Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Sharp.
Hi Austin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
So, I started my acting career through cosplay, actually. I remember going to the Knoxville Fanboy Convention and I dressed up as Spider-Man. The reactions from the kids and families that loved the suit helped me personify Spider-Man, and that is when it clicked for me. I enjoyed acting.
I enjoyed bringing characters to life because it made people smile. So I continued taking a couple of acting courses here and there, and now I have an agency here in Knoxville. They’ve gotten me a couple of auditions throughout the years and I continue to do stunt and film work locally, and for productions in ATL.
I’m actually currently working on something in Georgia that I can’t talk much about; however, I will say that I also have Tiger-Rock of Knoxville to thank for some of the success because they have been amazing instructors and a second family to me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just like anything we do in life, it’s had its ups and downs. Wanting to give up because sometimes the training and demand become too much, but that’s the great thing about martial arts; it teaches perseverance through adversary, and so it definitely helped me keep a level head.
Between torn muscles, continued audition failures, and overall life, you’ll definitely have those thoughts where you want to quit, but I promise, to anyone that reads this, it is worth it, in the end, to push through and finish strong.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So the biggest aspect of my career currently is the stunt/tricking/martial arts aspect of it. I specialize in the extreme martial arts side of things, so that has helped me tremendously in film.
I would say though, I’m most known for my use of Swords in my extreme form competitions. I love swords and being able to express yourself through martial arts with them is just amazing.
I’d say my favorite is using double swords. I have a demonstration katana that splits into two swords, and it’s the biggest “Wow” factor in my demonstrations usually.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice for anyone wanting to get into acting or stunt work… just do it. Get into acting classes, get into a martial art or gymnastics school or something to help you stuff moving and functional. Stretch every day!
Make sure you drink plenty of water. I definitely wish I knew that I would be doing this stuff later in my life because I quit stretching myself for over a decade(previously would stretch when I did martial arts when I was younger). But oh man, it would have helped so much now.
Pricing:
- $129 – Unlimited martial arts classes at Tiger-Rock Martial Arts
Contact Info:
- Email: ActorAustinSharp@gmail.com
- Instagram: @iamaustinsharp
- Twitter: @NPCAustin
- TikTok: @iamaustinsharp
Image Credits
Sonja Wiseman of Shots By Sonja
