Guest post by Danny Thomas.
This isn’t a story of success or failure – it’s an ongoing journey.
I relocated to Hamburg, Germany, from my hometown Melbourne six years ago, primarily to be with my son. I accepted that my aspiration to be an actor had come to an abrupt end having only taken some baby steps through training and playing a role in a short film.
Standing in the rain outside a film festival marquee in Hamburg not long after my arrival, an industry professional turned to me and said,
“I am sorry. There is no need for an Australian actor in Germany or Europe for that matter. You have no chance of working here.”
As she rode into the darkness on her European bike, the voice of self-doubt within me had a party on her words. Working actor statistics are akin to those of winning the lottery, on top of that I was now living in a country where English is not the first language. Regardless, the drive to tell stories was too strong to lie down.
Within a few months, I found myself on set near the Polish border shooting an international web spot for one of Germany’s most iconic cars. Sitting in that car surrounded by lights, I realised opportunities aren’t necessarily constrained by the city or circumstances you’re in. I knew I had to keep fear at bay and continue to do the work. I went on to do hundreds of hours of extra work. It wasn’t acting but it was film school of sorts, in German. This lead to some bit-parts on a local cop show with no dialogue. People were confused enough when I attempted to speak German in real life let alone on TV.
After committing to a number of projects that taught me so much but never saw the light of day, I again began to accept I was attempting the impossible. Time is the true commodity. By keeping myself available I had the opportunity to play a lead role in an English indie film Edda Tudor being shot in Hamburg. This landed a best lead actor nomination at the recent London international film festival.
Acting is job to job and there is no linear path. I have learned the importance of creating your own content. I recently wrote and shot a web-series pilot Tippy Top inspired by my experience working for a furniture moving team so I could be flexible for auditions. It has been selected for web-fests around the globe including Miami and Bogotá, Colombia. I hope to continue to work at the craft, collaborate with good people and tell relevant stories. It’s reassuring to know that though it may not seem like it at the time, we are often exactly where we are meant to be.
Film still: Danny Thomas plays Kane Nash in the web-series pilot he wrote & directed Tippy Top – Hunt & Gather.
