FROM MY OWN HOME TOWN OF ADELAIDE (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) WE WELCOME ACTOR

BLAKE SCHIPHORST

1                   Please tell us a little bit about your background;

                  A:        I am currently nineteen years old and was born here in Adelaide. I am currently in my second year of Uni studying a bachelor of journalism and write for my blog ‘Laddies and Gentlewomen’ in my spare time. I’m also working on a series of books which, at the rate I’m going, will probably never see the light of day, but are a great creative outlet.

2                   You are an actor.  Have you always wanted to be an entertainer or did you aspire to be something else when you were growing up?

                 A:          Acting has always been a major interest of mine. Working on films, despite the repetitiveness, has always seemed like so much fun to me. I suppose the allure of fame has played its part too. But, I’ve always tried to keep my own reality in check and remind myself that even professional actors struggle to find work. Hence, more recently anyway, acting has been put on a bit of a back-burner and is something I pursue in my spare time.

3                   Is anyone else in your family and/or friends in entertainment?

                   A:             I don’t really know anyone professional in the industry, which is a pity because it would really give me a leg up. Naturally, I have friends that I’ve met through attending different acting schools, but they have yet to make it big.

4                   Are you professionally trained in acting?

                  A:          I’ve attended different acting schools and studied drama throughout high school. I haven’t attended any famous institutions in New York or anything like that though.

5                   Are you professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

                A:        I recently joined up with ‘Extra Edge’ which finds work for people as ‘extras’, but given I only just joined with them a month or so ago, nothing has come out of that. So, I just represent myself mostly.

6                   Do you have a stage name?

                     A:         No - and I don’t think the need for one has ever really arisen. I guess I’d prefer to use my own name though, almost as a sign of respect for my family I guess. Plus, there’d be less confusion.

7                   What have you appeared in?

                      A:              I appeared in multiple school plays, including ‘Two Weeks with the Queen’ in year eleven when I played the lead, Colin Mudford, and ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ in year twelve where I played Jonathan Harker (I probably could have played Dracula, but Harker’s personality went so well with my own). I also played Edna Turnblad in the Australia Company of Performing Art's take on 'Hairspray'; I got to wear a wig and fat suit which was a lot of fun! Plus, I’ve also appeared in a number of other short films that I’ve made for school projects and one other which I helped some friends out with. They’re all on my YouTube channel if you want to have a look: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLastStopByMe

8                   Have you worked alongside any well-known names?

         A:            No, unfortunately.

9                   Have you done many media interviews?

         A:           Again, I haven’t unfortunately.

10              What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

                  A:           I like hanging out with my friends, listening to music and playing video games - but I’d have to say writing. Ever since I was little, I’ve been writing fiction. I find writing to be a wonderful form of escapism.

11              Have you ever been bullied?

               A:          Although I’ve never been physically bullied, I have been emotionally bullied. At the start of high school, all of my classes were unisex. I’d had male friends growing up, but I never really had an interest in traditionally male things, like football or cars, so I found it difficult to connect with most of them. I’d had to deal with having paper thrown at me (and even grapes at one point) and I was even tormented for being ‘Romanian’, -which I’m not. I’d tried ignoring them, but that never worked. In the end, I just spent my recess and lunch breaks tucked away in the school library, reading. Eventually, I turned to writing. 

         Things got better eventually - and I can’t think of why specifically. I just got new friends I suppose and the classes eventually become co-ed.

         That’s not to say I don’t still get bullied. Even now, I have supposed ‘friends’ from high school lie to me and exclude me from things. I even get prank phone calls every now and then and I can only imagine they’re somehow involved. Fortunately I have other friends now and the bullying doesn’t bother me too much, because I just look at the people bullying me and realise they must be pretty pathetic if they’ve got nothing better to do. I have self-worth and good friends, they’ve got nothing.

12              Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

               A:     Mental illness, which is often perpetuated by bullying, isn’t being dealt with adequately, as can be seen with A-list celebrities tragically ending their lives. The current Australian Government, at least, doesn’t take mental illness nearly as seriously as it should. I suppose schools could provide more information on mental illness too. In regards specifically to bullying, it’s often a manifestation of someone’s own lack of self-worth and can stem from issues such as low socio-economic status, poor relationships within their family and poor education. So I suppose the Government could indirectly decrease bullying by addressing issues which could lead people to have low self-worth.

13              What further do you feel that the above could do to either decrease this problem hugely or eliminate it altogether?

               A:       I don’t believe bullying will ever cease, which is unfortunate. However, I believe that, by providing awareness of issues such as this and showing that anyone can be bullied, it may empower victims and encourage them to stay strong or seek help.

14              On a personal level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

                A:       I want to show that you shouldn’t be bullied just because you don’t fit into society’s perfect mould. My blog, ‘Laddies and Gentlewomen’ talks about gender stereotypes and, in particular my article ‘Men + Emotions = GAY’ has a strong anti-bullying message.

15              What advice would you give to someone who is experiencing this nightmare at the moment?

                 A:         Bullying, like any hardship, will make you stronger. If your friends aren’t there for you, it means they probably don’t deserve you and you should try to find friends elsewhere. It’s a good idea to have different groups of friends, so that if something goes wrong with one group, you’ll always have another (just don’t mix groups!) Also, never retaliate to bullies, it’ll only make things worse. If you only do good, people may even begin to turn on the bully, as most people mature as they get older and stop tolerating such negative behaviour. And finally, USE the bullying to your advantage. If you’re an actor, remember how the bullying made you feel to make your performance more believable. If you’re an author, write a book out of your experiences.

16              What is on your professional agenda for the rest of 2014?

       A:           Complete my second year of Uni and audition for any other acting jobs that come up I suppose.

17              Do you have a special message you would like to share with the world?

       A:           Being a victim doesn’t make you weak, being a bully does.

18              Is there anything further you would like to add to this?

       A:           I think I’ve covered everything…



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