DAM: Today we’re sitting down with Sydney based Actor and Personal Trainer – Miguel. Miguel does a lot of action type roles in his acting and in his everyday job of personal training, he helps people get into and stay in shape. Miguel, tell us what growing up was like for you and what lead you to acting and personal training?
MS: I was born in the Philippines in 1984 and I migrated here with my family back in 1992. I’ve been here for almost thirty years now, Sydney being my home. Growing up I started doing martial arts at the age of twelve to thirteen. I did drama in high school but only started pursuing Acting roles in my early twenties. It was also after high school that I realised, ‘Hey I want to be a personal trainer and help people with their goals with personal fitness.’ Nowadays I live a nice and healthy lifestyle so I can be a good example for everyone else.
DAM: What sparked your interest first? Acting or Personal Training?
MS: Acting came first because at the age of ten I saw my first Bruce Lee movie which was Enter the Dragon and after that I wanted to do martial arts and do acting just like Bruce Lee. I really admired his passion for his craft and how he was such a physically fit specimen. His stage and onscreen presence is just incomparable, his dynamic really revolutionised movies in general.
“I really admired his [Bruce Lee’s] passion for his craft and how he was such a physically fit specimen. His stage and onscreen presence is just incomparable, his dynamic really revolutionised movies in general.”
DAM: And how would you say personal training fits into the acting?
MS: It goes hand in hand because not only do I want to help people out but I also want to stay in shape for my acting roles. I used to get cast a lot as a policeman and soldier, but as I’m older now I’m getting cast more as the bad guy, which I take as a compliment because those can be very fun!
DAM: Did you have a step-by-step plan when you first started in this industry? Did you hope to be an overnight success, go to LA – or did you have a whole different game plan?
MS: I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy road and I had to be thick skinned. I knew I wasn’t going to be an overnight success, of course Hollywood’s the big goal and being on billboards and trailers and all that, making big money. Of course money is the secondary reason why I’m doing it but the main reason is that it’s my passion. I knew that I had to be patient. At the start it was very discouraging because not many people believed in me outside of a few family members, I had to believe in myself.
“At the start it was very discouraging because not many people believed in me outside of a few family members, I had to believe in myself.”
MS: I had a lot of trouble getting places and an agent because of my inexperience. Regardless of that I stuck to it and learnt a lot. It’s just a part of me, being an actor and being in action movies – its a big part of my personality in general. It’s a passion that I’m never going to give up and I’ll keep pursuing to the day I die.
DAM: How do you find the industry nowadays?
MS: LA (Hollywood) is a big goal however luckily for us here in Sydney and Gold Coast, it’s practically Hollywood at the moment with all the productions coming over. So it’s a big benefit for us to pursue our Hollywood goals being here in Sydney.
DAM: Would you say there’s any connections between acting and your personal training in the way you prepare?
MS: My lifestyle’s the same as an actor and a personal trainer. I don’t get in shape, I stay in shape!
“I don’t get in shape, I stay in shape.”
miguel sebastian
DAM: What keeps you from giving up?
MS: What keeps me from giving up is knowing that I’ve sacrificed too much and I’ve achieved too much and all that hard work will just go to waste if I gave up. In the earlier stages I had a few meltdowns and low self-esteem because I was in such a bad place. I was living and working in toxic environments and I didn’t see any hope. But one thing I learnt to do is to adapt and if I want to make my situation better, then I have to reinvent myself and move forward. One of the best things that I’ve done is relocating myself and finding people, training people who are like minded and are always chasing excellence rather than just being content.
DAM: I remember seeing a post you made about how personal training was something that helped you get out of a bad mental state in your twenties. Tell us about that. How do you deal with mental health?
MS: I learnt how to deal with different people [through personal training], and everyone’s person’s journey is different and it helped me hone my social skills as well. It helped me assess who are the right people around me and who are the toxic people around me. Get rid of the toxic people, if possible, be civil and stay away from them, and surround yourself with people who are like minded. That’s one of the best ways to hone your mental health, because you are the product of your environment.
“Get rid of the toxic people, if possible, be civil and stay away from them and surround yourself with people who are like minded. That’s one of the best ways to hone your mental health, because you are the product of your environment.”
MS: If you’re in a toxic environment , you’re gonna be toxic – without even you knowing. But if you’re in a place full of people who are gonna point you in the right direction, it’s gonna point you in the right direction that’s positive.
DAM: What would you say is your secret ingredient to success?
MS: Hard work, dedication, working on your craft, my internal values as a gentleman, my internal values as an actor – making sure I’m learning new things here and there as an actor and even as a person. Because us actors, we have to learn how to adapt – adapt to a new script, to a new location, to the role you have, making sure you play it well. Just hard work and dedication, no substitute – create your own luck.
DAM: Do you have any advice for people struggling with mental health or even acting and feeling like they’re not doing well, how would you encourage them?
MS: Well with the mental health aspect, it’s all about developing your internal value. So one of the best ways to develop your internal value is to surround yourself with people who are like-minded and who are gonna point you in the right direction. Because as I said before, you are the product of your own environment – so if you wanna be successful, you gotta surround yourself with the right environment. Once that’s done, and you’ve got that set in stone – when it comes to your proper entourage of people who are always gonna believe in you till the day you die, focus on what you can control. Do acting lessons, find the right agent for you, hone your craft and more importantly, work on your internal value. Even as a guy like myself, emotional masculinity is something you should develop. You need to be thick skinned. So being stoic doesn’t necessarily mean you have to deny your emotions – you keep in control.
“Just focus on yourself, and know that the external value you get from other people does not define your internal value”.
Just focus on yourself, and know that the external value you get from other people does not define your internal value. And one of the things that you should do, for example if you don’t get the role that you really wanted, the only choice you have is to just keep moving forward because if you stay in the same place, you’re gonna get depressed and discouraged and it could probably lead you to giving up. So if you don’t wanna give up, focus on the underlying motive to be that successful actor that you wanna be. And focus on creating your own luck rather than relying on luck itself because it’s just like fitness, you get out what you put in.
“Focus on creating your own luck rather than relying on luck itself because it’s just like fitness, you get out what you put in.”
DAM: Awesome, well thank you Miguel for being here and speaking with us!
MS: Thank you for inviting me it’s a great honour.
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Find Miguel at:
Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/mightymigz1084/
Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/mightymigzcoaching/
Website: http://www.miguelsebastian.com/
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~ Published by Sangeetha & Marshall
~ Sub Edited by Farzeen Imtiaz
Diversity Australia Magazine 