Meet Monterio Caldwell | Actor

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

Hi Monterio, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Personally, I feel like if you’re pursuing something that you can quit then that’s not your purpose. I believe everybody on this Earth has a calling or a purpose. Sometimes it takes awhile to find what your purpose is in life. It might take failing at different things to find your true purpose. Your purpose is something you need to do no matter what the outcome may be. That means being persistent even if you’re being told no thousands of times. When you find your purpose, you’ll know it. It’s a special feeling you’ll get inside every single time you do it or think about it. Nothing and nobody can steer you away from your purpose when you’ve found it. You just have to have tunnel vision and go at it with full force. I’m a firm believer that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to see it through.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m so dedicated to my craft. I want to be the best actor that I know I can be. In order to be the best, you have to be the hardest worker in the room. I feel like my competitive nature helps me in this field. It’s like playing sports. If you practice hard, everything just comes to you naturally. I learn something new from every person I encounter without judgement. I think it happens subconsciously. Being more empathetic and understanding of other people’s perspectives not only helps make you a better actor but it makes you a better human being as well. My goal is to be as vulnerable and unfiltered as I possibly can in every role I take. To fully empty myself and give everything in me to a role, means I got the job done. Regardless of how people feel about it, that’s the goal.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta is so dope! I was born and raised here. Since Halloween is coming up, we would have to hit up Netherworld or Frightfest at Six Flags. To sightsee, we would definitely have to go to the Jackson Street Bridge to see the city lights at night. Krog Street Tunnel has the best graffiti art and would be cool for pictures. We would have to go to the Atlanta Beltline. I like to bowl so we would probably go to Midtown Bowl. Atlantic Station has pretty much everything so we would definitely go there too. For food, TGI Friday’s is a go to & Pappadeaux is a good restaurant as well. You absolutely must visit The Varsity for the Atlanta experience even if you don’t eat the food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh man there’s so many people who’ve helped me along the way! First, I have to thank God for my gift and every blessing I’ve received. I truly appreciate everybody who has ever given me an opportunity or trusted me with a role. A lot of the roles I’ve gotten have been from people I’ve worked with on projects free willingly referring me for other roles. It means a lot because that’s rare. I also credit every actor I’ve ever worked with/will work with because we need each other in order to give our best in a scene. Every actor brings a different perspective. The most interesting things in a scene are born from being fully present with your scene partners. I’m still cool with a lot of the actors I’ve worked with in the past too. I show love and support to everybody I can because so many people are just about themselves in this field. A lot of people have a ‘crab in a bucket’ mentality and I never respected anyone who thinks that way. It is indeed a very competitive field but it’s so much opportunity for everybody to eat. I commend every actor (past, present or future) because it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to do this.

Website: monteriocaldwell.com
Instagram: instagram.com/monteriocaldwell

Image Credits
Jahmal Harper