Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Louie McMillan-Grant. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Louie, 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?
In short, from my family. Growing up being largely raised by a single mum, I saw her do everything from putting herself through nursing school, to building decks and chicken coops on her own. I learnt from her that a job worth doing should be done right. She was a person with a lot of responsibility and not a lot of help, and through her I learnt that with some jobs, even if they’re not a one-person job, you just have to work twice as hard. I’ve tried to bring that into whatever work I do, acting or not.
My brother too. He left home when I was 5 and he was 17. Having been raised solo by the same woman, he joined the New Zealand navy, eventually becoming an engineer. After 8 years of service he went into working in the engine rooms of deep sea fishing vessels, and now, after a brief and reportedly excruciating stint behind a desk as a financial advisor, he now works in the gold and uranium mines of the Australian Outback. My brother has always known what he wants, whether that be his ideal career, his ideal work environment, or his ideal paycheque; he’s seen where he wants to be, and he’s done the work to get there. I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that because of that work ethic, I was able to move to New York to attend NYCDA, as he financially backed me the whole way.
My dad is from a long line of Kiwi farmers, (as in New Zealanders, not the fruit – we actually grew avocados) and has shown me that almost anything can be achieved with ingenuity and elbow grease. Until his recent retirement, he ran a solo landscaping business, meaning his client base was fueled by reputation, which in turn meant doing any job correctly, quickly and with a smile. That last part has been one of the most crucial things to remember in working as an actor, when on your eighth or ninth slate redo.
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?
I like to take part in all things creative, although admittedly I’m only even-half decent at small handful. In a family of accomplished painters and crafters, I realised early on that any talent I might have in creating things was not going to be done with my hands. From a young age I wrote stories, played pretend with my friends and watched movies almost obsessively. All of this eventually culminated in choosing career in acting.
I grew up in the theatre, but always wanted to be in movies like the ones I watched growing up. After landing a lead role in the indie NZ mockumentary “Two Idiots and Tin Whistle”, written and directed by Jason Ellis and Eli Hill, I knew that acting was what I wanted to do with my life. I was fortunate enough to earn a partial scholarship to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts where I was able to not only learn important skills for acting for both the stage and screen, but also for how to be an actor as a professional.
After graduating, I worked with amazing independent creators in the city, learning new and valuable lessons and tricks of the trade with each one. For the time being, I’ve returned to New Zealand (student visas don’t last forever!) to see what I can do with my new-learned skills in my own neck of the woods down under. My partner, who’s also an actor and who I met while working on “Two Idiots and Tin Whistle”, is from the UK, and we’re hoping to make a go of things over there in the near future. For the time being though, some incredible cinema has come out of New Zealand, and if I might be lucky enough to be a part of it, I’m in no rush to go anywhere.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Patience. I’m still trying to learn this one myself everyday. I’m constantly fending off thoughts of missed opportunities, starting too late and worries about plans not coming to fruition. I think there’s a lot we do have control over in our journey, and the more active role you take in your own life, the more say you get in the outcome, but that doesn’t always mean that outcome happens straight away. Sometimes that perfect role is going to be offered to you tomorrow, but sometimes nothing’s going to stick for months at a time. I think of it like fishing: cast out your line, then it’s a waiting game.
Humility. I think a big ego is one of the most dangerous things for any creative, but actors especially are the most susceptible to it. For me, an unchecked ego doesn’t have me thinking I’m the best in the room or fishing for praise, but rather puts me in a position where criticism, which I’ve always learned a lot more from than praise, hurts too much to be properly utilised. Acting is not something you can ever do “right”- at least I don’t think I ever will- but I want to always keep getting better, and being humble enough to always see yourself as a student will leave you open and flexible for just the right piece of advice when it comes.
Respect. Acting is a team sport. Whether you’re working with your crew, your audience or your fellow actors, it’s never just about you. I guess this might cross over with the humility point a bit, but I think it’s important enough to be separate. Where with humility I see it more about how you think of yourself, I see respect as how you see everyone around you. I had a teacher tell me that “At the end of the day, acting is just a job, just like all the other jobs that make a movie. Show up, do your part.” As an actor you’re lucky enough to be a cog in an incredible creative machine, and every cog is just as important as the next.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Always! I love working with people who are as passionate about their craft as I am. I find myself enjoying indie projects with fellow newer artists and seeing them fully utilise their talents. Recently I’ve become a lot more interested in acting for horror, having previously leaned towards comedy for most of my acting life. Now that I’m back home, I would really like the opportunity to collaborate with the plethora of incredible creatives here in New Zealand.
The best way to reach me is through my instagram louie_mcmillangrant or email [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://louiemcmillangrant.com/
- Instagram: louie_mcmillangrant
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