Who is New York’s Franklin Livingston and some of his American actor and influencer work: Franklin Livingston is a versatile Pakistani-American actor. He specializes in dramatic roles and has proven his acting abilities in other genres of film, including comedy as well. Franklin was born in Pakistan whereas most of his education has been completed in the U.S. Here, in addition to studying at Northwestern University, Franklin gained extensive acting training from Atlantic Acting School, New York Film Academy, Moscow Arts Theater, the Meisner Studio of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and Western Connecticut State University. Find more info on Franklin Livingston.
Franklin Livingston reveals a stunning confession about his relocation to New York City, where he continues to witness several aspiring actors who are filled with the yearning to be seen on screen. It didn’t matter if it was a short film or a top Hollywood film. Although, most of them desire to feature in Hollywood films, but don’t get a chance to act in an ultra low budget project. This reason is causing some of them to develop mental health conditions for cloning on to such a wait.
Franklin has always been in love with cinema and has been making films since the age of 16. He has evolved as technology and style have progressed over the years, and he deeply enjoys the craft in every aspect. Despite excruciating long hours of creative thinking, planning, and executing, and typically being the first to and the last person to walk out of the film sets after sleepless nights, Franklin Livingston never falls out of love with expressing human emotion and capturing stories that need to be told. He believes that a good story must constantly be educating, entertaining and engaging. And that’s what he aims for in his productions.
Like someone that will put the needed effort in and behave like an actor both in the audition room and on the film set. Small acts of respect like turning the phone off before entering the audition room used to be a big indication of that, which is now lost in the “zoom room”. Then there is the emotional connection that you simply cannot make with your scene partner over zoom. So when we show up on set, it can produce some very dysfunctional results. Sometimes you will have very underprepared or undertrained actors that think all they need to do is recite their lines perfectly, but they have completely forgotten how to make that emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual connection with their scene partner(s) and get on moment-to-moment work to re-create a scene on set that they read on a piece of paper.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? Al Qually has been a tremendous help on my journey in New York. When I first arrived in the Big Apple, I was angry and depressed because I had so many negative experiences. I believe that it was my growing and learning phase, but I met Al in 2016 who collaborated with me on numerous projects. He always went out of his way to help me with scripts, filmmaking, and much more without any expectations or hidden agendas. We have shot several short films in and outside of his apartment in Queens (including “Down-Range”) where he would be making coffee and running around trying to make sure all actors and crew were taken care of. Since our initial encounter and through Al’s network, I have met many great professionals who have helped me become a better human being and a compelling storyteller.
Franklin not only wants to help tell realistic stories, but he also acts out these stories. He likes to be practical. With his voice, body, and skills that he has been honing for years, he can show Hollywood that they have been waiting for a strong dramatic lead like him, but they simply haven�t even realized it yet. Along with being a gifted actor, filmmaker, and producer, Franklin is an empathic person. He loves being an active member of the community through his participation in social justice-based activities. He also enjoys cooking, traveling, sightseeing, motorcycling, driving through states, and jet-skiing. Franklin has observed the way other actors with brown skin have gained some headway, but they have typically done so through a particular type of comedic role.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? I was in a meeting with my first TV commercial agents. They asked me if I was working on getting rid of my accent. They said that getting work without having a native sounding American vernacular is impossible. I laughed to myself and replied bluntly that I don’t believe I could ever eliminate my accent and that local people tend to search for a foreign accent when they need a medical specialist or a cosmetic surgeon in Beverly Hills. I think it’s only the Media, the formula, and the system that believes that actors shouldn’t have their native accents if they wanted to play leads in the local projects. Upon seeing their facial expressions, I realized my honesty was a mistake.
For these reasons, Franklin felt the urge to do something. As a community builder, Franklin not only looks out for himself; instead, he works out situations for the best interest of others, as he did for the young and upcoming American actors locate in the greater New York area. In summary, Franklin turns possibilities into reality. Franklin Livingston teaches us that even though there are possibilities in everything we yearn for; Nothing good comes out without challenges. There are possibilities all around you; plan and put them into action.