Five Five Questions with Steven Warner
A child actor now finding his place as an adult actor.
As a child actor in the 1970s, Steven Warner was working with some of the most talented and famous actors and directors in Hollywood — like Gene Wilder, Stanley Donen, Bob Fosse, and Elizabeth Taylor. He recently sat down for a long, extensive interview about his lead role in the 1974 movie musical The Little Prince. But years later as a teenager his path took a turn away from film toward ice skating, and it has only recently begun a slow turn back to the camera again. Here he answers questions about the lessons he’s learned in a life both in and out of the acting profession.
“I’ve stepped in many directions throughout my life, and I don’t doubt for one minute that I’ll step in another direction again at some point.”
-Steven Warner (Why I’ll Never Make It podcast)
1. What job within the arts do you feel is the most undervalued or least recognized?
Everyone has something to add/input or bring to the production, from the backing musicians to the runners to the set design to the direction, but I do feel that the costume makers don’t get the recognition that they deserve. The leading lady wouldn’t be quite as credible if her outfit didn’t fit! Or that suit of armour was from the wrong era! Or that hat was too heavy or that alien costume was suffocating the person inside! As a performer you want to wear something authentic, but you also want the costume/outfit to show you at your best. Usually in any award show, we only hear who the costume designer was not who actually made the outfits, so that’s why I feel that they are (mostly) un recognized.
2. What does success or “making it” mean to you?
I don’t think of making it or success in the same way as some others would do. I certainly do not crave fame nor attention. In my work I am fortunate enough to travel extensively, and I have seen extreme poverty living alongside ultra wealthy… it doesn’t sit right with me to see that huge gap in living standards. I just feel fortunate — or if you prefer successful — that I can live comfortably.
3. What inspires you most an an artist and creative?
I never thought of myself as a creative person until I was tasked with making things for a show. I found I had a hidden talent for creating costumes and hats. I find inspiration for these things from history and also from the present. I also look closely at colours, textures and patterns. I will sit and play around with a design before I am happy with it, which I guess is fairly normal, but add in my colorful past and my travels and I would say that’s what gives me most of my inspiration.
4. Name a personal lesson that took you awhile to learn or one that you are still working on to this day?
I was told when I was a kid that I would have to learn to deal with rejection, and I learned very quickly that I wasn’t going to get every part I auditioned for. This can be hard for a child to accept, but it doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough, it simply means that someone else was more suited to that role.
5. What’s the most useful advice you’ve received? And how have you applied it to your life or career?
Don’t take no for an answer, get yourself noticed, but don’t do it by being the noisy pushy type of person, that’s not attractive. I’ve followed that advice for a very long time and it sits well with me,. It also goes along with the other quote “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” I have used both of these to my benefit over my career.
Another useful hint is be nice! It takes a team of people to keep a popular celebrity in the spotlight, a stylist or publicist can make you look stupid as well as a superstar!
Listen to Steven’s conversation on Why I’ll Never Make It:
Steven Warner first started out as a child actor, appearing in a string of minor TV roles and numerous TV commercials. He then went on to play the title role in Stanley Donen’s musical feature film adaptation of the popular French story The Little Prince. As part of the promotion for that film, he was the special guest on The Carol Burnett Show in Los Angeles. From that successful film Steven has gone on to have a very diverse assortment of work has in many different parts of the industry — from the RSC to lavish ice shows, from colorful pantomime to period drama.
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