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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best creativity magazine in the UK“, actor Hari Bhaskar talks about his acting career, what inspires him, and his goals for the future.
Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed Hari Bhaskar about his life and acting career, his new role in the play Sonnez Les Matines, and what he aspires to in the future.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m an actor from Kerala, India. I moved to NYC in January of 2021, during the pandemic, and I graduated from the Evening Conservatory program at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in June of 2022. The Stella Adler school has a notable list of alumni, such as Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando to name a few.
When did you first realise you wanted to be an actor?
In high school, I did a production of Jesus Christ Superstar. There were two days where we were at the recording studio, recording the songs for the play. On both those days, we were at the studio from 11 am in the morning to 1 am the next day. The camaraderie that I shared with my cast members made me realise that acting is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and that there was nothing else that I had enjoyed so much.
What is your favourite thing about performing?
It is definitely the attention that I get being in the spotlight, but as I’ve gone on this journey, I’ve also started to discover many facets of myself which I didn’t know was within me, which get revealed when I play different characters, which is something I really love.
What classes or training sessions have you taken to support your acting career?
I trained at the Evening Conservatory program at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City, and I was also a part of the theatre society in my college when I was doing my bachelor’s in Delhi, India.
What was your first professional acting job?
It was a short play called Vincent’s, which was a part of the New York Short Play Theatre Festival at the iconic Players Theater in New York City. The play premiered barely a week after I graduated from the Stella Adler Studio.
What was your most recent professional acting job?
Currently I’m doing a play called Sonnez Les Matines, which is an original work written by Jane Scharl, and is set to be performed at the John DeSotelle Acting Studio in New York City.
Tell me a favourite experience in your career. Something that stands out in your memories and makes you want to find more experiences like it.
I recently did a play in Fort Lauderdale, Florida called Sauna, which is basically about the different types of men that you encounter in a sauna. The character that I was playing was that of a closeted gay man. One of the most touching moments for me was when an audience member told me that he was able to relate to the character so much, as he experienced the same things as my character did in his life too. That is one of my most wonderful memories of my acting career, alongside the many others that I’ve had. I want to have more of these similar kinds of experiences, along with the fact that I got an all-expense paid trip to Florida, and had one of my best vacations in a really long time.
What was your toughest experience in your acting career?
I was doing a play titled Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar, as a part of my final project at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. During one of our dress rehearsals, we had our director, as well as our voice and speech coach and our movement coach. There were five of us actors, so we had to take turns in terms of taking notes. I was the last one to take notes from my director as I was the lead actor in the play, and I had first priority when it came to taking notes from the movement and voice and speech coaches.
Once I reached my director, I had to take down notes continuously for twenty minutes! My hands started to hurt while taking down the notes, but it was also the fact that I had to process these notes just a few days out from the opening show. That was definitely one of the toughest challenges that I’ve ever had to experience.
Have you family and friends been supportive of your acting career?
My father has always been supportive, but my mother wasn’t initially. She thought it was just a fling, and that it would pass by pretty quickly. But once she saw the passion that I had for it, she just gave in. My dad’s mother was excited when I took arts in high school, because she thought that I would go into administrative services, but later on she was happy that I was doing what I loved.
Tell me some career goals. What would you like to achieve?
I definitely want to be one of the greatest actors of all-time. My goal is to win an Oscar before I turn 30. I’m currently 23.
Tell me something you were surprised by, something you had never realised about being a professional actor.
As I’ve been on this journey, I realised that you can feel really lonely a lot of the times. Not many people are willing to become friends. Sometimes I feel used and then discarded after my job is done. It’s something that I’ve had to learn, to not take it personally. There are many people in the industry who are quite guarded and keep their cards close to their chest.
What are words of advice you have for other aspiring actors?
It would be to just put down your head and work. Don’t expect anything from anyone; you wouldn’t be disappointed then. Hard work can really get you to places.
Give me your social links so people can come and find you!
www.instagram.com/bhaskarettan
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