Michael Venske

QUESTION

“Hey buddy. From an actor’s standpoint, would piercing your ears be a bad move? Not big piercings or anything, just one on each ear.” –H

ANSWER

There are a lot of male actors with earrings. Will Smith, Harrison Ford, and Justin Timberlake are a few that come to mind. Even I had a pierced ear at one point! Granted, the piercing was for a play (“The Fam”), but it was the real deal.

If you want to get your ears pierced: get them pierced. They’re your ears. The only issue I can imagine is being sent on an audition with new piercing and the casting director asks for you to take them out. Or maybe your ears are still red and puffy or maybe they’re infected. Or perhaps you take them out and the holes close up.

Getting your ears pierced is neither good or bad.

They’re your ears. Be you. Be the man you want to be. Don’t worry about whether you’re going to fit a certain look or type. You are your own type. The last thing you should worry about is whether or not two studs in your lobes are going to be what doesn’t get you the part.

As long as you love the face you’re putting forward: go for it! Your confidence and comfortability will read well on camera and that’s how you book jobs.

Any other actors out there with piercings? Do you have any experiences to share? If so, please leave a comment.

Michael

MICHAEL VENSKE is a leap-without-looking kind of guy — which is why he got his ear pierced for a play — and well-known for empathetic listening. Currently he is teaching kindness, compassion, and the fine art of physical comedy to students in Zibo, China.

Have a question? Click here and send Michael a message.