Mustaq Missouri is an actor and writer who's seen the world.  

Originally from Singapore but now living in Auckland via Sydney and Shanghai, he considers himself on a quest to rediscover and reclaim his South Asian identity.

Racking up roles with organisations like Auckland Theatre Company, Silo and Prayas Theatre, his latest creative production is part of Flyleaf Theatre Company's Saint Joan, running at Auckland's Q Theatre from 25 June- 5 July.

Missouri has no problems recalling what his life looked like at 22 - it was a monumental age for him. He shares what he would want his younger self to know.

I left my country of birth, Singapore, when I was 22. I left the minute I could, after having had to spend two and a half years in the Army.

It was compulsory. I did not have a choice.

It was the one of the most momentous decisions I’ve made.

Aotearoa is my fourth country of residence. The advice that I would impart to my 22 -year-old self is, in part, a reflection of this action.

Trust your instincts

My gut feeling, as I was growing up, was always to discover new places and new environments. 

There was this itch to go somewhere else. Where? Anywhere, really. Not that my existence in Singapore was deficient. It was, in certain ways, very calming and supportive. But through reading, watching TV and films, I felt I needed the sights, sounds and scents of a different place.

I wanted to go to Sesame Street. I wondered what living in a boarding school would be like in the UK. How it would feel to be amongst the thousands of fans at Old Trafford. What it would be like to listen to bebop in Chicago.

I congratulate my 22-year-old self for leaving the familiar. It’s good to appreciate what you have. 

But it’s also wonderful to dream of the unknown.
 

It’s not a bad thing to be different

My 22-year-old self was wracked by the belief - real or otherwise - that he was different. It was, quite possibly, the arrogance of youth. Be that as it may, he felt shunned, misunderstood and sometimes ridiculed for being who he was.

I’m glad he had the opportunity and the privilege to find other places where he could, potentially, feel more accepted.

Which he did, eventually.

Follow your true calling

The 22-year-old me did not have the courage to pursue his true love - acting. 

He had started his acting journey in Singapore, performing in a few plays and even co-founding his own theatre group. But when he went abroad, he succumbed and chose a safe career trajectory. 

It was not until later - 15 years later - that he was reunited with his acting muse.

I would have advised my younger self to have recklessly plunge into the turbulent, unpredictable waters of the acting ocean. 

I admire those who are doing it now. They are an inspiration to me, a reminder to myself to continue what I’m doing.

Foster a tight knit of friends, wherever you are

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

I would tell my 22 year old self to put more time, care and effort in building and maintaining friendships and connections.

Appreciate - almost to a fault - the friends around you.

It is, at the end of the day, the most important aspect of our existence.