Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Aguila.
Chris, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I thought I was a heartthrob in high school. I really did. I thought I was cool and talented and untouchable and hot. So my freshman year I decided, even though I had never acted before, that I would be the star of the drama department (yeah, I was one of those). Not only did I think I would effortlessly be the Marlon Brando of Poly High, but that I would have to leave school early because Hollywood would snag me up and turn me into a hot little star.
Our first assignment in drama class was to do a monologue (had to google what that was), either comedy or drama. Comedy or drama? Obviously drama. Duh. Brando.
I found a monologue that I think was from one of those CSI shows where I, a 14 year late blooming boy, would play a no-nonsense, hardened, New York City detective interrogating the suspect of a murder. It was Drama with a capital D. I set up a desk, put all my papers on it (because detectives always have a lot of papers on their desk) and off I went.
The lights went up, I yelled my entire piece, and right at the climax, I threw all the papers off my desk. And the audience… laughed. They erupted in laughter and cheers. I’m sorry, but what the fuck? I just yelled for two minutes straight about the mysterious death of an avid jogger and they laughed?
Afterward, my teacher, Mrs. Hubbard, pulled me aside and told me that I was naturally funny, which was a true slap in the face. Then she asked me something that would turn out to be the most important question of my career, “have you ever considered doing Improv?”
Fast-forward to joining my High School Improv team, THE POLYESTERS, falling absolutely in love with improvisation, and having my friends buy me a gift certificate for my 18th birthday to take a class at The Groundlings.
It took many years, like over a decade, to get to The Sunday Company, but boy has it been rewarding.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I started taking classes at The Groundlings as soon as I legally could, which was 18. I auditioned to get into the performance track and started Basic Improv. It taught me the fundamentals like the importance of listening and yes and-ing. I passed and moved on to the Intermediate improv level. Now this one kicked my ass. It focuses on characters. Me being 18, I only knew about things that only recently graduated high school students knew about. So all of my characters would be like, “man, A.P. U.S. history is for nerds!”
I obviously didn’t pass. In fact, my intermediate teacher dropped some very hard to hear advice, “stop taking classes here, take ten years and get some life experience, go to college, come back when you’re actually ready.”
I have to say, I had a real “fuck that” mentality about it. I mean, ten years? Come on. But I did stop taking classes, I went to college, and I got some hard-earned life experience like, “man, getting broken up with in Times Square is not like a movie. It sucks.”
On December 26th, 2013 my sister killed herself. It was the most difficult thing me or my family has ever gone through, and I hope, will ever go through. It changed me on like a fundamental level. My brain, even my skin felt different. I was living in New York at the time (remember that whole Times Square bit?) I was in a room at the Upright Citizens Brigade (an improv theatre and school) and just decided I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t pursue a career in comedy, not when something so horrible and tragic has happened. It just didn’t seem fair. It really felt selfish to laugh or do anything that brought me joy anymore.
A few years went by, I was terribly depressed (understandably), and felt like I was just letting any potential for my life slip away. After a lot of therapy, like a lot, I realized that I was depriving myself of something. I had this nagging feeling to go back to the things that made me the happiest. So I moved back to Los Angeles and auditioned to take classes at The Groundlings again. I went through the program, accessing parts of my mind that only someone who had actual life experience could access, and I shit you not, just about ten years later, I had the same teacher.
I owe a lot to her. She knows who she is. And if you read this I’d just like to say, thank you for seeing things in me that I couldn’t, and for helping me bring the joy back to my life.
P.S. Suicide is a complicated, emotional, terrible, huge, big, bad, scary beast. I’m not saying that taking an improv class made all the pain go away, but giving myself permission to be happy again did help.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
The Sunday Company members write and perform a new sketch comedy show every Sunday night. Each member has completed the Core Track (improv training) and the Lab Track (sketch training) of The Groundlings School and because of their amazing potential, was invited to join the Sunday Company.
What were you like growing up?
I was actually a really shy kid. I kinda kept to myself. I loved watching SNL and horror movies. Those were my two jams. Especially the Will Ferrell years and the SCREAM movies. Hit me up if you ever want to discuss. RIP Wes Craven.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://purchase.groundlings.com/single/PSDetail.aspx?psn=7786
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisawastaken/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisAWasTaken
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmu9RTqWh7Z1BaR_El1RdeA/videos
Image Credit:
Leland Montgomery
Emily Lambert
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