Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Daugherty.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in a hippie kid in Eugene, Oregon, with parents who are very creative. When I was four, my folkie-singer-songwriter father got the part of Pontius Pilate in a local production of Jesus Christ Superstar, so from a very early age, I was introduced to the culture and environment of the theater world; beautiful dancers, overly dramatic (and hilarious) people, costumes and sets. It was all so much fun that it grabbed me and never let go. I knew from a very early age that this was where I was going to make my life.
My school years saw me explore a number of different things (opera, jazz, a focus on vocal music, madrigal music, classical choral music, as well as other things like business, skiing, fly fishing and hunting.) Acting sort of went by the wayside for a few years but that was only because I knew that it was always the eventuality. Acting would never go away.
In ’98, I moved to Los Angeles to begin pursuing my career in earnest. Like most every other actor, I spent my time working all manner of jobs; handyman, telemarketing, waiting tables. I worked for a while with my uncle and cousin helping them run their trucking company. Whatever needed to be done, I would do it. There are probably a bunch of other jobs I’ve since forgotten but I’m sure that’s for the better. There were small acting jobs that came and went. I even got fired from a film. Ha! But I also met one of my closest friends on that picture. You never know the gold that can come of even the stupidest gigs.
Eventually, I began booking commercials. That changed my life because I was now able to relax a little bit and not have to rely on serving tables to make ends meet. Many actors have an aversion to commercials claiming they’re “not real acting.” This has never made sense to me. Any opportunity to act and GET PAID is a blessing. Is it creatively fulfilling? Not always, but when you’re working with Oscar-winning cinematographers, directors, producers, and crew (many of these folks shoot commercials when they’re not shooting TV or film) you’re getting to work with the best in the business. You’re getting to establish relationships, getting to know how other people work and you’re learning what it takes to do your job at a higher level. Is it Shakespeare? No, not by a long shot. But it teaches you to be honest, hit your mark, take someone else’s words and make them your own, and – most important – it teaches you to have fun and not take things too seriously. Commercials are awesome. I wouldn’t be the actor I am today if I didn’t have commercials.
So, while commercials were keeping me alive I was hitting the TV and film auditions. Thousands and thousands of auditions. And often hundreds of auditions in between bookings! That’ll mess with your head. This job is a long, slow, slog. But I’m learning that’s actually how we want it. I’ve worked with folks who saw meteoric rises, flying to the top of the top, but they weren’t ready for it. The talent wasn’t there, the craft wasn’t there. They were ill-prepared for what this business throws at them. And now? I don’t know where they are and neither do you. It’s sad. Good people who hit it hard, long before they were prepared, and now they’re gone.
In June of ’18, my then-fiancee, now wife – Ashley – and I moved to Atlanta. Word had been traveling around LA that things were really taking off in the ATL so we decided to come to see what the South is all about. Ashley and I are both born and raised in the West so we never really considered the possibility of living in The South. It’s been a wonderful move for us. The people, the environment, the amount of work, the culture… it’s been such a beautiful experience so far. We couldn’t be more thankful to have landed where we did and found the people here that we’ve found. Our hearts will always reside in the mountains of The West but until we return to Oregon, we are VERY happy in the South. We just love it.
When we landed in Atlanta, one of the first things I did was begin teaching. I’d taught Voice Over for about five years with the Screen Actor’s Guild Foundation at the Don Lafontaine Memorial VO Lab. (I’ve served on the advisory board since its inception. Don and I were friends so when he passed I wanted to give back in any way I could.) Now, it was time to offer my thoughts and perspective on acting in front of the camera. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I absolutely LOVE teaching and couldn’t be more grateful for the students who’ve come my way.
The amount of work here is really wonderful. Less than a year after arriving, I’ve shot two films, been flown to Puerto Rico for a TV show and now I’m finishing up season 3 on a show called Mr. Mercedes, an incredible series based on the books by Stephen King and developed for TV by David E Kelly (The Practice, LA Law, Ally McBeal, Picket Fences, Big Little Lies, Goliath.) This job has been an absolute gift. I’m having so much fun working with this crew, world-class artists, all. From the top to the bottom the people who make Mr. Merceds come to life have been welcoming and encouraging and I couldn’t ask for a better experience. Being on Mr. Mercedes has been a joy.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth is the last word I’d use for this line of work. It is a total and unadulterated slog. It’s a heartbreaking mistress, an abusive lover, an indifferent crush, but I love it. I’ve gone a few years without booking a single job. I’ve lost relationships. I’ve lost houses. I’ve made good money and then lost it. This business is one challenge after another. There was a stretch of time when I went five years without an agent. Not one would even sit down for a meeting! Not one! But life is made of seasons and seasons change. Learning to be happy through the seasons is a HUGE lesson and one that many actors never learn.
