Releasing the outcome to book the role with Chum Ehelepola

In today’s episode I’m speaking with Actor, Chum Ehelepola on his journey to becoming a working actor.

He’s sharing his story of how releasing the outcome helped him book a role in the Disney Feature Film, Mulan.

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CHUM ELHELEPOLA:
@chumehelepola
@sydneyactorscollective
https://sydneyactorscollective.com/

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SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Katherine Beck
You're listening to the All American actors Podcast, episode 71. In today's episode, I am speaking with the fantastically talented and wonderfully funny chum a hella Pola. As we talked about his career as an actor, starting in Australia, moving to the US and then back to Australia. He's got an amazing story, and I'm so excited to share it with you. That's coming up next. Ready to go behind the scenes and learn what it really takes to build a sustainable career as a working actor in the US film and TV industry. Join me Katherine Beck, your all American accent coach, as I give you the insight and inspiration to take action on your career, learn my best tips and tricks to performing with an American accent and hear from working actors and other industry professionals. To give you a comprehensive overview of this biz we call showbiz. This is the All American actors podcast. We'll get started with today's episode in just a moment. But first, I want to share with all of you that I have created a new free training, it's called the four steps to mastering the American accent. And in this very short, I think it's about 39 minute training, you're going to learn my four key steps to mastering the American accent. It's a really great training. And I recommend you check it out. All you need to do is register over at Katherine beck.com, forward slash training. And I'll see you there. Alright, let's talk about today's guest. I am so excited to share his story with you, chum. And I met pretty soon after I first moved to Australia. So about 17 years ago, I think is when we first met on the set of a short film. And gosh, he was so funny, so talented. And I was just so happy to know him, but also really excited to see what that journey for him as an actor would be. And I've followed him along all these years, at one stage, I was taking his acting classes in Sydney. And that was super fun. And I met some great people got some great experience in front of the camera. And I was so excited just over the years to watch his progression, watch his career just explode. So when I was thinking about actors that I wanted to have on this podcast, chum was one of the names that came to mind. And I'm so excited that he decided to sit down and have a conversation with me, it's such a good one, you're going to be inspired, you're gonna relate to his story as well. We talk about things like you know, what's holding us back as actors. And when we can release that the amazing things that just suddenly happen. And it was like an explosion for him and the amazing things that are possible. And that's exactly what happened for chum. So I'm not going to waste any more time we are going to jump into that interview right now. So let's roll that interview and enjoy welcome charm to the podcast. It's so great to see you. It's been a million years and you look fantastic.

Chum Ehelepola
So for us, it's been a while isn't it? It really has.

Katherine Beck
So Tom, tell us for those that are listening that may not be familiar with your work. Do you want to just tell our listeners a little bit about who you are as an actor?

Chum Ehelepola
Yeah, yes. So I I've been acting for a few decades now. And and I started in Australia, but I ended up in Los Angeles. And so I've been working in those two countries American and Australia for quite a while Australia was able to do a bunch of TV shows and I felt really good that I got a chance to go and work over in the States. And so then I started doing work in the States or working with you know, networks such as ABC with with Disney Netflix, and then some great studios AMC. And so I was able to yet to have kind of like fun working in America and fun working in Australia. And it was such a different types of TV shows and films as well.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, it is different. What did you notice? What were some of the main differences when you landed in LA and started auditioning and meeting casting directors? What were some of the things that sort of stood out for you?

Chum Ehelepola
Yeah, right. Um, I mean, first of all the types of shows you're doing, you know, like in Australia it's generally because it's much smaller market, that kind of big budget or kind of like hyperreality of fantasy kind of work you know, that don't do over here as much you know, some very much kind of like grounded dramas or comedies. was when you get to America, you know, all of a sudden like anything is on offer like camera one. One day during pilot season. I had to go to Nickelodeon I think and do an audition in the morning. during lunchtime, I went to CBS to do a single cam comedy. And then, in the evening, I had to go to a customer to do something for HBO, which is like a full on hardcore at our drama. And just like that whole gamut of of work and as an actor, you need to be so versatile in America. Because what they're trying to do what I what happened to me when I had meetings with agents, they wanted to pigeonhole me and they kind of wanted to work out like are you will come react you a drama, you're multicam are you coming from Australia? I literally sent them I said, What do you mean? Like, I'm an actor? I do, I do everything. Because in Australia, that's what you have to do. You know, just doing the TV show in Australia. And I was like, Ah, I think I've done off TV or try theaters. When you go to theater. They're like, Ah, I want a comedy came through, I'll do a comedy, I'll do a drum, you just take as you know, you know, you have to have to take what you get over here, because it's not so huge. Whereas in America, it's so huge. And I was very careful not to get myself pigeonholed. And, you know, and I'm the one thing I'm proud about in my IMDb is, there's a huge variety, you know, from like, I did Lady dynamite for Netflix, which is like the wackiest comedy all the way through the bones, you know, which is just a serialized drama. So um, so yeah, I think the the amount of amazing opportunities in America is fascinating.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, for sure. You touched on something really key, which I think a lot of I've noticed that with actors over here in Australia, don't really know or understand. Being a brand, as an actor and making the job I think of their agent or manager easier by it's not necessarily pigeon holing yourself, but saying, Look, this is where I see myself really shining in the industry. This is what I'm passionate about. The roles that I'm passionate about portraying? Yes, of course, as actors, we can do everything we we want to explore and try everything, but to start thinking about the business side of acting, and how do you fit into the industry? So how did you navigate yourself through that inner light, then?

