Today we’d like to introduce you to Simon Martin
Hi Simon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My acting career started in 2017, but that isn’t truly where my story begins.
I was born on March 19th, 1992, in the big apple, New York City, but I wasn’t alone, I was born with a twin, my brother Matthew. From there me and my family would travel all around the world; from New York to Los Angeles, to Australia (which is where my entire family is from originally) and back to Los Angeles at around the age of 10, and I have stayed here ever since. From a young age I always knew that I loved to entertain people, make people laugh and put on plays for my friends and family, but at the time I didn’t consider acting as something even remotely possible, like it was just a pipe dream that was out of my reach. In middle school and high school, I finally took the plunge, I started to audition for school plays and found that something that was just a dream was possible to achieve. This was when I realized how happy being stage made me. Acting to me was like how humans need water, I couldn’t live without it. From this, I started taking classes and acting in plays; I found my purpose in life.
Once I hit high school, acting became sort of a side note to my life as I sadly was taken control by addiction. Addiction is part of my story. I can spare you the details, but it’s safe to assume that I think you can fill in the blanks with how my life was going then.
I was working on the other side of the entertainment business, I started off as a PA, slowly moved up to assistant at a management / production company and was slowly trying to maneuver my way to become a talent manager (follow in my father’s footsteps, who is a producer / talent manager).
But I knew in my heart that being a talent manager wasn’t my calling. I knew I was born to be an actor.
So, I decided to take a risk, I decided to leave my job, and most importantly, get sober. My sobriety date is February 5th, 2017, and I have been sober ever since. My head was finally clear, and I finally had no destructive distractions in my life to hold me back from following my dreams.
In 2017, I started to take classes again and started auditioning for plays at SMC (Santa Monica College). The first play I auditioned for was Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors.” I would have been happy to play any part as I was just grateful to be in the presence of the acting community, and to my surprise, I landed the lead role of Dromio. My performance of Dromio stood out and was selected as a contender for the Kennedy Center’s Irene Ryan Scholarship program. This was when I decided for better or for worse, I will be a working actor for the rest of my life. From 2017 – 2020, I was embracing the theatre scene, landing lead roles in over 6 plays.
Then came the thing none of us expected…a once in a lifetime pandemic knocked at our door and shut the world down, which in turn, shut the theatre scene down. I was gutted.
In May of 2022, I finally decided to take the risk and start auditioning for on screen roles. I began working in the college and independent film scene and quickly became a go-to talent. Since then, I have starred in 35 filmed projects in leading and substantial roles. In 2023, my Rodney in the short Unapparent Apparitions, won me the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Riverside International Film Festival, and my performance as Dean in the short MR Nightmare, garnered me rapt attention, with the film continuing to win multiple awards on the 2024 independent festival circuit. Most recently, I received the Best Supporting Actor award for my performance as Jake in the short Through The Lens at the Creation International Film Festival, and I have just starred in the titled role of my first full length feature, Charlie Buster, working alongside famous actor, Michael Madsen, and directed by legendary Iranian director, Farzan Deljou, which will be released in 2025.
I have so thankful to be given the chance to follow my dreams. I have met so many amazingly talented people along the way, from actors, crew, directors, and writers. Making a film is a team effort, and when one of us fall, we all fall. I am grateful to the opportunities I have been given, and without sobriety, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.
This is just the start of my journey, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road was not always smooth though. Before I started acting in 2o17, I spent years battling addiction.
Every day was a battle, my mental health was in shatters and my passion for life was dim. I had lost hope. It is hard to describe the burden of addiction to someone who hasn’t gone through it, but all I can say that it addiction to me is the definition of insanity, Doing the same harmful thing to yourself over and over and thinking your gonna get a different result. Addiction had a stranglehold of my life, and I never thought it was possible to be happy without alcohol or drugs. Thankfully, on February 5th, 2o17, I woke up one morning and decided I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and decided to get help. I have been sober ever since. I can firmly say that I wouldn’t be acting today if I wasn’t sober. I owe my career and my new found love for my life to my sobriety. I finally can say because of sobriety, I have found true peace and happiness in life.
