Life & Work with Nathan Ray Clark

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Ray Clark

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m originally from South Texas. Typical small town in the Lone Star State. Everyone knew each other, Friday night lights, and church on Sundays. I didn’t have much interest in anything except acting. Thank God we had an amazing theater department at my high school. It was the only thing that kept me in school. During the week we would rehearse for the fall musical or one act play in the spring. On weekends, we would travel around the state competing in forensics tournaments. It kept me busy throughout the school year and out of trouble. Sort of. When I say my high school theater experience saved me I genuinely believe that.

After graduating high school, I got a scholarship for a two year acting conservatory in New York. While I appreciate my time there, I ended up having a change of heart and gave up pursuing acting as a career. I felt lost and decided to move back to Texas where I enrolled in business classes at the local community college. Then one day I saw a flyer announcing open auditions for an upcoming college theater production. It was intriguing. Who said I couldn’t do acting as a hobby? So, I auditioned and got cast. Couple of years later, with a few more shows under my belt, I found myself leaving Texas for Los Angeles and giving it another go.

Shortly after moving to LA I enrolled in an improv class at The Second City Hollywood. One of the best decisions I ever made. I went all the way through their conservatory program and started performing on house teams. Eventually, I was hired as a performer for The Second City touring company(Tour Co). It took me out of LA for awhile but it was a great experience. Not only was I making a solid paycheck performing sketch comedy and improv for thousands of people, but I got to do it while cruising the Caribbean. Sadly, I never got a suntan but plenty of sunburns.

When my contract was up I came back to LA. I was in a good place, and with some extra money in my pocket I enrolled in classes at Lesly Kahn & Company. This was the first acting class I had taken where they actually taught you about the business side of acting and not just honing your talent. Prior to this, I would take acting classes here and there working on monologues from Spoon River. It was fine but I needed to improve my “on camera acting” versus focusing only on theater. Now I study with Graham Shiels of Graham Shiels Studio(GSS). Sounds strange that a working actor still takes classes but it’s like a gym. Gotta get my reps in. Even big name actors, like Sam Rockwell, still use an acting coach. And he’s a phenomenal talent.

I’ve booked a good number of tv shows: Criminal Minds: Evolution, Modern Family, 2 Broke Girl, and more. Along with films: Stan The Man, King of the Underground, etc. Plus, popular web series, like: Chicken Girls and The Online Gamer. I even worked on a promo for Transformers: The Last Knight with Josh Duhamel. It was also directed by Michael Bay. Bay, which apparently is what he goes by, had me improvise a few lines on set. This was super cool because I grew up watching Transformers. So, I threw out a couple of lines that fans would catch. Unfortunately, he didn’t want that and instead told me to say, “F*** Megatron”. Needless to say, that line didn’t make the cut.

Currently, I am writing a horror comedy short film. Hoping to start shooting in the new year. In a couple weeks you can catch me in a brand new episode of Rescue: HI Surf. I play a sunburn victim. Only kidding. It airs Monday nights on FOX, then next day on Hulu. In January, I’ll be appearing in an episode of NCIS on CBS. That was a blast to shoot and a fun role to play. I’m looking forward to checking it out. After that, I’ll be back in Texas acting in a horror movie, Evil Inheritance, followed by an action thriller called Orphan Mountain.

I’m very happy where I’m at career wise. It took me awhile to get here, and I’m not stopping anytime soon.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No such thing as a smooth road in this business. You’re not going to book everything you audition for. Early on, I was deflated because I was barely booking jobs. But I just kept at it and didn’t give up. Eventually, I stopped thinking “I have to book this job” and it turned things around for me. The less pressure I put on myself, the more I started booking.

In this industry you need thick skin. Every audition is a job interview. Actors go on an insane amount of auditions being seen by tons of casting offices, directors, writers, producers. You spend “x” amount of hours preparing an audition and then you never hear back about it. Sounds depressing, right? It is. But my philosophy on auditioning is this: you are not auditioning for this job, you’re auditioning for the next job. Meaning I’m still going to show them my best, but if I’m not right for the part then that’s okay. They’ll just keep me in mind for another project down the road. Casting wants to bring in the very best talent. It makes them look great when they can present their clients with amazing actors. Casting Directors appreciate talent who know what they’re doing. It helps make their job so much easier.

Fitting into a specific age range used to drive me nuts. As a teenager, I got told I was too old to play junior high and too young to play high school. Then in my 20’s, I was too old to play a teenager and too young for a college student or young dad. That was beyond frustrating but it never deterred me. Right now, I’m in a sweet spot playing a young dad or a 30 something year old college freshman.