Chum Ehelepola
That's interesting. I've kind of like that. I had to like, really think about that, because I kind of strangely bucked the system, but also let it work with me. So the first thing I was very cognizant of, and this is probably because of, of the type of vector I am and the type of work that I've done is, I had already arrived in LA with a body of work that was hard to pigeonhole was really hard to kind of go based on what he's done. He's a distro that we went into the states with a very strong drama reel and a very strong comedy real you know, I'm both of my rails were really strong in drama and comedy, to make it difficult for them to work out. Are you a drama guy or your comedy guys? So I guess the brand we went in with was credibility. And kind of like they he's a credible actor. No matter what you do. This guy is like, really, really amazing. Like an actor that like, really inspired by Paula, Colin Farrell, and these guys, you know, we just don't Are you drama, your comedy, are you? But what you do know is every time that man turns up on a TV show, he's just stunning. You know, he's just absolutely an amazing, amazing at times, the kind of brand we go with movies have the word you like? Well, that's a great actor, you know. And I guess for me, positioning myself in the States as a solid actor, was was really big for me. And I got into the ABC diversity showcase one year where they do the race and getting into that showcase are 20,000 actors submit like 16 people get a position. And one year, I end up getting a position and really Bayshore, the executive saw me doing drama and comedy really strong. And then also even beyond that, the global nature of me the fact that I'm a South Asian guy with an Aussie accent and I could do accents really well accents were a big part of my career. So then they had this idea of like, wow, we've got this kind of really interesting, unique looking, I can do accents. And I say to a lot of diverse actors and like, you know, just the more versatile you are as as the as the world is getting more open, less pigeonhole. We're kind of loving, ethically ambiguous, you know, like LGBTQ will, all opening up. So understanding your identity is probably a big part. For me, you know, really trying to get to know who I am as a human as a person. And then when you know that you walk into a meeting with execs or casting or whatever They trust your work. But then I say, but what kind of person are you? You're nice personally, you do spell. Nice.

Katherine Beck
It is nice to be nice. And think that is you're nice.

Chum Ehelepola
Oh, I hope I'm nice.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, so that's really, I love your take on it. And I love the fact that you're now bringing that to other working actors as well, because you do have an acting school, which is now online? And how do you find things that shifted for you now being on the other side of thing, things and coaching actors and working with them? On the other side?

Chum Ehelepola
It's as I sent you, before we could jump on the podcast. It's making me such a better actor. Yeah. Working with actors. Now this studio. It's called Sydney actors collective, it's we started in Sydney, but when because of zoom, so because of COVID, and stuff like that, when I was living in LA, we had a lot of online classes. But the again, we're talking about branding, like what's the brand of the school, the studio is that it's actually not not necessarily a sort of school at all. It's, it's, we only allow experienced, wrapped working kind of actors, you know, are trained. And it's kind of a really, it's a place for actors to understand themselves, not so much come and learn a technique, you know, like, you don't come and learn Mehmet practical aesthetics or whatever, you know, you come in, and you're just trying to understand yourself, like, who am I, you know, why am I scared of comedy, you know, or why I keep giving the, like, the pretty girl characters, and I'm not nailing them, I'm not, you know, I don't like them or I'm, so what we do as a studio is we just kind of like, help actors try and deeply understand what's going on under the bonnet. And then once they get a good understanding of themselves, then when they see a scene that says scared of it, because they're not scared of themselves anymore, you know, and I think, as an actor, I was, especially as a diverse minority actor, you know, I'm just scared all the time, you know, because I'm like, it's gonna go to a white guy, or, or the rolls of white, I'm never gonna get it, I'm never. And the more and more, I start to just get a peace with myself who I am and being proud of who I am and not feeling like I'm just gonna be scraping the barrel all the time for work, then all of a sudden, they would change roles, and the role was written white, and I did an audition, and they changed it to be a South Asian guy, because I was just felt really confident about myself. And I'm like, well, that's really cool. As opposed to arm pleat, please give me the role, you know. And so working with amazing, amazing actors in the studio, who are so capable graduates from great schools and working on stuff from actors from Hamilton, from Lion King, and from like, wonders the stateless with Cate Blanchett, you know, like just these amazing actors, to try and understand what's going on in them, and help them discover something about themselves. Of course, it comes back on me where it's a mirror back to me go, Well, what am I scared of? You know, well, what am I confronted by? What do I what do I feel I'm good at and what do I need to work on? So it definitely helps me big time.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, I know, I've noticed that as well. Being coach and working with actors. My Skill got wicked sharp.

Chum Ehelepola
Believe me, because it because I challenge you, great actors don't come in and go, I want to learn great actors come in and go, let me understand stuff. You know what I mean? And when you help people understand something, then you end up understanding something about yourself.

Katherine Beck
Totally, no, it really is about understanding yourself. And the more confident you are in your skin, the more enjoyable the process becomes, the easier it becomes. And that's when you start attracting those roles that you want to play because you've gotten out of the way of yourself.

