Interview with Hunter Pearson
We recently interviewed a musical theatre teen who is a part of the LGBTQ community.
Read about the interview between Anna L. and Hunter!
Hunter: Hi, my name is Hunter. I’m an aspiring Singer/Actor from Richmond, VA. I’m gay, which adds an interesting dynamic to my life. Acting has definitely become an escape for me as a gay teen, as I have a place that will accept me no matter what.
Question 1: When did you first get into musical theatre?
Hunter: I first got into musical theatre when I saw Wicked on a field trip in 8th grade. I was instantly taken back by the art form that I once thought was “boring” could have such an emotional impact on me as an audience member. Upon entering high school, I started to audition for the productions. My first show was a Murder Mystery called “Loot” and I’ve went on to perform in shows such as Fiddler on the Roof, Wizard of Oz, and Man of La Mancha.
Question 2: What have your favorite roles, or musicals you’ve been in, been so far?
Hunter: My favorite role Ive played is Padre in Man of La Mancha. The role was a perfect fit for me because I try to live life not for as it is but as it ought to be, and I see the good in people. This role emotionally hit home for me, and that is why I achieved such great success in that show. It taught me so much about myself as a human and a performer. Honestly, before diving into Man of La Mancha I had never heard of it before. Nor did I have a clue on the impact of playing a supporting role such as Padre would have had on me.
Question 3: What is your favorite part about being a part of musical theatre?
Hunter: I think my favorite part is coming together and collaborating and creating something greater than we all are. When I saw Wicked for the first time, I realized that each character and person brought something else to the story. You could look at the people and tell they probably led such different paths to get there and throughout there lives, but something called them here and they are telling the story together.
Question 4: What do you think the most important qualities are to have as an actor?
The most important qualities you can have as an actor is to be flexible, open to your emotions, and risk taking. You must be flexible, as in theatre things are bound to change and go wrong and there is no second chance, as they say the show must go on. You should be open to your emotions, because it helps convey real emotion upon stepping into a characters life. And finally, when you take risks whether you fail or win, you learn something from it.
Question 5: How old were you when you first realized you were gay?
Hunter: Growing up I knew I was different, I could never picture myself having my first kiss with a girl. In the meantime I hadn’t really thought about guys, other than feeling a weird emotion that I can’t really describe other than having a crush towards them, but I mistaking it for what friendship felt like. When I entered middle school kids started to tell me I was gay. At that point I started to catch up, watching YouTube and now seeing people who liked guys, just like me. I didn’t know there was such a loving and supportive community out there waiting. I came to the conclusion that I was gay and nothing was going to change that.
Question 6: Are you out to your friends and family? If so how did you approach that?
Hunter: I am out to all of my friends and family. I think I had a feeling that it was time, and I just took the opportunity. It was one of the more harder things I have had to do, but I wanted my family and friends to know. Coming out to friends fared to be much easier, but my family I didn’t really know how they would react. I am privileged that for the most part I have a loving and supportive family that others do not have. I don’t know what I would do without them.
Question 7: Who has been your biggest supporter in life at the moment?
Hunter: My biggest supporter in life has got to be my family, even though Theatre is not really a conventional career path, they still support my decision to pursue it. I think it’s definitely a mixture of my friends and family that create this support system that I can fall back on when things go astray.
Question 8: Who is your biggest inspiration?
Hunter: My biggest inspiration is Jessica Vosk, who chose a career in finance but still had the passion for theatre she once had as a younger girl. She made the decision to quit her career in finance and audition for shows and ended up landing a broadway gig and has been landing gigs such as Fiddler on the Roof and Wicked. Her story shows that if you turn your back from your passion, you can always return and chase after your dreams No matter how big or small, with the necessary work and training you can succeed.
Question 9: If you could ask her one question what would you ask?
