Meet Maxime Bos | Actor and Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maxime Bos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maxime, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
In an industry as competitive as the entertainment industry, it can sometimes be difficult to find the motivation to keep going. As an international actor, like many of my friends, it is an even more difficult road to get your foot in the door because of visa limitations. There are so many auditions to go to, yet it is hard to be selected to even attend one, especially with the rise of self-tape auditions that allow for many more submissions than in-person auditions. So how do I know whether to keep going or give up? I guess I simply try my best to remember why I decided to get into acting in the first place: because I love doing it. I know that after countless rejections, or impossibly long hours on set if you do get selected, it can get exhausting and sometimes disheartening to go on. But in moments where I feel overwhelmed, I will make sure I take a step back for a while and try to look at things from a different perspective. Rejected for an audition again? Well, it was a good way to practice my audition skills and now I might know more about what to do or not to do in the future. Feeling overworked because of 10-hour, non-stop days on set? I remember how lucky I am to be chosen from a group of immensely talented people, and what a blessing it is that I am able to do what I love doing.
I try to take every opportunity as a learning experience, and to stop seeing things as ‘failures’. I prioritize my mental health and I make sure I take care of myself, so I can keep doing what I love.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
After completing my bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence in The Netherlands, I moved to LA to pursue my true passions: acting and modelling. I think that the fact that I spent most of my teenage and adult life as a scientist as well as the fact that I am an international student set me apart from many people involved in the entertainment industry. The path to where I am today wasn’t easy. I spent years studying every day to get my degree while trying my best to make time to act on the side. I worked as an extra in tv and film productions and I enrolled in multiple theatre classes throughout high school and uni, just so I could get away from sitting at my desk all day and experiencing some relief by being creative and getting to know other creative people. After my younger brother’s unexpected passing, almost two years ago now, I realised that I couldn’t sit around and wait for the perfect moment to start working towards what I love doing. I realised that the perfect time might never come and that I had to take action if I wanted to achieve the life I saw for myself. Moving to LA and trying to get my foot in the door in the immensely competitive industry that is the acting world was, and still is, not easy. But I still am so grateful to myself for choosing to follow my dreams and I am having the best time here figuring everything out. Now, I have played the lead in multiple short films, I have started modelling and I even got the chance to film as a lead in the Warner Bros soundstage, twice! I feel so lucky for the experiences I’ve had here so far, and all the amazing people I get to meet and be inspired by. Even after knowing how difficult it was going to be to leave my friends, my family and my country behind, I would still make the decision to move to LA every single time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I haven’t been in LA super long yet, so I might not know as many fun places as the locals, or people who have been here longer than me, but I know a few places that make me happy that I would love to show my friends and family. I think I would start by showing them the area I live in, take a walk around the block and introduce them to all the amazing people I met who live in my building. I would walk to UCLA, show them around the campus and bring them to the place I always love to just sit and relax, with a beautiful view of the sports fields and the city. I’d bring them to Barney’s Beanery, to watch a game and have some all-American food and drinks. I personally love walking along the beach in Santa Monica at night and seeing the lights on the pier once everyone has gone home to sleep. For my more adventurous friends, I might take a little trip to Huntington Beach to go surfing, or I would take them to Cliffs of Id for some climbing. For lunch and some shopping, I would either go to Westfield Century City Mall, or The Grove or maybe to the Melrose Trading Post on a Sunday. For the film-buffs, I would take them to Universal Studios, or take a tour across the WB studios lot. In case someone is up for a drink, I might bring them to the Melrose Place rooftop, or go dancing in one of the many clubs like “The Abbey”. I’m still discovering many more places, and I would love to hear any other suggestions of places I should check out and bring my friends to!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t have gotten where I am without my amazing support system, both at home as well as here in LA. I am lucky and privileged enough to have so many people supporting me and actively cheering me on as I go along. I want to give a big shoutout to my parents and my little brother, who, despite finding it so hard to see me leave, continue to encourage me to do what I love doing and support me in my start in the acting industry. I also want to shoutout my best friend, Amelie, who keeps me grounded by reminding me where I came from, and just generally being the best friend/roommate I could have ever asked for. Furthermore, I want to shoutout all the amazing new friends I’ve made here in LA, all of whom constantly inspire me with their incredible achievements, and who form the best support network I could have ever asked for in a new, and sometimes overwhelming, place like Los Angeles.

Website: https://maximebos.com

Instagram: @maxime_bos

Image Credits
Priscilla Runion, Caitlin Gore