 Hey guys, you are gonna love my latest interview for my podcast channel with a friend of mine called Ray Panthakie Ray is a BAFTA award-winning actor director based in London and we spoke about his craft as an actor His approach to parts in TV or movies the massive blockbuster Netflix series He's just filmed called away coming out very soon. He is a great guy and a brilliant guy You're gonna love this interview. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment. Thank you So let me ask you how did you Get into acting because it's a notorious a difficult career to Sustain yourself as you know, so how did you get into acting and why have you kind of stayed in it? The realization of why I got into acting is something that's come more recently Yeah, as I've got to understand myself a lot more as I've got older and I've worked on myself as a person And I started to realize that because I wasn't ever really quite sure why it was And as I've sort of worked, you know worked through it. I've realized it actually came from a place of wanting to be desired and I think I initially Went into it because I didn't Feel desired as a child or I didn't feel Uh, I felt different. I guess and that might be to do enough with a number of reasons Most notably my skin color perhaps but feeling different at school and feeling Different to the people around me in school and there was a boy in my class who was actually his blonde-haired blue-eyed boy who was who was an actor and he got lots of Through the acting that he was doing and And I remember just being very jealous of it And thinking to myself I can do that and I can get that attention and it came from that place really and uh And I remember going home one day and saying to my parents I was extremely shy as a child but remember saying to my parents that I wanted to get into acting and they said Fine we can try and do that for you, but you're really shy and you don't speak to anyone How are you going to do acting and I said I just really want to do it and so they uh phoned around local drama schools And one of them said tell Ray to come down this weekend and he can watch Until I did and I remember being extremely uncomfortable Sitting in this in this class full of extrovert kids And feeling really out of my depth and shy and awkward, but there was something about this particular drama school sort of um Uh, you would you would learn singing acting and dancing And uh the singing and dancing didn't interest me, but there was something about the acting just mesmerized me and drew me in and I guess That I it was it drew me in enough to to to stick it out and go through the uncomfort and uh And yeah, and it and it became it's just amazing how it became my calling in a weird way Because it didn't come from a place and knowing it was my calling. It came from a place that Probably from from some wound or trauma and it ended up being my calling so you interpreted that you use that as fuel to Proceed into acting You may be connecting the dots the dots better now Reflectively, but that moment on stage and moments like that when you saw the kid that was on stage And you thought I can do that too You have interpreted that or you did and used it as a fuel To step into that yourself. I think a lot of people Want to know why people got into what they got into Especially when they've been in it long term and successful And wonder if someone opened a door for you if it was who you know and what you know Especially in the sort of showbiz world But your beginnings were just flat out the same as any kid in a school play my experience today Yes Yes, there was I mean, I don't remember prior to being The age of 10 or 11 when I first Wanted to do it. I don't remember having a particular desire I was shy kid. So there was no I was I wasn't the kid that was naturally performing for for Parents and their friends at home. So I know that for sure but I do have this strong memory Of wanting to do what this this boy did in my in my class because I guess he got attention from girls And that and that ended up being my my fuel in in some sense because He was getting attention for what he did. He was on mcdonald's commercials and he was on television and There was a he he was treated in a different way. And so maybe It came from a place of wanting to be wanting to be treated differently But yeah, that's that's it if I had to round it up into one word. I would say it was to be desired You know tony robbins another speak about the six basic human needs one of them is significance and I think what you're describing may well be the awakening that some of us have That a primary human need we have in life is one of our top of those six is Significance, you know, there are others like certainty and variety and And growth and contribution love and connection But that sense of significance that woke up in you the possibility of that Totally makes sense to me when I think about other people That have moved into some significant career people in politics and business and showbiz often. I think the fuel Was significance though the experience that they had You wouldn't use that word for it and about it. I'm just framing it that way wondering if that won't field you and if so Does that continue to be your major fuel now or not? no At least I don't think so but my my My drive is a lot different now I guess my drive now is to It's less about significance significance for myself and it's more about um Putting good art into the world that can change the world as You know, I know a lot of people say that but it really did There has become a turning point for me where The realization of that and what made me happy and what makes me happy and what continues to fuel