Canadian Actor Zachary Bennett Visits Media Studies Class

 

Zachary visited Greenwood’s grade 11 Media Studies class on January 24 to share his experiences with our students. Since he got his start as a child actor on CBC’s Road to Avonlea, Zachary has appeared in several movies and TV shows, including recent appearances on Murdoch Mysteries, Rookie Blue, and Saving Hope. He also recently directed and wrote his first short feature, Where Do We Go From Here, and his band, Tin Star Orphans, is about to record a new album.

 

Zachary explored the realities of life in the entertainment world with our Media Studies students, ranging from the glamorous (such as working with actors like Christopher Lloyd) to the not-so-glamorous.

 

“You don’t always like what you’re doing, as an actor,” he said. “I can’t necessarily pick and choose which parts I take. Acting is my living, and it allows me to pursue my other interests, like my writing and my music.”

 

Though he got his start in the business as an actor, Zachary has now turned most of his focus to directing and music. “I write my own material, whether it’s scripts or songs, so I get 100 per cent of the satisfaction out of what I create.”

 

Zachary asked students which areas – whether it’s directing, writing, acting, or music – interest them, and drew on his experiences to provide advice and guidance. When asked by students which subjects interest him most creatively, Zachary explained that he enjoys focusing on subjects that the camera lens doesn’t often capture.

 

“I like investigating the human condition and intimate subjects,” he said. “When a tragic event happens in a movie or a TV show, the characters often have these big, over-the-top reactions. But what about the person who just goes numb? What is it like for them as they’re trying to continue on with life? That’s what I’m most interested in exploring.”