Chum Ehelepola
You don't understand, Katherine, that has literally been my last few years. Yeah. You know, because you know, as an actor, you're the level of self importance some people have as actors is crippling and it's because you have to protect yourself because you're getting rejected you're getting judged you're getting all that stuff happening. So it all becomes about me and so all of a sudden the me the eye actor is like Well, I gotta do this I'm doing this I just got rejected. I got a book I gotta these are gonna and it works for some people. It just didn't work for me. I just ended up becoming so anxious, so neurotic that I have kids, you know, and if you have kids, there's no i anymore. You don't I mean, it's, it's, it's my children and my wife is amazing. She as a life coach as well as she was just able to help me process all of some of what was going on. And then when I just was able to kind of go look, I'm an actor. And just like a lawyer, you have a good case or a bad case, you have a easy client, a difficult client, you win some you lose some sending with an actor, I was like, Well, I get some of those scenes that are super easy, some that are really hard. Some guys are booked, some guys are dope. Some guys have shit on set. Some days, I feel really good on set. As long as I was able to kind of go, it's just a job. It's not me, not charm. You know, like my kids, my wife, my friends, my life, my sanity, my physicality, my what I enjoy doing that charm. I'm just an actor. And I want to be an amazing actor. So when I could look at it that way, I actually was able to understand myself better. I was able to look at scenes and auditions and not be so attached to them and just be like, well, what's the job? For the same? Like, what do I have to do. And so there's a lovely detachment I had. And then when I did my listing in the studios, right, where I would go for an audition. And then I'll do it, and I have some notes written on it, and I'd save the site. And I'd go back home and keep it. The problem was then like adult size, which I think I'm gonna get a call back, when you please remind is all over their house that like, if callbacks will be getting or not. And so then when I finished audition in the studio, and walk out of the room and just rip the sides, straighten a bit. And I'm like, if I get a callback for that, I can just reprint the sides. If I don't, then that's done. It's done. It's over, it's finished out of my head.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, I used to do a similar sort of thing as well, because I didn't notice that. And I realized, gosh, a few months ago, I was thinking when I start acting, I think it was around 12 or so. And I was like, man, I've been suffering from 30 years of rejection. A lot of rejection. People that aren't actors don't get that they don't realize how much we put ourselves through mentally, and then you've got to have a process for do it. And then forget about it, you move on to the next thing, because if you allow it to fester and harbor in your brain, it's it's going to eat at you you've got to eat people talk about developing this tough skin, it's I don't know, if it's necessarily about developing a thick skin, it's about being able to process the experience and be okay, with what happened in that moment and move on to the next thing instead of allowing it to consume you.

Chum Ehelepola
Well, it's so right. And that thick skin things interesting, you know, because that you got to develop a thick skin. And you're like, Well, yes and no, like, like, I'm not a dinosaur. I'm not a reptile, reptiles, reptiles, like I'm gonna crocodile and I want I want to have nice, soft, supple skin. To enjoy cuddling me, you don't want to pick skin, I think what you're going to do is you're going to have a great ability to contextualize things. Because context is crucial as an actor, where you know, like, if I fail at something, then I am a failure, you know, like, along that you feel like a reject. And it's like, no, it's just the way the industry works. You know?

Katherine Beck
And I think a lot of actors and tell me if you've noticed this in coaching actors, that they're afraid to fail, so then they hold back

Chum Ehelepola
100%, the biggest thing we push our actors to do, is to fail? Yes. Like, we are pushing them. Yeah, yeah, we will give them crazy exercises or scenes or whatever, to make them actually not be able to do it, and set them what they need for actors. What we need to do as humans is feel. Okay with that, because, you know, how are you going to know the edge of your ability, which is where failure lies, right? Failure lies at the edge of what you're able to do? How are you ever going to know your edge if you never fail? So what most of us do is we stay away from our edge when we hop right here, but in this fence never grows, because you've never gone to it. Yeah, if you keep hitting it, then all of a sudden, this starts to move. And it starts to move. And so failure counter intuitively is the key to success. Because it keeps pushing you further past your barriers. Keeps on a classic example for me, I fail so much raising my children. And in doing so I learned about parenting, and I go Well, thank God I messed that up. So next time that happens, I'll know better. And I'll go here, and I can by default, become a better father hopefully and raise better children be because they make you fail every day. Oh, they sure do. Oh, my wife has a great thing we should have didn't happen with the kids. And we'll do two things. We're like, wow, couple of things. You're grateful for two things you're grateful for. And one thing that was difficult about the day, so we'll talk about what's difficult about that day. And then we both say, Well, what's one thing we failed at today? Now we kind of celebrate the fact that the kids did something and they like messed it up, like like, you know, like, I did Lego train. I didn't get it. Right. Okay. Yeah, well done.

Katherine Beck
I love that. Yeah.

Chum Ehelepola
And there was on on auditioning. What happened was, I still look at auditioning as a win or lose, you know, you either get the gig or you don't get the gig. That's what an audition is. The great friend of mine, I work with amazing actor called geologists and was on a job with him. And he said to me, man, I've changed the way acting is auditions are, they're not a chance to win or lose anymore, it's just a chance to perform. It's a chance to act for an audience that actually is invested in your performance. You know, it's like a preview night at a theater show with the audience, too. And so when you see an audition as a chance just to perform to play, that's what we love, right? Like none of us do acting to book. It's mechanical, you do acting, to act to perform, to find a character to get in a world to let your blood burn as someone else not as yourself, to get into the psychology of someone else, not yourself. And when you enjoy that process, then whatever happens afterwards just happens, right? You can't control it. Executives are making decisions that have nothing to do with your acting. So all I can control is my act. And as long as I going back to my brand is like I'm credible. If everyone that sees a type of mind, just goes, That guy can act. That is what we know that I've done my job as my brand. Man. I mean, like, I one day, I was working for Ron Howard the next day that the network made a decision and I wasn't does that make me a better or worse or actor? Just the decision got made?

