EP 2: Hassan Joseph: Software Manager Turned Actor

On this episode of Second Act Actors, I talk with Hassan Joseph, who was born in Saint Lucia and who emigrated to Canada to study commerce. His first act was working in financial services at a bank in Toronto and then he switched to a management role in software. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he had the time to take stock of his life and decided that he wanted a career that was more dynamic and aligned with his interests, so he started taking acting classes and is now pursuing acting alongside his day job.

Hassan and I talk about bringing your logical mind to acting, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes there’s no reason why you get rejected for a role or why one reading of a script is better than another, and it can be scary to surrender control and to give into randomness. However, making certain choices and being confident about them can make the difference between being a good actor and a great actor. We also touch on conversations with agents and the good and bad reasons that people have to start a career as an actor.

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Timestamps

[1:55] Hassan’s childhood and his first act

[4:00] The roots of Hassan’s passion for acting

[6:34] What pushed Hassan into an acting career

[8:35] The exciting and terrifying moments of starting to act

[10:08] What Hassan has brought from his first act to his second act

[13:07] There are so many more actors than Hassan thought

[14:16] You don’t have to be the star to steal the show

[17:02] Sometimes, there’s no logic

[20:40] What makes a successful actor

[22:36] The interplay between Hassan’s life as an actor and as a manager for a software firm