me Is no longer I guess there is an element about it for me, but the bigger element is for others So as that shifted the choices you make as to why you will or won't do certain things because If you are doing things based on that need for significance It may mean you make certain choices about what to do Different to if you're choosing something from a sense of service To the rest of us a lot of people in the world that are driven by that significance Make choices just to keep that alive and never switch from that to a wider sense of serving the rest of us So have your choices of the projects you're involved in changed because of that shift in you of what drives you Yes, they have but I think there's a balance because there's some projects that you know May not be of service to other people But you know they may offer you significance That gives you a step up to be able to be a stronger service to other people. So I think there's um There's a Balance to be had sometimes you have to be smart about making decisions and choices that you know further down the line will Give you more of a voice Or give you more of a platform to be able to make Choices other choices which can help serve other people so There's always a I always look at things For a number of reasons and anything that gets offered to me. I sort of balance it up for different reasons and sometimes that there's a less of a um Desire to do something but then it's a smart decision to do it because of what it could lead to Yeah, because I know you now Do different things besides acting you had a director's hat and a production hat Of the span of things that you now do as you're evolving Um Is acting still your first love or do you are you more drawn to directing behind the camera these days? Where do you think that's heading for you? uh acting To be a question that people often ask me and I have I get so so my my Journey into storytelling writing direction and producing that came from a place of Not being fulfilled enough as an actor or not getting the opportunities within the industry as an actor So I decided that i'm going to go and create those opportunities for myself So people can can see that I can be a leading actor if they're not going to give me the opportunity to be a leading actor and so rather than sort of Uh campaign against it. I went I'm not going to waste that time. I'm just going to put my head down and work and show and create and so that's what I did and so Again, I was it came from a place of Needing something else But I just decided to jump in and do it myself And that and what I learned from that was Actually, I am a storyteller And it's amazing how again I was pushed into it somehow And from that I realized Storytelling is my passion And I realized I could be in control of the whole story suddenly rather than be just a piece of the jigsaw of the story as an actor And also it enabled me to focus on something as an actor Everything is so up in the air. There's no stability You're often waiting months for jobs And so what it enabled me to do was to almost focus on something which I called my nine to five so if I wasn't acting Instead of sitting at home being depressed waiting for the phone to ring I'd be focusing on something like a nine to five in front of my laptop writing teaching myself how to produce and studying and so What's to answer your question Acting it has been such a big part of my life. Yes, it probably still is my number one love But also I think it's on par with directing because to take the four of them writing acting producing and directing I think acting and directing are the two that sort of Are on an equal footing at the moment They fulfill me in different ways. I still feel as an actor. I've got performances in me That need to come out that I need to give and I need to share with the world And I don't think I've been fully pushed as an actor just yet But as a director when I stepped on to set as a director for the first time in my life I'd never directed anything before obviously it was the first time I went into it with very limited Tools we had very little money very little time But I had a story that was so personal to me that I wanted to share with the world That I knew I didn't want anyone else to tell this story. So I stepped on set as a director And it was literally like It was a calling I knew in that moment the second I stepped on set Because suddenly I didn't have to care about the way I looked. I didn't have to care about remembering my lines I didn't have to care about all about all these things that used to be baggage for me as an actor But I I stepped on as a director and I realized I'm in control here complete control and I can do this and it was just it was It was weird. I've had these moments a few times in my life where I've gone And it happened to me as an actor on stage when I was younger As when I was a teenager and that made me realize I need to do this as a career and it happened to me My first time on set as a director and I had this moment It's a Tiffany which was this is a calling of yours as well So acting and directing for a very long-winded answer to your question Are the two things the stories that you are telling and are drawn to Is there something common about them? What are the stories you want to tell? What are the stories that matter the most to you? Is there a thread in those through your life and things you're drawn to? Yeah I guess there is again as I work on myself more as a person I start to realize that every character I've ever written is a little bit of me somewhere along the line and And it took me years to Have that revelation I guess There are common threads Um of stories I do want to tell it's always