I Had to Go and Learn – Majid Michel Reveals His Acting Journey

Ghanaian actor Majid Michel has shared how his early experience in the movie industry inspired him to seek professional acting training, revealing that he was initially selected for a film role because of his physical resemblance to the character rather than his acting talent.

During an interview on Joy Prime, Majid recalled attending an audition where the filmmakers were searching for someone who was half Lebanese, in line with the description of a character in the script.

He explained that his appearance caught the attention of the production team, leading to his selection despite not having exceptional acting skills at the time.

“They picked me because I looked like the character that was described,” he said.

Despite securing the role, Majid admitted that he felt pressured to deliver a good performance because he did not want to let down the director, the other actors or members of the production crew.

The fear of disappointing the team made him reflect on his abilities and recognise that looking the part was not enough to establish himself as a competent actor.

He subsequently decided to acquire formal training to understand the profession and improve his performance.

“I had to go and learn how this thing was done. Really. So, I went to school to go and learn that,” he stated.

Majid revealed that he enrolled at the William MacGuffin School, formerly the Academy of Film Acting, at Circle in Accra, where he learned the fundamentals of acting.

He said the lessons introduced him to a different understanding of the profession, explaining that he initially thought acting was mainly about performing physical stunts, fighting, jumping and screaming.

However, his training helped him appreciate the level of preparation, concentration and discipline required to portray a character convincingly.

He further explained that actors must master their scripts and deliver their dialogue in a natural manner while maintaining their character, without allowing viewers to notice that they are trying to recall their lines.

“You have to learn the lines, memorise them. You have to act at the same time, so it doesn’t look like you’re trying to remember the lines,” he added.