The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Gabriel Darku, star of Netflix’s “October Fiction.”
Astronaut. In elementary school, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have pointed to my favorite book about space and proclaimed I would one day travel among the stars. But in high school, when I started thinking more seriously about what I wanted to study, my ideal career changed to mechanical engineering. And if you’d asked me then what my dream job was, I probably would’ve answered: professional athlete or, maybe, musician.
It’s so funny for me to think about this now because not once during my time growing up and exploring my interests did I ever take to a stage to act. With all the extracurricular activities I was involved in, I still never once considered taking drama. As much as I loved movies and my morning cartoons, I never thought of acting, even as a dream job.
How to Audition for Netflix Fast-forward to today and acting is my biggest passion. And now, with three lead roles for Netflix under my belt, I’ve even begun to make a name for myself within this crazy industry. But what was it that made me decide to go to school for acting instead of engineering? It was McDonald’s. That’s right, I owe it all to those golden arches.
In high school I got my very first part-time job working for—you guessed it!—McDonald’s. In the late spring of 2012, one of my co-workers noticed a poster in the staff lounge that was inviting staff to enter a contest that McDonald’s in Canada was running, the winners of which would appear in the next national commercial instead of hired actors. Since it was a dancing contest, knowing that I danced as a hobby, my coworkers all convinced me to send in a video. I ended up getting shortlisted and flown out to Toronto for the live audition. Not too long after that, I got the email saying I won a spot in the commercial.
When the time came for the shoot, everything changed for me. For the first time, I got to know what went on behind the scenes on a set. I learned it can actually take over 13 hours to shoot everything you need for what ends up being 30 seconds of footage. I saw how much labor goes into rigging the set. I was in awe of the huge and intricate camera setup, and watching a professional with a steady-cam ace movements with great precision, making it look easy. A bigger picture of the process of filmmaking suddenly became clear to me, and I loved being a part of it. But most importantly, I realized how much I enjoy being in front of the camera.
It was definitely a lot of work, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like work at all. It was just too much fun to be considered “work.” And that’s when it hit me: People should enjoy what they do for a living. And man, if there was anything I could do for 13 hours every day, this was it. So during my senior year of high school (following that commercial shoot), I decided to audition for the acting program at Toronto Film School, which is where I discovered a deep passion for the craft.
I remember going out for my first big auditions; I was terrified. Putting yourself out there in front of strangers who you know are judging you is by no means an easy thing to get used to. And even though I knew the chances of being rejected far outweigh the chances of getting booked, it felt terrible when I didn’t get a callback. I was definitely used to being among the first pick for things when I was growing up so needless to say this was a huge (and tough) lesson I had to learn. Eventually, though, I came to view the system in a way that allows me to push on: The audition is the job. You go in there, show them what you bring to the table, then you leave. On to the next job.
Booked the gig? I just got a promotion! This way I don’t end up sitting by the phone focused on when I might get a callback for that audition I did last week. I’m waiting for the next audition. Always forward.
I’ve had many great experiences since starting this journey, and I’ve come to understand the importance of what I do. Acting has taught me so much about love, about empathy. It has helped me open up parts of myself that would have otherwise remained shut. It taught me the importance of being open and receiving, something that is relevant to so much more than a good performance. I was open to the idea of submitting to the contest, and I was open to the prospect of completely changing career paths. Look what’s come of it!
To that end I will always say, follow your passions. Don’t let the opportunity to experience something new and amazing pass you by. You may never know when a new opportunity will present itself or what will come of it, but you owe it to yourself to be ready to take it. Who knows? It might just change your life.
What advice would you tell YOUR younger self? Get more Career Dispatches right here!