Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Sidell.
Ben, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Ever since I was little, I wanted to be an actor. I grew up devouring movies and tv, longing to hear and tell stories. My grandfather was a screenwriter and my mother was a producer so I grew up adjacent to the business – in Boston…so very adjacent…haha. Every time my mom would go on set I would imagine the world she was entering, the crew, the cast, the locations…crafty. I spent a lot of time day dreaming as a kid. So, when it came time to apply to college, I told my college counselor I wanted to get as far away from Boston as I could and as a result I ended up studying acting at USC. My time at USC was wonderful and challenging. I met some of my most favorite collaborators who I still work with today.
After college, I spent three years in LA doing A LOT of musical theatre and was lucky enough to book a series regular in a Hulu show, COMPLETE WORKS. But after a while the “LA of it all” started to come down on me hard. I chose to apply to grad acting programs as I felt like I needed/wanted more training. I ended up getting into Harvard University/American Repertory Theatre’s MFA in Acting program. So I once again found myself back in Boston. My three years in grad school were incredibly transformative. One of the highlights being studying at the Moscow Art Theatre School, the birthplace of Stanislavski’s technique. After graduating with my MFA, I was cast in the out of town try out of Waitress the Musical at the ART.
After the show closed, I found myself back in LA hungry to pursue TV and Film. And to be honest, there have been very many ups and downs, cause lets be real, this shiz ain’t glam til it’s GLAM. I, like many actors in LA, started writing as a way to exercise my creative muscle and personal voice as an out gay man. This is a town of people that love to tell you who you are and what you aren’t, so writing my own stories and scripts has been an unbelievable empowering experience. Since I’ve been back in LA, I’ve booked a couple of commercials, a guest spot on a tv show, and a part in a Netflix movie, but the thing I’m most proud of at this moment is my short film that I wrote, produced, and star in, CONTENT.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think choosing to pursue a career as an actor or a writer, really any artist is akin to asking to get strapped into a roller coaster. The ride isn’t “fun” unless you want to puke sometimes, right? No, the road has not been smooth, but we learn so much about ourselves in the rough patches that I can’t say I regret making the choice. Like I touched on earlier, this is an industry that loves to define you. I firmly believe the only way through it, is to continue to absorb and learn about yourself. For a long time, I thought I had to try and fit into someone else’s mold, but I will never be anyone but myself. I’ve been told I’m too fat, too thin, too short, not attractive, too attractive, too old, too young..you get the picture. As soon as I learned to embrace me instead of torture myself for what I’m not, I’ve been able to step more into my power. Now, I’m not saying that doesn’t mean I don’t get incredibly frustrated from time to time cause…I do. Trust me. However, I know who I am and what I am capable of today in a way that I never knew possible and for that I am grateful.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
At the moment I am on the festival circuit with my short film CONTENT which is about the grey areas of sexual assault and consent, specifically in the gay community. We had our world premiere earlier this summer at Outfest which was amazing and are about to head out on a bit of a tour around the US. I was inspired to write the film after an encounter I had with a photographer in Los Angeles that crossed the lines of professionalism.
The line of consent and sexual assault in the gay community is incredibly blurred. For a group of people that have been overly sexualized throughout history, gropes and “come ons” almost second nature, we have allowed our sex to be as casual as coffee. But why? Is it just an easy way to gain value in a society that has continued to devalue us? Or perhaps it’s a way to feel necessary and relevant.
With the pressures of social media gilding the unattainable Adonis lily, it is nearly impossible to not want to emulate the images of these “perfect” men we see while we scroll. Our feeds are constantly reminding us that we are not enough as mere morals and that, in fact, our lack of abs somehow makes us less valuable as humans. In a culture of instant validation, we are continually being made to measure our worth against our “like count,” testing our self-value and moral code. The film asks how much we are you willing to do – how far are you willing to go, for our content and for false approval.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
LA is magic. It’s where imagination becomes possible. Where dreams become tangible. Where we go to chase and catch the unattainable. It is also where reality hurts the most. Where the sun burns relentlessly and a place where lost souls wander. It’s a paradox.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bensidell.com
- Instagram: @bsidell
Image Credit:
Christophe McWhorter, Normandy Europa, Bronson Farr, Dana Patrick
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