tends to be people on the fringe of society There's certain themes that seem to keep coming up in my work Think loneliness is something that is is is sitting with me at the moment and a lot of the characters I'm writing Especially during this pandemic interestingly enough, but um, that's that's a theme It's always been about the underdog, I guess Right and and the and the softer people of society the meeker and quieter people And I think I feel like they seem to be the characters That naturally come out of me and so I think it's a calling for me to want to be able to tell those stories Do you think that's rooted in your sense of exclusion as a kid that you talked about earlier? That sense of champion those people Yeah, I've not I've not gone that deep into it, but quite possibly yes quite possibly but also If it could be that it could also be that I have a heart for the That the softer people in society the meek people in society and and the ones that don't have a voice or struggle struggle to have a voice, I guess and I my work seems to Try and give those people a voice Do you have you struggled? Do you still struggle people would want to know? I think at your age and stage of career with What would you call a stage fright in the You know if you're doing a live play or imposter syndrome, we might say if you get apart and think jeez Um, I said I'd do it, but I don't if I can pull it off or not because a lot of people Struggle with that and interpret it as a reason not to go ahead Yeah Absolutely every single time that never goes away the idea of imposter syndrome, which certainly doesn't for me It's always there Stage fright is always there for me Not so much on uh on camera actually because I think there's a there's a comfort of knowing you can do it again and again, right? Certainly in theater It's something that never goes the nerves never go away. I could be doing a play for a hundred nights and my uh Fear will be the same on night one as it is on night a hundred. It's it's the same but again I don't ever want to lose that in some respects. I don't want to become complacent and that Fear I guess I like stepping into fear. So that kind of pushes me To get out on that stage. I mean, it's a sickly horrible feeling before you step on It really is and I'm always pacing up and down backstage and people are trying to talk to me And I cannot talk to them because I'm just focusing on these nerves and then of course when you step out And the five minutes of being on stage or within getting your first laugh if it's a comedy you'll just suddenly You relax and then you just enjoy the process and then you can never get me off there Then I don't at that point. I don't want to come off. But uh Yeah, I the nerves always hit me and imposter syndrome will be something that I guess I you have to get used to Certainly for me. Um, there's I feel it pretty much pretty much on every single job You know, I feel very blessed to to do something to do first of all to do what I love doing my job And uh to get to travel and do all these amazing things one of the things I think creative people struggle with Um is what I call babysitting their creativity in other words after you've done it and published it or posted it or Put out the piece of work you've done Then you sit around almost in the shadows hoping people will like it And then you get upset or touchy or defensive if someone says something critical Because you've stayed over attached to the product. I think, you know, I've written several books And I wish I could go back and rewrite them all a year later because I now think something different to what I thought a year ago But it's too late. And once of course On film it's over. You can't go back and redo it So I suppose what I mean is do you get attached to projects? Are you do you read what the critics say does that bother you or do you just move on think that's it? I can't change it and sort of step away from it I find it difficult. I Especially if it's something that I've created Um You keep wanting to perfect it keep wanting to make it better before it goes out to the world You wanted to make it the best you can make it And then I had to learn to realize that Nothing can be perfect and I read a quote from I think it might have been george lucas. I could be wrong but He said something along the lines of You never finish a film You you learn to abandon it And that was That was real It coming from someone like that. It was an eye opener for me because you Do never finish a movie. You can keep perfecting something or trying to make it better But there has to be a point where you abandon it and let it out to the world And uh, I always struggle with that. I guess it's again. It's that fear of being Rejected I suppose but my art I especially a few years back I used to always keep it close to my chest And be scared to put it out to the world or scared to Push for the final furlong of a of a of a script that I'd written I guess through fear of of rejection Of my art, but actually when I started to realize Just let it out and then people started to appreciate it And and I was and then I sat back and said why did I hold on to this for so long? I'm always critical doubtful self-doubt But then I realized it's always Or mostly in my own head head once the project goes out to the world because people Generally do appreciate it Do you think you'd feel more attached to as a director or as an actor and even worse if you are both in A project because some a lot of actors act and direct at the same time. So it really is your baby in every way then Yes, I think as a director I'd be I mean, I've not directed myself yet As an actor so and I don't think that's something I'll be rushing