Rising Star Merrick McCartha On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Eden Gold
You’re nervous because you’re worried you’re going to do something wrong. You think there’s a wrong way to do it. This is because you haven’t spent the time you need to be fully prepared for your performance/audition. Once you develop that habit of being prepared…lines memorized…decisions made…you will walk onto any stage, or any room, ready to blow the roof off.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Merrick McCartha.
Merrick McCartha is best known for his recurring role on the hit CW series All American with Daniel Ezra as well as his recurring role on Netflix’s Unstable starring Rob Lowe. Other notable television projects include roles on such shows as This is Us with Sterling K. Brown, Curb Your Enthusiasm with Larry David, Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Andre Braugher, 9–1–1 with Angela Bassett, Grey’s Anatomy with Ellen Pompeo, Act Your Age with Yvette Nicole Brown, and recurring on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne with Lance Gross. In addition to his role on the new ABC comedy High Potential with Kaitlin Olsen, you can catch him in his heavily recurring role on the Amazon Prime series Countdown slated to start filming this fall. This talented dramatic actor has trained with faculty from prestigious Yale Drama School and the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as honing his strong comedic chops while touring with the Hinges Improv Troupe. An active member of the renowned Road Theater Company, Merrick has won multiple awards for his work including for the hit The Heiress Lethal, a film noir comedy which was chosen to screen at the International Cannes Film Festival. Passionate about feeding the homeless, reducing poverty, and increasing financial literacy, he gives back to his community whenever the opportunity arises. When not working Merrick enjoys playing pool or chess, practicing Kung Fu, or going to the movies or theater.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a kid, I was initially very shy until a grade schoolteacher had us all do (what I now know to be) improv in front of the class. Nervously, I went up, and something just clicked. I had the entire class in stitches. From that point on, I realized I had a knack for performing. I later joined a teen theater troupe, and even though I was on a science/engineering career path in school, performing never left me. Years later, after an accomplished engineering career and the passing of my mother, I dove into the pursuit of acting. My mother had always encouraged me to get into performing, and I knew I did not want to live my whole life never taking the chance on this thing I had always been passionate about.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I was set to shoot a small role in a series and on the morning of the shoot, I got a call to come in earlier because they had to move some scenes around. Once I got there, I found out they actually added a scene for me because another actor wasn’t feeling well. One additional scene turned into two…then three. By the end of the day, the showrunner was giving me handwritten scripts. Apparently, the production was so impressed at my ability to do the last-minute scenes, they were comfortable writing more for me. By the end of the shoot, my agent informed me the producers wanted me back for three additional episodes of the show. All of this to say, being in training and being prepared as an actor to handle new material is what made this possible. Many actors think their breaks will come at a single audition. I learned from this experience that training is what makes the difference when opportunities arise for an actor.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It is indeed fun to laugh at mistakes you’ve made in the past as an actor, but I tell you, it is usually not at all funny at the time. Years ago I was doing casting workshops, where you had a chance to perform scenes for casting people instead of waiting for an audition. I arrived at the reception desk late and was in a huff. I guess I got a little huffy with the person checking people in because they were not happy with me being late. Little did I know, the casting director for the day was sitting next to them. When it comes time to do scenes, the casting director picks them. She picked strong and moving scenes for all of the actors, except me. I got a very weird and poorly written scene. Being new to acting, I did not understand how to make the best of it. Of course, in her critique of each of the scenes, mine was ‘ripped to shreds’ as they say. The lesson I learned from this is, always be kind. Always. Be. Kind. It’s my nature to be so, and I made the mistake of reacting poorly to stress instead of being who I am. This industry is about relationships. You must have the mindset that everyone you meet is a possible impactful person in your career.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
There is a very cool project I just landed, but I’m not at liberty to say anything just yet. However, there was a very fun and exciting project I was in a few years ago. It’s a tourism commercial for Miami, Fl. The idea behind it is that there’s more to do in south Florida than go to Disney World. My role was this nature-loving adventurer type. Kind of like the late Steve Erwin. I was in the everglades of Florida riding propeller boats, holding alligators, camping at amazing sites, and walking along beautiful Key Biscayne beach. It was my first stay in Florida and it was an absolute blast! It was literally like a paid vacation.
As a rising star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated and overcome obstacles in your career?
