The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
MOST thespians failing to breakthrough in Zimbabwe resort to leaving the county in search of greener pastures elsewhere.
However, Zimbabwean-born Hollywood star Rick Cosnett, who has featured in television shows such as “The Flash”, “Quantico” and “Vampire Diaries”, revealed that “life out there is no walk in the park”.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail Society on the sidelines of his presentation at the just ended Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF), Cosnett said: “After high school at Peterhouse in Marondera, I moved to Australia where I studied for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane.
“It was an amazing programme, that focused on film and television but we also did some theatre. I graduated and moved to Sydney and things almost went right for me in an instant. I was so close to working with one of the biggest agents in Australia but suddenly things began to fall apart.”
Cosnett said he spent several years after completing his studies, unable to land meaningful jobs.
“All the doors that were seemingly opening started to close right in my face. I failed to get roles on big productions such as ‘Ghost Rider’ and in my own personal life, I broke up with my girlfriend.
“Things were really messed up for me and I had no rhythm whatsoever. Everything I tried did not work out so I decided to move to Hollywood after six years in Sydney,” recalled Cosnett.
His move to Hollywood did not yield much for a while, but rather prolonged his suffering.
“In Hollywood I struggled to get things going. I had to resort to theatre – some plays I acted in without getting paid. I even had to take up jobs in restaurants and at times I had to settle for children’s shows just to make things work. At this moment my confidence began to drop and was almost losing hope of ever making it on a big television show,” he narrated.
However, things took a turn when Cosnett met renowned Hollywood acting teacher Bernard Hiller.
“Things began to change when I met renowned Hollywood acting teacher, Bernard Hiller, who reshaped my thinking. He deposited wisdom nuggets in me that changed my approach to the whole world of acting, leading me to where I am today.
“He helped me understand that the industry required one to be super focused and always be on top of their game. For three years we worked together and my work ethic began to change. I began to get considered for shows.”
The former farmboy says after a solid decade of searching, he finally found his breakthrough.
“It was only in 2013 that I got a role on ‘Vampire Diaries’ and then other opportunities began to come my way,” he said.
Cosnett encouraged aspiring actors to start early and take every step seriously if they want to make it big in the Mecca of film, Hollywood.
“The decade of toiling with nothing to show for it helped me understand that things do not happen overnight, you have to work extra hard to make it.
“I have been to hundreds of auditions, close to a thousand actually. Many of them have been disappointing but that is how it is out there. We will be running around Los Angeles with the likes of Ryan Gosling just to get jobs, it takes sheer perseverance to make it,” highlighted Cosnett.
He also shared his most upsetting audition — when he failed to get a role on “The Originals”.
“The one audition that hurt me the most was when I was vying to be cast in the spin-off series to ‘Vampire Diaries’, ‘The Originals’. After rigorous rounds of auditions it had come down to just two people, myself and another guy, and sadly I lost the part. I had nothing then and I was really hoping to get onto the show but that did not happen.
“The same happened to me on ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Days of Our Lives’, just when I thought I was going to get the role and it was down to top three or two candidates things just did not work,” he said.
The 34-year-old recently worked on a short film titled “The Letter Carrier”, which was screened at ZIFF and is set to be released later this year. He is planning a feature film in Zimbabwe.
“We are currently developing the script of a feature film we want to do in Zimbabwe titled ‘Blood in the Soil’. We want to work with as many local players as possible. I cannot say much because we are still in the developmental stages but more information will be revealed in the near future.”
