At the recent TERMINUS (no, not a Walking Dead reference) Convention & Festival Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn and his brother Sean Gunn spoke to aspiring filmmakers and actors about the business.
Gunn is quickly becoming one of my favorite creators to listen to. Filmmakers don't have a duty to speak directly to fans, but when they do and speak not just about their work but how it relates to larger issues, that says a lot. And frankly, Gunn is just so earnest every time he opens his mouth, and I appreciate that.
“I'm really glad someone caught this on tape. If you watch one dumb YouTube video of me giving career advice, this is probably the one,” Gunn wrote on Facebook, “I think the last part is best.”
The whole thing is pretty great but here's that last bit he wanted to highlight.
“Be open. Be open to what your personal gifts are. I do not believe we are in this world purely for ourselves. I believe we are in this world to serve other people,” he said. “When I was a kid I wanted to be a rock star. I really, really did. I played in bands, I made money at it, I was fine but I knew I wasn't a great singer. That's what I wanted and I know many of you in this room have some idea about what you want to be, but on that path of going towards that thing that you want to be, you may find a moment, an opportunity, where you are wonderful at something. And when you find that moment, cherish it, and live it fully because you may be better at something else than that thing you want to be. And that thing we want to be is outside of ourselves, it is not inside ourselves. And how it seems for an actor to be glamorous or whatever, that's not what it feels like. What matters is what we do, the steps we take, and how we do it, and how we treat our fellow human beings. So just finish what you start, be open, that's it.”
Brother Gunn also touched on the humanity in the acting craft. “What is crucial is that you have compassion towards other people. And that you look at your fellow brothers and sisters on the planet Earth, that you're able to look at them with compassion and try and understand the world from their point of view,” he said. “That is the best tool that any actor can have in my opinion, is to be able to understand human beings and how they behave and try, even when they can't, to try because that's our job.”
A member of the audience also asked about one's distance from Los Angeles and how much that matters if you're trying to break into the industry. Unfortunately, the answer is a lot.
“For writers and directors, it's much, much better to be in L.A. I hate telling people that because people hate to hear it but it's kind of like expecting to get a job in the auto industry and living somewhere where there is no auto industry,” he said. “To be a writer or a director, it's best that you're in L.A.”
Gunn also gave a bit more advice in the comments on Facebook writing, “Quit worrying about getting discouraged. All writers get discouraged. Successful ones write anyway. I don't see getting discouraged as a problem; it's part of the life.”