We were lucky to catch up with Michael Oilar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michael, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
Optimism!!! Ah yes!!! Sometimes I feel like I have too much of this. I tend to see the best in situations and, as a result, see the best outcomes possible in the future. I think optimism goes hand in hand with Gratitude. By looking at what you have, and being able to give Thanks for those things . . . even if it’s a simple as being grateful to have food, a roof over your head or the ability to pursue work, you set your mind in a place where as long as you have what you need, everything will be OK. Because of this, anything above and beyond is a gift. That kind of peace of mind keeps you pushing and not letting setbacks bring you down. The optimism keeps your head high and your sights on the future.
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 consider myself a working Actor. I started this journey in 2019 working background on the One Chicago shows. At the time, I had no real aspirations about actually being an Actor until I began working background on the series Empire. The second time I worked the show, I was asked if I would be interested in playing one of the Empire Security Guards for the remainer of the season. Without any hesitation I said yes. It was workng on this show watching Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard every day that I thought “I want to do that.”
In 2021 I began audition for small roles to 1) see if I could actually trick someone into thinking I was an actor and 2) see if I could memorize lines. Both of these things were horrifying. One of the first things I ever auditioned for was a web series called “The Killers Club.” After booking the role, it became my first official acting role. The cast was full of brilliant actors and I was horrified they would find out I really had no idea what I was doing. I seemed to have done a great job tricking them because none of them believed it was my first acting role.
That project gave me the confidence I needed and I was determined to make this career shift work. From then on, I was consistent with booking work. Nearly every month I was filming another project. Somehow I was never typecast and the roles ranged from an astronaut having a breakdown (Machine Learning), a daft political hopeful (Stand In The Gap), an 18th Century Fisherman (Mandje), Christopher Gist (The American Miracle) and a survivor of the apocolypse (We Are Hunted) and a plethora of other roles. From this assortment of roles, I have managed to earn 3 Best Actor awards from various Film Festivals.
Presently, I am attached to two different Proof of Concepts (The Road Taken, The Deep State) which are in the process of gathering funding to move forward. Most recently, I appeared in Chicago Fire (Season 14, Episode 4 – Mercy) as an acupunture patient whose treatment goes terribly wrong.
Presently . . . moving on! Continuously auditioning and looking to exapnd into other regional markets!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Patience – Patience may be one of the most important qualities needed in the entertainment industry. A lot of people go into the acting world expecting to just make it. Having the ability to work background on so many shows, and for such a long period of time, it really let me see how productinos operate. Knowing what it was like on the inside gave great insight to what needed to be done on the outside. Nobody on a set got there without putting in the work and applying themselves. When it comes to Acting, putting in the work is something that takes a lot of time. It’s not just about getting an Agent and then being put on a show. It’s about proving your ability and professionalism. In the acting world this takes time. Time to get cast in projects, time to learn your roles, time to film, time for post production. A one to two year turn around is completely normal for projects. Having patience with the production schedule is a must. One must be patient in the time it takes to get work and then have the work completed to use as a reference when submitting to other projects.
2) Kindness – As simple as that sounds, being kind goes a long way. Nobody wants to work with someone who complains or causes problems. Enjoy the people you are working with, get to know them. All of them. Don’t think of yourself as any better than anyone on any project you work on. Film is a group effort. While an Actor may be the one on the screen, the real work, the physical work, the time consuming work – that all comes from people behind the screen. Appreciate and acknowledge what you do. The more kind you are, the more likely people will want to work with you or recommend you.
3) Perseverance – Having a drive and a goal has been critical to doing as much work as I have done. Knowing what you want and where you want to be helps to drive you. Without knowing what you are working towards, you drift or lose direction. I had initially outlined where I wanted to be one step at a time. It went from wanting to get cast in anything, to wanting to be in a film then wanting to get on a Network series. Now it has expanded to wanting to get a recurring role. Referring back to the first answer – Patience – this is an industry that takes time. Perseverance helps you get through to reach those milestone. Whether it is getting beyond an audition you didn’t book or waiting for auditions to come through from agents, you just need to persever. Don’t let set backs hold you down or lose hope.
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 hardest part of the acting world is finding representation in other markets. Currently I have representation in the Chicago Market. While I am absolutely grateful to have that representation, there are other markets througout the country that are making some really great shows that I would love to audition for. The entertainment world is in a bit of a crisis right now. AI is impending and studios and actors are trying to figure out what impact this will have. The biggest studios in California are being sold off because the cost of production in the state have become too big of a burden. Streaming services replacing Netwrok series have altered the way television is filmed. These factors are limiting how many actors agencies are taking on. Finding representation in one’s own market, let alone a different market, is a struggle. While I continue to search for representation in those markets, I remain grateful to at least be relevant in the Chicago market.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.michaeloilar.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_oilar
- Other: IMdB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11902726/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
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