Artists On Fire; Getting To Know Actor Patrick Heusinger

In this highlight we turn our attention to actor Patrick Heusinger, a masterful, extremely talented, humble and hard-working artist. I asked Patrick a series of questions, here are his responses:

Tell us a little about yourself, where your from, grew up, what H.S./College you attended, etc.

I was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, the only home my mother ever knew and the place where my father spent his life once he met my mom. I attended two different “magnet” schools within the public school system. One, an academic magnet school, called Stanton. Another, an arts magnet called Douglas Anderson. When I graduated, I attended The Juilliard School in Nyc where I lived for 11 years.

What inspired you to be an actor? Early experiences worth sharing?

I loved movies. They were magical to me.I loved being swept away and getting lost in another time period, in the future or in some far off country. Movies were a portal to the rest of the world. To stories unlike my own. We were a working class family, so I was able to travel with cinema and my empath-leaning spirit allowed me to deeply feel and attempt to experience what the people on my screen were experiencing. I also remember seeing a community theater production of Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors. But it wasn’t the mistaken identities and playfulness of the words that hooked me; it was how I could see and hear the storm and the shipwreck. Theater was magical and mysterious. I loved how my imagination played with the stage in real time.

Talk about a time where you have faced adversity/conflict and have triumphed.

When I moved to LA 10 years ago, I was broke. I had been acting in the theater in NYC for a decade. But, as it turns out, theater doesn’t pay you anything! Lol My time in NYC was a struggle to pay rent and to keep the lights on. That said: I LOVED it. That struggle was formative. Once in LA, friends offered me their homes, cars and “you can do it’s!" Things finally got rolling about three years after I arrived. Also… arguably my greatest adversity... there’s that one time I drove across the whole of Los Angeles in 30 minutes, which is a traffic miracle!!!

What do you believe sets you apart from other artists/entertainers?

This question doesn’t sit well with me. I think I’m an artist, not so much an entertainer. And I think artists I admire don’t spend much time contrasting themselves with other artists. That rarely feels like a healthy use of time. I prefer sowing the lessons and experiences I can culture from other artists. How can I learn from them? What can they teach me? It seems more fun. If I worry about comparisons or if I dip into the waters of pride surrounding my own unique qualities, I might tiptoe dangerously close to judgment of others or dance further away my ultimate goal: expression of my most authentic and present self. I think I’m more invested in that truth than making myself a stand-apart, stand-alone actor. Artists thrive in communities, not islands.

Do you have other interests or hobbies?

Yes! Lately, I’ve been studying a lot about happiness. It has been a profound education and has been the basis for most of my personal change during the pandemic/lockdown. If I pointed you in one direction, I’d say The Happiness Lab. It’s a podcast hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos, a Professor of Psychology and a cognitive scientist at Yale University. Driven by science, research and data, Dr. Santos teaches listeners many practical tools used for human happiness. Anyone can learn from her! It’s such wonderful introductory stepping stone.

Any projects you have out or or currently working on?

No projects, at the moment. I just spent three seasons on an intense thriller called Absentia for Amazon Prime. It’s a missing person crime drama, starring Stana Katic. I play her husband/ex-husband, an FBI agent trying to help her put her life back together and find the person/persons responsible for her 6 year captivity. The show gets better with every 10 episode season (a fact that is our collective pride). Now, I’m back in the audition circuit (which is really fun, because you get to create new characters every other day… auditions always feel like acting school to me!! And I love acting school! Lol).

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?

Holding the hand of my child. I have no children. I’m excited to be a father. I think I’m finally ready:)

What advice can you give to aspiring artists/entertainers?

Get a Master’s Degree in yourself. Start now. Meditate. Learn how the human brain functions. Learn how to listen to your body, so you can hear your mind. And don’t be scarred by someone else’s scars. Heal yourself.

How can we follow along in your journey?

Twitter and IG: @heusinger