by Dorothy Guerra
The vision of seeing your name attached to a major motion picture is the desire of actors and actresses as they set out to acquire a steady career in the film industry. This is not an easy gig, many struggling to land their debut role would tell you. There is one thing that you must have and that’s faith in yourself.
I recently sat down with Philip Moran, a native to Toronto, who landed the starring role in Adam’s Testament, a new Canadian feature film. I had the pleasure of viewing Philip’s work in the movie and noticed that his dedication to battling obstacles and demons as Detective Joseph Gable in the movie is comparable to his real life success.
A firm believer in the Law of Attraction, Philip said “working with this power around me gives me the ability to stay focused, and work hard.” He feels that to make it in show business there are many obstacles you have to work around and it takes tremendous will power to stay on the right track. Philip is a long time student of Bob Proctor, studying the Law of Attraction, which notably manifested his achievements in his current acting reel.
He feels that too often actors wait for opportunity to knock or to be handed to them and unfortunately the industry is just too difficult to wait for that to happen. Meeting the right people at the right time and knowing exactly what he had in him as an actor is what set Philip soaring to career recognition in his role as an alcoholic faith-driven father.
Philip has taken his profession a step further by mentoring and guiding other actors in the industry
Philip dedicates his time to pushing himself and honing his skills. He actively studies with his acting teacher David Rotenberg and has taken his profession a step further by mentoring and guiding other actors in the industry. The intrigue of Philip’s film credits and brand makes him a sought-after Toronto actor; he was handpicked and cast in the film Total Recall in 2012 as an immigration officer by Len Wiseman, featured in the series The Room by Executive Producer Todd Yuill, nominated for Best Actor 2016 by InFame Awards and submitted for the 2017 Toronto Actra Awards.
By far, Adam’s Testament has proven his ability to conquer tougher roles that are now being sought out by other agents. Philip’s talent was highlighted in the fact that 65% of the script was his to memorize and was shot in only 30 days instead of 3 months -dictated by the industries need to keep budgets low but talent of high quality.
Philip is broadening his horizons and making his way to Los Angeles where his passion for acting and his dedication and commitment to his character portrayals will land him major motion picture lead roles. Philip said that his heart is still in Toronto where he envisions himself bringing his talent in the future to grow the Toronto film industry and inspire his fellow actors with opportunities to grow and feature their talents.
His reasoning for mentorship is that less than 2% of Canadian actors have steady industry income and most need to moonlight to keep things afloat. To help fellow actors, Philip has gone on to start Pink Rose Productions Inc., with Executive Producer Todd Yuill, in memory of the late Elva Yuill, which aims to create more film and television series to give Canadian actors opportunities to work.
“The law of attraction is not something that just happens,” says Philip. He has worked hard to carve out his space in the spotlight. He believes that actors must work towards creating a brand, doing work that producers can familiarize themselves with their talent. “Being an actor hasn’t been easy,” claims Philip, “You have to commit to the highs and lows.” Philip started out as a background performer and refused to join the union for 20 years until he had built a sufficient acting portfolio. Philip is proud to belong to Actra today, which is committed to helping actors build their careers.
Adam’s Testament was Philip’s latest challenge and he praises his relentless belief in himself and his ethic of hard work in preparing for roles. The entire production team including Executive Producer, Todd Yuill, writer, director and producer from Reel Deal Guys Inc., Jason Barbeck praised Philip’s work in that he left nothing unturned; he showed up in character, stayed in character and dedicated his energy to ensuring his role truly made the movie.
“Actors can make things happen but they have to make it happen for themselves,” Philip mused. When tying this approach into the synopsis of the movie Adam’s Testament, where belief in a higher force of love, and demons conquered by angels, it’s clear that Philip Moran’s journey to manifesting stardom as a recognized acclaimed actor is its own testament to his faith and determination.
