Paul is a working actor who started his professional career over 25 years ago. He has worked with some of the most creative actors and film makers in Hollywood, including Academy Award winners Woody Allen, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. A veteran of Los Angeles stages, he has starred in and directed numerous stage productions. His work in Will Smith’s production of Medal Of Honor Rag with the late (and deeply missed) Heavy D and directed by Delroy Lindo, earned an LA Weekly Theatre Award nomination. From his first television role on the original Beverly Hills 90210, Paul has gone on to appear in dozens of feature films and television programs over the years playing an eclectic range of characters. For a full list of credits see Paul’s IMDB here.
Paul Schackman on Acting
“I have studied many methods of acting over the years and I’m continually surprised by how dogmatic and restrictive they can be. As artists, we should be totally free. As actors we should be committed to one thing – telling the truth. This often seems like a daunting task when our heads are filled with ideas about what we are supposed to be doing. If we have spent hours rehearsing, shouldn’t it make sense that the audition or performance be exactly how we’ve worked it out? Thus, we fall into a trap. This trap blinds us from our feelings, our imagination, and our instinct. On stage, it is easy to spot the well rehearsed but uninspired. I used to think it was bad acting, but I have come to believe it is just misguided training.
We are required to play a role onstage for weeks, if not months. On set, the same scene may be shot for dozens of takes. Knowing the lines, the blocking and emotional arcs are not enough. Unfortunately, this is where most actors stop working. They do the job well enough but ultimately are forgettable. Actors that do a scene over and over, always finding something new, are the ones we can’t take our eyes off. They are artists. We watch them and know they are being truthful. That should always be our goal; otherwise, really, what’s the point?”
Paul Schackman's Actor's Instinct 