Meet Gabriel Kirk

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabriel Kirk a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriel, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Developing confidence and self-esteem has not been easy. I’ve had quite a few ebbs and flows over the years. There have been times in the past where I was brimming with confidence only to have circumstances knock me over and place my head down where my feet were previously! Nevertheless, I’ve learned a thing or two about confidence and self-esteem over the years.

1.) Success is not the same as self-worth:

As an actor, it isn’t easy to be rejected over and over in auditions. Even when you finally get that big lottery commercial or speaking part in a film, you often just tread water until the next big disappointment. This is where a lot of people lose self-esteem because they associate the outcome of their career success to their personal value. In other words, if I am doing well in my career, I have value. If I am not doing well, than my self-worth plummets.

People look at successful actors and filmmakers and judge their worth by how many accolades they have won or how much money they make, but non of that tells us what kind of a person they are. People judge the outward appearance but the Creator judges the heart. These people may be rich on the outside but paupers on the inside. At the end of the day, I cannot control the outcome of my success as an actor/filmmaker, but I can choose what kind of man I will be. Success may come and go but character lasts forever.

2.) Confidence is taking a step of faith:

When I was in High School I dealt with a lack of self-confidence (I would be nervous just talking to peers!). That is when I discovered a way to boost confidence. Although I didn’t have any confidence, I began to act like I did have confidence. I discovered that the more I talked and acted like I was confidenct, the more it came to pass. I literally faked it till I made it. I used this same technique when I was in college and auditioned for a reality TV show called “Casting Call”. I was selected as one of twenty contestants out of several hundred that auditioned.

3.) Confidence and self-esteem grow by repetition:

Anything you put your hand to do or accomplish rarely comes naturally. Sure, some people are naturals but most of us have to earn the confidence. You don’t get to be a Marlon Brando or Kathy Bates overnight, it takes continual commitment and practice. You just have to show up every day and believe even when things look bleak because, sooner or later, you will rise to the level of your commitment.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a gregarious extraverted creative type with a passion for language, acting, and the greater issues facing humanity. Born in Columbus, Ohio the youngest of three kids to a family where faith was central and love was essential. It was during my teenage years that I took my real first forays into acting while performing in muder mystery dinners. I continued all the way through college where I engaged my other passion of learning Spanish.

Life was not so hard until my mom developed early onset Lewy Body Dementia. I spent most of my twenties and into my early thirties helping to care for her alongside my sister while simultaneously trying to make a living as a Spanish interpreter. It is heartwrenching, to say the least, to care for a loved one while you watch them fade away like the wax of a candle slowly diminishing.

Working for years as an interpreter, I never made much money and made the decision to get back into acting. I secured representation with the now defunct CAM Talent agency where I faced much rejection (as all actors do) until I managed to land several commercials and grow in the craft.

When my mom passed away, I was at that point working as a high school Spanish teacher. I took stock of my life and realized I had better start living before it was too late! I quit my job, joined the Army National Guard (you know, all of the typical bottoming out things you do in a quarter life crisis) and delved into my many passions.

Since that time, I have acted (often as a principal character) in several locally produced short-lenght and feature-length films, deployed once to the Middle-East, and managed to become one of the only “Gringos” to pass the Ohio Supreme Court test for Spanish-Interpretation. In a nut shell, if my small autobiography can teach anyone anything it is that you cannot help what kind of cards you are dealt in life but you can choose how you play those cards. Lean into what you are good at and choose to persevere even when things look bleak.

Currently, I am starring in my first ever role (at the age of 40) as the principle star in an action-comedy called “Your Pizza is going to be late because of Aliens”, written and directed by Jake Jolley. I am pleased to be working with Jake again. We go back a ways. I previously played the principle villain in his feature length film “Clay Zombies”, now streaming on Tubi. Likewise, in 2026, I will be the lead protagonist in a dramatic film called “Hey, Jupiter!”, written and directed by Nathan Weidner.

I recently wrote and directed a nearly feature-length mockumentary called, “My Name is George”. It is about the ficticious youngest brother of the famous Australian Hemsworth family. It is free on YouTube until it finds a home on streaming.

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?

There is a great speech by Theodore Roosevelt called “The Man in the Arena”. If you want to succeed at anything, you have got to step into the ring! You need the courage to try, the faith to believe, and the determination to keep going even if you fail.

Several years ago, I made the decision that I was going to become a Supreme Court Certified Interpreter. Long story short, it is one of the hardest skills based certifications in the country that promises a huge career boost. For years it seemed an impossible goal for a non-native Spanish-speaking Gringo like myself. Nevertheless, when I looked around, I realized it was the only career move that made sense for me. This was right before COVID shut everything down. It wasn’t until late 2021 that I found a state (North Carolina) that was allowing test taking during the pandemic. I bombed the test. I was angry and frustrated and thought I should give up. A couple years went by and I was trying to figure out my life after returing from a year long deployement with the National Guard. I received some encouragement from a friend to get back in the ring and tackle that exam. I studied for months and fell just a bit short of passing. However, I realized that the exam wasn’t an impossible monster, it could be conquered! I took it again the following year and passed with flying colors! The dream became a reality and my career took off!

I failed twice before I finally passed. In fact, I was discouraged and wasn’t sure what to do. However, I began to change my way of thinking. I began to believe that I could pass and determined not to give up until I did. And it all became possible because I stepped into the ring.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

When I was in 8th grade, my parents had me read a big blue book every night before I went to bed. It was a book by the Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin about “faith”. It wasn’t just about Christianity but about how faith really does move mountains. If you want to see seemingly impossible situations overcome in your life, you need to have right thinking, right talking, and right acting. You need to envision yourself with the answer.

All the best stories are not about those who gave up. The best stories are about those who had plenty of chances to give up but they didn’t. If you can believe, all things are possible to them that believe.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jake Jolley
Nathan Weidner

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