Katherine Beck
Exactly. Alright, so this is all really fascinating, because we're talking a lot about, you know, the state of mind of an actor and how you've experienced that in many different ways. But tell me, how did that catch you off guard a little bit when you got the call, or got the email or got the notification that you booked Mulan, because that is Disney. That's, that was kind of a major thing, wasn't it? That was

Chum Ehelepola
a huge one. That was a huge one. And that goes back to mindset because Similan was an interesting one. We've just been doing some work my wife and I, as my coach, which is weird being coached by your wife. And I got to start with like, Okay, I think we're in a bit of a gray area. So she put me in touch with another amazing coach. And we just did a lot of work on being able to let go, just just let go. And you know, as long as he act moving into LA, it's just a whirlwind. You're like, what is this machine this place? You know, and when you the higher up the machine you get, the faster and bigger the cogs are, you know? And so just really let go and let God was calm and Okay, I got his audition for Milan. And I'm strangely I kind of have my head went off ever gonna be one of the leads of a Disney 10 poll $200 million movie, you know what I mean? Like, son already just are so attached because I was like, I mean, if I if I got this, it'd be amazing. So unattached, which is very good. They'll read the character and I was like, Oh my God, this character is so much fun or how much fun and I just was so attached that I just had a lot of fun with this character. Sent the tape in. Then they were like great. Come in for a chemistry read, probably starting to chemistry read. And I remember sitting in the casting room, and it was one of the best casting directors in fact, the best that I've ever met Deb Zane. Casting, they just, oh my God. They run casting holistically humanly. They just protect the actors they understand the job. Durbin have a partner Dylan's well. They're like they've rehearsed scenes before the actors come in so they themselves as readers, and rehearse and are ready to work the scene with an actor. Wow. casting directors rehearsing sentiments themselves. I was sitting in the weight room and this other amazing guide will because I'm good cow who's now one of the leads in ghosts for CBS, he was the other guy's chemistry reading. And we're both just sitting in the room. And he's such a cool dude who had no attachment. And we just sat there. And we just started talking about everything except acting. Just literally dislike stupid stuff. His sense of humor is as warped as mine. So we would just talk to them about the most random weirdest things, then they call it a sin. And because we have been chatting, just as humans, our chemistry was just in the background, gelling. We didn't even know that our chemistry was gentle, we just changed a lot. This guy, he's like, I liked this guy. Then when we did the scene, all the hard work was already done in the weight room by just having a chat with each other. And when I looked at the guy's character, I wasn't afraid of anything he was going to do, because we've just been sitting there chatting. And we started mucking around and Nikki, Cara was in the room, Jason was in the room, as well as producing the director. And we started messing around, and oh, my god, that was just like, was like, we don't improv on stage. On a Friday night, we'll just, we'll just do whatever we want to like, I messed up a line. And he messed up the line when this way we collected ourselves, we, like we're failing, that that chemistry was so full of so much failure. But because both of us have spent our time understanding failure, then running away from it, when it happened, we were so on it, so on it. And when we got it, and I think the thing from what I remember, we were the only ones that got taken to the studios. And when, and then they said that the tape was going through Disney. And whether you got to watch this, this chemistry read, it's unbelievable. And when I had dinner with Deb and Dylan, they were like, we use this chemistry to train all our casting directors on, on how to watch or how a read works when two actors know their lines, but have let go of and so if they slip a line or whatever they make that work, we call it a gift from the acting Gods when you mess up a line. Most of thinking the devils company but we try and try to go to go well what a gift from the acting God that mess up. And now has made you do something that no other actor in the room could do. Because the slip is actually a gift.

And, and I think the other thing also that Nikki said was like when you guys messed up, and we saw how quickly you got yourself sorted, it made us feel really confident to put you guys in a two, three and remained on film because those things move fast. And you don't want actors breaking down. So when something goes horribly wrong, we know you guys are Yep. On and off we go because we want to get this crew of 600. Home before Oh

Katherine Beck
wow. So that was a real turning point for you. Personally and professionally, because you had been working through this process, get this amazing opportunity and the way that you thought about it propelled you in a totally different direction. Because you were in a sense, ready for that type of role type of movie, because you had worked on yourself.

Unknown Speaker
That's exactly right. Exactly. Right. Exactly. Right. We had been you know, like, Yeah, I've been auditioning so much in the states and book stuff here and there. And it's such a brutal machine, you know, I mean, because you're doing like one of my friends is like, he goes, Man, I've been going for like three auditions a day, every week for three months. You know, in policies, he couldn't even have coffee, and I wasn't going anywhere near as much as he. And then it gets it's a whole nother level of self reflection and resilience you got to deal with when you got that many auditions and you don't get one callback. As I brought him in, think about that. You're like, Well, yeah, there was so many auditions, like I didn't get one callback. And so, and he's an amazing actor. That's that's the thing, you know, and and so that was a huge turning point for me. But I think the big lesson I took and I'm trying my hardest to be this way and look. I'm a human man. Some days I'll go back to my little narcissistic, self right? To just kind of find a lovely holistic place as an actor complex as an actor to be. I think the mantra that I keep using, it's just a job. It's just a job. It's my job. Nothing else but my job. And when you just know that it's just a job. You know, Barack Obama, his job was to be the president. It's not him. That's his job. And, you know, hopefully, he's, I think he was great at his job, you know what I mean? Like, and so all I want to do is be good at my job. I can't control what the job does, or I mean, like, and so really working on myself helped a lot. And yet my god, Catherine, the opportunities that came after that. So use it, you know, I mean, when you let it go, the universe is whether you believe in the universe or not, I don't know, whatever,

