Many actors assume they need to leave their previous career behind when they step into the entertainment industry. In reality, the skills and experience they’ve built in another profession can become one of their greatest advantages.
Actor Michael John Benzaia started getting work almost immediately, thanks to his medical career. That expertise in a completely different field made him very attractive to casting directors, and gave him a leg up on other auditioning actors who didn’t have his specific experience.
He was working as a radiologic technician and running a department at a hospital, doing well and enjoying his career, but he also had a lifelong fascination with movies and TV, born at least partly from his aunt, who worked with legendary composer and lyricist Jerry Herman.
Key Insights
- Professional expertise can give actors a valuable advantage by bringing authenticity and confidence to specialized roles.
- Having a clear niche can help actors stand out, get noticed and become memorable to casting directors.
- Real-world experience and acting skills can strengthen each other, creating more confident performances both in auditions and on set.
Early Stages
“When I was a kid, she would bring me backstage,” he recalls. “I would see everyone moving around, I’d get to meet the actors and touch the props and and go walk around on the stage, and that got everything lit up for me. That that put the bug in me in regards to the world of acting.”
Even though his medical career was thriving, he was living in New York and wanted to get his feet wet in the entertainment world, which led to some background work in shows like Law & Order and Gossip Girl, which led to him getting an agent, moving to Los Angeles, and taking classes at Stella Adler.
He started getting acting work almost immediately, thanks to his medical career. It might seem counterintuitive, but that expertise in a completely different field made him very attractive to casting directors, and gave him a leg up on other auditioning actors who didn’t have his specific experience.
One of his first recurring roles was as an ER resident on How to Get Away with Murder, playing a resident ER doctor in a couple episodes. In his audition, he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, and that changed everything.
Benzaia’s story is not unique, in that there are countless professionals who catch the acting bug and make the big career switch. Benzaia’s path is more common than many actors realize. Every year, people leave careers in medicine, law, education, finance, hospitality, the military and countless other professions to pursue acting. While they may be newer to the industry, they aren’t starting from scratch. Years of real-world experience become part of their toolkit, giving them a perspective and level of authenticity that can’t be learned overnight.
Rather than trying to compete by having the longest résumé, think about what experiences only you can bring into an audition. Those are often the details that make a performance feel lived in instead of performed.
Authenticity Goes a Long Way
“I remember the casting director saying, ‘The knowledge that you had, and the way that you brought it across, is the main reason we cast you,’” Benzaia says. “To be able to have that knowledge lets me be free to play. So it gives me that freedom when I go into an audition or I go on set. I can worry about the emotions and the storytelling, not so much the technique or the body language, because the body language lives in me when it comes to the medical field.”
The brilliance of this doesn’t just translate personally to Benzaia, or solely to medicine. In fact, it goes for any professional in any field looking to get into acting. That bit of expertise can make all the difference, and give you a leg up on the competition.
Casting directors often talk about looking for performances that feel truthful rather than technically perfect. Authenticity isn’t just emotional. It’s physical. It’s knowing how someone in that profession naturally moves through a room, uses equipment, speaks with coworkers or responds under pressure. Those small details are difficult to fake, but second nature when you’ve actually lived them.
Being able to utilize your real world skills and knowledge can translate into more on camera work. It helps when you have a built-in connection to the character and only have to worry about learning lines.
“It allows you to move with purpose,” Benzaia explains. “When you do things on camera, you know where you’re going next, what you’re looking at, where you know the terminology. It’s innate.”
Your Expertise Goes a Long Way, Too
There’s the added benefit of being an expert on set, bringing your experience and know-how to a production that can always use it, regardless of whether or not there’s a paid expert on staff. Benzaia, for instance, doesn’t officially work as tech advisor on any of the shows on which he’s cast — including Fallout, The Blacklist, Good Trouble, and FBI, just to name a few.
During an appearance on Hacks, Paul W. Downs, who was directing the episode, asked Benzaia for some technical advice which went into how the scene was played. That kind of on set contribution is the sort of thing that makes an actor even more appealing.
“The knowledge allows everyone to be able to do their job,” Benzaia explains. “If I can put this expertise in there, the director can then focus on something else, so it gives freedom to everybody on set.”
It also can lead to more referrals. Nothing helps a legal drama more than an actor with a real, genuine law degree in front of the camera, or a cop show with a guy who used to walk a beat in uniform.
It’s one of the reasons why Benzaia is in such high demand. Sure, he’s a good actor, but when producers know that they’re getting something extra with him than with others who don’t have his experience or expertise, he’s going to have that advantage over those others, every single time.
This doesn’t mean you should only pursue roles that match your profession. Instead, think of your background as an entry point. A nurse may first book medical dramas. A firefighter may initially audition for first responder roles. A teacher may naturally connect with educators on screen. Those early opportunities help build credits, relationships and confidence, making it easier to branch into different characters later.
Building a Reputation, and Not Just With Your Acting
“It snowballs, and you start to see it,” he says. “It takes time for casting directors and producers to see you and get familiar with you, but once they know you’re the person that they can trust in that role, you get to play those roles.”
This gives professionals an opportunity that actors without that kind of expertise simply don’t have. Whether you’re a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, a policeman, fill in the blank, that extra aspect gives you something you can use to your advantage.
“When you have a niche, it gets you noticed. It gets you in the door, and that’s very valuable,” Benzaia says. “The craft and your talent is what keeps you working. A lot of times people will say to me, ‘Doesn’t that limit you?’ And my response is, ‘No, that doesn’t limit you at all. It actually gets you noticed. It gets casting directors to remember you.’ Once you’re there, then your work comes in. Your talent comes in.”
Michael John Benzaia acknowledges this is much bigger than him, and includes anyone who had a career before they had their first audition. Your niche doesn’t have to define your entire career, but it can open the first door.
Casting directors remember actors who solve problems. When you consistently deliver believable performances in a specific type of role, you’re far more likely to be called back.
Speaking of acting classes …
Don’t Forget to Study
Benzaia, who extolls the virtues of taking acting classes, also believes it’s key to keep working in his professional field, as he regularly picks up shifts in hospitals on both coasts. He also points out that the two sides of his life each contribute to the other.
Professional experience can help you book the room, but training is what allows you to build a lasting career. Benzaia credits acting classes with helping him translate his life experience into compelling performances, rather than simply relying on what he already knew.
“My acting has helped every aspect of my life,” he says. “The depths of empathy that have grown from learning characters and being in the moment with other actors and fully listening. My acting world and my medical world, it’s technique and calm under pressure, added with depths of empathy and non-judgment, and truly understanding a character and a story, and being able to bring that story to life. I think they just go hand in hand.”
Your Career Is an Asset, Not a Detour
Whether you’ve worked in healthcare, education, law enforcement, or any other profession, don’t think of those years as time spent away from acting. Think of them as experience and authenticity you’re bringing to the role.
Casting directors are always looking for actors who can make characters feel believable. Sometimes that’s accomplished through years of acting training. Sometimes it’s the confidence that comes from having actually lived a version of the role you’re playing. Ideally, it’s both.
As Benzaia’s career shows, your background may be the very thing that gets you into the room. Your preparation, talent and commitment to the craft are what will keep you there.
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