Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristan Maust.
Hi Tristan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My love for acting started as a young boy around five years old. I was a very emotional kid with mental health struggles growing up. I always had a tough home life. I never had a way to express myself and my emotions until I found the art of acting. I got my start in Elementary School, performing in plays and theatre up until leaving high school, to pursue this dream. Soon after, I started studying the craft at Studio 24, a TV/FILM Acting Studio out of Sacramento, CA. This is where I would finally find myself and really feel like I belonged for the first time in my life. From there I started to build myself and my career and really take things to the next level. I would make my way back and forth between LA and Sacramento for some time, selling anything and everything I could find to hitch rides down south for auditions before finally moving here in October of 2021.
I sold everything I owned in order to make the move and arrived in LA with $36 to my name. I have resided in Hollywood since then, auditioning and working full-time as an actor! I’ve been lucky enough to make great relationships with the people I looked up to most in this industry growing up. Fellow actor/mentor Pierson Fodé would really show me the ropes and help me guide my way through this crazy business. I wouldn’t change my past for anything, the struggle only made me stronger and now I fear nothing. I always believed in myself when nobody did. I knew this dream was possible. And I can now be an advocate for victims of mental health and really show anything is possible. I love this life! Wouldn’t change it for the world!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I was raised in poverty and always struggled with suicide/mental health. It hasn’t been easy and the loneliness that comes with this business has always been tough. I don’t come from an artistic or academically advanced family, so finding my path and plan to achieve this goal always seemed impossible to me and everyone I knew. I had to sacrifice everything to chase this dream. All my friends, my family, and my girlfriend. But I wouldn’t change anything, acting gave me my voice, the confidence to be and express myself, along with helping others understand and sympathize with different cultures, people, and just other walks of life! I feel like I finally belong. Every day I learn something new about myself, and make great friends that share the love of this amazing art form!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a TV/FILM Actor. I have done tons of independent and feature films as well as TV. There are millions of actors here in Los Angeles, but what I feel sets me apart and makes me most proud is being able to overcome the obstacles of homelessness, depression/suicide and being an “outcast”. I always knew I had something special in me and something that could help others dealing with my own struggles. Being able to show people the emotion and events that occur within these different walks of life and really help people sympathize with other people’s situations is amazing. Being able to be a voice in film, for people struggling with mental health and help them know they’re not alone is my favorite part. It has never been about being “famous” or “rich” for me. I love expressing myself and showing that anything is possible no matter where you come from. I want to be an advocate for them.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: tristanmaust