I’ve learned that much of what makes us “successful” (a term each person needs to define for themselves) comes from our headspace, our perspective. It’s taken me a long time to develop a healthy perspective of this business and that’s one of the things I talk about consistently with my students; headspace. How we choose to perceive our world actually shapes our world. Expectations, identifying and letting go of the ego, gratitude, generosity, developing your OWN opinion, knowing who YOU are as an artist, thinking for yourself, not getting caught up in the BS of appearance and publicity, learning not to take things personally, training your mind to stop trying to make sense of this business, it’s one lesson after another, but if you want to have any staying power these are lessons that need to be learned.
One of the things that I love about this craft is that it works opposite your natural inclinations. If you’re loud and always in front this craft of acting will gag you, open your ears and sit you down for some serious lessons about who you are. If you’re a wallflower and just like to observe acting will force you out of your shell, give you a voice, help you find your strength and make you claim it in public. It will force you to look inside, address your brokenness, teach you to love yourself BECAUSE of your brokenness and move you on to the next gut-wrenching lesson. Acting is a singularly unique craft in that way. I love it more and more every day.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I teach people how to act. What that means is I teach people how NOT to act, but how to BE. How to be themselves in the truest and deepest sense. How to be real, honest, totally vulnerable and brave with their brokenness. I help them dig deeper into who they are, and in doing so we dig deeper into what that actor can bring to a character.
To be perfectly clear, I’m not a well-studied actor. I didn’t go to school for it, I haven’t spent years in classes. My resume doesn’t include lists of famous teachers and coaches I’ve studied under. My approach is very blue-collar. When I arrived in LA I had a million bad habits that would take me years to unlearn. For whatever reason, I decided I needed to learn my lessons my own way, through trial and error.
But I also decided that while I was getting by on raw talent (which I had), I would also commit to REALLY watching, REALLY listening and learning from the myriad professionals I was blessed to be working with. Baptism by fire is a great way to learn. It gets hot and sometimes you get burned but you either learn to use that fire to produce something of your own or you get out.
I’ve made it clear to my students that when they come to my class they’re paying for my opinion, not perfection. There are no magic bullets in this business. They simply don’t exist. But if they want to learn from my experiences then I’m happy to have them in class and teach them what I know. The resulting progress has been incredibly fun to watch. And when my student’s book work (and they do) it’s even more exciting.
I think what sets me apart from other teachers is love, support, honesty, vulnerability and a total lack of idol worship. I hate that s***. That’s a very common thing for acting coaches, idol worship. It makes sense, too. Who wouldn’t want to be viewed as the be-all end-all of their craft? Sounds awesome! But the reality is teaching and learning provide no room for ego, and that’s all idol worship is ego. From my experiences working with some of the biggest and best in our business, there is little room for ego. Humility and openness create room for growth, discovery, and leveling-up. Ego prevents all that. Ego keeps us anchored to our own perceptions. Not a good place to be for an artist.
My approach is about the universality of our lives, how we ALL experience the same emotions, no matter our genetics, economics or birthplace. It’s an understanding that shifts our approach to engaging other people on a daily basis and shifts how we treat ourselves. It’s about love and grace, the commonness of the experience of living and the validity of the life you’ve lived and are currently living.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The proximity to nature in the South is just spectacular. It reminds me so much of growing up in Oregon. In my backyard, I’ve got baby bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels, raptors… why, just yesterday I shooed a 3-foot long king snake from my front yard to my back yard. It was beautiful! Just beyond our yard, we hear coyotes, giant Bard owls, beaver dropping big trees along the creek. I saw a mink chasing a chipmunk just last week. It’s wonderful.
I also really love the culture here. It’s polite and kind. Southern Hospitality is a real thing and I can think of a few places in our world that could use a lesson in it. In much of The West, especially nowadays, politics is the first thing on peoples’ minds. It’s the religion for many out there. Not so here. The rule to NOT talk about religion or politics is actually a wonderful thing. It allows people of all different backgrounds to come together and bond on a million other subjects before they decide to hate each other over party politics. That allows relationships to form and grow and that allows for give-and-take when politics do come up.
What do I like the least? That’s a tough one. I will say this; as much as I appreciate the cuisine here (and I do,) I think it’s often too heavy-handed. When it comes to seasoning a meal I like to taste the thing that’s being seasoned more than the seasoning. Meaning, if I order a steak, I want to taste the steak, not the rub or the sauce. Those things should accentuate the quality of the steak itself, not be the centerpiece of the entire meal. All too often Southern cooks slather their steaks (or shrimp or salmon or salad or whatever the meal may be) in sauces and seasoning, losing the delicacy and nuance of the centerpiece. Seasoning should heighten the centerpiece, not BE the centerpiece. But I’m a snob when it comes to food, wine, coffee and the like. Just ask my wife. 😉
Pricing:
- Private Coaching – $65/hour
- Monday Night Class – $200/4 weeks
- Advanced Class (Tues nights, coming in July) – $250/4 weeks
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joshteaches.com (under major reconstruction at the moment)
- Email: joshteachesacting@gmail.com
- Instagram: @joshteachesacting – teaching account / @joshdaughertyofficial – acting account
- Facebook: @joshteachesacting
Image Credit:
Carrie Carnevale, Peter Konerko
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