Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Gabriel.
Andrew, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in North Carolina where I had just about every opportunity to explore what I enjoyed the most. My family always encouraged me to not only discover what talents I had but what would also make me happy at the same time. I was heavily involved with competitive swimming and most importantly, baseball. I loved the purpose-driven mindset that sports taught me and the importance of discipline, work ethic, and supporting the people that surround you. I was never really interested in the arts until I was about 17. The arts, acting in particular, changed my perspective on life in many ways and led me to this career path. I was a very emotional kid growing up and being an athlete, I had to suppress a lot of those emotions and keep a level head. I didn’t have an outlet to express myself until I found my love for acting which stemmed from my first theatre class in high school. Since I was not allowed to be a part of school productions since it interfered with baseball season, I found a local studio (Acting Out Studio) in Charlotte where I would go almost every weeknight after practice or games to find out if this was really something I wanted for myself.
Soon after, I was invited to a talent showcase in Florida where I met my current agent, Milton Perea (AEFH) and I started to realize this journey was going to be more complex than I initially expected. My move to California was abrupt and I left many people that supported me confused because I had worked so hard through my childhood to reach certain goals I had, only to drop them all and move across the country for something I had recently discovered. I was entering my senior year of high school when I moved out to LA and while I was nervous about my future, I knew I had no room for doubt. I have been so thankful for the projects that I have worked on over these last few years, including two lead roles in the feature films Space Waves and Falling Stars which are set to release later this year and into 2022. I have also been fortunate enough to be a part of a monthly live comedy show in North Hollywood called The MaD JaCKRaTS. Improv has been a useful tool and a great experience for me. As far as the people who have helped me along the way, I want to give a shoutout to my manager, Marco Cuadros (Immortal Artists), my agents Milton Perea, Nicole Jolley, and Katelyn Giroux (AEFH), and my acting coach/mentor Lauren Patrice Nadler for supporting me through this process. This is only the very beginning of where I envision my career going.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has never been easy and I know there are many more challenges that lie ahead. I knew from the start that this was going to be an uphill battle. This past year and a half has been especially hard on all of us, but I have learned to embrace the adversity rather than running from it. As cliché as it sounds, it’s never been about what problems or circumstances hit us in the face, it’s how we respond to them. And through that response, we learn more about who we are and what we are capable of. In the past, I have tried to find reasons or answers for why certain things happen that are negative or unexpected, but most of the time we will never find those answers. My confidence has grown as a result of low points in my life and that has helped me overcome whatever has been thrown in my direction. I am making it simple for myself now, keep going and never give up, that’s it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I don’t want to classify myself as a dramatic actor because I love finding a balance between comedy and drama, but the projects and roles that I have taken on thus far embody dramatic storylines. Life is full of happy and sad moments and our art imitates that. The most complex and unpredictable characters are what I am after. Discovering every nuance of a character’s thought processes, beliefs, emotions, as well as their relationships to others is what I think fascinates us the most about our craft. There is something therapeutic about stepping into someone else’s mind outside of our own. It helps me understand how other people operate while at the same time I learn more about myself.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I could write for days about the numerous things that I am passionate about, but my family sits at the top of the list above all else. The health and happiness of my parents, Mark and Lori, and my sister Erin will always be my main priority. They have given me the best life that I think anyone could ever ask for. I love them more than words can describe and I would give them the world if I could. Outside of family, the relationships I have with my friends and the people I work with are always at the forefront of my mind. I want to be known for way more than just my talents. I want to continue to be reliable, hard-working, and respectful to everyone around me. I take pride in my work ethic, I put everything I have into becoming the actor and individual I want to be. I especially enjoy putting in the work and the hours when no one is paying attention because in those moments, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone except myself. At the end of the day, the only thing we control is what we do to make ourselves better.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @_andrewdgabriel
Image Credits:
Russell Baer, Shaun Duke Jr., Erin Gabriel, Edward LLerena