Hunter: How do you deal with the word “no” in your career? It’s a given but a career in theatre almost guarantees a no probably more than a yes. She spent years and years auditioning and baby sitting on the side before she even landed a gig. I just wanna know how she kept herself driven when she was being knocked down constantly. I’m a driven person, but being in a city such as New York, and your dream career is not working out, your bills are barely getting paid, that’s a scary thought.
Anna: That is scary.
Question 10: How has theatre made a safe place for you during hard times?
Hunter: I can always know that there is a place where people accept me. Intolerance for the most part is not a thing when you step onto the stage. We respect each others opinions, backgrounds, viewpoints, and sexualities. Like I said, we are there to create something bigger than ourselves, so many times things like that get pushed aside so we can focus on what we are there to do, create art.
Question 11: Do you think you will pursue a career in theatre?
Hunter: I will most definitely pursue a career in theatre. It doesn’t have to be all acting though, I want to get into some technical stuff as well as some marketing, which happens to be a big part of what keeps Broadway afloat.
Question 13: What do you think the most challenging part of being an actor is?
Hunter: The most challenging part of being an actor is keeping yourself from going into automatic mode. In the words of my high school theatre teacher Katherine Baugher, “Don’t be a muppet”. Have a purpose for what you are doing, don’t just do something because you were told to be happy or sad. Theatre takes an immense amount of thought and energy, without those things the performance becomes disingenuous.
Question 14: Based on that, what is the best advice you have received about acting?
Hunter: The best advice I have received about acting is to look at the audience and give them the story directly. A lot of actors tend to perform for the air above the audience, and I made that mistake all throughout my first few years. Another piece of advice I have received is not to step into a characters shoes, but to let the character channel itself through your body, and mix your experiences with what the character feels. In other words, it’s a collaboration between yourself and the character.
Anna: That’s good advice.
Question 15: What is the best advice you have received regarding life?
Hunter: The best advice I have received about life is to be easy to yourself. We all make mistakes and it’s easy to beat ourselves up when we do. Through this advice I have learned that it’s okay to fail, and I often do. I get back up, assess the situation, and take the steps needed to prevent failure next time. It’s not an overnight thing, and may take a lot of hard work and dedication but it can be done.
Anna: Thank you! That concludes the interview.
Hunter: Thank you!
To view Hunter's Instagram press the button below!
Or search his Instagram Handle @huntergpearson
Question 1: When did you first get into musical theatre?
Hunter: I first got into musical theatre when I saw Wicked on a field trip in 8th grade. I was instantly taken back by the art form that I once thought was “boring” could have such an emotional impact on me as an audience member. Upon entering high school, I started to audition for the productions. My first show was a Murder Mystery called “Loot” and I’ve went on to perform in shows such as Fiddler on the Roof, Wizard of Oz, and Man of La Mancha.
Question 2: What have your favorite roles, or musicals you’ve been in, been so far?
Hunter: My favorite role Ive played is Padre in Man of La Mancha. The role was a perfect fit for me because I try to live life not for as it is but as it ought to be, and I see the good in people. This role emotionally hit home for me, and that is why I achieved such great success in that show. It taught me so much about myself as a human and a performer. Honestly, before diving into Man of La Mancha I had never heard of it before. Nor did I have a clue on the impact of playing a supporting role such as Padre would have had on me.
Question 3: What is your favorite part about being a part of musical theatre?
Hunter: I think my favorite part is coming together and collaborating and creating something greater than we all are. When I saw Wicked for the first time, I realized that each character and person brought something else to the story. You could look at the people and tell they probably led such different paths to get there and throughout there lives, but something called them here and they are telling the story together.
Question 4: What do you think the most important qualities are to have as an actor?
The most important qualities you can have as an actor is to be flexible, open to your emotions, and risk taking. You must be flexible, as in theatre things are bound to change and go wrong and there is no second chance, as they say the show must go on. You should be open to your emotions, because it helps convey real emotion upon stepping into a characters life. And finally, when you take risks whether you fail or win, you learn something from it.
Question 5: How old were you when you first realized you were gay?