to do quite soon, but I I certainly as a director because I write and direct so it's much more personal to me right and so Yes, and There's always going to be facets within stories that are personal to me. So Yeah, I am precious about that and I am fearful about sharing that stuff with the world, but also at the same time. I think It makes the best art Yes, yeah, I get that. What are some of the most difficult emotions to Act do you feel like if you get a script and it involves a certain scene? Do you think oh crikey? That is going to be tough. I'm going to have to really get in the zone to express that kind of anger or pain or rage or hate if the scene requires you and your character to To inhabit a certain emotion are there some that you dread coming up in a Opportunity for you that you find particularly difficult and how do you approach it? If it's not an emotion that's native to you That is not common to your experience as a human, but you have to find that energy to act it well I mean every actor uses different different techniques To be able to get to a place um I feel that everyone's had experiences of similar emotions. So they may not have lost A Apparent or someone close to them But they may be able to recall an emotion of having lost something as a child may be a toy or something But you are able to recall an emotion And work from that basis of that feeling of loss and what it felt like So I think there's always something that you can pull from other times you would have to study and try and Find other people's experiences that have been through certain things and try and Learn and recreate as much their experience as possible from what you've learned from them But I think in terms of we can all connect A emotion pretty much to every emotion that you have to be able to deliver Within a film Even if it's a loose connection, but we can build from that So I've nothing sort of scares me Really as Especially now in my career where I'm feeling very confident as an actor and what I'm Able to do and achieve It's actually the more challenging stuff I get the more it excites me and the the the more Roles I get where the more research needs to be done that excites me Taking a character That I perhaps haven't had the same experiences of Yeah, and I have to build this character through research Is something that um challenges me and something that I'm more interested in doing now Because I know you weren't a violent character in gangs of london, but it was a violent show What do you feel about movies programs? Of which that's a major theme and around the energy. I wonder how actors Stay in that zone If it's a prolonged project that involved it if that character is An aggressive violent person or so on so on or their characters are racist or their character is a drug addict or something Or a criminal and it's not common to your experience. In other words, your life experience has nothing to hand you In a certain role. Where do you guys find it from? I mean we we can talk about these transformative roles that People have done and I guess it comes from studying it comes from studying and talking to people There are a lot of actors that are method actors that like to sort of Live it as much as they can a certain role and will be in character leading up to the production of a film And obviously there's always lines that need to be drawn and you know lines that can't be crossed But certainly they will get into the mindset of a certain character and Live that character before they're getting set so they feel very prepared Is method acting something that you taught at acting school as an option as a style? And if it is Why would some people choose that as opposed to another style of acting like is method acting? Is that good acting is that something? Well, I think there's so many different Techniques to acting and I think what you have to find the style that suits you best I mean, I've dabbled with all different types of styles of acting method was something that interested me years ago and I did certain things that were method-based and then There are others that I mean, but I also at the same time I can go and set having prepared In the method technique for a role But I can switch it off at the end of the day Okay. Yeah some actors can't and some actors Consume their cells with that with the character and will still almost be in character months after the film was wrapped production and almost Need some sort of Therapy to sort of come out of the character that they've got so involved with um, I Fortunately have not Ever had that issue and I'm able to sort of switch off at the end of the day and step away from it and then Get myself back into the zone for the next day Who have been some of your acting role models really like who would be your Favorite actors are the past or present? I think um Marlon Brando is a favorite. Why a lot of people say that about Brando. Was he a method actor? He was and for me, I felt that he Changed the game in screen acting So he sort of came at a time where he brought he was part of this new wave of actor that was bringing a A new shift in the acting style of screen acting where it was all steeped in naturalism and truth and in those days The acting was sort of heightened and slightly overacting and uh, Brando just Came in and bought this new energy was part of that new wave of actor bringing this new naturalism and truth to just screen acting And so he changed the game. I feel and so he is someone that I'm constantly Learning from and mesmerized by Because I heard Michael I heard Michael Cain once say about acting That he felt the best actors behaved They didn't act. Is that what you mean by Brando? Yes, I just feel that he was He was unpredictable and present and he's so in it. I mean they say that Acting is the best acting is when you're listening So you're so in the moment. You're so present that you're not worried about Where you are what you're doing what you look like or what your next line is But you are so present that you are absolutely 100 focused on the person that you're acting with And so they can say anything but you're so present that you're responding to what they say Um, we're still keeping the integrity of your character Brando He was completely present and immersed on screen There's there's a wonderful scene I think it's uh on the wall from perhaps There's a scene if you can YouTube it where he uh It's the if you just type in the brando glove scene right and he's he's in the moment acting and uh Talking it's him And another character talking and he drops a glove completely It happened in the moment and uh He keeps continuing he picks this glove up and the way he plays with this glove during the scene Which obviously had to be completely spontaneous and he just and what he does with this glove and uses it within the scene is amazing And it's sort of just this Filmmaking magic acting magic, which was just he was just so present in the zone That he uh, it's worth watching. I think for someone again I heard michael cayne. I think referred to that as use He talked about using the difficulty So he was on a movie. He said and the scene involved him Barge into the kitchen and other than a violent exchange with this woman in the kitchen so he The director says action. He pushes the door, but the door didn't open properly It jammed a little bit So michael cayne stopped and you know cursed a few words about the door And then the director said to him look michael if the door jammed Use that difficulty and act off it the dropped glove. I suppose Use the difficulty and let it be part of the scene rather than say the door didn't work perfectly So I can't act at the moment. I think that's what you're saying about using the difficulty to enhance your performance Rather than see it as a reason why I count for which honestly is a probably a right life principle Hey, we're all using the difficulty right now in the pandemic Yeah, absolutely. And it's real life, you know, nothing goes smoothly Things go wrong things happen in the moment and you have to deal with them And so that to me so he brought a real truth and naturalism to to screen acting So he definitely is an inspiration and also who he was as a person I love the fact that he was constantly Prepared to put his career on the line for things that he believed in and Advocate for So yes, moll and brando. There's other people meryl streep who is just consistently brilliant in everything Mark rylance is a huge inspiration of mine and I love him, you know, yes and and his uh integrity as an actor I love the fact that you know As rumor has it that mark rylance will go through a A movie script before he starts and he'll uh, he'll just be crossing outlines and people will be like what you're doing He's like, I can do that with a look. I can do that with a look. I don't want to say that I can do that with a look and so I just find, you know Interesting. Yeah. Yeah, just found him interesting as a person as a As a as an actor. I find his choices fascinating. I love the fact that he Turned down movies for years and years and not just small movies You know spielberg was chasing him for years as an actor and he was just like no, I want to be in the theater That's where my heart is And so I respect him as an actor and he's an amazing man as well as fortunate to meet him he's an amazing man and uh uh, who else Shia LaBeouf Which is always a controversial one and people often Say to me really Shia LaBeouf. He's one of your favorite actors and I say yeah, because I think there's a There's a there's a truth to everything he does I find him completely mesmerizing and as an actor I watch him and I think there's such truth in everything he does And I think it comes from a place of pain so I think there is Something in his eyes that can't be recreated and I find him really present And exciting and I find his choices exciting. So yeah sort of as a Younger actor, I'd say Shia LaBeouf Tom Hanks Great actor great actor. There's so many great actors. Things could go on forever. I know There's so many greats and the good thing is I feel like The true greats, you know that we all know their names and and uh, and I like to believe Maybe it's not always true, but I like to believe that the good always rise to the top in the end Do you watch yourself? Interesting question When you've done a project, would you go back and watch it? I do watch myself. Oh no You do? I do watch myself, but only because There's a 5% chance it's gonna make me feel good so So It's weird There's 95% of the time I'll watch something. I'm in and I'll be disappointed frustrated annoyed with myself Thought I could have done better thought I could have done this thought I could have done that And so actually the odds are always stacked against me by watching myself I should be one of those actors that doesn't watch himself, but I do it For that 5% chance of going that's made me feel good today because that Was a good bit of acting or I was happy with that So yeah, I shouldn't watch myself, but I do just to get the chance of myself feeling good But yeah, I'm very critical of what I do. I don't think that will ever go away now. I've come to Make my peace with that. I see Very different to what other people are seeing and uh, and I'm a perfectionist I guess and I just want to be the best I can and I'll always be disappointed and feel I can do better But it's all things that