Meet Bobby Appelbaum | Actor

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

Hi Bobby, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Asking me why I pursue an artist career makes it sound like I had a choice in the matter, when I truly believe I had no choice. I can’t for the life of me imagine another path. An office job working 9 to 5 sounds would be my own personal hell. A life in the creative field means to me the ultimate freedom. With that freedom comes the most beautiful offering life has to offer and that is connection. When I was younger and felt different, I noticed art’s ability to bridge gaps and brings people together. Whether it’s through the creative process itself, the observation of a performance, or the discussion that follows any consumption of art, the shared experience allows us humans to feel less alone. Art uses our thoughts, intuition, and emotion to do the impossible, travel space and time. Basically artist are magicians and I still believe in magic.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I first moved to LA 16 years ago, I came here as an actor only experienced in theater. My first commercial audition was for swimwear and when I arrived, they asked me to strip down to my underwear and act like I just came out of a pool. In my head I thought “Oh this is easy, I was a competitive swimmer for the last 15 years. I got this.” The casting director called action and I bent down and stood up, out of breathe, sore in my muscles, and tired from the swim. I went method. I was dismissed and later told by my agent that they wanted sexy. Sexy was not something I was familiar with. My head was reeling thinking “is this what acting is?” The whole experience turned me off.
From there I decided to learn everything I could about the filmmaking process. I went to film school and didn’t study acting, I studied everything else. Through that process I found a natural talent which was production design. Through college and post college I became a working/paid production designer. This discovered talent paid the bills but felt like a nagging chore that became less and less satisfying with each and every new project.
In 2020, I decided to return to my first love, and that is acting. I got new headshots in February and less than a month later, the world shut down. During that time I took zoom acting classes and studied every “important” acting book along the way. I used covid shutdown as the reset for my own professional life. When the world opened back up I would come out swinging.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I was born and raised in Kansas, I would want anyone visiting me to experience the life I live and avoid the obvious LA tourist traps. I would take my best friend to a night out in West Hollywood. There is no place like it where we can walk bar to bar to bar experiencing every facet of queer culture on a strip of land that’s less than a mile long. I want them to see there are corners of the earth where people like me are not only safe to exist, but where people celebrate and encourage everyone for their differences.
I would take a first time LA visitor to Greystone Manor with a sack lunch and a blanket. They get to see an amazing view of the city, walk the grounds, and learn a bit about Los Angeles culture. Plus it’s a free experience.
The beaches are a satisfying attraction for first timers but I like to encourage visiting some of Los Angeles amazing museums, such as the Lacma or my new personal favorite The Academy museum. Museums are perfect because they are inexpensive, you walk through history together, and are able to converse with each other through out.
Now my last suggestion for a fun thing to do in LA is kind of top secret and I learned this through production designing. I like to take my guest to Warner Bros lot or Universal Studios back lots. I call ahead and tell them I am designing a movie and I need passes to look at props for a movie I am working on. Within minutes, the studios gates are notified and my guest and I can get on the back lots of major studios. Don’t believe me? try it for yourself.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My number one shout out has to go to my husband. We met 16 years ago, long before marriage equality. He sees me the way I see myself. He also takes it a step father and pushes me to be who I should be. My second shout out would easily go to my mother. She is a talented actress, singer, performer who set all that aside to raise my two older brothers and three younger sisters. None of my siblings took an interest in the arts and I became the one who took her baton and ran with it. Lastly, I owe so much credit to Santa Monica College Film Program and its department head, Professor Salvador Carrasco, to my knowledge and understanding of film making. Professor Carrasco became my first real mentor in life. As a gay man, I never thought I would have that, but his unwavering belief in me has not only made me a better film maker/actor, it has made me a better person.

Website: https://imdb.me/bobbyappelbaum

Instagram: @bobbyblueberry

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeralocaTV