Actor sets wheels in motion to create art

August Broos acts in the short film When Walter Meets Frau May Wong. Photo by Zhenya Dimitriyvna

By Tom Victoria

August Broos is a multitalented performer who’s appeared on stage, the Silver Screen and television.

The Austrian actor explained what performing means to him.

“It's really telling stories for me, developing a whole life of a person you would relate to or at least you feel interesting enough to give the character your time performing on stage,” he said. “I like the energy of theater. I really like the vibes of working as an ensemble together, creating something. Some plays are so old and have been performed so many times, and still you can add on your note. That's what I love about theater.”

August in May released the first part of his project WHEELS.

“The Soundbath portion of WHEELS is a concept album, which means it follows along a deeper meaning,” he said. “By listening to the album from track one to seven in order, you get the full experience. The whole project is dedicated to the human life experience and our energy centers. It was necessary to start with the Soundbath and as the audience wheels up, the project wheels up.” 

August said the project is a culmination of a creative process.

“This has been a whole different process for me of creating, because I'm constantly creating stuff if I'm on camera or off camera,” he said. “Now, with that music aspect, and, obviously, the following acts that will come, which include film, and to combine it all, that was really interesting for me to create music, a series and a character who's going through stuff on that meta level. The ultimate goal is to create a piece of art, which lets me combine my passion in various art forms.”

Photo by Isabelle Sherman

August doesn’t restrict himself on what roles he pursues.

“I'm seeking a variety of roles,” he said. “I'm seeking everything that a casting director and director sees me in. I hate stereotypical casting. What if the talent brings so much more to the character than just the look? The industry is shifting. I love to portray every role possible because there are so many stories to tell.”

August elaborated on the issues that impacted the industry.

“The whole shift to virtual castings was a big change,” he said. “Mostly online auditions and to adapt boundaries the technology brings along. On the other side, it might help the character and you, especially when you’re in a place you’re comfortable at. In general, I’d say that since 2020, the whole industry was turned upside down. Everyone had to adapt after the pandemic and the WGA/SAG actors strike.” 

The types of roles August plays depends on which continent the thespian is performing.

“The most significant is language, because in America as a German speaker, you always tend to have international roles,” he said. “You're never going to play an American, even though it is the ultimate goal to achieve a neutral American language as an actor. I work very hard towards that. But you're always going to hear some sounds, because we as a German-speaking country live and grow up with different vowels and different sounds. Our muscles in our mouth are not customized to those you have or those you grow up with. There's a lot of work, but language in general is the umbrella.”

August noted the advantages to working in film as opposed to television.

“Movies can provide you more freedom in your art,” he said. “Television is limited due to broadcasting all of the channels. They have limitations, even more in Europe than in the United States, of restrictions on what you can show and what you're not able to show or language-wise. Everything is so much more particular. While on film, you have more freedom. Also in the distribution, it's not necessarily important that it's gonna air on television. You can just upload on YouTube if that's your thing.”

August performs in the award-winning fashion film I Remembered That I have Free Will. Photo by Sakkos Vasili

August enjoys the stage, but relishes the subtleties of performing provided by the camera.

“My first performance was at the age of 8,” he said. “I learned to make everything big. When you're on stage, you have to have a certain presence and energy that the whole room can take you in as the character. On film and on camera, you always tend to step in and step out of the character briefly while discussing something with the director. But for me as an actor, I love making films so much because you see a way better progress of the character. You work really hard on smaller gestures and all of your facial expressions because the camera picks up things that the audience in a theater won't ever be able to see. But I love both. It both serves me in different ways, but I love filming.”

August said film also provides multiple takes to get a scene just right.

“If the director wants you to act different, you're just going to take a new take,” he said. “You can try different things, which is also a big difference to the theater.”

August said if he feels some scenes require some tweaking, he’ll suggest it as long as everyone is on board with those changes.

“I would always go to the director first and ask not just for permission, but also for his submission of the character and if that's in alignment with my work,” he said. “But I feel you have to make bold choices, sometimes, especially on camera. You can do the take again. I'm certainly not talking about really huge productional scenes where you have to have it done in this specific take because things are blowing up in the background. But be bold, make some choices, but don't upstage. When I'm always working with another actor or actress onset, I'm always thinking about the chemistry and always thinking about the relationship: how high are the stakes in general, who is right, who is wrong, who pushes, who pulls, all of the things that make a relationship interesting for me. Out of that, I make some bold choices.”

August stressed acting is not just about what is visible.

“I do remember one time that was still in the academy I attended,” he said. “We had a little exercise going on which was just a repeating exercise. You're just gonna find out something you see and then the other repeats it, and then you continue in that circle. I remember it was boring for me to listen and watch all the others pointing out you have blue eyes, I have blue eyes. You smile, I smile. You have gray hair, I have gray hair. I was just not satisfied with the outside things. So I was just pointing out you seem to be nervous, and just that little feeling of nervousness caught the attention of the whole class. My teacher said that's the next step. That's what we are working towards. You don't want to just point out what you see, but you want to point out what you feel.”

“I’m living the story, and the lines have to come internally from the character.”

August doesn’t feel any particular emotion is harder than others to convey.

“It depends on the time I have for preparation,” he said. “If there is a shift in emotions that just got discovered and you got to do it really quickly, there is the work that comes in from your toolbox. I'm always ready to go, but the more time I have for preparation, the better.”

August doesn’t fret about memorizing lines.

“So many people are coming up with approaches on how to remember lines,” he said. “My approach is I just really learned a story. I don't learn the lines. I never sit down and read one page after the other and just trying to remember them. No, I'm living the story, and the lines have to come internally from the character. So I have to think about, why am I saying this right now? This is way more important than just learning the lines. And while doing that, that's like my process of getting lines in, but also having the reason to speak.”

August said a performer must adjust to not having to do as much physically on film as stage.

“In theater, you always have that's your point A, that's your point B and you're gonna walk upstage down wherever your path is leading you,” he said. “On film, you only have this much of a frame. You're only so close in on camera. It's just a pen and stuff. I wouldn't think about what am I actually doing while delivering a line. That was a little bit of a challenge while shifting from theater to film. But other than that, I felt super confident in front of the camera. That has always been really a strength of mine.”

August began performing at a young age because of his attraction to the craft.

“It was so my idea,” he said. “My mom even had to stop me going to the theater because I was not doing that good in school, especially after the first performance. I was so into it. If you would ask my mom today, she would still say the exact same thing. She said 20 years ago that's someone else on stage. That was something she was afraid of and a process for her and my whole family and friends, too, to acknowledge that that is somehow my son, but it's not.”

Photo by Haley Bowland

One thing August’s mom didn’t worry about is that her son would be too shy to act.

“I've always been a very active child with a very active imagination,” he said. “I used to play by myself a lot of times outside in the woods. I would always go and talk to random people and point out things no one would ever see, because I was so interested in little details. I don't think that she had any thoughts or fears about me being insecure or shy.”

August’s love of theater led to a passion for film in general, not any particular actor or movie.

“Not one film or one actor,” he said. “I was always very interested in Disney movies, but I wouldn't say that it started there and wouldn't take that as the example for me becoming an actor. It was really theater to be an actor. It was theater for me. Film was the addition that came later on. But obviously, I admire so many actors out there. I'm a huge fan of Christoph Waltz. He's Austrian. He won Oscars. He is worldwide known for his characters.”

August would not object to such steps as drastically altering his look, including shaving his head, for a role.

“Oh, I'm in,” he said. “I'm so in. I've just finished an audition. I'm just waiting for the result for a very big theater production in Germany, in Hamburg. I would need to cut my hair and dye it blonde. They did say that they have wigs. I don't want to do that because I've just come from a theater production right now, from an opera production, and I needed to wear a wig. I hated it. It's only 10 times you're gonna go on stage and wear that wig, but still, it's not you. It's not the character. It's not authentic, so I'd rather just shave my head off instead of wearing a wig.”

One thing August couldn’t do is eat meat for a scene.

“That would be hard for me,” he said. “I'm a vegan since seven years, and it would be hard to eat meat. For that shot, yes, but eating meat and actually have to swallow it, it would need a lot of overcoming certain things for me that I'm gonna be able to do that.”

However, August has no trepidation about working with live animals.

“Animals,” he said. “Bring them on. Bring them on.” 

August has acted in ads.

“I love commercials,” he said. “It's quick. It's always interesting. You got to meet new people who are also in the industry. So many filmmakers are making commercials, too. I got so many commercial jobs throughout my career because of connections, because of people who even worked in the hair and makeup department on set brought me into a new project, which was a commercial shoot for makeup. And it's quick, so you just gonna need one or two days or depending on how big it is of a production. That's also why I love music videos. You can dive in a new world really quickly and just try out new things.”

“I feel there’s a lot of embodiment involved in being a model.”

August also strikes a pose for the lens.

“I feel there's a lot of embodiment involved in being a model,” he said. “I always look after myself. I always exercise, eat healthy. I really focus on my physical body and everything. That's the fun part: that my body is gonna be more involved in modeling and creating with it.”

August also has musician on his resume, releasing seven songs on Soundbath, which is available on Spotify.

“I've been working on my own project for over one-and-a-half years now,” he said about WHEELS. “It's gonna be a three-act project. It's about really stepping into your essence and what fulfills you in life really deeply.” 

August returned to Vienna after living in New York for two years.

“I always tend to move a lot,” he said. “I've already moved 16 to 17 times in my life, so I'm always feeling the urge of something new. I like discovering new places and cultures in the first place.”

August does miss home when he’s abroad, though.

“Obviously, your family and friends are not there,” he said. “From time to time, I did miss some people from Austria specifically. Culturally, maybe the Austrians are more chilled. Everything they do is always with the approach of not overworking yourself and not tending to have a burnout, which Americans do have quite often. The medical benefits we have in Europe are way more customized to us people than in the U.S.”

Conversely, August must adjust to not being in America for a while.

“Since I’m back living in Europe, I’m rebuilding connections,” he said. “I’m a really hard worker and when it comes to new situations and circumstances, I thrive. Working internationally is tough sometimes, because you just simply can’t hop on a plane to fly to New York and L.A. for two movie premieres you’re in. Shout out to Y2K and JUNE’S KITTEN at this point. Yes, it feels like I’m missing out on some things, not major but still reoccurring. But I know one day it will be different.” 

Photo by Liz J Models

August said it’s important for creative people to be surrounded by others with the same mindset.

“There is a certain urge as an artist, you have to have like-minded people around you,” he said. “You want to grow on them, and apparently they are going to grow on you. Every artist gets a call at least once in their lifetimes, and you have to follow that. You really have to step into that and follow that. Don't think about what society may think about you or, oh my god, you're x, y of an age. Why are you starting now and not 10 years ago? Because I didn't know back then. Life is change, and you're gonna appreciate that on the journey. I know that feeling of being in a field where you don't want to be and you're not that appreciated with your talent and with your energy that you put in. But that is just because it's not the right thing and it's not the right time and not the right work for you.” 

August wants people to remember him for bold choices in impactful performances.

“Oh, he did something differently,” he said. “He showed up every time. He worked hard, and it paid off.”

August finds ways to rejuvenate himself when he doesn’t feel motivated.

“If I have a deadline by tonight, I will do it,” he said. “Let's say I really want to have it done today. Then I use my methods of just going for a walk, doing a little bit of yoga, cooking something good or just take a nap for an hour, and then things might start to be more easy. There are not that many clouds in the sky, and you feel like you can take in another character in your body. It's also different on what the project is about. Usually, I always wake up every day and be really motivated, and I can't wait to have my first sip of coffee and start working.”

August doesn’t fear the international fame that may accompany future work.

“I have to put in my work first, and if that work or that piece of art is being received and perceived from so many people that they think it's a thing to put the actor on another stage, then okay,” he said. “But I would never see myself going out there and claiming myself as a celebrity. To be honest, I don't even want that label at all because I'm an artist. My mission in life is to create, and that's the ultimate goal. I want to create and move. That's my central aspect of living. If I don't do that, I don't feel fulfilled.”

August offered advice to aspiring actors.

“F*** it up,” he said. “The more you f*** up things, the more you can learn and the bigger the process will be. You're always on a journey. You're always changing constantly. To appreciate that and just to go in there, be bold, make some moves, f*** the scene up, f*** up your character, makes it more interesting. At the end of the day, maybe there's just one big thing that keeps lingering somewhere in your head, and you're just like, oh, my God, that thing that I did there, that was amazing. I should adapt that. I should bring that to the character. That's what I mean with f***ing up. Try things. Don't go in the direction that is written down in the books.”

August’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/augustbroos/

August’s website: https://www.augustbroos.com/

August’s music: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/album/20kx0CH8eBdoayKOkWPpRr?si=7xnGpDq7T26O9sBfGN9GFw