Katherine Beck
you start to attract all those things, right. So we,

Chum Ehelepola
we got, so we, we didn't know what was going on. Right? We set the time. So often when I listen, that, you know, you're, you're in the mix is what they say you're in the mix. And my wife and I were like, You know what, let's get the kids and go back to Australia just for a holiday in. We, the place we go back to visit was where we live right now. This is paradise to cute little country town by the beach in the bush, you know, and it's just always oysters off the boat. And just like, anyway, so we landed, and we're like, great, this is awesome. And then we're driving to my local cafe, got a coffee, got some food, and we're hitting a six hour drive with the kids in a SUV. I've got my board shorts and my summer tanked up on ready to go swimming. And we're driving along. And then all of a sudden, I get a phone call from my US agents. Just like going you have to get back on an airplane right now to Atlanta, Georgia. As I watched the like, yeah, you just booked an AMC show TV show with Paul Giamatti. You're going to leave Australia now. The plane leaves at this time as like, Oh my God. And that sounds like Okay, I just I can get my wife and kids halfway down, three hours down. But why parents are going to come up the other way meet, pick up the kids, I was going to get a high Chi in that town and drive back to get on a flight from Sydney to get to Georgia. As we were trying to do that, I get another email from my managers with my lawyer over managers and all my agents on the phone. And I'm driving and I'm like, Hey, guys, yep, I'm on my way. I'm gonna drop the kids off and then they're like, You booked Milan in the same trip Okay, banks just trying to get a high car to get back before they get fired. Like how do I get the 100

Unknown Speaker
How do I get the hot guy how do I get the kids nappies changing my wife switch like my bed you got to pack me a backpack she's a trash having clothes into a backpack and my phone charger doesn't work can't get a high count because I can't make the call because my phone's died when in the countries there's no reception because it drives their national forests. It was unlike when it happens to me is when it rains it hails it just drops hail on top of me and the next you know I'm in an airplane and I get out in Georgia and my drivers waiting for me my limb was ready for me. He looks at me so strange. This is like what he is rubbed up in the coat and whatever and I've come out and flip flops sought a blizzard outside it is snowing. And so I'm kind of smuggled into my driver he puts me into the limo tends to turn the heater on and I'm like bro, I've got like no clothes my wife said to wardrobe and he was like decked out anyway. So there's a real fun in a moment I was able to just the difficult part isn't booking is letting go of needing to book that's the hardest part. And we really let go of mean the book then it's really easy to book actually. It's actually not that hard because you're unattached.

Katherine Beck
It's so true. So true. Yeah.

Chum Ehelepola
Yeah. It's it was it was amazing. It was amazing. And, and also then when we landed here in Australia, because we left America because of COVID. We were living in Studio City, right was one of the Black Lives Matter riots were going on at my son's school, the strip mall. Next it was just boarded up. We could hear the riots happening in Manassas and helicopters going on Trump had just come into power and there's a very divisive feeling going on in LA. And I think they were doing this expatriate flight. So my wife and I were like, let's just go for three months, you know, just getting out. And then we landed, and I was have gone through a major withdrawal of like, what have I done I've made a big mistake. Left la have worked so hard to make this work for me. And when I got here, con was still rampant and so my agent is like, look that on book work anywhere here. You got to be in each state to book because of the state closures, right? Yeah. You know, it's not like well, if I'm in New South Wales, all I can book is work in New South Wales. I can't be in Queensland and Victoria. Then I just got this amazing audition for a TV show. was a great TV shows a director that I worked on with on a show that Cate Blanchett had did conspectus now worked with this director in East Timor. And she was directing it. And she had reached out to casting and asked if I was in town, and where I was Mr. He's actually just landed in Australia. So she's like Greg said, You called me up, pitch me the show. It was really cool. A lot, a lot of love the show. And they said, Look, just put it up, put a tape down. Just gotta give it to the network. I was like, okay, cool. And I just had so much fun because like, why aren't I getting auditions? Yeah, I thought it was going to happen. Went back to loving the audition. Just love that. Love the character. I'm gonna have fun doing this. Next thing I booked it, and it just won the actor, which is the Australian Emmys for best television show ever just dropped on this dropped onto my lap. Because we've made a holistic decision to prioritize our children our lifestyle, ahead of acting. And I was like, I made a big mistake by leaving Hollywood. You know, I've just ruined my acting career, when in hindsight, I actually propelled it. Because this show just got picked up by 80 countries around the world is going to have a huge release in the US. And it's doing its second season. But yeah, but I never knew that. You know what I mean? Like, like you what the universe hasn't planned for you is amazing. But you got to get your body in alignment with it. You gotta get your head in alignment with it, you know, like, like a boxer like MMA fighter? You know, I mean, like, the hardest part isn't fighting, the hardest part is getting your mind into a nice calm place to go and fight. Yeah. And if you're calm, the finding is what all fighters love, they love the FBI. I love the acting, but if my mindset isn't in acting, it's painful. You know? Yeah, yeah,

Katherine Beck
totally. You know, and that's, that's the thing I find, like, that's why I want to ask you about accents. Because I know you've done a lot of different accents, American accent, all sorts of different accents. And I find that the mind gets in the way for actors in performing an accent. So how have you been able to master that yourself? Because clearly, you've done all right in that department.

