Meet Dipanshu Sharma | Actor

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

Hi Dipanshu, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Initially, going into acting I dedicated all my time to it. I would work on my craft 24/7. I’d either be auditioning or be on set or at acting school or I would be at home and do some research on my characters or I would watch movies to get inspired. I had no free time. But lately, I have come to the realisation that you need to have some time off to recharge. If you constantly give your all to the work, no matter how much you enjoy it and how passionate you are about it, eventually you’ll burn out. It’s still a struggle even to this day. Trying to find a balance between work life and personal life is tough. I want to be able to have a good time with friends or take a day off and go to the beach for example, but when I do I almost feel guilty because I feel like I have so much work to do and here I am enjoying myself instead. I think it ties back to being afraid of failure; if I’m not giving this my all I’ll fail. So, a lot of it is just getting over that fear and realising that I do deserve to take a break. I deserve to have a good time and I deserve to enjoy life, even when I haven’t been putting in as much work as I could have. We only get to live this life once and I don’t want to wake up one day and realise that I have missed out on most of it because I was busy working. Work hard, but also know when to rest and take time off!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an actor from India. Growing up, my parents wanted me to go into marketing. Pretty soon, I realised it’s not what I want and I want to act instead. I gave it a shot, went to an audition and was told that I suck and I should never ever try acting again. I should have been defeated, but instead it stirred something in me. I booked a one way ticket to Los Angeles and did a two-year acting program at The Lee Strasberg Institute, learning method acting. In the beginning, it was definitely not easy. I had never been outside my own country, everything seemed so strange, my parents couldn’t support me and I knew absolutely nobody. But I had a dream and enough passion to fuel me. Now, just a few years later, I have starred in several short films as well as some feature films. I have acted on stage and in music videos. It is safe to say I have proofed that casting agent wrong. One of the films I did that I am most proud of is “RomeAntic”. It’s my most recent project where I portrayed the lead role and we shot it in Rome, Italy. The story follows Finn as he moves back to his hometown Rome, to pursue his mother’s dream of opening a restaurant. His childhood best friend Valerie helps him out along every step of the way. Until he realises it’s not what he wants and goes down a rabbit hole of drugs. It’s a heartbreaking story really, but it is also a raw and honest story. It shows what happens when we abandon parts of ourselves and put on facades for other people. The movie has been submitted for Sundance 2022 along with a couple of other film festivals. I can not wait for the world to see it because I feel like it’s a story a lot of people can relate to and hopefully some people will take it as a wake up call and start following their dreams before it’s too late.
Another project I did a few months ago “I Heard Sarah” has now been picked up by a pretty big studio and will be distributed among streaming platforms as well as selected cinemas in the US. I feel incredibly grateful for that and the thought that I will be in an actual cinema almost makes me tear up. My journey definitely has not been an easy one and I had to work hard for everything in life. I have been blessed with supportive and inspirational people in my life and with good opportunities. But without hard work none of that would have mattered.
I think what sets me apart from others is the fact that I give all of myself to my craft. Others look at me and think I’m crazy for example when I’m up late working until 3am on a script. But I think that is necessary. Not only that, but I actually enjoy it! This is what I want to do for the rest of my life and it fuels me to keep going. Although I have realised how important it is to take a step back every now and then to recharge and then go at it again with new, burning energy. Not only do I have a lot of passion but I have a clear vision of what I want to achieve within the next 5 years, the next 10 years and the next 25 years. And I think that is another thing that distinguishes me from fellow actors. I know exactly what I want to be doing and what kind of roles I want and will help me to get to that goal and I will do work that actually fits into that account and helps me get closer to my vision. I think of it like pearls on a string, this one will get me closer to that and so on and so forth. And because I have such a clear vision, my execution of the plan is also clear and my work reflects that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a tough one, Los Angeles is big and there is so much to do! I myself have not even discovered everything here. But if a friend came by for a week I’d start by showing them the touristy side. Hollywood in all its glory. Down the Walk of Fame and the Wax museums and a “sightseeing bus ride” and then up to Griffith park for a hike to the Hollywood sign. I’d end the day by going to Hard Rock Cafe, what could be more touristy. Now, after having done all that on the first day, the rest of the week we could actually do some more nice things. I would take them to Santa Monica, watching the waves crash and then hang out by the pier eventually going to eat dinner by Stella Barra before heading home. Next, I would take them to the museums, LA County Museum of Art, The Broad, Museum of Contemporary Art, there are so many of them but I think they are a must when coming to Los Angeles. There’s this newish Van Gogh exhibition in Hollywood that is absolutely beautiful that I think is a must too. Then I would take them to Beauty&Essex for dinner before hitting the night life scene. Probably going to Downtown to one of the rooftop bars and finishing the night with a cocktail. Next day I would do something more relaxing, going to Malibu and trying surfing. I myself suck at surfing but it sure is fun. Once we’re done we would head back and go to Melrose for dinner before ending the day with some ice cream from Milk. Next day we would go to Universal Studios, my absolute favourite. Take the studio tour and enjoy all the rides while eating way too much. When the park is about to close, we would go to AMC there and watch a movie. Speaking of movies, before they would leave I would make sure that we visited Quentin Tarantino’s cinema down on Beverly Blvd and watched a movie there too. On their second last day, we would go to the Getty and enjoy the art and the view there. Then, we would go to the Grove for some shopping as well as taking a stroll through the Farmers Market. We would finish with dinner from this amazing Italian restaurant that’s quite well known here L’antica pizzeria di Michele. The pizza there is so good! And on their last day, honestly, I would let them choose if there is anything they want to do or see.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shoutout to my mentor Alani. He has been there for me for quite a few years now and he has taught me basically everything I know about acting. He is an amazingly talented actor and writer as well as a good friend. I’ve taken acting classes with him for several years, as well as 1:1 coaching for a couple of my projects. If it wasn’t for him I’d definitely not be where I am today. I am truly grateful to have him as a mentor and a friend.

Additionally, I would like to give a shoutout to this book I started reading about a year ago. I have since re-read it several times. It’s called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. It’s a wonderful book that guides you to get in touch with your inner child again so you can rekindle that connection to yourself again, thus being able to create freely. It helped me so much and I turn to it whenever I am doubtful and questioning whether I am on the right path. It’s truly a miracle book.

Lastly, I would like to give a shoutout to my actor friend Natalie who has been there for me since basically day one. Supporting me and motivating me whenever I needed it. Being there for me and lifting me up when I was down. She has always believed in me and continues to do so no matter what. I appreciate that.

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Other: https://www.sidewalkstv.com/actors-spotlight-dipanshu-sharma/