The growth of a Pakistani actor : New York's Franklin Livingston

The rise of a Pakistani actor and influencer : New York's Franklin Livingston: Most actors go to either acting schools or study literature and some form of arts to become an artist. Some analysts have argued that the drama school studies that only focus on the craft of acting through body and mind make actors disconnect from the real world and what is required to be an effective member of society. That’s why in addition to their acting training, actors must also be familiar with disciplines such as science, politics, psychology, and sociology. Read even more details at Franklin Livingston New York.

Where does Franklin Livingston’s possibility personality come in? It is after a long unfruitful wait that Franklin has decided enough is enough! Franklin is now producing content intending to provide grass-root level casts and crew members opportunities to work making films. In the past five years or so, through his Theatre and Film production companies in New York and Los Angeles, Franklin has shown hope in the Hollywood industry by giving out jobs and chances to thousands of upcoming American actors and crew members in major cities to showcase their work to the global audience.

Franklin has always been in love with cinema and has been making films since the age of 16. He has evolved as technology and style have progressed over the years, and he deeply enjoys the craft in every aspect. Despite excruciating long hours of creative thinking, planning, and executing, and typically being the first to and the last person to walk out of the film sets after sleepless nights, Franklin Livingston never falls out of love with expressing human emotion and capturing stories that need to be told. He believes that a good story must constantly be educating, entertaining and engaging. And that’s what he aims for in his productions.

And to finish this section, please tell us what is the one major key to your success? I am very disciplined and do not believe in shortcuts. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to put in the work. It always disappoints me when I see an actor that has completed their training, and then they think that is the end. Really, with any career you should be continuing your training up until the day you retire. I do acting exercises constantly to stay sharp. I also love to talk with strangers, or at least I used to a lot more pre-covid, and get to know their stories. I will often take an afternoon drive along the countryside and stop to talk with someone I have just met. Going into Manhattan on the Subway just to people watch is something I find very enjoyable too. These things not only keep me connected to my fellow human beings, but it is also like building a real-life character catalog of all the different people I meet that I could draw inspiration from whenever needed.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? Al Qually has been a tremendous help on my journey in New York. When I first arrived in the Big Apple, I was angry and depressed because I had so many negative experiences. I believe that it was my growing and learning phase, but I met Al in 2016 who collaborated with me on numerous projects. He always went out of his way to help me with scripts, filmmaking, and much more without any expectations or hidden agendas. We have shot several short films in and outside of his apartment in Queens (including “Down-Range”) where he would be making coffee and running around trying to make sure all actors and crew were taken care of. Since our initial encounter and through Al’s network, I have met many great professionals who have helped me become a better human being and a compelling storyteller.

Franklin has broad training from highly experienced professionals in the areas of drama and the more serious cinematic roles. In films produced in the United States, there are no such leading roles that are filled by qualified Pakistani actors. Franklin has spent significant time and effort acquiring the necessary training and expert guidance to fill these roles. Franklin has the particular skills and personality necessary as an American actor to proudly and personally take on the privilege of shedding light on many important socio-political issues. Including representation or the cross-cultural issues faced by recent immigrants. Franklin envisions changing the way stories are told in America while empowering day-to-day heroes. In his films, Franklin has shown the heroism of average men and women. He believes heroes don�t have to be fictional or over-the-top good-looking men and women. Since those are standards set by humans and are not closer to the principle of nature and the Universe. Franklin believes heroes are always born among average people, and they live among us, helping us on a day-to-day basis, making our world a better place.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? I was in a meeting with my first TV commercial agents. They asked me if I was working on getting rid of my accent. They said that getting work without having a native sounding American vernacular is impossible. I laughed to myself and replied bluntly that I don’t believe I could ever eliminate my accent and that local people tend to search for a foreign accent when they need a medical specialist or a cosmetic surgeon in Beverly Hills. I think it’s only the Media, the formula, and the system that believes that actors shouldn’t have their native accents if they wanted to play leads in the local projects. Upon seeing their facial expressions, I realized my honesty was a mistake.

With possibilities comes challenges: Like many people who have been affected by the pandemic, Franklin is no exception. He mentions that during quarantine, he developed a couple of health conditions. He gained weight, became depressed, and started showing signs of aging. He, therefore, suggests an acting technique that supports the actors and can empathize with their emotional and cognitive state so they can have well-balanced lives. Franklin goes back and reflects on all the popular American acting schools and realizes that they affect actors emotionally or disrupt their mental well-being negatively. He mentioned it’s time for classic acting schools to revisit their curriculums and research why most actors who survive their training are introverts. They after two or three years of training, their actors end up becoming socially awkward, emotionally closed off, and distant from those community members who are not from the same professional backgrounds as them.