Daily Inspiration: Meet Carl-Philipp Wengler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carl-Philipp Wengler

Hi Carl-Philipp, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Germany, in October 1999, near Frankfurt. When I was 2 years old, we moved to Brussels, Belgium, where I spent the next 16 years, until I graduated high school. I then went to Disneyland Paris for the better part of a year, where I worked as a performer until June 2019. In August of that year, I started studying political science at the University of Sciences Po Paris, although I was on a regional campus slightly off Paris – in the champagne region, in the beautiful city of Reims! Due to Covid, I didn’t spend the entirety of my Bachelor’s degree there, but I made the best out of this special time. Given that university switched to an online format (and later went back to Hybrid), I went back and forth between Reims, Brussels, and even Lyon, where my then-girlfriend lived. It was great because it allowed me to move around and not be stuck in one place. Then, in 2022, the last year of my Bachelor’s, I went to Berlin for an Erasmus semester. Berlin was amazing – I stand by that it’s one of the best cities in the world, I love that place! And then… I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew I wanted to become an actor/action actor and craved to give this a try – my time at Disney had given me a little taste, but I wanted more.
So, I started out by going to Campus Univers Cascade (CUC), a French stunt school. And it was awesome! I wasn’t great at stunts, but I knew I wanted to train in this and become the kind of actor who could do some of his stunts. And so I also went to SPA – Stunt Performers Academy – here in Los Angeles, which was an amazing experience and also motivated me even more to come to L.A. and give this a shot here. I’d only done Drama/Acting at school and university, so I had no formal training and my professional experience was limited to Disneyland Paris, some student films and I’d taken some acting workshops (Cinestudio Paris and Cours Florent in Paris), but I knew I wanted more formal training. So while in L.A., from October to November 2022, I auditioned for some acting schools. I got into some and my path suddenly looked a lot clearer, but as fate would have it, I had one more stop before coming here. Disneyland Paris was calling for round 2 (technically, in terms of contracts, it was more like round 4. But hey, who’s counting?).

I worked at Disneyland Paris once again, on a live show, from February 2023 till September 2023. I had a blast, it was amazing. I can’t say enough good things about that place – the work itself, the atmosphere, the work-life balance, the people… I loved it and time flew by! But after a long season with a legendary outlaw, my time there was up. I stayed in Europe a bit longer and was honored to work on set for German TV, participate in an Argentine film, an Amazon production, be an extra in a WWI movie, and even spend an evening as a stripper for a movie. 2023 was the year of new experiences and boy did I take in some experiences! And then, in late March of this year, I flew to L.A.

Since then, I’ve attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and worked on some short film projects (‘Pequeño’, and’ 4 Hours till Impact’, to name a few). My time at this place has been… inspiring, humbling, joyful, tough, and exhausting at times, but overall, it’s been such a privilege to learn under these wonderful teachers and in such a safe space, I feel that I’ve grown as a person. Personal growth is extremely important to me and when I look back one, two, or three years, I can’t believe how far I’ve come and I plan on continuing this journey. I’ve been really lucky because I’ve had some exceptional mentors, teachers, friends, and my family along the way – without them, none of this would have been possible. Like the old wisdom says: “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey and the company along the way.” As things stand, I’d sign this statement any day of the week, because it’s damn well true.

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?
Definitely not. My parents divorced when I was 7, which certainly impacted me – even though I had a great childhood and have nothing but the utmost love, respect, and admiration for how they raised me and handled those years of my life. I had to overcome so many insecurities and weaknesses, ranging from being fat to not believing in myself, and not thinking I could ever change… I also struggled with not many people believing I could make it or doubting my path. That’s difficult to accept when you’re younger and can really keep you down. No one in my close family (with the exception of one cousin) is in the arts, so I’m still figuring this field out. My family is spread around Mexico, the US, and Europe, so seeing each other and keeping up is always a challenge. And last year, in the span of 6 months, I lost my paternal grandmother and grandfather. But to me, that’s life. No one said it would be easy and I believe that’s the difference between people who make it and who don’t. Those who make it are just more resilient and have the power to get back up no matter what gets thrown at them. I’ve had my fair share of those moments, but I also think I’ve had a great, beautiful, and privileged life, so I owe it to myself to make the absolute most of it – and to anyone else who believes in me.

At the end of the day, we all face bumps on the road. And I’m sure there’s more waiting for me, I just haven’t met them yet. But when I do and they knock me down, you can betcha that I’ll get back up.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Nowadays, I finally feel comfortable saying that I’m an actor (at least 90% of the time). As an actor, I try to bring a degree of truthfulness and life to the parts I get, and otherwise, I think a big part of the job is applying for tons of parts you never hear back from and auditioning for some projects where you do get a reply – and many where you won’t or they’ll choose someone else. And right now, I’m specializing in the technique known as “Method Acting”, coined and developed by Lee Strasberg (some of his and the institutes’ alumni include Al Pacino, Marylin Monroe, James Dean, Scarlet Johansson, Chris Evans, John Leguizamo, Rosario Dawson…).

Furthermore, I also want to entertain. I’ve worked as a performer at Disneyland so I get immense pleasure from making people happy with my performances – doesn’t matter whether a kid, teen, adult… I just want to make people feel something and most of the time that’s happiness, laughter, and joy, but I also feel that I’ve completed my task if they feel disgusted, if they hate who I portray, if it makes them feel uncomfortable, etc. As long as they FEEL something, that’s great. If they don’t, I would think I’ve done a poor job.

I’m most proud of the live show I was on at Disneyland Paris, but I also can’t deny that being on-set for an Argentine film in my hometown, playing a bad guy in German, was pretty epic. And as to what sets me apart, that’s quite simple: I speak four languages fluently (English, German, Spanish, and French), I’m good with accents, I have a BA in Political Science, I can do some of my own stunts, I’m a certified ski teacher, and I’m extremely professional and hard-working. You teach me, I’ll learn – and if I don’t, you can bet I gave it 100%. Oh, and also, I can move my pecs like Dwayne Johnson and I’m hilarious – add to that extremely humble, while we’re making a list!

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Perseverance or resilience. As I said earlier, I’ve just mastered the art of accepting rejection (girls turning you down at a young age turned out to be great for this) and to keep on going. I like to say “Trust the process, don’t rush the process.” And there will be days when I feel that I won’t make it or that this is going to slow, I’m too far behind, or whatever negative thought could spring up. But I’ll recover from that within 24 hours and be right back on track. And if I can add a very important trait to what defines me and will define my future success, it’s my consistency. It’s what defines top performers in any field. Not the ability to show up one day and be great, that’s of no use. It’s about showing up every day and putting in the work. And one day, your best might not be as good as it was a week ago and that’s okay! Our performance can and will change from time to time because life happens. What matters most is that you still show up! Consistency is key.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cap291099/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/user200434763

Image Credits
Wolf Marloh

Drew Bly

Maurice Jaccard

Karim Meg