Meet Michael Sullivan

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

Michael, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Oh, man. For some of us, Impostor Syndrome isn’t something one simply “overcomes.” It is a constant, ever-changing nemesis that manifests itself in new and creative ways on every set. There’s not a day of auditioning or rehearsal or on-set acting wherein I feel like I have set a new standard. Even if I think I did well at something, there’s ALWAYS a line or a reaction where I think… man, LaKeith Stanfield would have done something more interesting there. Or Jeffrey Wright would have been a little more credible here.

Or even if I *do* manage something exceedingly good, I’ll think, “Man, I cribbed a little bit from Delroy Lindo right then.” Or “I wonder if they’ll realize that laugh is just my impression of Chris Farley?”

So Impostor Syndrome is nerve-wracking, and I’m constantly a bit on-edge… but at the end of the day, I’m not certain that’s necessarily a bad thing. It prevents me from becoming complacent, or (I hope) letting my ego get too inflated.

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

I’ve been acting full-time since 2023, and I don’t mean to sound mawkish, but I really do feel like I’ve found a profession that makes me happy. I won’t pretend that I don’t complain from time to time, but every day on set is a good day. I meet the most fascinating, ambitious, and beautiful people, and I get to spend time around them while they create new worlds out of thin air.

Personally, I’m in an interesting transitional phase right now, where acting has gone from my hobby to my job. I don’t even really have a side hustle anymore; I’m just completely focused on submitting for jobs, auditioning, rehearsing, and acting. I recently signed with Taylor Talent Services, my first commercial agency. Earlier this year I was flown out to act in a feature film (a first for me). I’m excited to see what comes next.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’m not even sure I have three positive qualities at all, let alone ones that have helped my acting career. But I do have one trait. I’m not sure if it’s a real word, though. “Sticktuitiveness.” The definition is basically that I’m relentless in pursuit of this profession. I stick to it, if you will.

I remember reading an ESPN commentator who indicated that was the biggest quality of retired UFC women’s fighter Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi. And what’s kind of interesting is that I don’t think he entirely meant it as a compliment. The implication was something along the lines of — Modafferi isn’t a preternaturally gifted athlete, nor does she have a killer instinct. But you could never count her out because she had this level of sticktuitiveness.

And that’s me. I don’t have undeniable acting talent, and I’m damn sure not getting roles based on nepotism or this rumpled old body, with not a pound hanging off it the right way. No, I get work through sheer sticktuitiveness.

…I don’t even know if I’m spelling that right. And normally spelling would be my next-best skill.

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?

This is going to sound a bit hypocritical, because I’ve personally narrowed my focus to acting within the past 3 years. I’ve produced a bit, I’ve written a bit, I’ve sat in on editing rooms and casting meetings. But at the end of the day, acting is the thing that I’ve fallen in love with.

So why then would I tell you to work on being well-rounded? Because the reason I *know* that acting is what suits me best is that I’ve tried a lot of other fields. And not just within the entertainment industry. I’ve owned and operated my own retail store, I’ve worked in higher education, in insurance, in accounting, in sales, in food service, hell, I even spent 8 years in the US Army.

A small percentage of you won’t need to go on any journeys like that. You have a laser-focused understanding of who you are and what you want to be from the time you were a small child. I envy you. But I think for most of us, there’s a huge Venn diagram, and you’ll have to spend a lot of time experimenting to find that overlapping area between what you are good at, and what you genuinely enjoy doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://michaelsullivanactor.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/chiaone
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/misullivan
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micsullivan/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chiaone
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7004863/

Image Credits

Matt Kallish
Ryan MacKenzie