EP: 46: Vincent Salvador: Financial Crime Fighter & Actor

Vincent Salvador has had a pretty interesting life. He acted in plays in school but decided to study humanities at university. After graduation, he ended up working nights with an organisation combating financial crimes. During the day, he pursues his acting career, auditioning for roles and writing scripts.

Vinnie and I talked about his passion for acting and how by chance he came to work on an award-winning production. We discuss why learning to improvise improves your acting skills, which is something that Vinnie knows a lot about as his brain injury has impaired his ability to learn lines. We also compare notes on how our lives outside of acting have put us in contact with a much broader range of people and the wealth of experience that gives us to draw upon to build up well-rounded characters.

During the interview, Vinnie gives some inspiring advice about maintaining gratitude and how he tries to appreciate every moment that he spends on set. As he says, “If you don’t love the process, don’t do it!”

If you learned something from this interview, subscribe to the Second Act Actors podcast to hear more episodes with other brilliant actors.

Timestamps

[0:04] Vinnie explains how he got into acting

[5:39] Vinnie’s first act in working nights in a financial crimes department

[6:50] Thinking on the fly: How Vinnie was able to let go of the 9-5 mindset

[9:07] The unfortunate incident that allowed Vinnie to develop his improv skills

[10:50] Using improv to let go of the idea of being perfect and to learn how to listen

[13:10] What Vinnie’s brought from his first act to his second

[16:45] Building a character from the people you encounter outside of acting

[20:27] What surprised Vinnie about joining the industry

[23:20] Advice from Vinnie about how to sustain your gratitude

[25:18] Vinnie’s mad on-stage and on-set stories