Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Hackin.
Hi Danny, 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?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and have been performing since I was six or most of my life. I’m an actor, improviser, writer, spoken word poet and producer. I was born with achondroplasia dwarfism making me shorter than average. I use acting, poetry and improvisation as a means to transcend physicality and relate to all in a reminder that I’m human just like you, just shorter than average. I went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where I was in two plays but LA is my home. I’ve studied and performed at Theatricum Botanicum, The Actors Gang, City Garage, The Complex and Oh My Ribs, and have performed in Fringe, just to name a few. I work and perform at the Lyric Hyperion and the Westside Comedy Theater, where I will be performing a one-man show on September 10th (my birthday). The Westside Comedy Theater is home and a safe place to showcase who I am. My poetry is a means of therapy to deal with what I go through in life. It is a way to educate people on being different while showcasing experiences that might be foreign to them. I want to understand what others go through. I am grateful I can use art as a bridge for people to better understand what it means to be Danny Hackin.
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?
The road has been smooth and bumpy. Being typecast is a struggle I deal with. I strive to represent my best self through my art. I’m not here to play Leprechauns, munchkins, elves or be the butt of the joke. I’m here to be the love interest, the hero, the villain or just a regular person because that’s how I see myself. Luckily throughout my artistic journey, I’ve been cast as regular people, but my plan is to be these characters on grander stages.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor, poet, and improviser who’s also one of the few natives of Los Angeles. I’ve mostly done theater, but thanks to recent opportunities, I’ve been doing more on-camera work. As I said previously, I’ve been performing for the majority of my life. Last November, I did my one-man show at the Crow Comedy Theater in Santa Monica. Being able to perform my own words and let an audience know my vulnerabilities and triumphs was a huge accomplishment. A weight was lifted off my shoulder as people were able to see me fully. I’m a funny person but am also able to be vulnerable. I pride myself on being a multi-talented artist. I strive in front of large groups of people no matter what creative setting whether it be the stage or camera, as a solo act or collaborating with others. I’ve been studying the craft of improvisation since I was ten years old. Improv is a useful muscle that helps me be spontaneous with my acting and poetry.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned throughout my journey is to stay true to myself and not be bogged down by what people think of me or want me to be. As a person with a physical difference, it’s easy for me to surrender to comments others make, but I can’t focus on that. I have to ask myself, am I proud of what I’m doing? Is this bringing me joy and happiness, and if the answer is yes, then that’s all that matters. If the answer is no then I must move on from those who can’t see my true self. I’ve wanted to make others happy for so long while in the process, suspending my happiness, but I’m done trying to please others. I’m done trying to alter my art to fit a societal narrative or blend in with the mainstream. I’m different and unique, and I want to showcase that to the world and not be ashamed about it. To put it simply the most important lesson I’ve learned is to love myself and if I put love in my art, others will see that. If I care so much about what others think of me, I’ll make art that is just trying to impress others while not being my most authentic self. However, if I’m proud of the art I produced, it doesn’t matter if I get a thousand people that like me or just one as long as it best represents me.
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