I know that, deep down, I have always wanted to act. I was excited for every class play in elementary school, worked to be cast in every one we did in middle school and fought for roles throughout high school. It’s just always been a driving force in my life.

Admittedly, high school kind of killed it for me, and for a few years after, I had no confidence in myself as an actor. Try as I might to get into the plays, my high school drama teacher continually cast her same set of favourites. I remember actually turning down a bit role one year because I was so sick of her casting the same assortment of misfits in the one-liner positions.

I finally got a break when we did Measure for Measure. My chance was unintentional as I was actually cast as a backup for one of the main roles. However, for one reason or another, a few people got shifted and I was bumped into the permanent spot. Even though I’m not a fan of Shakespeare, I was pleased to have finally gotten a chance. Also, unlike many of the favourites I was cast alongside, I never forgot a line or missed a cue. It may just have been a high school play, but acting meant so much to me and I felt compelled to get it right.

I got a few more roles after that, but, as mentioned, my overall experience in high school killed the joy of acting for me for quite a few years after. As much as I wanted to take theatre classes in college, I never had the confidence to do so. I eventually took up modeling as a form of acting, but it was never quite enough. I also picked up the occasional scare actor position at haunted attractions, but it’s not quite the same either.

More recently, I came into contact with a group of people that is largely comprised of actors. Through them, I got another shot at acting, and this time, in front of a camera. I can’t explain just how amazing this return to acting has been for me.

This past Saturday, I was actually filming for a web series. I’d felt like hell all day, but the minute I got in front of the camera and started running my lines, it was like something clicked on in my head. My headache cleared, my aches seemed to ease up, and for those hours of filming, I was another person. We ended up filming until three in the morning, and as soon as I was wrapped, everything flooded back and I was dead on my feet.

Saturday night made me remember why I’d ever wanted to act in the first place. Sure, I’d done some odds and ends before that, and had even filmed in a few small projects, but this was different. For the first time in a long while, I really felt like and actor. Whether or not my actual performance will look as good as it felt is yet to be seen. I hope that it will.

Go check out my review of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice exclusively for Suvudu!

On Sunday, I got to partake in the awesomeness that is acting in a short film with some of the coolest people I know. Here is a short synopsis:

In the not so distant dystopian future, there is very little to drink… let alone the refreshing goodness of a diet drank!

That is all you need to know. Watch the cheese-laden wonderfulness:

And just because I can, here is a mugshot of my character.

I felt so bad ass!