Meet Maximilien Blanc

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maximilien Blanc.

Hi Maximilien, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in London, UK, where I realized that I wanted to become a filmmaker. When I was about 15 years old, I remember watching Pulp Fiction with one of my close friends and his family. This family was very critical by nature, and they never seemed to be impressed by much. However, when Samuel L Jackson looked dead into Tim Roth’s eyes and asked him to give him his wallet that said “Bad Motherfucker,” everyone in my friend’s family cheered. I got goosebumps because that’s when I truly realized the power of cinema. If done right, it can bring people together, and bring joy to even the most critical. I knew that I wanted to make movies, but I didn’t know how it was going to happen.

When I graduated high school, I decided to go to college in California in order to pursue my filmmaking ambitions. I applied to all the major film schools in Los Angeles such as USC and UCLA but got into none of them. I ended up attending a small liberal arts college on the outskirts of LA: Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Though it wasn’t a film school, I majored in Media Studies and had access to great film equipment.

I made a couple of dreadful shorts throughout my first few years until I decided to make what I considered to be my Magnum Opus.  I was highly influenced by Christopher Nolan’s first feature film “Following,” which he wrote, directed, filmed and edited when he was 27. So, being a Junior in College, I decided that I was going to do the same, but beat him by six years. I was going to make my first feature film at 21, and it was going to screen at the Slamdance film festival, just like Nolan (shoutout to beginner’s ignorance, how blissful). I wrote a 73-page script and cast some friends of mine. Like Nolan, I decided that I was going to not only write and direct the film, but I was also going to shoot and edit it. Filming took three months, shooting on weekends and weeknights around campus. The resulting film was a 70-minute film noir set in college, which I titled “Heart of Vice” (a pretentious title, but sounded good back in the day).

I submitted the film to the Slamdance Film Festival, as well as a couple of other major festivals that I targeted. It didn’t get accepted anywhere. I was gutted. Even though, looking back, just the fact that I finished the film was a success in itself, I didn’t see the big picture at the time. I felt like I had wasted my time making this film. I was burned out and decided to take a break from filmmaking for the rest of the year.

For my Senior year, I needed to make a Thesis film in order to fulfill my Media Studies major. I wrote, directed and edited a sci-fi short about addiction titled “Sono.” The film was more successful than the previous. It awarded me High Honors and went on to win several film festival awards, including the Silver Award for “Best Editing” at the NYC Indie Film Awards.

After graduation, I didn’t have a job lined up – unlike most of my classmates. I knew that, if I wanted to stay in LA, I needed to find a job fast. Through a distant connection, I was introduced to a talent agent at a major agency in Los Angeles. This wasn’t for representation but simply an informational meeting. When you’re on the outside of the business, it feels like it’s impossible to find your way in. So I knew that I needed some guidance. I met her at her office, and I remember being overwhelmed. She represented some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and her office was huge. I’m an introvert by nature, so this was a particularly terrifying moment. Thankfully, she could not have been nicer and more gracious with her time, and she gave me some great advice. She told me that if I wanted to make it in this business, I needed to first understand the business side. She recommended that I apply to work at the agency for at least a year in order to understand how the business works.

I had seen enough of Entourage to be terrorized by the idea of working at a talent agency. But again, I wanted to stay in LA. I applied and got a job in the mailroom. I never worked harder in my life. It was a difficult time. When you’re in the mailroom of an agency, you still need to interview with agents in the company in order to move up and become an assistant. I interviewed to become an assistant twelve times but never got chosen. Let me be clear, this wasn’t the agency’s fault, nor do I believe it to be my own. It just wasn’t a good fit. It’s like Einstein’s quote: “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

I wasn’t living my truth, I was made for something else. However, I wasn’t making films either. I was so busy working long hours that I quite honestly didn’t have the energy to make films. In college, I had the time and the energy to film in the evenings and weekends, but now, I was in the real world and I was struggling to motivate myself. I needed that to change. I needed to find a way to boost my creative energy and meet fellow creatives outside of the agency who I could make films with. I decided to find an acting class that I could take after work. I figured: “If I could meet actors, I could write and direct films for them.”

I enrolled in the orientation class of the Beverly Hills Playhouse, which George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer attended back in the day. I remember my very first time stepping onstage. I was so nervous. I felt like a fish out of water – or a fish climbing a tree for that matter. I stood offstage before they called my name to go up. My fists were balled up, my palms were clammy. I wanted to turn around and go home. All I could think was: “This was a stupid idea, they’re going to laugh at me, I’m not an actor, I’m a fraud.”

Everyone clapped as I took my first step onstage. And to this day I cannot explain why or how, but the second I stepped onstage, my nerves fled. I felt confident, I felt like I belonged. It was the weirdest thing because I had never acted a day in my life. But something about that moment felt right to me. I performed my first scene, and everyone clapped. I got chills all over my body like I did when I first watched Pulp Fiction with my friend’s family back in London. And, exactly like I felt in that moment, I said to myself “this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.”

I decided to shift my focus from directing to acting. I figured that if I could gain experience as a working actor, it would help me become a better director down the line. By acting, I would not only learn first-hand from working directors, but I will also know how to talk to actors when I decide to direct again.

