New York’s Franklin Livingston or the rise of a talented Pakistani American actor and influencer: Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path? Living in the Midwest of the United States for nearly a decade made me feel that I was expected to spend my life in a specific stereotypical way. It began with my job at the local Christian church that helped me get settled in the U.S. I was astonished when my supervisor asked me why I needed to go out and have a nice dinner, once in a while, when I had tin can soups at the place I was living at. The senior pastor of the same church explained to me that people from my background should NOT even consider dating or having a family life because we don’t understand relationships and people from the Middle East could die at any given moment. In my opinion, they were basically stating that my life and people like me should not expect to progress any further than just being sacrificial lambs. We are not entitled to normal lives and should never experience it. We are less than the standard and lucky to participate at all. Read even more information on Franklin Livingston New York.
Are Franklin Livingston’s actions absurd? One of the caveat Franklin shares is that many of these young actors that work with him assume Franklin, an idiot, who probably has no clue and doesn’t know what acting or filmmaking in Hollywood is made of! This is mostly because of his humble nature and polite behavior. Despite All this, Franklin remains unmovable. He says, “it doesn’t bother me. I know I am an extensively trained actor and highly intelligent human being.” Franklin enjoys seeing upcoming American actors working and developing their confidence to become someone like known Hollywood actors who can be viewed worldwide and on social media posts and stories.
Franklin Livingston grew up as a religious minority in Pakistan. He constantly faced persecution and prejudice, which shaped him to be a unique human being. He is a wounded healer — someone who embraces the people from all walks of life, empowering them to be whoever they want. Like Pakistan, in the United States, Franklin is once again a minority. But this time, it is not because of his religious affiliation but his ethnicity, where he has experienced terrible racism and discrimination on all levels. Livingston utilizes these experiences to evolve into a humanitarian advocate, share his struggles, and much more through his films, plays, and social media content.
For our readers that may be interested in acting, filmmaking, and producing, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just starting out in the industry? Be sure to get the right educational foundation. Research acting schools that you are considering. When you have completed your education there, be sure you never stop self-training. In what ways has the Covid-19 pandemic had an effect your career in the movie industry?Speaking as both an actor that has auditioned with other actors, that turned out to not be so great when we got on set, and as a producer, auditions that are done mostly via zoom now, are awful for picking up on so many of the meaningful but more subtle details that you notice when auditioning in person. In audition rooms, you can see the person enter, you see how they walk and stand. Were their hip sockets relaxed, shoulders relaxed, jaw relaxed? Do they look the part?
Especially in our current time — I believe that the utmost importance should be placed on awareness and empathy. My travels, experiences, and interactions have shown me that mainstream American Media and Art are just not illustrating the true human social condition and political climate we have been facing. The teams working with my companies are producing relentlessly to eliminate that void and fill it with compassion, enlightenment, and masterful storytelling.
I am a trained actor, filmmaker, and producer. I received extensive training from Atlantic Acting School, Moscow Art Theatre, New York Film Academy, and the Meisner Studio of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. I received training in filmmaking and directing from New York University, and Yale University. I also trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. I prefer the more serious, dramatic roles that push and challenge my abilities. Please tell us how you make sure people will be fans of your work? I not only work very hard at everything I do, but I am a very genuine person. People often equate acting with pretending, but it is so much deeper than that. When I am acting, I am portraying a character that I have taken a very long time to get to know. You find a way to connect with the role you are playing so that there is personal truth in there too and when you get very good at doing this, your audience won’t be able to tell where you have blurred the line. It will feel very sincere instead, which is what viewers appreciate and deserve.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? This is a difficult field. You will deal with rejection 99% of the time on a daily basis. You must have thick skin and be persistent. And, if you are a person of color, especially a male with an accent, your chances of work decrease automatically. It’s better to have a support group who really appreciates your strength, sees your beauty, acknowledges your talent, and attests to your art. Importantly, create your audience who values your craft and enjoys your work.
Franklin has studied a multitude of acting techniques at Guildhall School of Music and Drama London, Moscow Arts Theater, New York Film Academy, Atlantic Acting School, the Meisner Studio of Tisch School of the Arts New York of New York University, and Yale University where he received training in acting, filmmaking, and directing as well. Franklin is a true New Yorker and enjoys exploring the city on foot and via subway absorbing the incomparable diversity of NYC. He loves to engage the local communities in breaking boundaries and building connections. When not on a film set or involved in community development, you will catch Franklin researching the past and the present anthropology, cooking, traveling, sightseeing, motorcycling, road tripping through the U.S., or maybe even jet-skiing.
