Meet Benja Petty | Actor & Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Benja Petty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benja, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It’s something that has always been in me. On my mother side, specifically, my cousins, we are a family full of entertainers. I think I inherited a really good sense of humour from my mother, and that I always wanted to be the one making people laugh, or being the centre of attention, and sometimes a bratty way.

I know it sounds so”film bro” of me to say, but this career is something that beckoned me and I think I just decided to respond to it. It’s always been my favourite thing to do, to tell stories and perform in front of people, and I couldn’t imagine living a life where that isn’t the focus of it.

I don’t even remember what I said, but I can remember being in fourth grade and making an entire table full of my friends laugh and like I said, I don’t remember what it is that I joked about, but I’ll never forget the feeling of hearing a group of people I knew and admired respond with laughter. I guess it was sort of a rush, like I knew what I was doing was exactly what I wanted to do and I just hoped that I could keep doing that forever, and that was only when I was 9 years old!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always had a passion for telling stories, especially ones that matter a great deal to those who need to hear it, and that’s sort of what I wanted to dedicate my life to. I try to exist on opposite ends of the artistic spectrum, where I really enjoy making people laugh, but I also want to tell stories that allow the soul to be impacted.

This career has never really gotten easier for me, because there are definitely parts of it that I don’t enjoy. Which I get can sort of be a “hot take”, but there are parts of the industry that make you feel worthless at time and some higher ups who don’t do a lot to aid in that. One of those things being that this career is a market and whether or not I enjoy it, the market is what you just respond to. It’s hard to be an individual and a product at the same time, but I find myself doing better consistently as of late, which is a HUGE victory for me, as someone who has always struggled with a negative self image.

In that same vein, I’ve learned to love the battle of not making yourself too easy to please. I think you’ll notice there’s a lot of double edged swords in the way I speak about the industry. well, the industry does a great job of reinforcing your insecurities in the worst parts about you, it also is a constant reminder that you have to be so committed to your craft because a lot of times when people say they want to be an entertainer or an actor or a model or whatever, what they really mean is they want the accolades they want the attention, and they want to be famous and I don’t blame anybody for those things, but the reality is you’re going to get rejected so many times, and it is such a slow grind for some people, and that isn’t as “fun” as being famous. So you’re gonna find out pretty quickly how much you ACTUALLY love storytelling. I will say if you love it as much as you say you do, you’ll probably get to have some of the coolest experiences of your life and meet some of the greatest people on the planet.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well during the season, catching a ball game if some kind is a MUST. I’m a huge sports guy so to be honest any kind of sports bar suits me just fine, and I’ve got a few hidden gems that I’m gonna keep hidden.

I would say as well the coolest thing you COULD do in a new city is to go and explore for yourself. Walk around a bit and find what you like, because boy does Atlanta have a little something for everyone, no matter the person.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would have to say there are two major standouts, one being the studio I train at, Anthony Meindl’s Acting Studio (AMAW) and my best friend, Jade Crosby.

AMAW was the first in person class I took when finally Covid allowed me to do so, and it has become a PIVOTAL piece in my development as an actor. If you haven’t tried a serious scene study class before, you’re wasting time.

Jade is the type of friend everyone needs. Someone who will tell you when you’re doing well and someone who will remind you to do better. You cannot navigate this industry alone and to have someone like her have my back is a kind of necessity that you must have in order to stay grounded between the highs and especially the lows of this industry.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjapetty/?hl=en

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@benjapetty5952

Image Credits
Darrell Snedeger J. Gabriel Ossa