From Small School to Big Screen: Actor John Beckwith ’17 Shares Public Speaking Secrets

Actor and Canterbury graduate John Beckwith ’17 is no stranger to speaking and performing, so he was happy to share his experiences with students in the School’s Public Speaking class during a recent Zoom session.

The class was particularly interested to hear that he landed a role in Song Sung Blue, a movie coming out later this year starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. In the music-themed film, John plays Eddie Vedder, lead singer of the rock band Pearl Jam. “I had to perform on stage in front of a live audience for the movie,” he told them. “And I could not have done that without first knowing how to have a good conversation.”

Born in Southern California, John moved around a great deal in his youth and was primarily raised by his grandmother, forcing him to learn how to talk to people at an early age. “My grandmother is a fascinating woman. She was married to a politician and is a successful dermatologist, so she was always having company at our house, many of whom were famous politicians,” he recalled. “Then, when she enrolled my brother and me in Canterbury, she wanted us to travel the world—and we did! I was able to sit down and talk to so many people from all over, and that’s when I realized that the key to a good conversation is curiosity. If you are curious about what people do, they are going to be excited and want to talk about it.”

That point resonated with the class. “What stood out to me was his emphasis on being mindful of how you make others feel when you communicate,” said Gabrielle Dost ’26. “People might not remember exactly what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel. Ideally, you want that memory to be a good one.” 

John also credits his time at Canterbury with making him comfortable talking to people. As a Saint, he played guitar, wrestled, was captain of the Crew team, and developed a love of physics, but it was his experience in theater that became a passion. “In my senior year, as I was approaching graduation, something happened,” he shared. “It was like a lightning bolt hit me. I knew then that I had to get into acting.” Although he enrolled in New York University as a History major, it was not long before he auditioned for and joined NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. “That changed my life. I found my obsession,” John said.

Following graduation and countless auditions, he started making a name for himself in the acting world, appearing in Starz’s Three Women and FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans before landing his role in Song Sung Blue. John’s story led Jonathan Chon ’26 to reflect on his own life and future. “It reminded me that your calling in life can come when you least expect it,” Jonathan shared. “I also appreciated his tip about speaking to a crowd: your goal does not always have to be changing everyone’s mind—just one person’s.”

John stressed to the students that preparation was among the most important factors in successful public speaking. “Preparation is always going to make you more confident. It is crucial to helping you deliver a good speech,” he told them. “In Song Sung Blue, I was on that stage in front of 300 people with the cameras on me, and I had to get the shot right because Hugh was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles shortly afterward to promote his latest Wolverine movie. But I knew I was going to be fine, because I prepared.”

Thanks to John’s insights and words of advice, these students are prepared to take their communication skills to the next level.