Generous

“You are interesting to the extent that you’re interested”

December 10, 2025

This is one of my favourite acting ideas. I heard it first in an early interview with Jeff Goldblum and he had learned it from his teacher Sanford Meisner.

It’s the idea that as actors one of our key jobs is to put our focus outwardly, on the world, the task and, most beautifully, on our scene partner.

They say there’s nothing more captivating than watching someone tying their shoes. They are unselfconscious and completely wrapped up in their simple objective- tying their shoe.

This is the gold standard we are going for as actors. We want to honestly have our focus, energy and intention on doing something.

I say ‘honestly’ because we must fight the natural human urge to be liked and thought of as good. And there’s the extra thing for actors of auditioning, where we have to somehow forget we are seeking to be cast.

Part of acting is learning to ‘honestly’ place our focus.

That’s it.

It’s riveting when someone does that. Don’t worry about being interesting, get interested.

When the going gets good

December 8, 2025

I noticed recently I only wrote in my journal when things were difficult or not going the way I wanted. I supposed it’s why we have the phrase ‘nothing to write home about’.

The problem with this is it’s training my brain to not notice when things are going good. The journal becomes the ambulance at the bottom of the hill, something we reach for as a tool for fixing things.

That’s okay- that’s part of why we journal.

But here’s a note to myself to remember to journal when things are good. Often when things are running smoothly we simply don’t notice. Then when we look back we don’t perceive those long stretches of smooth sailing.

If your perception of your life is just what you remember at the end of it all and you only stop to take note of the hard times, what do you think your perception of your life will be?

We must notice when it’s hard and we must MUST notice when it’s good. Our poor little brains put so much effort into creating an ideal environment for us, we have to do them a favour and spend time focusing on that stuff!

What is really working for you right now that you are not paying attention to?

Whakaiti

November 24, 2025

In te reo the word for small is iti.

It’s such a cute word. There’s also a word for making something small:

‘Whakaiti’

‘Whaka’ means to ‘do’ or ‘make’.

‘Iti’ means ‘small’.

To ‘whakaiti’ a person is to make them small. I love the simplicity of that translation. I don’t, however, love what it represents.

Making people small is, unfortunately, really common these days. Couples make jokes at the expense of their significant other, we laugh at peoples attempts or push them down when they try something new.

What we should aim to do is make people big: to whakanui them. That is, to shine a light on them. Uphold their mana. Listen when they want to be seen anew. Celebrate them and support them.

Remember, it’s not always obvious if what you’re doing is a whakaiti or a whakanui. And it might seem like a little joke here and there doesn’t matter…

But one cut still draws blood.

Here’s a simple question if you’re unsure: is what I’m saying or doing honouring the fullness of this human being, or shrinking them down for a quick laugh or aside?

It’s easy to whakaiti someone. But it takes real guts to make others big, celerbrate them and honour them no matter what.

Under the bus

November 22, 2025

When people make jokes about other people, they say it’s throwing them under the bus.

Why do we do this?

This kind of humour is easy- it’s like junk food. It might taste good- get a little laugh- and it may bring you closer to other people in the environment…

But it’s junk food. It’s trash and we shouldn’t eat it.

Let’s not throw people under the bus for a quick laugh or some cheap connection.

Let’s put them on the bus and give them a bunch of flowers.

Everything happens perfectly

November 21, 2025

Here’s a belief to try on for size:

Everything happens perfectly.

“Everything” because it encompasses all events of your life, whether ‘good’ or ‘bad’- it’s the whole enchilada!

“Happens” because it was in the past, it’s now and it will be in the future.

“Perfectly” because it’s like it’s by design. It was all needed to elicit growth in you and usher you directly to where you are now and where you are going. It couldn’t (and shouldn’t) have been any other way.

Everything happens perfectly.

Let it free you and let it empower you.

Where does magic come from?

November 20, 2025

I think we all encounter magic now and then. It’s that spark we feel when we completely fall in love with something, when what we’re working on ‘clicks’ or when we are held spell bound by something.

Magic can happen with people, with the art we consume or create, in random encounters in the world or in the work we do in the world. And a million other places.

If magic is the ephemeral and abstract, what is it’s predecessor?

Thankfully, the genesis of magic is concrete (well, some parts anyway). Here’s a few ingredients.

Generous.

Magic comes from a generous act. When the intention behind an action is a generous one. Magic is magic because it increases the level of joy in the world, and generosity is directly aimed at that.

Possibility.

Magic arrives when we invite something that didn’t exist before. We must release the need for certainty and open up to what could be. Just because something hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t. It just means it hasn’t happened before.

Presence.

Magic is alive to what’s happening now. It’s alive and it’s listening intently. Magic requires you to forget what you thought you knew and be with only what is.

Magic is mysterious but it’s downstream from these beautiful pillars.

Care to make magic?

Words fail

November 15, 2025

My dad just graduated from a year full immersion te reo Māori course.

The ceremony was full of emotion and as I watched family after family get up in support of their person, they performed beautiful haka, waiata and karanga.

As actors, words are our weapon to carry emotion. In musicals the character must sing because the emotion is too big for mere words. There’s no other option.

But of course the emotion is always too big for words. Shakespeare knew that words fail. The prettiest, fanciest or coolest words strung together pale in comparison to the ocean and galaxy of energy they represent, pumping out of our heart.

These families had the gift of song and of haka to carry their pride. To stand and make all the beautiful noise they could to show a tiny preview of what’s going on inside.

How lucky that we have our culture and our art to begin to express what’s inside us.

Yes, words fail. Songs fail. But the humble pursuit to use both to express ourselves is a beautiful one.

SING! MAKE NOISE! SHARE!

Generous words

November 13, 2025

A generous word from a stranger is nice.

A generous word from an authority figure is better; ever notice how they have a way of really sticking?

When we’re young it’s a parent, a teacher or principal.

It holds the same weight as something coming from anyone in a lab coat.

Here’s two generous comments that completely stuck with me:

“You’re on the cusp of something!”

“It’s not a matter of whether or not you’ll succeed, but if you’re ready for it”

We have so much power with what we say (seemingly in passing) to those we lead. Have a couple at the ready and be free in how you share them.

You never know what’ll stick for life.

(AKA, you’re a bit of a wizard aren’t you!)

The scientist’s reframe

November 10, 2025

Scientists, engineers and architects know about this.

They know that to get anywhere we must experiment. And experimenting means that most of the time we aren’t getting the desired outcome.

So why is it so hard for us to come to grips with?

How can we make like a scientist with the endeavors of our lives?

How can we take joy in the process of figuring it out and discovering unexpected things along the way?

They do it. We can too.

Honour the ‘or’.

November 7, 2025

Here’s a belief we should be actively fostering in our younger generation:

If something hasn’t been done before it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It Just means it hasn’t been done before.

We can be forgiven for thinking that if something hasn’t happened so far then it won’t at all. After all, we use the past as evidence for what will happen right?

Sometimes.

And other times unprecedented things occur. Sometimes completely new things happen. Massive discoveries are made.

Breakthroughs are breakthroughs because they are breaking through what was once thought impossible.

The past does not equal the future. It might be the same as it was…

…or it might be vastly different.

We must honour the ‘or’.

We owe it to the younger generation to keep the door open to new possibilities.

We must take seriously the way in which our language might infer things that limit others.

If something hasn’t been done before it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It Just means it hasn’t been done before.

JUSTIN ROGERS

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