Meet Josh Futcher | Actor

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

Hi Josh, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking is scary as hell, but it’s the only thing that guarantees growth. Personally, the biggest jumps in my career have only come about from taking risks; Moving from my home town to a bigger city with more creative opportunities. Then moving from my home country (Australia) to the US. Giving up a secure 9-5 for the uncertainty of freelance acting work. All I know is that if I had stayed put, and lived in my comfort zone, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I will never get to where I want to be.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an actor, there’s no tried and tested process to be successful. What works for one person will be the wrong thing for the next. With most professions, there is a clear step ladder to get where you want to be; you go to college, grad school, etc, you graduate, you interview, you intern or start in an entry level position and you climb the ranks of the business or the industry as much as you want, or your talent will get you. With acting, you go to college (if you are fortunate or wealthy enough), you train with the best acting teachers you can, you get an agent, and then you start auditioning. The rest, you just have to figure out as you go.

I started acting at 8 years old in Australia where I grew up. I was put into drama classes by my mother to help me out of my debilitating shyness. I liked it, but didn’t fall in love with it till I was put into an audition for an excellence in drama program for my region and impressed a bunch of older kids with my Dracula impression. It felt like I was seen and appreciated for the first time (except from family of course). I didn’t start acting professionally till I was about 20 when I booked a role in a US film shooting in Australia called The Condemned. When my “big scene” ended up on the cutting room floor, it was a terrible feeling. I decided to go to move states, go to drama school and get a theatre education. Then did a slew of stage productions to build that muscle. Once I felt comfortable there, I then decided to train more exclusively for screen and was lucky enough to land a recurring role on the Australian TV series “Conspiracy 365” right out of training. Then after that… Nothing. Nada. Crickets.

Look, when I say nothing, sure there was a ton of short films and more theatre and even some awards in there. So there was consistency in the work that was coming in, and reward for effort in terms of critical response – enough to keep on going! But not that big break we all think is coming our way. I spent many days questioning my life decisions and seeing friends and family around my age starting families and buying houses and wondering if the grass was greener. But every time I put into effect a change of career, or even contemplated giving up, my mind, body, and soul found ways to tell me it wasn’t the right decision. Bouts of depression, sickness, or even a sweet little booking arriving at the right time to keep me in the game.

In Australia, the industry is small, and unfortunately with so few productions getting off the ground, film and television funding bodies are extremely hesitant to try out actors that aren’t a household name, as the risk is too high on their return on investment. So the industry sees the same type of show with the same 5 names on the call sheet. This makes it incredibly hard for the 99% of other hard working actors to get that “big break” that’s going to help them pay the bills with acting alone. There is famously a very well known, household name actor in Australia who is still working in housing construction between acting jobs. So to avoid this cycle repeating itself on me, I decided to head to where there are more acting opportunities than anywhere in the world! Yep, LA LA LAND. Moving to Los Angeles was always a dream of mine, but I always thought it would happen once I got that big break that took me there. I realized though that due to the shear amount of productions in LA at any one time, it was actually much easier to book the smaller roles that get you seen and able to progress, than it is in Australia. And so far, so good!

Leaving my home country was the scariest and biggest decision of my life. And it certainly didn’t come cheap. Just to get the required visa alone cost my wife and I $20,000! But knowing that growth only comes from risk, we made the leap. And boy, am I happy I did. Since moving I’ve booked multiple national commercials (Some may recognize me from the Turo commercial that has been getting a lot of airplay!), many award winning short films, a role in a big American Western feature film due for release on a streaming platform (hush hush!) this year, and I am currently in Spain where I’ve been flown to shoot a commercial for a big German bank. All having moved to LA six months before a pandemic.

So, although I still haven’t had that “big break”, I’m wondering if that’s even something that needs to happen for me to be happy in my life and career. The process for my career has been different. The step ladder might be missing a few rungs, but I’m happy taking the steps as they appear.

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?
I haven’t been fortunate enough to have a friend visit from Australia in a while, but when I do, try to stop me taking them to EP&LP! It’s an Australian owned rooftop bar in West Hollywood. The views over the Hollywood hills are the best!

Not being American, I still get a thrill from a game at Dodgers station and a trip to the batting cages. Wash it down with a hot dog at Pinks, and you’re good to go!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family; My wife. My Mother. My siblings and all the Futchers. The only people that never doubt what I can achieve. Even when I do.

Website: www.joshfutcher.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/joshfutcher

Image Credits
Headshots by Leah Huebner