Attempting The Impossible: An Australian Actor In Germany

This isn’t a story of success or failure, it’s an ongoing journey.

I relocated to Hamburg, Germany, from my hometown Melbourne six years ago, primarily to be with my son. I accepted that my aspiration to be an actor had come to an abrupt end having only taken a few baby steps through training and playing a role in a short film.

Standing in the rain outside a film festival marquee in Hamburg not long after my arrival, an industry professional turned to me and said, ‘I am sorry. There is no need for an Australian actor in Germany or Europe for that matter. You have no chance of working here.’ They rode off into the darkness on a European bike and the voice of self-doubt had a party on their words.

Working actor statistics are akin to those of winning the lottery, on top of that I was now living in a country where English is not the first language. Regardless, the drive to find a way was too strong.

Within a few months, I found myself on set near the Polish border shooting an international web spot for one of Germany’s most iconic cars. Sitting in that car surrounded by lights, I realised opportunities aren’t necessarily constrained by the city or circumstances you’re in.

I knew I had to keep fear at bay and continue to do the work. I went on to do hundreds of hours of extra work. It wasn’t acting but it was film school of sorts, in German. This lead to some bit-parts on a local cop show with no dialogue. People…