren’t for any professional pursuit, just something for myself. In my case, it’s photography. It helps me see the world and focus my attention.

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?

Resilience and grit have been the keys. The life of an actor at any level requires a certain fortitude. I’ve been fortunate to have made my living in entertainment for my entire adult life. There were times when I wanted to quit, there’s no doubt, but finding some light in the darker times has been the path forward. Sometimes you have to make that light yourself. And sometimes you really just have to hang on.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The great threat to actors right now is, of course, AI. The technology is threatening the entire industry. I’m trying to expand my possibilities into other areas, “diversifying,” for lack of a better term, so that I give myself the best chances. There are things we can’t control, and things we can control. Our job as creatives is to focus on the things we can control.

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Image Credits

Jeff Vespa, Ed Brantley

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