Franklin Livingston or the ascent of a successful Pakistani American actor: I had the pleasure of interviewing Franklin Livingston of LPI Films®, Bambi Films Inc., and Listening Eyes Theater Company. His productions typically showcase people of color as the classic heroic roles and all the stories developed are based on true events. Mr. Livingston believes in empowering the characters generally known as ethnic minorities because they are the backbone to the functionality of the U.S. as a community. However, standard theater and film still continues to portray Caucasian men and women in the dominant roles. Find additional information on https://www.dotcommagazine.com/2021/03/franklin-livingston-american-actor-a-dotcom-magazine-exclusive-interview/.

Franklin Livingston reveals a stunning confession about his relocation to New York City, where he continues to witness several aspiring actors who are filled with the yearning to be seen on screen. It didn’t matter if it was a short film or a top Hollywood film. Although, most of them desire to feature in Hollywood films, but don’t get a chance to act in an ultra low budget project. This reason is causing some of them to develop mental health conditions for cloning on to such a wait.

Franklin is a thoroughly trained actor and filmmaker who completed an apprenticeship right out of high school in videography. Since he grew up in an artistic household, Franklin already had significant exposure to acting and singing. Later, he learned about cameras, light, sound, preparations to shoot, footage delivery, editing, mixing, and coloring. Franklin ended up acquiring formal training at New York University. From working with a myriad of diverse cinematographers and technicians, he has learned about various lenses, lights, cameras, and audio equipment which has helped him develop a great eye on the subject of digital storytelling.

Please tell us the one thing that separates you from your competition. I do have a unique perspective to bring to the table. Currently, there is no person of Pakistani origin in Hollywood’s big-budget movies or TV networks that has the training I do. Especially not one playing a dramatic role that will be taken seriously and not a funny guy character. I would love to put my extensive experience to good use and not only go up against the competition for a leading serious role one of these days, but actually get a call back for it!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? Visualizing. Actualizing. There is beauty and power in these practices. However, I feel that learning to live, breathe, and exist in the moment without stressing about the future and focusing on your thoughts and feelings right now — is vital and the most valuable lesson you could ever complete. Often on the set myself or my assistants might worry about staying on schedule or getting behind, but there is no resolution without conflict, and we always claim victory when we work hard and never surrender.

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.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? I have so many projects in the works right now, but my current favorite in post-production is “Down-Range” in which I played a U.S. Army major. There are a lot of officers in the U.S. military of Middle Eastern descent. However, in Hollywood movies and American TV shows all war heroes tend to be portrayed as Caucasian and the villains are people of color. I am shocked that even in our current time, TV has kept this tradition by producing a popular series “Jack Ryan” in which this outdated stigma is perpetuated.

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.