Kasule Douglas Benda
On Tuesday evening, I attended the premiere of the theatrical play ‘ZAKAYO’ at Bat Valley Theatre (I’ll share my thoughts about that play in a separate article). While there, I bumped into Mulindwa Richard, a prominent award-winning filmmaker. As we caught up about his ongoing TV show CHOICES on NTV, where I serve as one of the casting director, we were joined by a young, passionate filmmaker named Shamsa Mariam.
Shamsa began sharing her frustrations with the kind of behaviour she has encountered from some actors on film sets including the lack of professionalism, poor communication, and general irresponsibility. She pointed out something I found quite interesting, “there’s a clear difference in discipline between theatre actors and screen actors.”
And she’s right. Discipline is deeply ingrained in theatre culture. On stage, one person’s mistake can derail an entire live performance, so professionalism isn’t just expected, it’s survival.
As Shamsa finished her lament, Richard couldn’t help but laugh. Having trained and worked with countless actors, and being a theatre-bred performer himself, he related completely. He told us a story of a film shoot he once organised: the apartment was hired, crew and cast were ready, equipment hired… except the lead actor was nowhere to be seen.
From 7 a.m. (call time) to 4 p.m., the actor was unreachable, not picking calls, not responding to messages. Imagine the losses of time, money, energy all because one person couldn’t show up responsibly.
Richard shook his head and said, “Actors and filmmakers really need to start behaving professionally.”
That’s when I jumped in and told them, “Maybe we should stop asking them to behave professionally, and start asking them to behave like good human beings.”
Think about it. Time management, respect for other people’s time and property, proper communication, preparation, and accountability, these aren’t just professional traits. They’re human ones.
If you know your actions are causing stress, loss, or pain to another person and you continue doing it, then the issue isn’t your professionalism. It’s your humanity.
Charity begins at home. Many of these habits (good or bad) are simply reflections of how we were raised; our empathy, our respect, our discipline.
We’re shifting the narrative now. Instead of blaming “unprofessional actors,” let’s start addressing the real issue: inconsiderate human beings. You’re either a good human being to work with, or you’re not.
In fact, I now strongly encourage more actors to try producing their own projects, even just once. Because the moment you become a producer, you experience firsthand what it feels like to depend on others. You begin to understand the frustration of dealing with unreliability, disrespect, and ego. And that experience can change you. Many actors who’ve produced something have come out not just wiser, but kinder.
So, here’s the simple truth: If you want to be a better actor, filmmaker, or professional in any field you work in, start by being a better human being.
We don’t just need better professionals in this industry. We need more good human beings.
Ssalongo Kasule Douglas Benda
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I’m a professional performing artist, an acting coach, film director, actors’ agent and more.
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