Being an actor of course is not an easy road. This is a competitive business that comes with a lot of rejection but knowing that going into it really gave me a lot of perspective. I always had to remind myself that I am in a business where there are a lot more “no’s” than “yes’s,” so I learned to be grateful for every opportunity that came my way, whether it was a self-tape, an in-person audition, or acting for the stage or camera. A great piece of advice I received early on in my acting career from a veteran actor was, “always remember who you are and where you came from; work hard and never give up; this can be a cruel business sometimes, just don’t take any of it personally and push forward one audition at a time.”
I fortunately got lucky early on, landing lead roles in plays from 2017 – 2020. This gave me the foundation to be an actor, from experiencing intense and competitive in person auditions, long grueling rehearsals (which taught me how to be patient in this business) and working diligently with directors and actors.
My first year of on camera work in 2022 was just me trying to get noticed. I didn’t have a reel or on camera experience, just a headshot my brother took and a nicely worded cover letter.
Thankfully, I was finally able to get some auditions. The opportunities were slim at the beginning, so I made sure to treat every audition/self-tape like my life depended on it. I always went in prepped, memorized and to give it my absolute best. However, half the time after an audition, I would be emailed the same generic response, “we thank you for your time, but unfortunately we are going in another direction with this character.” This is a message every actor starting off receives and gets used to. My advice to any actor starting off is to not get discouraged by rejection; use it as motivation because it only takes one person to take a chance on you and then the rest is history.
Being an actor has a road of ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and highs and low. Just remember to stay focused, continue to work on your craft and to not get dejected early on in your career.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It’s very Hollywood, but I am a full-time actor. But before I started acting, I worked on the other side of the business, so I was able to get a deep look and understanding of the ins and outs of how the business worked (which helped guide my acting career). I specialized in more of the production side of the business, starting off as a PA for the hit Comedy Central show Workaholics. I slowly worked my way up to being an assistant at a production / management company and was looking to become a talent manager for actors, writers, and comedians. Then in 2017, I made the decision to 180 my life and follow my dream and pursue becoming an actor.
Regarding acting, I’d like to believe I specialize in all different role types. I like to make sure that no matter the type of role, I can transform myself and become lost in the character, whether it be intense, dramatic, comedic, scary, sympathetic, creepy, innocent etc. On stage, I was well known for my comedic performances, having an affinity for physical comedy, and making the audience laugh. It wasn’t till I started on camera work where I discovered my range as an actor. I learned I was very capable of more than comedy and that playing dramatic, intense roles was something that came to me naturally.
I am very proud of a lot of my performances both on screen and on stage, but what stands out for me would be firstly my on-stage comedic performance as Dromio in Shakespeare’s, Comedy of Errors, which earned me a spot at the Kennedy Center’s Irene Ryan Scholarship program. Regarding on camera work, I would say I am very proud of my performance as Dean Blake in the award-winning MR Nightmare because it showed me that I can do much more than comedy and that I can bring to life very dark and dramatic roles. I am also very proud of my performance of Charlie Buster in the production Charlie Buster. This was my first lead in a feature film and on top of that required me to do nearly 2 months of preparation of character work before we started shooting. I am proud of how it turned out because I put the work in, and it showed.
What sets me apart from the others? I would say my commitment to character work and dedication and passion of getting the absolute best out of any role I play. What also makes me stand out is that I always make sure I bring the best out of my scene partner(s) both on screen and on stage, because this isn’t just about me, this is a team effort, and when one domino falls, we all fall. The best compliment I ever received from a director was, “even when the camera isn’t on you, you still give 110%.”
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up early on I would I say I was on the shy side, always hanging out with my twin brother Matthew and sticking with my family. Over the years though that would slowly metamorphosize into me and my brother becoming the class clowns and becoming little rebels. This was an early indicator of the man I would become, as making people laugh and entertaining people was something that brought me so much joy. Growing up I loved watching movies and television, always dreaming that one day I would see myself on the big screen. I loved watching and playing Australian sports (cricket or rugby), hanging out with family, exploring nature with friends, and surrounding myself with animals (I am a big dog person).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vimeo.com/user182602593
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simoncmartin/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14561061/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_simon%2520martin
Image Credits
Image 1: Me (Simon Martin)
Image 2: Me (Simon Martin)
Image 3: Dima Kaleganov
Image 4: Sepehr Mikailian
Image 5: Me (Simon Martin)
Image 6: Matthew Martin
Image 7: Me (Simon Martin)
Image 8: Arman Sayat
