Filmmaker Spotlight - Miller Brandon
Welcome to the Filmmaker Spotlight – this series shines a light on filmmakers, actors, editors, and more, as we ask them a few questions and uncover why they love what they do.
This time - Miller Brandon
Actor
Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get into the industry?
Hello everybody, my name is Brandon Miller but my stage name is Miller Brandon. So a lot of people just call me Miller. So I teach acting for teens, the Meisner technique. But I’m also a Studio Manager and Admissions Coordinator here at The Acting Studio in New York. I started acting when I was 13, I’m from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and there’s not much acting there. Believe or not I never really wanted to be an actor. My brother kind of pushed me into it and said that I would be successful, I don’t know how he saw it, I don’t know what he was thinking, but as soon as I went to go see a play I fell in love immediately, but it took a lot of convincing for me to go see that play. I almost didn’t go, it was when my mom threatened me to go watch it, that’s when I saw it, and immediately just fell in love. I forgot that I didn’t want to be there, I was so captivated. Because of that I wanted to share experience with people, and if I could do that for people then I’d be the happiest person.
What’s something about being an actor that outsiders would never expect?
That’s a very tough question because I feel like the whole preparation process is what people don’t expect, the amount of rehearsals and the amount of time and energy that it takes to be an actor. A lot of people just think that you’re going and reciting lines but that takes a lot of patience and courage. It takes a lot of work for the craft to create that special moment, and then you have to relive that special moment for the whole performance. I think that one of the specific things that people don’t really think about is in the work, we’re trying to be aware of our relationship with the other characters and we have to remember the circumstances. We have to remember how we feel about the other person and then you let all of it live subconsciously in you. And then you forget about it and you just have to trust yourself that they’re going to say the right thing that’s going to provoke the feeling or emotion or cue your line that you're going to be able to continue on.
If you could act opposite any actor living or dead in a film, who would it be and why?
If I want to learn the most, probably Marlon Brando. I wouldn’t mind you know, Jeremy Allen-White or Andrew Lincoln, someone like that. I love all of their films and TV shows. One of my favourite shows is The Walking Dead, so I would have loved to act with Andrew Lincoln, but just in that show particularly, I think he did a phenomenal job.
Favourite On-set snack?
Wow. My favourite snack on set is very tough because I’m a big snacker, but I try not to snack because I don’t want to get too full right before we go. Welch’s fruit snacks are delicious. They’re so good. I also like sour patch kids or you know, Cheez-Its. I don’t know, something dirty, something gross. I just love to have that comfortableness because it kind of helps calm me down.
Do you have a specific warm-up or ritual before going on stage or stepping onto set?
I’m not going to get too much into it because I think that as an actor, those things are kind of sacred. I will however give two little secrets. I have a whole body warm up that I do, kind of gets me engaged, it helps with dictation. I also do tongue twisters. And then there’s one specific thing that I’ve been doing a lot. I listen to a specific song on repeat over and over and over again as a short song. I’ve also been putting peppermint on my hands because that smell really calms me down. So it kind of gets the pre-show jitters out of the way.
Has working in theatre influenced the way you approach film acting, and vice versa?
Working in theater has influenced the way that I approach film acting and film acting has influenced the way that I approach theater. I think they go hand in hand. Fundamentally, your character building is the same. You’re doing the same thing that you need to do for the character, independent study, letting it live with you, bringing new ideas into the rehearsals. The difference is just for theater, you don’t really have to go. And you have a long rehearsal period, for film it’s you have to go, like, you show up, you maybe get two rehearsals to go through everything and then that’s it. The difference is, theater is a language based art form, and film is a visual based art form. But I think both require a very intellectual way of handling the script and handling dialog. There’s a really cool thing in acting called phrasing. So what that is, you're putting everything into complete thoughts. You know, if I were to ask somebody the days of the week, they would say, sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, they wouldn’t say monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday sunday. So I think that, you know, my approach is like I’m trying to incorporate a little bit of film technique into theater and then a little bit of theater into film.
What have you learnt over time that you wish you knew when you started?
All of it! I look back on the past because I started acting when I was fairly young in high school, and I wish I knew everything that I know now back in high school. How to prepare a script, how to work hard, how to memorize lines, how to do this, how to do that, how to react to the person. And I just wish that I learned all of that earlier. So I had more time to practise everything. Phrasing really helps, putting difficult language in your own words. Actors Paraphrasing is what it’s called, that way you can make it make sense. Just simply focusing all of your attention on your partner as well, that’s the stuff that I wish I learned earlier.
Who or what inspires you in your work?
The desire to be a better creator, wanting my family, my friends, significant others, the people that are close to me to be proud of me, to share really good art with people who understand really good art inspires me. Seeing good art makes me want to create good art, watching bad art makes me want to create good art. And I think thats the easiest and most simple answer that I can really give.
What’s one project you’re especially proud of, and why?
There’s a lot! Immortal Ron holds a very special place in my heart because that was one of the first projects that I was able to do outside school. There’s this constant difficulty getting into the industry because in order to audition you have to have a reel, but in order to have a reel you have to audition. So it’s kind of brutal. It’s like everyone expects you to have something in order to be seen, but then you have to be seen in order to get something. And Immortal Ron was the first time that I was able to break through the barrier and just submit a headshot and then audition. There wasn’t a requirement for a reel.
Another project that I hold very dear in my heart. I was going through high school and there was a competition called District Drama, and for those four years, the same time every year there were so many like minded students that came to the local school district. It switched every year from school to school, there were five schools per district and we performed, we all had different scenes, there were judges and the alumni were judges and we would perform. And from there you move on to State Drama, you all get on a bus and you drive down to somewhere like Boise, Idaho or further down Twin Falls. And that time holds a very special place in my heart because when I was a freshman I didn’t qualify for state. When I was sophomore I went to state but didn’t qualify further, then when I was Junior I made it to the semifinals. And then when I was senior I made it to the finals and that arc of growing in what I do, feeling confident that I’m a good artist and a good actor, I’m just going to be forever proud of those moments. And it’s something I hold so close to me because it’s the epitome of grinding and improving and in each year to get one step further, it just means a lot.
Any advice for people wanting to do the job that you do?
I’m an advocate for going to school, acting specifically, you can’t learn academically. A lot of people think that you’re just reciting lines or you’re crying in front of people but there’s more to it than that. You have to be an observer. You have to be empathetic, sympathetic, you have to understand human connection, you have to understand that you’re allowed to feel things and then there's no force. I get a lot of people, directors, young directors that say at this moment you have to cry which I’ll argue tooth and nail because that’s just turning everything result based. And that’s not fair to the actor, sometimes the visual of holding back from crying is way more powerful than crying itself. You have to understand the job and be very subjective in what you like, you have to live it. There's that saying, in order to master acting you have to live it, and it’s going to take a lifetime to do so. If I was to simplify everything I’d say the want of the character has to outweigh the want of you to succeed. Succeeding for me Miller, if I were to say that I want to be a good actor whenever I get a character, there needs to be more than my want of succeeding, or else I’ve already failed.
Currently working on a project or want to plug something?
I’m currently working on a project. I've created my own production company with some friends here in New York. I was really hoping Ash (Shushka Productions) would be a part of it but he’s off doing some great things, making his own stuff. We’re currently just beginning on some things but we have some great ideas coming out. I also just performed a play and after that I got invited to audition for an equity show, so I’m very excited about that. I’m improving and doing work and that’s it. And if you want to follow me on Instagram, it’s MillerBrandon.
Miller Brandon on the set of “Immortal Ron”
