Coronavirus + the Familiarity of Being Out of Work, According to a ‘Westworld’ Star

The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Simon Quarterman, who stars on HBO’s sci-fi drama “Westworld.” 

I don’t think any us could’ve wagered that this was going to be on the horizon as we stepped into 2020. But, here we are. Plans, dreams, and expectations all put on hold indefinitely as we hunker down in our isolation for the greater good. As an actor, being out of work is a place I’ve become very accustomed to over the years. In fact, I can say I’m more used to this than working, so it could be said that not much has really changed in that respect. But of course it has.

Our business, by and large, has shut up shop for now, so any prospect of work, just simply isn’t there. All thought of wondering what my next job might be has ceased. So I’m left with more space than I usually have.

So what am I doing in this time? Well, I’m keeping myself active as best I can, reaching out to friends and family both here and in the UK, dusting off old cookbooks and trying out a few recipes that I used to enjoy. I’m also spending a lot of time with myself in deep reflection. These are extraordinary and important times. For me, within all of it lies something more important than just getting through it. I feel there is much to learn in this period; lessons that I will not only bring into my work, but also to enrich my life, my relationship with myself and others, and to our community as a whole. For all the division we have been living through these past few years, this pandemic has illuminated so brightly just how connected we all are. 

The actors profession is symbolized by Sock and Buskin, the comedy and tragedy masks. I got to thinking a little more about these masks. Each time I go and play a character in a movie, a TV show, a theater production, or whatever it might be, I become immersed in that world and that character, for however long it may go on for. Then I, sometimes begrudgingly, remove that mask, put it to one side, and begin looking again for the next opportunity. From these thoughts, I realized another mask I was wearing without ever really knowing I was doing so: the mask of simply “being an actor.” 

So, in this period, I’m putting that mask to one side, too, to ask myself, Who am I underneath it? Instead of diving into my next potential role, I’m taking this time to readdress my role in society as a whole and how I might help do my part, however small, in creating a kinder, gentler, and more loving world. If I have one hope for what this period of time may bring us all, it is this.