Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan James Henderson.
Hi Evan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story started when I was young, long before I even knew what my heart wanted with this life. I come from a family of hidden performers. People that will never admit to knowing a thing about performance but will make you laugh until you can’t breathe, quote movies all night, and could tell you the name of every song from 1970-2010 (as long as it’s rock).
I grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota, with four older brothers, a patient mother, and a hard-working father. One of my first memories is of movies. My family was and is obsessed with them. A wall in the basement is dedicated to DVDs and VHS collections. To this day, my next brother, Jacob, and I could communicate solely on movie quotes and would be just fine doing so.
My Father works in mining sales (something I didn’t know for years) and my mother went from a court reporter, to a full-time mother, to a professional trainer (and badass). Performance outside of sports wasn’t really emphasized on me until I realized what it was. I did a community theater show with a couple of my brothers, but I think it was just so my mom could get a mental break from us for a weekend; I wouldn’t blame her either way because I loved it.
On Christmas Eve, my dad’s dad would make us read bible stories. But when we read, we couldn’t just read; we had to perform them. Vocalizing the emotions, giving big hand gestures, and varying degrees of volume were a must. I truly believe this is where my interest of performance came from. Like the storytellers of past generations, performance was used to pass stories through generations (with possibly less hand gestures than my grandpa).
I had always been into art, which my mom realized, so she always helped me find new ways to express. Whether it was a new box of crayons, a comic-style drawing book, or an art camp, my mom was always there to support my creativity. But my first true experience with acting was when I convinced my friend to sign up for the brand new Drama class at our school, the two hundred and fifty-person Catholic School I called home from preschool-12th grade. This class was new and I wanted to learn how to act so the videos my friends and I made for Youtube could have more kick to them. After discovering the class had five people in it (which included my friend and I) he switched schools at semester break and never looked back. I don’t blame him.
Acting continued to be a proper part of my life for the next four years. I would audition for the school plays; one-acts in the winter, full theatre productions in the fall. For the next four years, my life was this. Football and Soccer in the Fall (with the occasional mathlete competition), One Acts in the Winter, Track and another play in the Spring. This continued throughout high school. After receiving multiple “Outstanding Actor” awards at One Act competitions, I actually decided to think long-term with this. It was something I loved to do, so I figured, “Do what you love and get paid for it”. That’s how life was explained to me and it made pretty good sense.
The summer before 12th grade, I decided to really step up and take an acting camp in Los Angeles. I was scared as hell coming to such a big place, but I knew that’s where the “big dogs” rolled. From then on, it was no question what I wanted to do with my life. For a while, being an architect seemed cool until I spoke to one and he told be to “never become one”, but in a lot more words said through gritted teeth. So every step from there on out was to become an actor. My ACT scores got a little lower, I dropped my advanced courses, and I spent more time analyzing movies. One in particular, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, which was the first movie that made me think “I want to do that!”. (Minus the going to prison part)
A few months before my graduation, I found a college in LA that peaked my interest and gave me a scholarship. After the fearful 3-day drive from Rapid City to Los Angeles, mom and I landed at the Oakwood Apartments in Burbank. I met my roommates for the first time and a semester later, we were all no longer students. We quickly realized that you don’t need a college degree to prove you can act. Who would’ve thought?
From there on out, it was a constant struggle to find jobs, make money and stay positive. 2015-Present have been a discovery of self and I’ve loved it. I’ve learned to produce, write, and coordinate stunts (and of course act) all while finding the love of my life (now fiancé) in the middle of it.
September this year will mark eight years in LA! And after all of this time, I’m happy to say that I have been able to act in multiple feature films, work on award-winning projects, act in national commercials, and meet lifelong friends. Find what you love and get paid to do it, right?
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I could talk for days about the hardships of this business and the tragic stories of missed opportunities, but the biggest obstacles are the ones we face on the inside. That’s not to say the outside ones aren’t difficult in their own way, but someone once told me “Bad experiences can either chip away at you or add to you. You decided what they will do.”
All standard LA experiences (car break-ins, random murder outside your house, crazy landlords) aside, I think the biggest obstacle that I faced was truly knowing and discovering myself. That took from the second I got here at 18 to now at 25. Knowing who you are is not only a great thing to know for an actor but a vital piece of information for anyone. It could take someone a year or ten years, but by doing so, your life will be much better after you do.
I would like to add this bit of wisdom I learned along the way…take the wins where you can. Whether it’s avoiding a parking ticket, getting a big tip at your side hustle, or a day at the beach; Those are the moments that will give you longevity in this career, not the jobs.
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?
Although a lot of my career moments have come behind the camera, I am first and foremost, a performer. I’ve always been one and I always will be one.
I am an actor, producer, writer, and stunt coordinator.
The typical answer of what I’m most proud of might be my first feature film, or the first short film I produced with my friends, maybe the first stunt performance I gave, but what I’m most proud of is the opportunities I said “No” to. As an actor, you play the starving artist lifestyle for years, hoping to get whatever you can get, even if it means changing your morals or changing your whole life to make one day work. But in the end, I’ve been most proud of myself for saying “No” the first time. Realizing you have the power to reject something and not let a potential job control you entirely is the one of the most powerful things you can do.
What sets me apart? I could lie and say it’s my unique approach to my craft or my intense fitness regime that would rival The Rock, but that’s just not true; and I’m happy it’s not. What sets me apart is my personality. Some may say I joke too much, but it’s my favorite gift God gave me. Taking someone from crying to laughing is what I do best and I’m proud to say that. If I see someone down in the dumps, my mind will physically force me to do something about it. If you’re having a bad day around me, just know a joke is incoming and we will be laughing together soon.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Everyone’s journey is different. Don’t let someone else’s path become yours. You have your own path waiting for you, so go out and find it. You can’t be yourself if you’re trying so hard to be someone else!
And don’t forget to eat your vegetables. I’m serious.
If you would like to connect, reach out to me on Instagram!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/evanjamesh?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/dm_Uo82je_I
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9052753/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Image Credits
Kasee Shambora @fullspectrumheadshots, The Jekalo Collective @thejekalocollective
