Meet Cornelius Boeder | Actor & Writer

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

Hi Cornelius, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have a lot of thoughts on this and I doubt that I’ll be able to communicate them concisely, but let’s give it a shot. Taking a risk when it presents itself is one thing, but in my experience it’s often not that straightforward. I feel like the first image that comes to mind, when taking risks, is someone dragging you to the end of a cliff and telling you to jump. In reality I feel that it happens mostly when you’re making a choice from a fairly stagnant position. In a high stakes scenario, when you are forced to make a choice, it can be easier to see what the scariest option would be and you will know whether you’ve overcome your fear or not. For me those are not the scariest scenarios. The riskiest situations in my opinion are the ones where no one drags you towards that cliff. Where you yourself create something and you have to make sure it gets out there of your own accord. Nobody is asking you for anything, nobody is giving you options to choose from. The scenario in which you take a risk doesn’t always readily present itself to you. You have to seek it out or nothing will happen. And that’s the scariest part.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
This will be difficult to convey clearly, but I think what sets me apart could be described as a tone. Especially when it comes to my own writing, I strive to not get lost in pandering to an audience and stay true to my own dry, simple, sarcastic and sometimes strange style, which also carries over into many of my performances. I remember times when I would get an audition and catch myself thinking about what the director would want to see to then try to cater to that. I’ve learned that not only is that approach unfulfilling creatively but in most scenarios quite ineffective. It has definitely served me better throughout the years to fully engage myself artistically and make my own choices. This has definitely been true for the productions I’ve been a part of and instrumental in keeping me sane and my love for the things I do alive. It’s very easy to get lost and quit if you’re pursuing a career as an actor -especially if you’re trying to be only an actor. I find myself dreaming of another career all the time and if I didn’t have other outlets, I would’ve quit a long time ago. The biggest challenges for me are, and always have been, my own doubts and fears. “Why would anyone want to see this? Why should anyone listen? Am I faking this? Is this indulgent?” You know…the usual.
A big lesson I’m constantly learning regarding that, is to let other people decide. Let them make the choice whether to listen or space out, whether to be offended or enlightened. And if one person out of a hundred will take away something meaningful from engaging with your material, that’s enough.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my friends and artistic partners –specifically Luísa Galatti and Ryan Cairns. Also my brother Constantin for making sure things don’t fall apart back home.

Website: https://www.itsonthebox.com

Image Credits
Geetika Kumar Federica Borlenghi Ryan Cairns Kevin Johnson