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

Hi Nathan, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
About 90% of my time is spent working towards the actual job. Most of us are lucky to even get an audition for a feature film or a hit tv show, and even luckier if we actually book the job. The competition is so fierce, even in Atlanta. I’d say even for a seasoned veteran the rejection rate is 80-85%. So, the other 10% of my time is spent on set actually doing the work. You kind of have to fall in love with the process. You have to fall in love with auditioning or else you’ll be sorely disappointed. I try to view my auditions as mini performances that I get to do for the casting directors and my reader.

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 currently am a professional actor focused on film/tv. I still do theatre occasionally, but it is not easy making a living especially in Atlanta doing just theatre. We only have few theatres that are Equity and actually pay an actor a decent wage, but most theatres in the area are barely scraping by. I made the transition to film/tv back in 2018, and it kind of found me. I wasn’t looking to do film/tv work because I always thought that in order to be on tv or be in the movies you had to be gorgeous. As a bigger guy I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it. Boy was I wrong. I was in a musical in 2018, and the producer of the musical, the director, and a fellow cast mate were are repped by an agency called Atlanta Models and Talent. They invited the agency to come out. Three agents showed up and after the musical approached me and gave me their card. The rest is history.

Since then I’ve booked a variety of commercials, tv shows, and feature films. Most notably I was in Bad Boys 4 last summer and even made the trailer! It hasn’t been easy. In fact, being an actor is probably the most frustrating career you can have. It isn’t linear. Most jobs you progress and get by based on merit. While, yes, an actor that has a lot of accolades definitely has an advantage it isn’t always about how seasoned you are. So many factors go into the casting process like looks, height, weight and tone of voice. Can you effectively tell the story the way we want you to? Do you live here in Atlanta because we don’t want to pay out of towners and yadda yadda yadda.

I’ve learned to trust the process and what is yours will come to you. But there are definitely sometimes that this career makes me want to scream into the void.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m not much of a drinker even though I work at one of the best pubs for beer in the world aka The Brick Store Pub, so I can’t say too much about favorite watering holes. I think the scene in downtown Decatur in general has so much to offer food and drink wise that I would be hesitant not to bring them there. For authentic international food, anywhere along Buford highway is my go to. Pho, pho, and more pho.

And since my best friend is also a baseball fan, we would definitely hit up the Battery and watch us a few Braves games!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my college theatre professors, but mainly the ones I had when I went to Georgia Perimeter College, which is now Georgia State. Sally Robertson and Jennifer Jenkins had a profound impact on me and helped shape the actor I am today. They helped instill professionalism in my craft as well as allowing me to make my own mistakes. I had done theatre in high school, but it wasn’t until GPC that I hit my stride as an actor and was confident enough to take my skills to a 4 year school. They gave me opportunities as an actor that I probably wouldn’t have gotten had attended a 4 year school immediately. Sally is currently the head honcho as the Associate Department Chair of Fine Arts, and Jennifer Jenkins passed away a few years ago. They will always be in my heart.

Instagram: @bignatehess

Other: IMBD: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm6898562?ref_=hm_prof_header

Image Credits
Image 1 and 4: Brandon Reece

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