The rise of a Pakistani American actor : New York’s Franklin Livingston: 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. Read additional details on https://ritzherald.com/franklin-livingston-a-man-of-possibilities/.

Are Franklin Livingston’s actions absurd? One of the caveat Franklin shares is that many of these young actors that work with him assume Franklin, an idiot, who probably has no clue and doesn’t know what acting or filmmaking in Hollywood is made of! This is mostly because of his humble nature and polite behavior. Despite All this, Franklin remains unmovable. He says, “it doesn’t bother me. I know I am an extensively trained actor and highly intelligent human being.” Franklin enjoys seeing upcoming American actors working and developing their confidence to become someone like known Hollywood actors who can be viewed worldwide and on social media posts and stories.

For the past five years, Franklin Livingston has been working in storytelling through stage and film in the New York City area. He is highly proficient in ethnographic research, creating writing, directing, and acting. Franklin is an immigrant who has traveled the world and internationally performed as an actor and produced many films, plays and musicals, and online projects. He has managed talent, technical crews, writers, producers, marketing staff, and social media influencers. His focus is always to capture the truth of every culture, story, and situation regarding the sensitivity of individuals, communities, and institutions.

For our readers that may be interested in acting, filmmaking, and producing, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just starting out in the industry? Be sure to get the right educational foundation. Research acting schools that you are considering. When you have completed your education there, be sure you never stop self-training. In what ways has the Covid-19 pandemic had an effect your career in the movie industry?Speaking as both an actor that has auditioned with other actors, that turned out to not be so great when we got on set, and as a producer, auditions that are done mostly via zoom now, are awful for picking up on so many of the meaningful but more subtle details that you notice when auditioning in person. In audition rooms, you can see the person enter, you see how they walk and stand. Were their hip sockets relaxed, shoulders relaxed, jaw relaxed? Do they look the part?

Especially in our current time — I believe that the utmost importance should be placed on awareness and empathy. My travels, experiences, and interactions have shown me that mainstream American Media and Art are just not illustrating the true human social condition and political climate we have been facing. The teams working with my companies are producing relentlessly to eliminate that void and fill it with compassion, enlightenment, and masterful storytelling.

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.

Taking possibilities to the next level: Recent updates on Franklin reveal that he started another company in the state of Connecticut, Oculus Films LLC. The company will also serve as an academy that empathizes with the aspiring actors’ busy schedules. Oculus is a unique acting technique that Franklin has developed. Unlike other training techniques that make American actors feel drained, exhausted, depressed, and in some cases become mentally ill, Oculus Acting Technique makes actors enjoy their presence with other actors and crew members. It also helps the actors create content in the moment in the light of the screenwriter’s content, develop a sincere connection with community members and leave the set happy, rejuvenated, and relaxed having a sense of being heard, respected, and encouraged.