Today we’d like to introduce you to Rod Lara.
Rod, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Firstly, thank you so much for this interview. Very much looking forward to sharing my story.
My name is Rod Lara. I’m an Australian based actor and mime artist who stumbled into performing at age 13. Here’s my story.
I am originally from Chile, When I migrated to Australia with my parents, I was 11 (almost 12). When I was in junior high, I stumbled into performing arts at a theater studies class. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it as it involved acting and performing on stage! I was then a very shy 13-year-old kid who had not yet mastered the English language. When it came time for me to portray characters and start acting onstage, I was PETRIFIED of not only speaking English but speaking publicly altogether! So, every single role given to me I performed it without saying a word. A complete silent performance.
My Theater Studies teacher, Ms. Barbara, pulled me aside and mentioned that that I move quite well onstage and perhaps I should get into mime. “What’s mime?” was my reply. So, Ms. Barbara introduced me to the mime Greats such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Jacques Tati, Harpo Marx, Mr. Bean (who was very popular when I was in junior high school). and Marcel Marceau.
Also, in junior school, I picked up breakdancing (popping and sliding). It all occurred when I noticed a few students in breakdancing at the school’s hall. They were all the popular students at the school, so all the female students would watch them through the windows while they practiced. I thought, “Maybe I should learn that, and ALL of the girls would watch me too”. No girl paid attention to me, but I picked up a skill. How naive was I.
I also noticed that this style of breakdance was very closed to the techniques of miming.
This became a little Show & Tell during junior high. When I graduated, I began training in gymnastics. An activity which seemed quite fun for an energetic 18-year-old. As years went past, my couch told me there was a casting for a circus show and that I should audition. My couch was a dancer teacher at a dance school., so he had the connections in the performing arts. That got my foot in the door as a professional… Creating the characters which were mainly silent, was a great opportunity to bring back my mime aptitude… 27 years later, I am still at it!
Just to add more skills into my repertoire and improve my performing, I trained in other disciplines in dance, attended acting school, and trained in stunts with New Generation Stunts to hone my physical/slapstick skills.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles at the beginning of my performing arts career were working as a freelance artist and without an agent.
I would approach comedy clubs only to face promoters who had no patience for someone like me who did physical comedy and mime. “We don’t get what you do” was their response.
Instead of wallowing in my sorrow and feel sorry for myself. I was extremely keen to train my skills; Busking was the best training I’ve had to deal with an audience. I did a mix of juggling, prop balancing, mime, physical comedy, etc… anything to keep my audience engaged and entertained, otherwise no pay!
I still faced the struggles of trying to promote myself before social media.
It all changed when I was picked up by an agent for my private events and film/TV work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My specialty is in the art of mime, physical comedy and characterization. That’s what I am known for.
Someone may hire me through my agent as a mime or run mime workshops at a school (I am part of Drama Victoria here in Australia). Other times a casting will come up for a specific character for a TV ad, TV show or film. TV ads are most fun as they usually require characters that do not speak.
Since I have had training in stunts, I still am able to execute slapstick/physical comedy.
Now, I have also began directing my own short films which have been screened all around the globe at various film festivals, as well as winning awards along the way. Most notably my silent films trilogy about being in lockdown during Covid-19: ‘Isolation’, ‘Lockdown’ and ‘Rise’.
I sometimes look back and quote one of fat Boy Slim’s album, “You have come a long way, baby”.
What are your plans for the future?
I always like to plan for the future and redirect my art to different mediums. It keeps it fresh and away from becoming stale.
Right at this moment, I have been involved in many more film and TV productions.
I recently was cast to appear in the upcoming Hollywood feature film ‘Skeletons’ (produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by J.T. Mollner. Starring Brie Larson and Kyle Gallner) where I played a mime performing in a kids’ party! That’s all I can say for now.
I’m also cast in another feature film “The Retreat’ by Locked-In Productions, currently in production.
I’ve also directed a short Charlie Chaplin tribute film ‘Ticket, Please’ which was screened this year at Edison Theater’s Silent Film Museum in Fremont, California (USA), Astor Theatre here in Melbourne (AUS) and screening in October at the Penistone Film Festival (UK). Also starring renown Australian actor Simon Palomares.
Many more film productions to come. Stay tuned!
Those are my big changes. From busker to filmmaker.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rodlara.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therodlara_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rodlara12
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therodlara
