Meet Glenn Morizio | Actor

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

Hi Glenn, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
I would say having an affirmation as an actor is extremely helpful. Since you yourself are the business, you must work equally hard to protect and nurture yourself in order to have a career in the long run. One of my personal favorites was taught to me by a college professor, on multiple occasions she would say to us: “Don’t borrow trouble from the future.” At first I didn’t think much of it, but as time passed and I began my professional career, the saying found itself echoing in my head every time I worried too much.

Most people outside of the industry are aware that being an actor is hard, but might not realize the long process that goes into auditioning before you even book a role. On the surface, a working actor is defined by when they are physically involved in a production. However, the majority of work in an actor’s life goes unseen and unrecognized- the tireless and tedious hours spent memorizing and shooting self tapes without feedback or the weeks of screen-tests and producer rounds before you get the part if you get at all. Comparative to most 9-5 jobs it would be as if you were going on 4-10+ interviews every week or two that include multi-page case studies and a final presentation, this is what an actor does behind the scenes before they are rewarded with an opportunity to be involved in a production. The majority of the uphill battle in an actor’s life is to stay resilient in the face of rejection, to trust that often times the reason why you didn’t get the part isn’t because you aren’t working hard, but because of variables outside your control that aren’t always personal but rather trivial.

The reason why I wanted to give a glimpse of the audition process is because of how easy it is to slip into borrowing trouble from the future. The reality is, when I receive an audition and tape it to send off to casting I could spend days or weeks thinking about it or following up with my agents, but doing that is an unsustainable perspective in the hopes of a long-term career. That’s why I try not to “borrow trouble from the future”, and give myself a ritual after every audition to get my mind off of it and to reward myself with something because there’s no use worrying- if you have done the work to the best of your ability then it’s up to the universe. Of course I’m not saying don’t think about your career and set goals, but once you get into this habit of not borrowing trouble from the future after you have done the work and submitted the tape, it will be much easier to move on from audition to audition by understanding that you can only control so much. In this industry you must be kind and generous to yourself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I would say my acting style ranges depending on the scope of the project, for theatre I would categorize myself as a movement-based performer, I draw on forms such as Butoh, Suzuki, and Laban to inform my character and behavior. In college I found myself gravitating towards more heightened text and circumstances, plays that were grounded but had magical or bigger than life elements. With these projects I’m able to really play with the spectrum of dynamic movement or bring the full scope of character development to life.

Alternatively, when it comes to TV/FIlm there’s a more naturalistic approach- almost as if you were taking a magnifying glass to the characteristics you already posses in order to amplify the right ones that fit with the character.
Although my training is in theatre, I have found myself working mostly in TV/Film after college. It definitely was a challenge shifting gears from theatre to the intimacy of on-screen acting, through trial and error and reviewing countless self tapes I had booked my first role on HBO’s “Succession” which affirmed my efforts and from then on I’ve worked on sets such as Hulu’s “Wu Tang: An American Saga”, Starz’s “Power Book II: Ghost”, and Lifetime’s “Death Saved My Life” amongst others.

As a Taiwanese-Italian American who grew up overseas in Australia, Taiwan and Shanghai my biggest challenge was to find where exactly I fit in the industry. However, I realized quickly that I was looking at it the wrong way- I shouldn’t be trying to tailor myself and my acting to the industry, I would be waiting for who knows how long, I needed to take on the perspective that as long as I put in my best work and show up authentically I will carve space in the industry. It has been an eye-opening few years experiencing more and more POC take up well-deserved space and being properly represented both on-stage and on-screen, but if anything it is just the start. There is still much work to be done, and I’m just as grateful for the community that is born from the solidarity to uplift minority’s voices.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom is my rock and has made the journey to where I am now possible. We had to move to the U.S and start our lives from scratch and she supported my brother and I through it all while working hard to start her own path as well. Her resilience and generosity fuels my dreams everyday. I also want to acknowledge and thank the Asian American acting community in NY- it’s a tight knit group and everyone looks out for each other. In this industry where POC are fighting for proper representation and to tell their stories, everyone needs to lift each other up and I couldn’t imagine a better community to be a part of as a support system.

Instagram: @mor.glenn

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-morizio-b404839b/

Image Credits
Jamie McCarthy, AdamsVisCom, Steven Bergman