I'm noticing and probably no one else is Did winning the BAFTA change your career and if so, how? Yeah, so I got named as one of these BAFTA breakthrough Brits Brits back in 2014 And um, it was in the early days of this scheme or award and uh, recognition I should say and um That came in a really beautiful time in my career Because I it was at a time where I felt I kept hitting the glass ceiling I was Incredibly frustrated knew I had So much to give as an actor and artist but kept feeling that I was Hitting at a certain point. I couldn't go beyond right and then out of the blue I get a phone call one day from BAFTA to say um You know, we've decided to name you as one of our I think it was there was 14 or 15 of us at the time One of our BAFTA breakthrough Brits and that was this a really prestigious thing and um, I literally was floored because You know, you have got the suddenly got the biggest film establishment in Country and one of the biggest in the world suddenly just going we're aware Of all your work everything you're doing. We're aware of it and we want to help support that And it was it was one of the really real special times in my career I remember going home To my dad actually they told me they said you can't tell anyone this news You really can't tell anyone because we're going to announce these in six months But I remember going back to visit my dad and I couldn't really contain myself Telling me he's been such a supporter of me and my career And I remember saying and he's been there through all the trials and tribulations and I remember going back and saying dad. I've got some news. I got a phone call And they're going to name me as a BAFTA breakthrough Brit And I remember him breaking down into tears and it was a really special moment because It was just uh, you know, he's been there through everything, you know being an actor is not an easy life It's constantly up and down Right and I've had my fair share of those ups and downs and I've always stopped You know pushed through them You know, and I've made sacrifices and my family have made sacrifices for me But I've made sacrifices Which I've been so focused where people have been saying to well, why don't you just do this job? Like you're being offered it and it's paying you this money And and I'd be like that's not where I want to go in my acting career I know where I want to go and so I'd rather sleep on people's sofas and floors And sell my car and do all these things to not do that job because I know It's not in my long-term plan of where I need to go as an actor and an artist And so I made many many sacrifices in my career And I think my dad was witness to that and and he was supportive of that all the way And you know the times I would go to him and borrow A few quid just to be able to get on the train so I could get to an audition and uh And so yeah, so he that was a really special and magical moment telling him that Um Because no matter who you are you sort of understand the importance of bastard I think he understood the importance of that and I just said This is what it means And uh, he broke down in tears and it was very special really really special And um, yeah, that helped me that helped me and I helped open doors that were Firmly closed or doors that I couldn't open and then suddenly I mean, I'm still the same actor. I'm still the same artist. I'm still the same person But we know how the world works and we know how these industries work and suddenly having that feel of approval Enabled me to open certain doors and I fully credit it. We've taken my career to the next level What has been your attitude to fame re you're around a lot of famous people In the various projects you do and I suppose they have a certain relationship with fame And have come to peace with the old issue of fame or don't handle it well as many people in the spotlight don't Have you decided early on? This is how it will be In terms of any exposure. I have any level of fame. I attain to what should become your relationship and attitude towards fame in the industry Very different to what it was in the early days. I guess I'm fortunate enough to have been acting from a young age And to have had roles that were significant enough to offer attention and I think Probably what it was thinking back to when I was in my early 20s There was there is an uh an attraction to it I guess and it was but my attitude changed changed pretty early on Pretty early on of achieving recognition um not so much for What I was doing as an actor but for being on television and for being in people's homes X amount of times a week I realized early on that it's Not as enjoyable. I'm far too paranoid of a person shy and awkward of a person to be fully comfortable with it um And I'm glad I'm glad I realized it early on. I'm glad that It wasn't all the bells and whistles that everyone expects it to be and I had the realization of that of course some people Aim for a career in my industry to For that sole purpose of just becoming famous for me it it I know it's a a knock-on effect of successful work and I And I don't think I'll ever be at peace with it I'm quite a private person and so I don't think I and and and and I said as I say it's shy and awkward so I'll never be fully comfortable with it but my attitude has changed because I know that with Fain if we want to call it that or success which I'd rather call it but with that become comes a voice and If it gives me a voice Then I will have to I would deal with my uncomfort with it to have that voice and uh Yeah, it's interesting because it was only again in the last few years where I realized, you know I've just been driven and ambitious and I know where I've wanted to head as as an actor and artist however As I've gone through my own spiritual journey in the last few years I've worked out that It was never about Winning the Oscar or Achieving recognition. It was never been about that. I thought it was about that and it was never about that It was always about me being given a platform to Change People's views on things or change the world in a certain way through my art and uh, and that's what it's become about and whether It's only through my art or whether my art just gives me the platform to give me the voice to change the world in other ways I hate saying change the world change the world But that's the way it feels since I've worked on on my spiritual journey. It feels like There's a significant calling in in what I'm supposed to do with my life and uh and I've I'm not very good at articulating myself, but it's this is merely the The acting the filmmaking the storytelling is merely the I have to achieve and so in answer to your question, I feel like the fame the success the career Gives me a voice and it's That voice is My ultimate calling and what I've got to use it for is more important as as a person of color. We are having this chat ray a couple of weeks after Um, you know, George Floyd's death and all this stuff kicking off around the world Are you hopeful about this whole thing in the world? Are you optimistic generally about Where this is heading in society? I've been optimistic so many times. Yeah, and I felt let down. Yeah So Does it feel different this time? Yes am I Sure, it will bring about change. I don't know is the honest answer I don't know But I'm sure gonna stand by and and support the cause absolutely because I don't know. It's been very upsetting for me these last couple of weeks to to witness what's been going on and uh, and actually to Try and fully understand the pain of what my black friends have gone through and uh It's been truly eye-opening because I thought I understood the pain. I didn't and um Hopefully by the time this interview Comes out There will be have been some significant changes to the world um hopeful that I've been let down before that's just yeah Yeah, let me ask you last few minutes. Just want to ask you about yourself. How you look after yourself in all that you've got on All the attention that you have on everything you're doing Obviously lockdown has made us all a bit more stationary a bit more still opportunity to be more still inside A more thoughtful about personal development about growing ourselves What do you do or what new things have you begun to do during the lockdown in terms of Been healthy internally I guess trying to I mean I haven't because generally I've been unhealthy during this lockdown Thinking too much eating too much. Um Yeah, but I uh, I try and take some time out I I I have gone for longer walks and and uh, I've meditated on those walks and And You know just tried to because my brain does go to Crazy wild places. I guess that again, it's having that storyteller's brain He sometimes can't shut it up and uh You may you make up stories in your own head um But yeah, so I've I've um I've uh been trying to Quiet quiet and myself Taking these long walks putting in the ear pods and just uh meditating focusing Trying to stay spiritual and and focused on that side of things And uh, yeah, I guess that's I mean, there's been some huge trials and tribulations during this time sort of mentally for me um But I take those moments out and I've learned to I think before I used to cover up dealing with those moments by just working very very hard So just silence my mind by working hard hard hard and I think what shifted in me in the last few years, which again is all part of the whole journey is um I've learned to sit in those moments to be quiet To allow those thoughts to come in Um and to deal with them and it's been I guess there's no coincidence that Things have progressed in my career That glass ceiling is finally breaking down um Because I think it's aligned with my spiritual health Ray, how can the people listening find you? What what will we see you in next what projects have you got coming out what you work in run, etc? uh Acting wise, um, we've got season three of marchella, which uh Is out soon On netflix and then for uk audiences. It will be out in the autumn then I've got this netflix project called away Which is an exciting project and that will be out in september, I believe um A couple of films coming out a brilliant film called boiling point with steven graham That will be out Probably early next year sometime And uh just uh focusing on lots of um my I've taken it i'm taking a bit of time out Now to just focus on uh my own projects that i'm developing and uh Projects that i'll be directing so yeah Very cool writing Yes. Yeah. Yeah Very cool. Well, listen, I want to say a massive thank you to you for your time I think you're a genius and a great human Even more so and it's been a joy to know you I remember you coming to my master class in london And we've had a good relationship afloat ever since then And uh, I've really come to appreciate the craft of what you do or what your industry is Through knowing you more than I ever did before I want to thank you for your time that you've given to me and our listeners Around this whole issue of your career and what you do are putting us into your shoes for a few minutes today. Thank you my friend I wish you well We'll keep in touch Thanks pa Well, thanks again for listening to today's podcast. I hope we found it beneficial And I know time is precious commodity for us all but I would love if you would take the time to Write a review or comment and above all maybe subscribe to my podcast channel. Thank you