Chum Ehelepola
I have I have, I've, I've worked in a lot of accents. So many that have an accent real, you know, professional shows with me with different accents. The more I started to do accents. Look, obviously an accent fundamentally is about heavy amounts of your tongue and all that kind of stuff like that, you know, and, and fundamentally, when I was learning that kind of stuff, I was I was understanding it. But then when I came time to actually act and do it, I couldn't think of this technical stuff. And because if I did, I just went straight into my head and I would, I would sound horrible and descend a horrible sound like a guy doing an accent. What I tried to do was, you know, the accent is like a costume. moment you put on a particular costume changes the way your body is, you know, mean? Like, if you put prosthetics are a way go, if you put if you wear a beautiful suit, you know, and onset, then you change who you are. And I'm gonna start changing my, my sound my voice, which is innately so big part of you. I would try let that inform very much that I'm changing now. You know that Trump is not charmed I through my accent at least. And now, the character wrong. You know what I mean? Okay, well, what's wrong? Who is he? Even on? I mean, like, what's his deal? Because he doesn't sound like me. He has this accent. And so then through that, I was able to really land that accent, you could just land a lot more otherwise he's sitting in a headspace on a workout how to have a sound. You know? Whatever extent you're doing was when you this can't be like, Oh, Ron speaking. Okay. Well, what's the Ron's deal? How does Ron inflect How does Ron you know, like, like, Where does he takes his kind of pauses instead of thinking, Oh, should that's a trick phone. You know what I mean? Like, I'm gonna make sure I get that. And in doing that, I was able to really be able to find so much more color and tenor to an accent, which is the hardest part, you know what I mean, to make that accent feel like it's actually part of, of a sound.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, and that sounds sort of similar, I think to how I teach my students is, how do you teach them? Well, I teach them what I call the All American accent. I don't teach them a ge neral or standard American accent because the problem I saw with that, is that actors go about trying to fit the accent a specific way. Like there's only one way to sound American. But you know, because you spent a lot of time in the US. There's not one accent. No, not at all. There's so many. So it comes down to the character's voice, their voice, and yes, they sound different, but it comes down to who they are. And when you can attach your your character's voice to you. That's way more important than a specific write only one way to sound American because that doesn't exist.

Chum Ehelepola
Like when people say to me, Americans always inflect to the end of a sentence up or down, or whatever they say, my brain cannons, I don't think that's right, because a lot of friends who are American who, like interject down and some mucked up, and it's the type of personality they are. And it's also

Katherine Beck
circumstantial, like you you could be a person on flex down, but you can also inflect up depending on the circumstance,

Chum Ehelepola
correct? Correct, depending on what situation you're in, you know, depending on what moment you're in. And so I always kind of have balked a bit at these hard and fast rules and understood it as well, we stay so far away from hard and fast rules, because, you know, true acting, true acting, voice, behavior, character, everything is just a replication of humanity. And so if actors understand psychology more than techniques, right, if you understand how a human works, and put most of your time on how a human works, and be fascinated when you go to a cafe, and watch people that are watching, how are these humans working, you know, when you talk to your partners, whatever, what's going on, and understanding that, then that's just fundamentally the job, you know, is to be the most believable human possible. bad acting was when you can like, I don't believe that purse. I don't believe that's how a person would be. Not are they missed the turning point of the beat change in line 57, you know. And so, with accents, I'm going to show at the moment now for Disney plus, and I have to put a accent on and that is great, because I'm having so much fun with it because the character goes through some really cool stuff. And, and within the accent, I'm also working with head chests and bass. Because sometimes humans you know, like we get very heavy whenever other talks about it. Oh my God, that's what really philon and you will find your bass. And when you get accent work we kind of I was so thinking about the accent that we forget about, like, within our body placement. Where are we? And I'm having a lot of fun, like, depending on where this character is, where the accent trends where the voice goes. And as the voice goes, the accent has to follow. You probably noticed someone's like, you know, the doing their accent in rehearsal, and it's great, impeccable. And they go okay, action. And when they get that rhythm, it's gone. Yeah, yeah. Because, because yeah, then our character, they haven't been able to solidify the accent into the character.

Katherine Beck
Exactly. It really it is a process. And you know, you're talking about bad acting, and how it's fascinating with accents, as well as like the second that like you could be a really great actor. But then the second that you layer in an accent, the best actor sometimes can fall apart, because they haven't hooked in that time ahead of the actual performance to where you actually can set it free. And then what happens is they get into their head and that's where the bad acting occurs. Yes. Yeah, we speak. We speak the same language champ.

Yeah, exactly.

Chum Ehelepola
I had to do an audition. And I did the lines. And then they're like, Okay, can you try it in? Indian accent. So immediately, I have to do the whole thing with Indian accent. Okay. Can you do with a standard American? Okay, did the whole thing Semak. Alright. Okay. Let's see what it sounds like in your Australian accent. And then you see the producer talking. And again, keep doing the Middle Eastern accent. Yeah, shot again. And so just straight into Middle Eastern action. And this was a network Show, and I had just had to without any warning. Yeah. On the spot deliver five accents. You know, the show today with Paul Giamatti? Sorry,

Katherine Beck
we oh, why is it was that show?

