Many people have said this before me, but the Australian industry is very limiting.
Living in Australia, do you find it tougher to pursue your acting/writing dreams? Any consideration to potentially move to a city that is considered a major hub for film/acting (ie.
It sucks to not be able to do what you love full-time, but I acknowledge I’m in a pretty good place, all things considered! Nowadays I lean on my degree (thanks mum and dad for making me go to uni!) and work part time from home as a content writer. But now, with COVID kicking the industry’s butt, there’s no way that is viable. In my case, pre-covid I was heading to a place where acting and screenwriting were almost able to be my full-time job. When you discover how many Hollywood and Bollywood actors are where they are because of nepotism or economic status, it’s no wonder they got big in two years! This is not how it goes for the daughter of immigrants, you either need a role that just so happens to fit you perfectly, or you have to work hard! I wish more big name actors would speak openly about their journeys and why they were easy. Are you able to focus on acting full-time? If so, how do you fill in the “income” gaps to make it work? This means establishing relationships with casting directors, keeping up best practice and turning down roles that don’t pay well or are done by questionable people.Īcting is a tough business where everyone is a 10-year “overnight success” because you have to typically really spend time in it to give yourself a chance to get opportunities. The difference from the first agency to the current agency? The first agents knew this was a side hustle for me, my current agent is trying to make it a career. After a year with these agents, and with new headshots, a better demo-reel and more credits to my name, I got my current agent, who is at the level of getting me even higher-level productions, and we work great as a team. Then, after another six months I got an even better agent, it was with these agents I managed to book my first paid short film, and got auditions for my first guest roles in TV. After six months, I sent out some more emails and worked my way up to another agent, a little bit higher up. With this agent, I got like an audition every three months, which was okay for me as I was still in uni. A lot of research later, I went back home to Australia, got some headshots done, did a terrible short film, and used these materials to email just about every agent I could google in Australia.Īfter many rejections and many would-be scammers trying to make e pay for their services (never pay for your agent!), I ended up at a low-end modelling agency that had an acting division. It was such a long process! I started off knowing agents existed when I was doing study abroad in London and my drama teacher let me know that I should find an agent. What was the process like finding an agent to signal that leap from acting as a passion to more of a viable career opportunity? It’s why I can speak the language fluently! My parents also unknowingly enrolled me at a primary school known for emphasising the arts and that meant they had to come and see my school musicals each year, even though they had no idea what was going on. They introduced me to Tamil language films and music at an early age and encouraged my love for Tamil films as a connection to the language and the culture. Honestly, I thank my parents for my love for film. Tell us about your upbringing and how that sparked your love of film. INTERESTED IN MEETING OTHER TAMIL CREATORS, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS FROM AROUND THE WORLD? JOIN THE TAMIL CHANGEMAKERS COMMUNITY HERE & ACCESS OUR MEMBERS ONLY LINKEDIN GROUP, EXCLUSIVE EVENTS & MORE! Request to join our private LinkedIn community here. Network & collaborate with Tamil Changemakers from around the world. ***Are you or someone you know in the global Tamil community doing great things? We'd love to feature them: FILL OUT THIS FORM *** She chats with TC about her journey to date and where she's headed next! Rubi Balasingam is an Australian-Tamil actress and writer.
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