Meet Andrew Saunders | Actor/Producer

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

Hi Andrew, how do you think about risk?
Pursuing a career in film and television is volatile and far from guaranteed. It could be looked as a risky profession in some sense, but I try not to think about the inherent risk too much with regard to my career. I try to focus on simple thoughts. It’s at least something I can control. Like, since I made the decision to be an actor and work in film, since this is what I want to do, all the other decisions fall into place. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. Obviously, there’s risk in an artistic profession of not having some investment or other to retire on, but I don’t think I’d like to retire. I’d like to do it because it’s what I do and it’s because it’s what I love to do. So, I don’t want to spend much energy thinking about the risk.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When it comes to the film and TV business, I think I was about as ignorant as they come. I swear I’ve done this job all of the wrong ways. Because of that, I hope I’m more likely to do it the right way moving forward. Nobody ever said this would be easy. So you can’t lament it. It gets you nowhere. It’s a privilege to simply have the opportunity to pursue something you love. I mean, if we lived in some post-apocalyptic world with no movie theaters or television sets, I think I’d still try to be silly. Maybe that’s just what I’d like to think. I’m helpless. I’ll indulge this urge to express myself up until the moment the white cane appears to pull me off the stage.

It’s been helpful to keep things in proportion. Like, I’m working at not comparing two incomparable things. I have plenty of very real privileges in the world. And the things I take for granted can’t stack up against the things I think I lack. Up until very recently I could count on both hands the combined number of costar and guest star auditions I’ve had in over ten years of trying to work as an actor. I wasn’t just losing the job, I wasn’t even getting a chance to lose the job. And there are, as we all know, so many talented, skilled actors of every type that deal with this. One major thing that we can change is our opinion about what we’re experiencing.

So like, keep things in proportion and keep costs down. Financial, emotional, physical, all of it. I keep encouraging myself to live simply.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s hard to choose in a place like LA and a state like California. I’d definitely try to bring them up to Yosemite for a camping trip. Of course, there are so many other incredible and far more wild places in California, and Yosemite could be viewed by some as too manicured or cliché. It’s stunning, though. If it’s the one chance they got to see the Sierras that’s where we’d go.

Once back in LA we’d provably go to Malibu. I honestly don’t know what would make more sense for dinner, ramen or Korean BBQ, but regardless we’d probably eat too much of it. I’m thinking the Comedy Store would be a good pick after that. LA has a lot to show people, doesn’t it?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are far too many people to name that support me on a daily basis. It’s one of the great blessings in my life, to have so many compassionate and intelligent friends and family. I think the person I’d most like to shoutout here is my co-producer, co-creator, collaborator, and friend Peter Macaluso. On the list of uniquely gifted people I’ve met in my life he’s right there in the upper echelon. He’s considerate, relentless, funny, and as capable as any director out there. He also has very strong, important opinions about bagels.

Website: https://www.andrewmsaunders.com/

Instagram: @i_m_saunders

Image Credits
Peter Macaluso