Hunter: Growing up I knew I was different, I could never picture myself having my first kiss with a girl. In the meantime I hadn’t really thought about guys, other than feeling a weird emotion that I can’t really describe other than having a crush towards them, but I mistaking it for what friendship felt like. When I entered middle school kids started to tell me I was gay. At that point I started to catch up, watching YouTube and now seeing people who liked guys, just like me. I didn’t know there was such a loving and supportive community out there waiting. I came to the conclusion that I was gay and nothing was going to change that.
Question 6: Are you out to your friends and family? If so how did you approach that?
Hunter: I am out to all of my friends and family. I think I had a feeling that it was time, and I just took the opportunity. It was one of the more harder things I have had to do, but I wanted my family and friends to know. Coming out to friends fared to be much easier, but my family I didn’t really know how they would react. I am privileged that for the most part I have a loving and supportive family that others do not have. I don’t know what I would do without them.
Question 7: Who has been your biggest supporter in life at the moment?
Hunter: My biggest supporter in life has got to be my family, even though Theatre is not really a conventional career path, they still support my decision to pursue it. I think it’s definitely a mixture of my friends and family that create this support system that I can fall back on when things go astray.
Question 8: Who is your biggest inspiration?
Hunter: My biggest inspiration is Jessica Vosk, who chose a career in finance but still had the passion for theatre she once had as a younger girl. She made the decision to quit her career in finance and audition for shows and ended up landing a broadway gig and has been landing gigs such as Fiddler on the Roof and Wicked. Her story shows that if you turn your back from your passion, you can always return and chase after your dreams No matter how big or small, with the necessary work and training you can succeed.
Question 9: If you could ask her one question what would you ask?
Hunter: How do you deal with the word “no” in your career? It’s a given but a career in theatre almost guarantees a no probably more than a yes. She spent years and years auditioning and baby sitting on the side before she even landed a gig. I just wanna know how she kept herself driven when she was being knocked down constantly. I’m a driven person, but being in a city such as New York, and your dream career is not working out, your bills are barely getting paid, that’s a scary thought.
Anna: That is scary.
Question 10: How has theatre made a safe place for you during hard times?
Hunter: I can always know that there is a place where people accept me. Intolerance for the most part is not a thing when you step onto the stage. We respect each others opinions, backgrounds, viewpoints, and sexualities. Like I said, we are there to create something bigger than ourselves, so many times things like that get pushed aside so we can focus on what we are there to do, create art.
Question 11: Do you think you will pursue a career in theatre?
Hunter: I will most definitely pursue a career in theatre. It doesn’t have to be all acting though, I want to get into some technical stuff as well as some marketing, which happens to be a big part of what keeps Broadway afloat.
Question 13: What do you think the most challenging part of being an actor is?
Hunter: The most challenging part of being an actor is keeping yourself from going into automatic mode. In the words of my high school theatre teacher Katherine Baugher, “Don’t be a muppet”. Have a purpose for what you are doing, don’t just do something because you were told to be happy or sad. Theatre takes an immense amount of thought and energy, without those things the performance becomes disingenuous.
Question 14: Based on that, what is the best advice you have received about acting?
Hunter: The best advice I have received about acting is to look at the audience and give them the story directly. A lot of actors tend to perform for the air above the audience, and I made that mistake all throughout my first few years. Another piece of advice I have received is not to step into a characters shoes, but to let the character channel itself through your body, and mix your experiences with what the character feels. In other words, it’s a collaboration between yourself and the character.
Anna: That’s good advice.
Question 15: What is the best advice you have received regarding life?
Hunter: The best advice I have received about life is to be easy to yourself. We all make mistakes and it’s easy to beat ourselves up when we do. Through this advice I have learned that it’s okay to fail, and I often do. I get back up, assess the situation, and take the steps needed to prevent failure next time. It’s not an overnight thing, and may take a lot of hard work and dedication but it can be done.
Anna: Thank you! That concludes the interview.
Hunter: Thank you!
To view Hunter's Instagram press the button below!
Or search his Instagram Handle @huntergpearson