Chum Ehelepola
No, no, it's another show I do that with the UK accent. And so the whole show was made during the UK accent. All right. So I got a question. And

Katherine Beck
I got a question for you, then do you think that like, I've got my own belief on that. But do you think that that really is a great benefit, and attract attractive when actors can do just what you did, where they've got those accents, all those accents in their back pocket, and are so as easily able to jump into those when requested? It's not many actors that can do that. Oh, my

Chum Ehelepola
God. I think it's super attractive. I think, I think any actor that on the spot can do 10 different things, is so attractive than the one actor who does the one thing perfectly, and there's two sides on it, I get it, I lean towards this side, which is a slightly into a take right? Now, I'm at a point where I try on each take to be very different. Because, you know, I know, the editor is going to thank me when they see the text, right? Because like, wow, cool. We've got a variety and I love that, that I can kind of take that one line and just mess around with it. I don't change the words, but everything changes. And but it still sits within the arc of what's going on. Like, I'm not changing the whole story. Just like that. And it's like a singer, you know, when a singer can just like stuff, in all different kinds of genres and ranges, and whatever you just like, polish. That's amazing that you do that. And I think acting is the same thing. I think sometimes we are trained as actors to get out technique and get it perfect, and get the same pre done, and it's perfect. But maybe that worked a while ago, but networks are so fluid and open and stories of characters are so open and the conversations we're having around the web and casting around gender neutrality and around ethnic diversity. So this is like old school stock standard system isn't working any more. When you go to shows like euphoria, you know, like where they're just like, bro, do whatever you want. And a lot of actors are scared by that the freedom to actually do whatever you want. It's up, but I gotta prepare that. So well, you don't have time to prepare it. We've just decided that right now on set that we're going to go this way who can do it? Yeah, you're right. You're right, Catherine, very few actors can on the spot. Just be like, bam, let's change that. Let's change that. Let's go this way. Without screaming like, Man, you guys are changing everything and you're missing my system.

Katherine Beck
And that's why I noticed. Because I do a lot of voiceover work. I always tell actors, I said voiceovers have made me a better actor, because there's no time to prepare. They throw things at you on the spot in session. And without a doubt that was one of the voiceovers and improvisation. Those two things. Yeah, I far may be a better actor.

Chum Ehelepola
So much more like when I was in LA, I did improv at UCB and I finished up all the way through, we had our own team. And we would go and do the indie circuit. Oh, my God, I have so much fun. You know, so much fun playing around. I did an improv TV show called no activity here in Australia. And, you know, roseburn and Damon Herrmann is guys role in the show where we basically got told there's no script. Here's what happens, action, you know, and it was so scary, and so much fun. And then that show got picked up in the US and had no activity on CBS All Access. And I was pretty amazed to find that Will Ferrell reprise my role he was playing the role I played. and whatnot. And it was a bit of an honor, because the wall I mean, how much of an improvised actor is that guy? You know what I mean? Like, and he's, he's kind of a great example of an actor comically, who can just do anything. And wow, and it goes back to that thing of Colin Farrell was like, well, he can just do anything. And that's six. That's absolutely brilliant. You know. So, with accents, I think any actors who can practice accents, not even because you have to do them, but it just teaches your Mind a bunch of things and structures your body in another way as well. It's really crucial. Because as you said, you just never know what they're gonna ask you on set. They never you never have a clue what they're gonna ask you.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, and I think it gives you a greater perspective of where people come from, as well.

Chum Ehelepola
Yeah, yeah. Big time. You know? Because when you do get to do an accent, you have to really think about because you don't want to dishonor Yeah. You know, you don't want to like just do some kind of generic version of wiener like songs is keen to in London, you're not going to go yo, we're writing then chap. The queen?

Katherine Beck
No, we can't do that. No.

Chum Ehelepola
Me I look, yeah, 1015 years ago, that's what they were doing. But now you gotta even as some of you asking East London, so different to you know, like, the North, you know, like, and then so. Yeah, the ability to plan I think also, one of the things I love about accents is it makes your body have to go to another place. Because when you when you normally hear yourself, you're calm, because it's my voice, right? But when you hear yourself as something else, the body panics. It's like, Wait, who? Who are you? And that's a fun place to be. It's a scary place to get yourself to go. I don't know what's going on? I don't know. I'm afraid of myself. There's an excitement, real excitement to that.

Katherine Beck
Yeah. Oh, chum. We could talk forever. This has been awesome. Um, before we wrap it up, though, I have one last question. I just be curious to know, from you. Is you you know, you've had such a great career thus far. And I know you've got amazing things up and coming as well. What? What advice also, what advice would you give to actors that are just starting out? Or even actors that have felt like you and me? Were we at some stages have felt felt stuck or getting ourselves in our way? What would you tell them?

