PROVING THAT HARD WORK PAYS OFF, ACTOR DAVID CASTLEFORD
“You have to prove yourself in the arena,” says David Castleford. He, of course, means the acting arena and the arena of theatre and film work. He knows what he’s talking about, too, he’s had to prove himself in the arena over and over. His other piece of great advice for aspiring actors is “Once people trust you, they will use you again and as they move up the ladder, the principle still applies, the stakes are high and the budget is relative.”
Common sense and profound at the same time. Since humans have been acting since before history was written, (think acting out the hunt in front of family members in a fire-lit cave), David’s advice is well founded and has been proven true for thousands of years. It’s interesting what each actor learns on the way to understanding his or her craft. David studied with brilliant teachers, such as Michael Birch and attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School so he has some street cred when it comes to giving advice to new actors.
David has also acted in too many plays to mention here and has been in front of the camera on numerous films in England, such as Rough and Tumble, Scarlett and the Man, The Sinking Ship and many others. He’s also just been cast in a TV mini-series that’s in pre-production and he’s joined the cast of another feature-length movie, Free To Be, to be released in 2016. Once you’re trained and have experience, he says, you need to go out and just do it. You need to go to auditions and do your best in each and every one you go to. It’s all about you, don’t forget. It’s about getting the part and becoming the character and once you can do that on command, then you are a professional.
Of course, professionals are always getting better and improving their talents and skills so, actors shouldn’t take anything for granted. They should always strive to learn something new, like how to master another accent or how to walk in a completely different way than they themselves do. Simple things like that are important in creating a fully fleshed out character, whether it’s on the stage or on the big screen.
We can’t wait for David’s next film to come out. His characters are always unpredictable, and that’s what makes David Castleford such an extraordinary actor.