Finding Joy Through TikTok Acting
If you were like most people during quarantine, you probably either created a Tiktok account or delved deeper into the addictive app than you already were. I was of the former. When I first got into the app, I was a part of the “What the hell am I doing here crowd.” It wasn’t until I found acting on the app where I found my joy.
Childhood Dreams of Acting
To understand this, I’m going to take you back a few years. I wanted to be an actress growing up. I was what you’d call theater adjacent. I incorporated theater into most of my life, but I was never really involved in any productions. I took the courses. I had lots of theater friends. However, my skills weren’t up to par back then. Was this a sore spot? Sure, it hurt. But it doesn’t mean I didn’t learn anything in my acting courses. I took whatever I learned about performance confidence, collaboration, and characterization and applied it to my everyday life.
Finding Acting on TikTok
How did I find acting on TikTok? My first encounter with it on the app was with Miss Eliana Ghen. She was the first person I saw encouraging others on the app to duet her to act. At first, I was terrified and hesitant about dueting Eliana because she’s an incredible actress, and I was genuinely afraid of her thinking I was an awful performer. Then the HILARIOUS Sam Myerson did a challenge of a pillow talk POV (Point of View), and it was up to the collaborator to add their own comedic twist. It was so enjoyable I craved more acting content. Enter, the King himself, Chris Barnett.
Stepping Back Into Acting
I stumbled upon a few of Chris’s videos earlier, but it wasn’t until his now-famous vintage acting challenge was where I found the courage to act again. The beautiful script, Chris’s enchanting performance, the score, everything about this minute-long video made it so enticing for me to jump in and say, “Hey, that looks entertaining, I want to be a part of it.” It might not be noticeable to the public, but from my first attempt to my most recent, I’ve grown as an actress. Not only has my drive and confidence increased, but I feel like I’ve also matured as a person by working on a skill I’m passionate about daily.
Why This Platform Is Important
Another reason why I’m grateful to TikTok acting is because of things like this:
This disgusting breakdown is evidence that Hollywood is still incredibly discriminatory towards Asians. A lot of progress has been made these past couple of years with Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Parasite, but shit like this sad excuse of a breakdown are things that are keeping talented people out of the casting room.
Thanks to people like Eliana and Chris, anyone can duet and unleash their inner storyteller. They’ve created a stage for people who wouldn’t have a shot in the room to prove to the world that it doesn’t matter who you are everyone deserves a chance to own the role.
Growing up, my favorite part of being in a theater production was the curtain call. It was a moment to celebrate with your comrades that you made it through a show. More importantly, you got to take a bow and have your moment on the stage. It’s not a full-blown studio set, it’s not a stage show, but TikTok acting has felt like the curtain call I’ve been waiting for all along. No matter what your passion is, don’t let society stop you. Dreams don’t have a deadline. Persistence doesn’t have a deadline. Chase your joy, and take the well-deserved bow.