Conversations with Takaya Abdou Lloyd

Today we’d like to introduce you to Takaya Abdou Lloyd.

Hi Takaya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Before I made the move to filmmaking, I was actually studying art at a great high school program in St. Petersburg, Florida – where I’m from – called the Pinellas County Center for the Arts. I think of that time as a kind of proving ground where I got to experiment and try new things. I was also a competitive ballroom dancer for ten years and have 1st and 2nd place titles in the state of Florida and the World, respectively. So those were my two first loves, art and dance.

It wasn’t until I was about 16 or 17 that I made the move to film. I don’t come from a Hollywood family and I didn’t know anyone that had done what I wanted to do before, so I spent the next two years figuring things out, producing my own projects, and building a solid reel before moving to Los Angeles. Since then, I’ve had roles in Legion (Marvel and FX), the upcoming Netflix show On the Verge, and I just booked a feature I can’t talk about yet.

I’ve also made quite a few shorts and series, usually directing, writing, and acting in them. One that’s out doing the rounds on the festival circuit right now is a pilot called Hapa. It’s a dark comedy that focuses on Asian-American and mixed race stories. I’m going to be doing a crowdfunding campaign later this year and turning it into a series.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish I could say it has been easy. One thing I never expected when starting on this journey was that I would have to defend myself or fight for what I already am, just innately as a human being. I can’t tell you how many times in auditions I’ve heard things like, “we want someone more Asian,” or “more Middle Eastern,” or “authentic.” What right does someone else have to say that I am or am not something, that I’m not authentic? None, in my opinion. Especially someone who is very far removed from that same community. So that has been hard. The art that I love was not created in my image and I have to face the reality of that.

Right now, I think people don’t imagine a character that looks like me. I have to show them, and even then it’s a debate. I have a theory that it’s this idea that once people know something exists and works, they double down on it. It becomes the norm by way of its success. So until then, I just have to keep showing them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve always done a lot of things and tried not to put myself in a box. I direct, write, and act.

In my own work as a writer-director, I like to focus on diverse and cultural stories. I think culture is so rich and we don’t see enough of it on screen, I intend to change that. This doesn’t even mean the entire story has to be about heritage, which is what I think a lot of people misinterpret that to mean. All I’m sayin’ is, you’ve gotta infuse where you come from with what you’re doing. Or where the people in that story come from. Just respect it enough to care about those little details. I’m most interested in trying to do things that are different. Maybe a little risky, but fresh and nuanced.

I recently officially opened my production company, Studio Miso, which has been an amazing experience. We’re already crazy busy. Our first production that I directed, a film called Egress, was recently awarded by the Russo brothers in their No Sleep Til Film Fest 48 hour competition. It’s been really fulfilling to create the work that I’ve always wanted to see on screen in the narrative space, and we have a commercial branch that is doing really amazing and innovative stuff. We’re also launching our first reel day for the fellow actors out there to get them some kick ass footage for their reels at a really low price. Creating my own reel early on is what got me into rooms and booking projects way faster, but it cost me so much time and money in mistakes, so I want to make it easy for anyone to get quality footage, fast. Our first day is coming up, check it out on www.studiomiso.com.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Just the kinds of things I was into before filmmaking, studying art and getting my degree in creative writing. The fact that I was a competitive dancer for ten years is another thing I think a lot of people don’t know about me. Mostly just my friends knew about that growing up because I’d always be at practice or something. I think people have this misconception about actors or living in Los Angeles, too. I get a lot of people who meet me for the first time and are sort of expecting the worst because they know I’m an actor and it’s always funny because they seem so relieved when we get to talking. I’m just a dude who likes making movies.

Contact Info:

• Email: contacttakaya@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.takayalloyd.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takayalloyd
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takayalloyd
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/takayalloyd
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/takayalloyd?sub_confirmation=1
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7124809

Image Credits:
Scarlet behind the scenes photos: Danielle Merchant Scarlet still frame: Director Lottie Graham, Cinematographer Samira Oberberg Hapa still frames: Director Takaya Abdou Lloyd, Cinematographer Joseph Loeffler