Franklin Livingston or the climb of a talented American actor and influencer

Franklin Livingston or the ascent of a talented Pakistani actor: Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path? Living in the Midwest of the United States for nearly a decade made me feel that I was expected to spend my life in a specific stereotypical way. It began with my job at the local Christian church that helped me get settled in the U.S. I was astonished when my supervisor asked me why I needed to go out and have a nice dinner, once in a while, when I had tin can soups at the place I was living at. The senior pastor of the same church explained to me that people from my background should NOT even consider dating or having a family life because we don’t understand relationships and people from the Middle East could die at any given moment. In my opinion, they were basically stating that my life and people like me should not expect to progress any further than just being sacrificial lambs. We are not entitled to normal lives and should never experience it. We are less than the standard and lucky to participate at all. Read extra info on Franklin Livingston.

Franklin Livingston reveals a stunning confession about his relocation to New York City, where he continues to witness several aspiring actors who are filled with the yearning to be seen on screen. It didn’t matter if it was a short film or a top Hollywood film. Although, most of them desire to feature in Hollywood films, but don’t get a chance to act in an ultra low budget project. This reason is causing some of them to develop mental health conditions for cloning on to such a wait.

Franklin Livingston grew up as a religious minority in Pakistan. He constantly faced persecution and prejudice, which shaped him to be a unique human being. He is a wounded healer — someone who embraces the people from all walks of life, empowering them to be whoever they want. Like Pakistan, in the United States, Franklin is once again a minority. But this time, it is not because of his religious affiliation but his ethnicity, where he has experienced terrible racism and discrimination on all levels. Livingston utilizes these experiences to evolve into a humanitarian advocate, share his struggles, and much more through his films, plays, and social media content.

And to finish this section, please tell us what is the one major key to your success? I am very disciplined and do not believe in shortcuts. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to put in the work. It always disappoints me when I see an actor that has completed their training, and then they think that is the end. Really, with any career you should be continuing your training up until the day you retire. I do acting exercises constantly to stay sharp. I also love to talk with strangers, or at least I used to a lot more pre-covid, and get to know their stories. I will often take an afternoon drive along the countryside and stop to talk with someone I have just met. Going into Manhattan on the Subway just to people watch is something I find very enjoyable too. These things not only keep me connected to my fellow human beings, but it is also like building a real-life character catalog of all the different people I meet that I could draw inspiration from whenever needed.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? Al Qually has been a tremendous help on my journey in New York. When I first arrived in the Big Apple, I was angry and depressed because I had so many negative experiences. I believe that it was my growing and learning phase, but I met Al in 2016 who collaborated with me on numerous projects. He always went out of his way to help me with scripts, filmmaking, and much more without any expectations or hidden agendas. We have shot several short films in and outside of his apartment in Queens (including “Down-Range”) where he would be making coffee and running around trying to make sure all actors and crew were taken care of. Since our initial encounter and through Al’s network, I have met many great professionals who have helped me become a better human being and a compelling storyteller.

Franklin has broad training from highly experienced professionals in the areas of drama and the more serious cinematic roles. In films produced in the United States, there are no such leading roles that are filled by qualified Pakistani actors. Franklin has spent significant time and effort acquiring the necessary training and expert guidance to fill these roles. Franklin has the particular skills and personality necessary as an American actor to proudly and personally take on the privilege of shedding light on many important socio-political issues. Including representation or the cross-cultural issues faced by recent immigrants. Franklin envisions changing the way stories are told in America while empowering day-to-day heroes. In his films, Franklin has shown the heroism of average men and women. He believes heroes don�t have to be fictional or over-the-top good-looking men and women. Since those are standards set by humans and are not closer to the principle of nature and the Universe. Franklin believes heroes are always born among average people, and they live among us, helping us on a day-to-day basis, making our world a better place.

Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories? The most interesting people I have ever met are through random encounters. It was awkward in the beginning because I knew I did not have much time to talk to them in the subway, at a coffee shop, or at an intersection. I have made several friends worldwide through these kinds of chance meetings. Once I was paying for my sandwich at a deli near my acting school in NYC and I noticed that the cashier was wearing a fancy watch. I couldn’t help, but comment on it, and she responded by telling me her story. It turns out that she was an engineer from Venezuela, but her education was not recognized in the U.S., so she was forced to work service and retail jobs instead of in her field. We became friends on social media and after a few years we are still are very close friends.

Franklin has studied a multitude of acting techniques at Guildhall School of Music and Drama London, Moscow Arts Theater, New York Film Academy, Atlantic Acting School, the Meisner Studio of Tisch School of the Arts New York of New York University, and Yale University where he received training in acting, filmmaking, and directing as well. Franklin is a true New Yorker and enjoys exploring the city on foot and via subway absorbing the incomparable diversity of NYC. He loves to engage the local communities in breaking boundaries and building connections. When not on a film set or involved in community development, you will catch Franklin researching the past and the present anthropology, cooking, traveling, sightseeing, motorcycling, road tripping through the U.S., or maybe even jet-skiing.