Josa Maule, director of the Montreal School for Performing Arts, explains the advantages of having an agent, and talks about the actor's biggest challenge.

Video Transcription

watchmojo.com Chantria Tram: What are the benefits and disadvantages of becoming a member of a union? Josa Maule: The benefits of being part of the union is that once you are a full member you have got pension and medical and they pretty much negotiate anything that happens on a film set to make sure that you are properly paid and that you are well taken care of. But once you are a union member, you can not do anything else rather than other union. This are what the things that bothers me with the union because when they are not doing enough for you, there are not providing you with opportunities, they are not providing you with you know opportunities of getting auditions or working on certain plays, you know so that as an actor we are not working as much, okay. Chantria Tram: So we all know that acting is one of the toughest business if not the toughest business our there. What would you say is in actor’s biggest challenge? Josa Maule: Everything. Chantria Tram: Everything. Josa Maule: Everything. Chantria Tram: You have to choose one thing. Josa Maule: Everything. Chantria Tram: Everything. Josa Maule: If it is one thing, it is everything because it is not just one, you know. It is not just the workshops, it is not just the place or the monologue or the film or the audition or the agent, it is everything, it is the business and that is one of the biggest thing is the business because a lot of actors are so stocked on stupid when it comes to the business and you could have and I have seen so many times the greatest amount of talent and I used talent very loosely because it is very subjective but they have got something, you know. Something, alright and I can even begin to tell you that they had to confiscate my baseball bat because I was using it on people figuratively speaking. Because you know, it is very frustrating because they -- the business part of it, they screwed up their own career. Chantria Tram: Do you have any last words for our aspiring actors out there? Josa Maule: Well, if I -- this did not scare the hell out of you, you know I love doing what I do and it is something I have being doing for a very long time and acting is a very -- it is me. And it is everything who I am. You have to want it, you have to really want it, do not bullshit your self. Do not lie to your self. This is something you have to want to do. I enjoy getting up in the morning and knowing that what I am doing is I am coming here and I am training actors, I am working with actors, watching from working with actors as young as 18 months to as old as 92 years old and do this because you want to do this even if, you know, that you can do what I say, do plays, do independent student films, and you keep on working it in, working it in truthfully. Truthfully, you will never know. You will be where you have to be at the time and the right place because that is what faith is. Chantria Tram: Well, I want to thank you for your time here and if you guys want more information on Montreal School of Performing Arts, just go to their website it is WWW.MSOPA.COM.