Striving to Play the Part

David Ochoa, Staff Writer
January 11, 2012
Filed under Personalities

There are thousands of aspiring actors and directors across the world who desire one thing from Hollywood: glamour. However, there are people who act and direct not for fame and fortune, but because it is their passion to inspire the world.

“I want to make a difference, I want to inspire people to do things in life that they would not have done before,” senior Andrew Wong said.

Students like Wong are hard to come by. While many students dream about doing things, Wong acts on his dreams.

He wants nothing more than to be behind a camera, telling a meaningful story.

Wong showcases his talents on his YouTube channel, titled AWSoyProductions, by creating short movies. He currently has 12 videos, with another coming soon.

“My next project is a 30 minute film called Keepsakes,” Wong said . “It’s about a couple that has been together for four years. They are preparing to leave each other because of college. The theme is to make every second you have with a person count, because you never know how fast a goodbye may come.”

Wong said that the movie making process doesn’t have a specific timeline, but depends on each video.

“I thought of Janitor, a story about a janitor who is really an undercover agent, the day before I filmed it. I had it on YouTube in a week,” Wong said. On the other hand, “Keepsakes has taken me three and a half years ,and I’m still not finished filming.”

Two actors who have starred in Wong’s videos are senior Esparanza Vargas and sophomore Aidan Bertaina. They both have found acting to be something they love doing.

“It became one of my passions, it allowed me to be someone else for a change,” Vargas said. “I am able to escape the real world and become another person, something I can’t experience anywhere else.”

All three started acting/directing because of Neal Barlow’s drama class. They have starred in school productions such as Aladdin and the Murder Mystery Dinners. Vargas and Bertaina see acting in very different lights. While Vargas uses acting as a stress reliever, Bertaina sees it as a hobby, something he doesn’t necessarily want to pursue as a career.

“I act because I enjoy it, and because of the people in the drama department,” Bertaina said. “They make acting really entertaining. It’s something I want to stay involved in.”

Vargas views acting as a way to help others. Fame would not be her priority, but rather a gift to help the world.

“If I were given the opportunities that most Hollywood actors have, I would try to benefit the poor and give a helping hand to anyone who needs it,” Vargas said.

All three students credit Barlow for inspiring them to explore drama. They have nothing but appreciation for him. Barlow jump-started these student’s interests in acting, and now he continues to teach them how to improve as actors. This is vital if they want to take their acting to the next level.

“Mr. Barlow made me grow as an actor. He has me perform characters I have nothing in common with,” Andrew said.

Although people have different motives for acting and directing, one thing is for certain, they do not plan on stopping now. Whether they want to become professional actors or not, acting is in their future.

“Life can throw anything at me,” Wong said, “and I’ll still do it.”