The biggest hurdle I’ve had to jump was getting out of my own way. I put way too much pressure on myself. I’m my own worst critic. I’ll find myself shooting several takes of an audition being nit picky about every little thing. “This audition tape needs to be perfect, but everything I’m doing is terrible.”, which is one of the nicer critical thoughts I have had. But then I’ll go back and watch everything and realize the first few takes worked. It’s draining and exhausting to beat myself up over an audition. Funny thing is I’ve booked jobs where I hated my audition. Everything turned out fine despite my own self sabotaging. These days I’m a little nicer to myself.

A lot of things in this business are out of my control, but when I let things go I’m a happier person. Anytime I get mad or frustrated I remind myself how fortunate I am to pursue this, and it helps lift off some self imposed weight.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
A lot of actors are scared of being thought of as a character actor. In their minds it’s a fate worse than death. Me? I love it. An acting teacher of mine told me once, “You know you’re a character actor, right?” That bothered me at first. Like, am I not attractive? I’m no Glen Powell but I am a Grade A stud. Eventually, I realized most of my favorite actors had great careers playing characters. I always loved Gary Oldman. I can’t think of two roles he’s played that were the same. Paul Walter Hauser is a phenomenal character actor. Not someone who most people would consider a leading man, but he’s starred in movies and streaming series. Everything he has done is so different from the next. I love that.

Improv comedy has been a huge part of my professional life. I’m a seasoned improviser. An Alum of The Second City. Aside from performing improv, I also teach workshops. My first venture into teaching improv was when I worked for The Second City Tour Co. Throughout my contract we were required to hold free workshops for guests of the cruise ship. It was fun, very basic stuff. From there I went on to teach at colleges, high schools, and the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory. It always makes me happy to see my students having a great time while growing more confident in their improv ability. But it’s been an absolute game changer in how I approach my acting. In improv, it is never about saying funny things, it’s about communication and relationship. Things that apply to both comedy and drama. Relationship is the very first thing I look for when I’m preparing a role. And it’s served me well.

I take great pride and joy in creating my own projects. Under my production company, Foolish Bandit, I wrote and produced with my writing partner some award winning projects including- No Laughing Matter: Tears of a Clown (indie short film) and Born Losers (web series). I love collaborating with others. Bouncing ideas off each other. My creative process to writing isn’t anything ground breaking. I come up with an idea for a comedy, act out scenes by playing the characters, and go on a run of jokes. Then when I start shooting I make it clear to my actors to not be beholden to the words. I’m not Aaron Sorkin. I like giving actors the freedom to come up with their own stuff so long as it doesn’t take away from the story. If an actor comes up with a line that’s better than what I’ve written, then great! Everyone involved is helping me bring my vision to reality so why not be open to other ideas.

I guess if there’s two thing I could say that set me apart from others it’s my red hair, baby blue eyes, and easy going nature. Also, my poor counting skills. Which would now make it four things.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
In any business, relationships are vital. I came to LA naively thinking all I needed was a talent agent and I’m set! Nope. First off, don’t just settle for any agent. Take your time, do some research. Meet reps you feel could help take your career to the next level. Ask them what casting offices they have relationships with. Knowing what tv shows or movies a Casting Director is currently working on is crucial. Also, you have to be realistic about your “type”. I don’t see myself playing a hard nosed Detective or Drill Sargent so I don’t actively pursue those kind of roles. Uptight boss or male Karen? Then I’m your guy.

I don’t subscribe to the idea of “big breaks”. There are a number of things that lead to that big moment, but it doesn’t come out of thin air. My first national commercial I booked was for Subaru. I was ecstatic, thinking, “This is my big break! I’m going to make great money, book more commercials once people see me in it, and I won’t have to work at my restaurant job anymore!” Before I got paid I bought a thousand dollar Smart TV, and joined SAG-AFTRA to the tune of thirty two hundred dollars. Flash forward a couple months later and I was cut out of the commercial. I have no clue why. It could’ve been due to budget or maybe my performance as a guy sleeping behind a steering wheel just wasn’t believable. Only kidding. Actors never really know why they get cut. Regardless, me getting cut was a brutal shot to my ego and my wallet. Not to mention how awkward it was when my friends and family would ask me when the commercial was coming out. But that didn’t stop me. Since then I’ve booked other national commercials and big tv shows. I would never say any of those jobs were my big break but only steps on a ladder toward something greater.

But the most important lesson I’ve learned is that acting is not the be-all end-all. You have to take care of yourself first and foremost. This business can wear you down in more ways than one so you should never neglect your well being. Keep active. Exercise, get good sleep, eat well, find time to spend with friends and family, and be kind to yourself. Be your biggest supporter/fan/cheerleader. And always keep in mind that acting is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nathanrayclark.com
• Instagram: @nathanrayclark
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4349524/

Image Credits
Andrew Giordano- 1st and 3rd picture