“When you're an artist, it's not a button you can push on or off. You're always an actor. I sleep as an actor. I wake up as an actor.... I always think about art and creativity, and that's all I want to do.” -Omid Memar

This week’s guest is Omid Memar. He’s a fantastic actor who I recently was able to work with for an upcoming movie called 7500 (we actually recorded this episode at the movie’s premiere in Switzerland). Omid’s acting is incredibly honest and real and heartbreaking and human. He also comes from a very culturally-rich background— he’s from an Iranian family, grew up in Austria, moved to Munich, and graduated from a French school. He’s a young guy that’s really just getting started in his career, so I thought he would be perfect to answer this week’s question from Megan Colbert in Springfield, New York. 

Megan asked, “How do you balance the inner need to create with the practical need to bring in a paycheck?” Omid and I talk about what it’s like to be up-and-coming in the industry, and how the artistry and creativity in acting is often overshadowed by the idea of ‘celebrity’. We also talk about the influence of cultural identity when selecting roles, the creative impact that music has had on each of us, and we top it all off with a touching conversation about our grandmothers. 

If you have a question about the creative process, that you think would spawn a good conversation on this show, ask me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter tagged #creativeprocessing, or by emailing [email protected]. New episodes are coming out every Tuesday through October 22, 2019.

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ABOUT THE GUESTS: Omid Memar is a twenty-year old Iranian actor, who grew up in Vienna before moving to Munich with his family in 2008 where Omid graduated in a French school with a dual-degree in German and French. Omid landed his first acting role at 14 in the German film The Famous Five 4, based on the book series by Enid Blyton. Omid also starred in the Austrian TV Mini-Series M - A City Hunts a Murderer, and the short film Invention of Trust where he was honored with Gold in the Student Academy Awards in 2016. Omid stars alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the movie 7500, which will be released on Amazon early next year. 

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SELECTED LINKS FOR EPISODE:

Connect with Omid:- Instagram: @midopersian

People Mentioned:

- Passar Hariky (Actor)

- Patrick Vollrath (Director)

- Sebastian Fitz (Omid’s Acting Teacher)

Movies Mentions:

- The Famous Five 4 (2015)

- Angels In The Outfield (1994)

Other Mentions:

- Locarno Film Festival

- Iran-Iraq War (Sep. 22, 1980- Aug. 20, 1988)

- Box Studio in Locarno, Switzerland 

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