Today we’d like to introduce you to David Chattam.
Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My introduction into the world of acting was anything but typical. My career started 20 years ago in Nashville, Tennessee at the tender age of 32, and it was purely by the grace of God! I was working as a systems administrator for a tech company when a co-worker of mine, Chris Elliott, coerced me into being an extra in a movie that was being filmed in an old prison in Nashville. I had zero acting experience and even less of a desire to be associated with “Hollywood”, but thought that it might be fun to watch a movie being made. The movie was the DreamWorks film “The Last Castle” starring Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Delroy Lindo, Mark Ruffalo, and a host of others. Long story short, my first day on set, I was fitted as one of the many prison inmate extras. After sitting in extra’s holding for hours doing nothing, I went outside to watch a scene being shot. I was literally sitting by myself off the beaten path when a guy walked by and said he had an idea for a new character in the film and that I fit the description. I had no idea who this guy was, but he took me to wardrobe and had me try on an officer’s uniform. The guy turned out to be David Ticotin (I never forgot his name), the 2nd AD. The uniform fit perfectly right down to the size 14 shoes and literally overnight, I went from an extra with zero acting experience to a principal character doing scenes with the major actors! I was even given a line, but it didn’t make the cut. Still, it was a completely surreal experience!
From there, I decided to give acting a real shot. I signed with a talent agency in Nashville and started taking theatre classes and acting workshops whenever and wherever I could. It didn’t take me long to realize that I really loved acting and the idea of telling stories and bringing characters to life, and soon I began consistently booking roles in film, television and on stage. A few years later, I was laid off from the tech company due to downsizing and ironically my co-worker, Chris had become my supervisor and was the person who actually had to terminate me. That termination was the best thing that could have happened to me though because that was the point at which I decided to pursue acting full time, and I have never looked back since!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Pursuing an acting career has anything BUT a smooth road for me. Over the past two decades, I have endured more rejection, disappointments, heartaches and setbacks than I even care to remember. Shortly after deciding to pursue acting full-time, I lost my house due to foreclosure, had my car repossessed, and damn near lost all of my worldly possessions because they were in a storage unit I couldn’t pay for. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to swallow my pride and ask my mother for money, I would literally have lost everything.
Anyone who decides to become an actor MUST have thick skin. There are a million and one reasons why you may or may not book a role. 99% of them are out of your control and you can’t let it get you down. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told that I’m great for a role, but I’m too tall, or too this or too that. When I was back in Nashville, I would hear “We loved you, but unfortunately we’re going for a different demographic”. In other words, I was the wrong color. Setbacks and roadblocks are a part of life. They are what makes you, YOU. I don’t regret any of the struggles I’ve endured. Today, I’m 52 years old and waiting tables while pursuing my career. Nowhere near where I’d thought I’d be at this point in my life. But I have zero regrets. I am doing what I have to do in order to do what I love to do and as long as I have an incredible support system of family and friends, faith in God and faith in myself, I have no doubt that one day, I will get to where I want to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
One of the hardest things for me to do as an actor is talk about the work I’ve done, and not because of a lack of work or because of sub-par work or anything like that, I just don’t see the point. It drives me nuts when I’m at an audition (pre-pandemic of course) and everyone is talking about what they’ve done. We’re in the same room NOW going after the same role, so what you’ve done is irrelevant to me. I’m happy for you, but I don’t care. I am a professional actor. If someone asks me what I’ve done, I very politely tell them they can check me out on IMDB. I’m currently a member of SAG/AFTRA and for a while was also a member of Actors’ Equity. I have been very blessed over the years to have been able to work with numerous well-known actors and recording artists on major motion pictures, network television shows, stage productions, music videos, commercials, and voiceover projects. However, the work I’m probably the proudest of are the shows I’ve done with the Nashville Children’s Theatre.
I’ve taken numerous classes and workshops with well-known actors and have had them say really good things about my work. I am very grateful for all of that, but I also take it with a HUGE grain of salt because I’m STILL a struggling actor. I think what sets me apart from many actors is that I’m very grounded in reality. I absolutely love what I do and could not imagine myself doing anything else in life. But acting my job. It’s what I do. I don’t look at it as some magical world of fame, fortune, glitz and glamour. I don’t even want that. I take what I do very seriously and I approach each and every job with respect and professionalism. I think that anyone who has ever been on set with me can attest to that. As soon as I step on a set, every other actor, no matter how big or small is my co-worker. I will give them my respect, and I expect them to give me theirs. After all, we are all there to do one thing; tell the story and make it believable.
How do you think about happiness?
I’m generally a happy person. Most of the time you see me, I’m in a good mood. That being said, I do have my days though. I love being around family and good friends. This is going to sound like a cliché, but making other people happy actually makes me happy. I guess that’s the Libra in me. Creating also makes me happy. I think I’ve been that way since I was a kid. I used to love doing arts and crafts in school, putting puzzles together, or putting model cars together. Now I’m getting to the point where I love creating behind the camera instead of always being in front of it. I’ve written, directed and shot several little projects and I love that side of the industry as well! Trying to get the right lighting or camera angle is a fun challenge and one I hope to dive into a little deeper in the future!
Contact Info:
- Website: imdb.com/name/nm1063262
- Instagram: instagram.com/davidchattam
- Facebook: facebook.com/david.chattam
Image Credits:
Profession headshots by Bjoern Kommerell