Chum Ehelepola
So much, isn't it Catherine? Because I think that that's fundamentally the environment of the job. Right? So when you realize that this is this great story, okay, the Buddha, the Buddha was hungry, and he was at it. And he said to one of these monks, who said, you know, we're hungry, we need to get some dowel to eat. And then he said, have a monk was like, Great, I'll go and ask one of the houses if we can borrow some doll, you know, because the Buddha said, Yeah, great, fantastic. And I remember as a monk went to go, the Buddha said, but before we do that, we can only get down from a house that's never endured any suffering, like a house, it's only lived peacefully and happily. And amongst, like, easy, that's no, that's what the world is. The monk with every single house came back and had no doll. And the Buddha looked at him and said, Exactly, there is no house that doesn't suffer. And when you know that, you will be at peace with the suffering, you will know how to handle suffering, just know that it's in, it's in avoidable and acting is the same. It's unavoidable. The rejection, it's, it's unavoidable. It's actually the environment. So the more actors can understand themselves and on what that is, what is projection and taking a deep psychological dive into, well, what is it? Is it just a no to a job? Or is it all I'm I'm deficient? I'm not enough. Because you're I mean, like a house that suffering like, well, what is the suffering? I mean, like, There's levels to it. I tell all our actors and I tell myself as well look at your career, as a lot of human a lot of us have a lot of right and a ball. Okay? Your ability to train, your ability to challenge yourself to get better. Your ability to do stuff like you know your voice classes or working with students such as myself and other studios, having sessions with your other peers on a Friday night with a bottle of wine on a pizza and running scenes together just for fun. Getting a DSLR and shooting something just because you just enjoy shooting, not because you have to deliver something to your agent or put something up on your you're only at two or casting networks or whatever, you know, I mean, like you're just doing it because you love it. All of those activities are getting allowed to have your board put in the big lotto. That's how you get your ball into the 30 balls that are only allowed in the big lotto cylinder. Now that you're in the cylinder, you have no control of your ball coming out the little slot, you have zero control. But at least you're in, you're in with a chance. And just when you have no idea, all of a sudden, you're number 27 diskless. And you're like, wow, I just booked something, my number just popped out of the ball. But if you're not in the big ball, you can't come out that slot. How do you get in the big ball, just enjoy everything that acting is. And if you can just holistically find that in you. The joy, the fun. Not the inadequacy, the fear of failure, the egotistical drive, the red carpets, proving to your mom and dad and friends and husband and wife that you actually can make it all of that stuff is toxic. It's just like going back to the love of it. And if you can really honor that, then you're in the ball. As I said with my you know, during the Australia got the all sudden boom, two balls dropped as soon as I landed, to go on a holiday with my family. And so that would be my advice. Just try and work out really how to holistically and I use that word holistic because this year in the studio, one that runs the studio, we're like, well, what's the theme for our studio for 2022. And everyone has put their hand up and said holistic you know, we've had such a messed up time the last few years to the world, that we've lost our holistic ability to just be organic and be in our bodies be truthful because we're locked down with locked in there's war, there's pandemics, you know, everyone's got major, like all kinds of anxieties going on. So, so yes, my long winded answer, Catherine, is to find the joy and love of acting. And make that front and center above booking. And if you can above booking, get back in love with it again. Then your ball is in the lotto. And then just sit back until not if until your ball drops because it has to draw. That's it. I don't know if that was helpful or not.

Katherine Beck
It's great. I love I hope so. Helped me one person

Chum Ehelepola
all I care about I've given you one hour to help one person. One more than it was an hour ago.

Katherine Beck
Listeners! Oh, it's been so much fun to catch up with you. And thank you for spending the time with me and my listeners. And where can people find you if they want to get in touch with you learn more about Sydney actors collective learn more about you what you're up to?

Chum Ehelepola
Yeah, yeah, that's great. Look, if they're interested in training, and again, because it's online, you can be anywhere in the world. You know, like right now one of our classes we had someone from LA or New York, Singapore, New Zealand and some other country in the one class you know, and it was it was really great. Sydney actors collective.com Maybe put up there somewhere for them to see a puppet in the show notes over the show notes. Yeah, Sydney actors collective.com. It's great place, go and check it out. It's kind of view again, not necessarily for beginner actors a little bit more for actors who kind of have done a little bit more and kind of work trying to work out some, like I don't want to learn another technique. I've done that. I just want to kind of work out some blocks I've got going on. If you're just interested in me and kind of like my little exploits and what I'm doing then Instagram is great. At Chowmahalla, Paula. And if you do feel like talking to me or don't know why, but if you do, then I guess you can DM me? Like, I don't know if I've got anything cool to say but yeah, love to say hi. But yeah, yeah, that's a good, that's a great way to go. Where to follow me and kind of stay in touch. Stay in touch. Yeah.

Katherine Beck
Awesome. Thanks so much, Chad. It's been a pleasure. With you.

Chum Ehelepola
Thanks so much for asking me to do this. And I'm really so love what you're doing and so supportive of it. Because like, I know, when I was starting out, we didn't have these kinds of podcasts. So we didn't have people, amazing people like you. You're giving up your valuable time to help everyone out there. Because that's what people do. They log on to listen to you. And you're offering this for people, which is just huge. And I wish there were podcasts like this when I was coming up. So I'm so we asked you to do it. I say yeah, I'd love to do I'd love to help out. So well.

Katherine Beck
Thanks so much. It's my you know, it was something that was calling my name for many years and I was hesitant to do it. And then when I did it just felt so right and it's been such a joy to be able to share things about the industry to new actors, working actors, everyone and, and I think it's just a great way for all of us to come together as well to realize that we're all human beings. We all go through the same struggles. We all go through the same insecurities, wins all of it. And it's been great. So I appreciate that. Yeah, that's great.

Chum Ehelepola
My pleasure. Thanks so much for having me.

Katherine Beck
Thanks. Thank you so much, Tom, for being on the podcast. And remember, if you love this episode, go ahead and let me know tap that five stars and leave a review. And when you do, you can get featured on the podcast, and make sure to tag me over on Instagram at Catherine underscore Beck underscore, let me know that you love this podcast episode, share it with me over on Instagram. And don't forget to DM me with any questions, comments, or upcoming topics or people you'd like to see me interview on the podcast. And coming up next week on the show. We're gonna go a little bit more accent driven. We're going to talk about those American arts, we're going to deep dive into why those Rs are so tricky, what's holding you back. And I'm going to give you some great tips on how to strengthen your American Rs. So you can sound super American through your next US audition. And don't forget to share the show with all your actor friends, let them know what's coming up next week and invite them to tune in with you and learn how to become an All American actor. So you can be the Working Actor you dream to be until then go on and get out there and practice your American accent and I'll see you back here next time.