Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?
I am a Film, TV and Stage actor -and sometimes Director- and I help Software Companies create and execute global Go to Market plans. Yes, it may surprise some, but I do have a day job that is very demanding but also helps fund my projects; my true passion though is Acting and storytelling.
I initially moved to the US to work as a Software Engineer for Microsoft. I worked and released many products including the infamous Zune. Years later I found myself taking acting classes and almost without noticing I was pursuing a career as a professional actor.
It took several years until I finally booked a small supporting role in a horror feature that premiered in Los Angeles. Since my family lived in Seattle, I wasn’t ready to move completely so instead I started commuting between Washington and California.
I am passionate about modernist work such as Ibsen’s and Chekhov’s that rely deeply on the inner life of the character to inform the actions and the arc of the scene. I typically get cast to portray characters in power roles such as doctors, attorneys, priests; that have some conflictive past or behave in a nontraditional way. My dream role is to play the non-traditional hero character in the next Marvel movie or the Special Agent in the next Mission Impossible franchise or the captain in the next Star Trek series.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
Other than my accent?! Just kidding. I am lucky to have a Technology and Business background and years of corporate experience. On top of that, I started acting professionally later in life compared to other actors. However, as with everything, there are always two sides to this story.
On the negative side, it means that I’ve been a professional actor for just about 10 years, but on the positive side, my corporate experience gave me tools and experiences that I consistently use on the business side of my acting career.
Moreover, my past work life has given me the chance to travel significantly, to visit remote places, to talk with people and hear stories that have been lifechanging for me.
I think all these interactions give me a unique perspective of the world and perhaps that’s why I really like to focus on material that digs deep into relationships and tell stories highlighting how, despite our different customs and languages, we all humans are more similar than we sometimes admit.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
It was a fall afternoon in Seattle, and I was taking the Meisner progression at Freehold Theatre. Robin Lynn Smith was the instructor, and at the beginning of class she asked us “why are you doing this?”. As I tried to reflect on the question, I “saw” vivid images of what I would achieve at the end of my life. These images didn’t feel like something I was hoping to happen, but rather something that had already happened. It felt as if I had just been told that at the end of my life I was an actor with a fulfilled creative life.
It was such an intense and overwhelming feeling that I couldn’t hold my tears. I had ups and downs, and rough moments; but despite all, I have never doubted -nor even for one second- that this is what I was meant to do.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge I had to go through was my divorce. I think every divorce is traumatic, even those that end on amicable terms.
I’m still growing through it. I had to learn to take things slowly, one step at a time and focus on the things we can control, always keeping life in perspective. I know that this is easier said than done, but it is the fundamental principle on how to overcome those difficult moments.
On the positive side, it prompted me to rethink my life, my relationship with family, friends, and work; it gave me a unique perspective and the will to start working towards my personal goals and aspirations. We have a limited time on this spaceship we call Earth and I am convinced that the hard situations in life are the catalysts we need to make those life-changing decisions.
Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals?
• Carla Hool, Casting Director – She has done such an amazing job casting for emblematic series such as Narcos and so many other shows. I would love to have a conversation about how to improve representation and diversity in the industry.
• Victoria Alonso, Executive VP Production at Marvel – Victoria is Argentinean with an executive role in one of the biggest franchises of the industry. I would love to have coffee and learn her vision for the franchise 5, 10 years from now.
• Alfonso Cuarón Orozco – I simply love his movies and how he manages to capture such grounded characters. I would simply love to work in a SciFi feature where a certain country in South America becomes top country of the world due to their Lithium exports and start the space race of the 21st century, leapfrogging the US, Russia, and China.
Drop your social media links.
Website: www.raulperyet.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/raulpeyret
Facebook: www.facebook.com/actor.raul.peyret
Twitter: www.twitter.com/raulpeyret
Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/raulpeyret