Life & Work with Charles Green of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Green.

Hi Charles, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started at age 12 in the community theatres of Lake Charles, Louisiana, where I lived from ages 9 to 21. I played a LOT of old men when I was a teen because they couldn’t find older men to commit to 4 weeks of rehearsals! Maybe that’s why my film/TV career didn’t take off until I was 58 years old! I got my degrees in Speech Education (BA) and theatre (MA, MFA), moved to Los Angeles in 1979, where I got a few cool acting gigs like a week on the set of The Golden Girls. But after 8 years of frustration with the biz, I got certification in public relations from UCLA Extension, a two-year course, and ended up in healthcare public relations in 1987. I moved to Atlanta in 1990 to create national cancer awareness campaigns for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2013, I noticed that due to major tax incentives, the TV/film industry had come to the southeast in a big way. I got an agent, juggled my CDC duties with my acting career until 2017, when I retired early from CDC to commit 100 percent to acting.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest obstacle was trying to break into the Los Angeles TV/film industry in my 20s. My biggest regret is that I was too afraid to switch agents. Maybe my career would have been different working with another agent. I’ll never know. And maybe timing is everything and the right time for me was when I was much older. When I left the business in 1990 at age 35, I had 5 TV/film credits. Since returning in 2013 at age 58, I have more than 100 credits.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve always been a character actor and the supporting role, even when I started out at age 12 in community theatre. I’ve rarely had a leading role onstage and film/TV, and I’ve always been okay with that! I’m glad that I knew my type early on; so many actors never do and that can lead to frustration. I love being the go-to character actor in the southeast because of the incredible variety of roles I get to play. And I’m grateful to the southeast casting directors who continue to challenge me with these opportunities.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am currently mentoring actors who are taking Get Scene Studio’s six-month Working Actors Program. It’s been an incredible experience guiding actors along their journey to make sure they know their type; present themselves well through headshots and audition self-tapes; and find the best agent for them (or communicate better with their existing agent). My major piece of advice would be that if you are frustrated with your agent and they lack the communication skills to work with you, FIND ANOTHER AGENT! And like any line of work you go into, learn from those who are successful in their field. The Get Scene Podcast on YouTube is one way to hear from successful actors, casting directors and other industry professionals in the southeast. And above all, continue to work on your craft through classes. Classes are also a great way to network.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://IMDB.me/charlesgreen
• Instagram: @hotlantaguy