I left my job at the agency and found work as a video editor for a production company. I wasn’t ready to become an actor full-time yet. I still wanted to train consistently for a couple of years in order to make sure that this was what I wanted to do. Working at the production company was amazing because it was creatively stimulating and fulfilling. I edited a variety of projects ranging from commercials to TV shows, most notably LeBron James’ The Shop which won the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Edited Sports Series” in 2020.

I worked as a full-time editor for the company for a little over three years until I felt ready to take the leap into acting. I quit my full-time position at the end of 2021, but I still edit on a freelance basis in order to support myself as I audition and find acting work. I am now starring in my first feature film, where I play one of the leads, but I unfortunately cannot disclose details of the project just yet. I could not be more excited for what lies ahead, and I am extremely grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. The biggest struggle I’ve dealt with was finding the courage to leave my full-time position in order to pursue acting. I was progressing well in my role at the production company, being trusted with bigger and more challenging projects. It was a validating experience, and there wasn’t anything about the job that made me want to leave. On the contrary, I really enjoyed working there and found it very inspiring.

I simply had this gut feeling that I wanted to give acting a serious shot before I got to the point where I felt like it was too late. I had this horrible habit of comparing myself to other actors my age. I would see some of my fellow actor friends working on really cool projects, and I felt like my window of opportunity was slipping away. This was an illusion of course because it’s never too late to pursue your dream, but it felt very real. I would wake up with this pit in my stomach because I felt like I didn’t have the courage to take the risk. The idea of leaving a steady and creatively interesting job for the uncertain and rejection-filled world of acting felt both terrifying and unrealistic. I never worked as an actor a day in my life, and at the age of 26, most actors my age had already been acting for at least a decade. How could I even think I had a chance? I didn’t have an answer to that question, but I knew that if I didn’t try, I was going to regret it for the rest of my life. So I knew that I had to make the jump, but I had no idea how I was going to overcome the fear of doing so.

I come from a very pragmatic household. My parents are both very risk-averse. I don’t mean that in a negative way by any means, they are just very rational and don’t take unnecessary risks. This decision went against how I was raised, so there was a lot of mental unwiring to do. I took up a consistent meditation practice in order to learn how to manage my negative thoughts, and I began to intentionally expose myself to uncomfortable situations so that I could overcome the fear of discomfort. I began taking cold showers every day, I began working out intensely, I bought myself a car and decided to drive regularly (I was terrified by the idea of driving and had been avoiding this task since I got my license at 20 years old). Though seemingly minimal, regularly exposing myself to discomfort had a compounding effect over time. And, most importantly, I gave myself a deadline for when I was going to broach the conversation with my bosses. I wrote the deadline down and held myself accountable. On the day of the deadline, I gave my notice and leapt into the unknown. By that point, I had done the necessary work on myself to face my fears, and I haven’t looked back since.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am both an actor and a video editor. I remember Googling “can you realistically balance an acting career with an editing career” and the general consensus was no. It is true that they’re both very time-intensive careers, and it would probably behoove you to fully immerse yourself in one. However, I see acting and editing as being very complementary fields. As a video editor, I learn what editors look for in actors. As an actor, I am highly invested in squeezing the best performances out of the actors when I edit. I love spending time both in front and behind the camera, it gives me greater perspective and allows me to improve in both disciplines. That’s what I think separates me from most actors and editors out there.

I love Nelson Mandela’s quote: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” A lot of people are of the belief that if you try to balance two careers, you’ll be a master of none, but I don’t agree. It is absolutely possible to master several crafts, and I’m blessed that both of my passions can fuel each other. I’m also incredibly grateful that I decided to pursue acting after having had some job experience outside of acting. It has allowed me to take the same professionalism and work ethic that I developed at the agency and as an editor and apply it to my acting career. If I had done this earlier, I don’t think I would have the same maturity or discipline.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Outside of acting and editing, I’m fascinated by the podcasting space as well as the Youtube space. When I was trying to find the courage to pursue my dream of acting, I turned to a lot of self-improvement podcasts and YouTube videos for help. I found them to be tremendously impactful, and I was inspired to learn more about the stories of people who have had the courage to dramatically change their lives. I decided to send out an ad online, asking for people to submit their life-changing stories to me. I was overwhelmed by the response, and I decided to create videos that feature some of my favorite stories. I created a mini-series of these videos on my personal Youtube channel (Maximilien Blanc), which I titled “How I Changed My Life.” I do not have a set posting schedule for these videos yet, I create them when I find the time, but it’s been a wonderful passion project. I’ve heard some tremendous stories and if any readers have any stories that they would like to share, I would love to hear them and create a video for them. I also plan on turning this series into a podcast of the same name at some stage.

For any comedy fans out there, I am the co-creator of a Youtube series titled “My Straight Roommate” which I created with my roommate at the time Danny Rivera. It is loosely based on our lives living together as roommates, he as a gay man, me as a straight man. Our videos were wonderfully received by the Youtube community, and Danny and I are currently working on a new season, which we plan on releasing later this year.

I am also interested in animation. During quarantine, I decided to practice my animation and voice-over skills in order to have a creative outlet. I created, animated and voiced a mini-series titled “Film Nuts” which follows two film fanatics who are peanuts as they immerse themselves into the world of their favorite films. If you want to check out all episodes, they can be found on my website: www.maximilienblanc.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: Acting website: www.maximilienblanc.com / Editing website: www.maxblanceditor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxblanc/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvui2ev_jaZ7QLOCzsY5QMw 

Image Credits
Evan Mulling Timothy Colletti