Yes, many, many challenges. I learned early in my career that persistence is key. I’ve seen actors ‘burn out’ because they have the notion that if you don’t reach ‘stardom’ in a short period of time in Hollywood, that it’s not for you. This is a false idea that has seen countless actors, talented ones, give up and move back to Wyoming. I do a combination of things to deal with challenges. They entail mental and spiritual practice of meditation, working out, getting involved with helping others in need, seeking guidance from my mentors, and mentoring new actors. When challenges or obstacles pop up, I have the resources from all of these activities to help me mentally and emotionally overcome them. Most of the time, they are not what they appear to be, and only after some inner work do I see that they are actually opportunities for me to be better.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Film and television have a profound effect on people because the projects they watch often reflect real life experience on a deep level. People also watch programs to be transported to another world and yet still have a deep connection with their own. There are several reasons to have diversity in these experiences. Obviously, the fact that this is a diverse world necessitates such a reflection in film and television. Seeing different perspectives on reality opens us all up to mental and emotional growth. Also, we live in a world where what is presented on screen is seen as ‘significant’. Therefore, when one’s race, sex, or ethnicity is not seen, it shows the converse, insignificance. That was long a failure in Hollywood, but we have seen an ever-increasing move to diverse casting and storytelling over the years.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . Find a mentor who knows the business of acting ASAP.
-So much time will be saved and so many fewer mistakes made the sooner you learn how things work on the business side. Yes, take the acting classes, etc, but knowing the business is one of the keys to not burning out.
2 . Acting isn’t all pretending you’re someone else. Acting is finding the parts of the character that are authentically you. Acting isn’t lying, it’s telling the truth.
-It’s fine to love pretending, but it should be known that you will be acknowledged for your ACTING once people see the true you in there.
3 . Getting the audition IS the success. Booking the job is just random, and out of your control.
-Stop focusing and obsessing on whether or not you ‘got the part’. It is one of the most emotionally damaging things an actor can do. You will become a better auditioner when you learn to revel in the fact that you even have the opportunity to audition. You will also soon figure out that the auditioning is where the relationship-building happens between you and the casting world.
4 . Being prepared is what keeps your nerves at bay.
-You’re nervous because you’re worried you’re going to do something wrong. You think there’s a wrong way to do it. This is because you haven’t spent the time you need to be fully prepared for your performance/audition. Once you develop that habit of being prepared…lines memorized…decisions made…you will walk onto any stage, or any room, ready to blow the roof off.
5 . The secret trick to booking a job is planning an important trip during the time the role is supposed to shoot.
-It’s kinda a joke but many working actors will tell you the truth about this. It’s a phenomenon where you are in a dry spell, so you decide to go on a trip since nothing is happening. Then, BAM! You are booked for a role you wanted or have an in-person audition during the time of your trip. I don’t even know how to explain or even prove to you how true it is, but it is! Haha! The lesson is to always be prepared to change your travel plans at a moment’s notice.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
The main one is to stop seeing auditions as some stressful event. So many actors say, “I hate auditioning!”. I always think, “Really?”. That thing you get from a casting person that wants to see your work? That thing you get to prepare for and show your skills any way you want? That thing where it may be the one time you are actually guaranteed the opportunity to play the role? You hate that?? Auditions are golden to me, because I see them as an important part of my career where I get to do the thing I’ve spent years and hours training to do. Just seeing the audition notice from my agent is an endorphin rush!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
OH…this one is hard to not sound political…haha! I think there are enough things on this earth to allow everyone on it to live in peace and contentment. I often think that the big failing of humanity is the notion that we must have ‘more’ than someone else. Greed and ignorance are the true cancers of humanity. I would like every person to let go of greed…and embrace curiosity. You have a billion dollars, and you walk by a person holding a sign trying to feed their family? All that will go away when we let go of greed and seek to understand each other.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Of course, my amazing wife Peggy has been my superpower in all aspects of my life, but there are several others that have been pivotal to me being where I am. When I first started out, I knew very little about very little. I came across an actor named Kim Estes who was repped by my agent. He had years of experience, so I reached out with a couple questions, just hoping he would even respond. He not only responded with helpful guidance, but he has also ever since been a presence in my acting career. He’s still very successful and still guides me to success, to this day. Thank you always Kim.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.” –Confucius
I love this quote because it reminds me that it’s ok to falter, and that I should be proud of my persistence even when my goals seem far away. Because in the end, the fact that I kept going matters more to me than the goal itself.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Oh my gosh there are several! In relation to the entertainment industry, I would say Byron Allen would be a major breakfast/lunch date. The man started as an actor/entertainer and is now a media mogul. I feel like he has such a profound insight on how to navigate the industry and still not be distracted by fame so that you can have a life you love.
How can our readers follow you online?
I am on Facebook, but I like to reserve my interactions there with in-person friends and family. I’m most easily accessible by Instagram, where I post things about my career and thoughts on life in general. @TheRealMerrickMcCartha
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.
