T&T-born US-based actor Noel Arthur, 38, originally from Vistabella, was a student at St Benedict's College in La Romaine and while in school he and his friends would often talk about what was going on in the popular United States-based daily soap opera Young and the Restless.At the time, Arthur could not have known that he himself would one day, in fact 24 years later, would be enrolled in the cast. Today, he can say he is living that dream.
"My friends and I would be talking about what was going on with Nina and Cricket. Now I get to have a role on the show," an elated Arthur said."This would mark my first job where I get to use my original accent on camera. One of my dreams has always been to play a character on American TV who is specifically from T&T."
Speaking exclusively with the Sunday Guardian, Arthur, who can't legally spill the beans on the plot, only revealed that he got cast as an "island cop.""Work on turning this island cop into a character with a name like, Lexton or Dexter, and get more than five episodes... That's going to happen when I confidently represent T&T and everybody writes in to the show to say that they loved my performance and want more. Then we hopefully get a whole 'island cop' family up in there," Arthur said.
His first episode airs on May 6.Grabbing at an opportunity to campaign for support, Arthur urged: "Tweet them, mail them, comment on their official Facebook page after it airs."He admitted, however, that he was a bit surprised to have landed the job."I'd never done a daytime soap before. So I asked one of my friends who was a star on Passions what to expect. She said speed, one to two takes, and pressure.
"People get fired if they mess up too much and I thought it was like theatre so I was excited," he recalled."She was right. But she didn't tell me how much jokes go on behind the scenes. How much of a family these folks are. Many of the cast and crew have worked together for more than twenty years. It's a family I'm privileged to come hang out with for a little bit. "Peter Bergman, who plays Jack Abbott, pulled me aside on my first day of shooting and said to me, 'Thanks for being good.' That always feels great to hear from a talented peer."
Arthur got his first gig in about his first four months in Los Angeles. It was in the Brian De Palma movie, The Black Dahlia. The shoot took place in Bulgaria and marked his first time working in Europe."You can see me for a split second shooting a gun out a window in that movie. That's when I really caught the movie business bug. I got flown to Europe, got paid good money, put up in a hotel for two weeks, for like two seconds on screen," he said.
"So my first gig was directed by Brian De Palma, who also directed Scarface, so that was an amazing start."
Some of Arthur's other career highlights have been working with the German Werner Herzog, an iconic director who has done groundbreaking documentaries and films going back to the 70s, in My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done? and Bad Lieutenant Port Of Call: New Orleans, where he worked alongside one of his idols, Nicolas Cage.
Arthur left T&T for the US in 1990 at the age of 14. He left with his mother, a retired district nurse, to join his elder siblings there. His father, now a retired police inspector, remained in T&T.The transition for Arthur was not easy."We had gone to Harlem because one of my sisters had a job there working as a social worker. So at one point there were five of us living in her small one-bedroom apartment. My bed was a sleeping bag in the living room next to my mom and two other sisters," he recalled.
"I remember hating the cold, the attitudes of people in the hood, the noise, the smell of mice, the feel of mice which would occasionally run over me at night. It was miserable."My introduction to Harlem was seeing a kid my age get beat up by about 30 kids on the basketball court on my second day in the neighbourhood. I was teased a lot and it made me stick to myself. I read comic books and watched a lot of TV, which is why I started doing early imitations of actors I liked."
Arthur initially wanted to be an inventor or a scientist. By the time he got accepted to college at Fordham University, however, her had no idea what he wanted to do.But he said that changed after meeting one of his freshman year roommates, Michael, known as "Mr Theatre," acting in a play called Three Penny Opera.
His mind was made up then, but it took Arthur two more years of knocking about school and taking non major acting classes before he decided to become a professional actor."By the time I graduated, I was Mr Theatre too, writing and directing plays, acting on the mainstage and in the black box. I even tried to direct Playboy of The West Indies by Trini-born Matura Mustapha, but we didn't have enough Black and Indian descent actors in the department," Arthur said.
When Arthur graduated from Fordham he got cast in a small touring theater company that did educational plays in schools across America.Moving to LA, Arthur had to hustle up day job work, find an agent to get him auditions, and find a way to get into the acting union. At one point he had about six jobs at once.
During his career, Arthur has worked with the likes of Kevin Mckidd, when he did an episode of Grey's Anatomy, Katy Bates, Patricia Arquette, Zach Braff and Charisma Carpenter.He has also won a 2013 NAACP best theatre ensemble award for Lower Depth Theatre's production of Kwame Kwei Armah's Elmina's Kitchen - a play about West Indians living in a tough neighborhood in Britain.
"My dreams have always been very clear about making a living as an actor. Every job I get I cherish because I'm getting paid to do what I love."I did it for free for so many years that getting paid is icing on the cake. Though, like in any career, it is a hustle, and you have to accept that to survive, and thrive," Arthur said.
Arthur's next dream is to stand on the stage at the Academy Awards with an Oscar in his hand and to thank his homeland for its support.He hopes too to work with some of his acting idols - Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr, Idris Elba and Arnold Schwarzenegger to name a few - and directing idols Steven Spielberg, Danny Boyle and Louis Leterrierk.
Arthur said he would also love to collaborate/create some original programming in T&T with local talent."I know there's some great web content already on the internet, but with all the violence and strife going on we need many more positive images and role models in entertainment on Caribbean television."
Arthur is currently a career coach and is getting ready to launch a website soon to be able to coach internationally.His advice: "Believe 100 per cent in yourself to realise your dreams while staying humble and positive as you do it. Focus on the passion for your work and developing your unique voice. And also think about accomplishing at least one goal outside of just serving yourself. Something that helps others."
He also urged artists and actors to continue to create their own content and use the internet to spread their work."We have so much technology at our hands now that we don't need to wait for someone else to make our own starring vehicles or speak out on something we feel passionate about."He, along with one of his business partners, have an environment friendly web series which was recently launched on YouTube called "Zero Impact Home."
The series is about an Eco nerd who has zero impact on the environment, and on women."No one's talking about Eco issues in a funny, inviting way, so we are."
More Info
To see more of Noel Arthur, his acting reel is up on my YouTube page under "Noel Arthur Acting Reel 2015" and everyone can follow him on Twitter, his FB fan page, and Instagram under NoelActor.