Meet Mark Larwood

We were lucky to catch up with Mark Larwood recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mark , 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.

Honestly, it’s taken me a very long time. I wasn’t the most confident kid growing up and I always felt like I had to either ask for permission or find a way to impress someone. I knew how to sing and I knew how to play guitar but what I didn’t know was that I needed to give myself that permission for people to see me for who I am. After I moved to LA in March 2019, it really was an adjustment for the first the first 4 months. A few friends of mine from high school had already lived here but I wasn’t really the most confident person or even the social and I didn’t really meet anybody new. But on it was on July 29, 2019, I went to interview at a acting studio called the Richard Lawson Studios. At the time, I was studying at the Andrew Wood Acting Studio which focuses on theater and I wanted to focus on film and television. I found out they had a program called the Professional Development Program that focuses on putting yourself on film. It wasn’t until two weeks later I found out that there was also a Scene Study class as well and so Maia Modeste who interviewed me when I first came to the studio suggested that I look into taking Scene Study along with the Professional Development Program and I did. In the years I’ve been with this studio, not only has my acting has continued to improve and I have become more creative as an artist in terms of writing and producing as well, but the people at the Richard Lawson Studios are my community and it’s because of their unconditional love that I have been able to believe in myself and not quit. They have helped me feel more at home and they have helped me to take every step of this journey as a win and have reminded to celebrate the process.

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’m an actor, writer, producer, singer, musician, and comedian. Even though I’m focused more on acting, I have developed skills in other areas like stand up comedy, singing & dancing. During the pandemic, the Richard Lawson Studios had a virtual stand up comedy class that was taught by Tom Ayers. I had met Tom months before and he had reccomended that I take his class at some point. The class was from August to November 2020 and one of our assignments before the class ended was to do a virtual audition for Flappers. I did a few virtual shows on Flappers for the next few months, as well as do the virtual show, Dat Pham and Friends, in person shows at The Federal in North Hollywood, and a stand up show call The Astrology Show which was a show for comedians based off their Astrology sign. Because of the others friends I have made out here, I have been able to work with some great people in terms of singing and dancing. I’ve been doing vocal training with Zeffin Quinn Hollins for two years now and in terms of dance I’ve been taking a Jazz Boot Camp class taught by Maria Del Bano for two years as well.

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?

Three qualities that have been impactful in my journey

1) As an actor: During the pandemic, the Richard Lawson Studios offered many modular classes and along with several other classes as well. I wanted to make sure I kept going on my journey and because I loved the people at RLS, it made it easier to want to keep learning from teachers, Richard Lawson, Kelly Tighe, Lindsay Hopper, Jorge Ortiz, Beth Berlin, and Maia Modeste and work with all these great artists. And because I’ve continued my studies at RLS and because I’m someone who doesn’t want to quit, I know that I’ve grown as an actor and I’ve grown as a person and have become wiser and optimistic.

2) Being a singer: Because of my singing abilities and because of my connections, I’ve been able to train with Zeffin Quinn Hollins who has me be more patient with myself as a singer and also make sure I don’t worry about perfection.

3) Celebrating: When I arrived at RLS, one thing I was taught that was important was to celebrating my wins. Because of my wins, I’ve been using celebrating to do so many of my favorite things after completing an audition, or finishing a filming project, or putting up a scene in class, or doing and kind of performance, or getting something important in my personal life done like going to Universal or Disneyland, or go to a movie, or taking myself out to a nice meal.

My advice is to acknowledge every moment of your career and on your journey as a win. If you acknowledge those moments as wins, you will have a lot to look back on and you will have a lot more stories to tell. Like I said also, celebrating the process is just as important. Go out and think of some things that you want to celebrate something in your life that you’ve accomplished. It’s always very important for all of you to know that you are enough just the way you are. It’s never too late to achieve a dream. Be good to yourself everyday even when times are tough. Always acknowledge the people who believe in you and who love you. You can’t achieve success without these people in your life. They are in your life for a reason and nothing will ever change that because that’s how much they love. Always stay inspired. Always listen to your heart. Always be you.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

Well, from what I’ve experienced, I’ve learned that being patient and not trying to do too much at once is vital. Being open to learning is a useful tool. While on my journey, I’ve had feelings of productivity shame if I made a mistake or something taking me longer than I wanted to or if I had to redo something or felt rejection. Being patient and letting myself rest has helped not only being more understanding with the process but it has helped accept myself for who I am and that I can’t do it alone. Another I’ve had struggles with in recent years with anxiety. There was a point in time where I was working on my craft and on myself constantly whether it was putting up work in Scene Study class, filming constantly, trying to work out every single day which led to me burning out. I even gained weight around that time and I let myself be at effect to that as well. I was feeling hatred towards myself and embarrassed about my place in the world. But now that I’ve lost weight, and have accepted that I cannot change what I looked like back then and that I need to be mindful and with all these interviews I’ve done, the projects I have created, the people I’ve worked with, the friends I’ve made over the years, my self awareness has expanded and my willing to be open to learning, my willing to be inspired, and my passion for what I do has grown and I’m proud that I’ve been able to learn from these experiences and continue to fail forward through life and enjoy living the life I’m living today.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mlarwood04
• Facebook: Mark Larwood

Image Credits

Personal Photo – Emily Sandier

Additional Photo #1 – Jayne Marin

Additional Photo #2 – Selfie

Additional Photo #3 – Steven Foley