SA-born actor making his mark in New York

TALI FEINBERG

The 23-year-old actor is starring in the play On How To Be a Monster. “It’s an absurd comedy about four couples competing in a game show to see who is the ‘happiest couple’ in spite of an ominous presence lurking in the background,” says Soal, speaking to the SA Jewish Report from the Big Apple.

Soal was born in Johannesburg, and went to Crawford in Sandton from Grades 1 to 10. “When I was 16, my mother and I moved to Lusaka, Zambia, to be with my dad who was working there at the time. In Lusaka, I attended the American International School from Grades 10 to 12.

He went on to study drama at New York University (NYU) for four years, which wasn’t exactly his intended path. “Attending the American International School in Lusaka opened my eyes to the possibility of studying at university abroad, and at that time, I believed that America was the place to be for acting, so I applied to four universities: three on the west coast – Stanford, La Verne, and the University of Southern California, and one on the east – New York University. Funnily enough, I didn’t even consider the east coast to be an option, and ended up applying to NYU only because my mom loves New York so much and said something like, ‘Let’s just throw in an east coast option.’ I was like, ‘Alright, I guess that sounds cool?’ NYU was the only place I was offered a spot, which was a blessing in disguise because unbeknown to me at the time, NYU happens to be one of the best acting schools out there. So, thank you, mom!”

Soal says the programme was challenging, but rewarding. “The training helped to break down a lot of physical and emotional blocks, which was difficult to surrender to, especially in front of a group of 20 new classmates who were all struggling to acclimatise to the new college environment. What’s amazing about NYU is that there is virtually no distinction between campus and busy, hectic Manhattan, so I was able to integrate what I was learning at NYU with everything I was learning from NYC to create this really rich, full experience. I also see it as [giving me] a head start in my career by [allowing me to] learn about the industry in the city I want to work in professionally.”

Soal quips, “I think I knew I wanted to be an actor when I played Austin Powers in my third grade play at Crawford. I wore a green suede jacket that was excessively large, and I was chased across the stage by a group of girls. I didn’t have any stage fright, I really enjoyed the attention. I’m not as fearless now as I was then though.” His ultimate dream is to be at the 100th annual Academy Awards ceremony – either that, or to be cast in the new Lord of the Rings television series!

His parents have been supportive of his dream to become an actor. “They were as enthusiastic – if not more – about me coming to the States. I met and formed connections with a huge group of diverse, like-minded people at NYU who are always looking for opportunities to collaborate, which is actually how I came to be a part of the play I’m in. Also, New York offers plenty of opportunities for actors in film and theatre, particularly theatre, so I did my research and just started auditioning for whatever I could find.”

Back to the play, he says that it “exposes a lot of hypocrisy within modern society through characters that blatantly avoid controversial issues except when it’s most convenient for them. I play a character named John, and am married to Clara. John and Clara are ‘a happy couple who like to read, listen to music, and read while listening to music’. That’s a direct quote from the game-show host in the play. John is trying to be the perfect husband, but deep down is secretly questioning his sexuality.”

Soal says the highlight of his journey so far has been the chance to work alongside the friends he’s made to create media together from scratch. “Half of the cast of On How To Be A Monster were friends of mine prior to working together, which is such a blessing because it takes away a lot of the pressure to impress or be perfect. Working with friends makes the experience all the more fun and productive.” Meanwhile, his biggest challenge is being so far away from his family and dogs back in Zambia.

His advice to other young people who want to succeed in this industry is, “Start now, and be your own biggest advocate, whether you have an agent or not. Knock on doors, reach out to as many people as you can, and do your research so you can increase your chances of getting in the right rooms. Cast your net wide, and don’t take rejection personally, for example, someone might get the job over you solely because they have a different eye colour. In the end, there’s only so much you can control.”

Going back to his roots, Soal says his Judaism is important to him. “I identify as Jewish. I’m interested in my heritage as my great grandfather came to South Africa from Lithuania in the early 1900s. I think the Jewish tribe will flourish in spite of past persecution and present anti-Semitism. We’re all human beings, and I’m hopeful that one day, all discrimination will end. However, this can be achieved only once we start championing equal rights for all victims of persecution.”