Meet Chris Atkins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Atkins.

Chris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born in Melbourne Australia, I always had a dream since the age of 15 to move to America to become like my hero’s I used to watch on t.v. Ten years later, little did I know the dream become a reality. I was very much into lifting weights and I loved watching the WWE wrestling as a kid and when someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say a WWE superstar.

I had gained quite a bit of muscle striving to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was 25 and I was visiting Los Angeles for a few months. There I was working out at Golds gym in North Hollywood and I was approached by a man who asked what I did. I replied I’m here on holiday from Australia and I was doing some wrestling training at the time. He said, “I’m a scout for the WWE so if you’d like I can take a photo of you and send it to them and see what they say” I secretly freaked out inside with excitement while playing it cool. They sent back an email with an invite to a tryout. I thought that was it. My dream can finally become a reality.

Three months later, I flew to Orlando, Florida for the tryout. There was 50 people at the tryout and six got accepted. I was one of them. I broke down when I received the email saying congratulations you have been accepted. So I packed up my life in Australia and moved to Florida. Long story short, I had the best experiences I could have asked for but after two years, we parted ways so I headed to Hollywood Los Angeles to pursue my other passion which was acting. Shortly after moving to Hollywood, I got an agent and started going out for auditions. I got small parts here and there but it was true what people say. You hear many “No’s” before you get a “Yes”. I never that that discourage me. Two years later, I have found myself landing some roles in a few upcoming shows filming later on in the year I am very excited about. But the key is to never quit. Use all the “No’s” as motivation to get better. Learn and grow to become the best you that you can be. I feel like some big things will be happening in 2021 which I am looking forward to. Never Quit!

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Even though some things have come easier to me than others, I have had my fair share of struggles. When I first moved to America from Australia, I had about $50 and my suitcase. I couldn’t get paid by the WWE for a few weeks when I first got to Florida because I had to wait for my social security number to come through. I lost quite a few pounds in those weeks due to lack of food but once I could receive paychecks, I got back on my feet. Another struggle was when I parted ways with WWE was the struggle of just staying in America. My visa got canceled out and I received a letter in the mail that I had to leave the country as soon as possible. That was a terrible feeling because I could see all my dreams disappearing before my eyes because the last place I wanted to end up was in an immigration prison. With the help of some immigration lawyers and lots of stress later, we overcame the visa issue. Now I’m happy to have my green card and keep my dreams alive.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I like to think as my acting career as my business. It’s all about how you promote yourself. How many eyes can you get in front of. Who you meet and the contacts you make. First few years probably won’t make too much money but once you take off it snowballs. I feel like I specialize in anything physical. For instance, when there is a fight scene or a fall I can handle what’s thrown at me because of my background in WWE which helps me stand out front the rest. I’m very proud of my time with the WWE because not only did it teach me physical attributes it taught me life skills. For example, always being on time and being professional. Be a role model for others and set good examples. You learn quickly when you are in the public eye that lots of rumors can be spread and there are always people trying to tear you down because they want your spot so you have to block out all that distracting noise and stay focused on the prize.

What role has luck (good luck or bad luck) played in your life and business?
I believe the harder you work the luckier you get. I also believe some people seem luckier than others because of their beliefs and how they view the world. For instance, if someone is constantly complaining and focusing on negativity and things they don’t want in life then luck won’t be presented to them and when it is they won’t even see it opposed to someone with a positive outlook on life who can find something good out of something bad and someone who is constantly striving to grow and learn, then I feel these people can be more lucky in the sense of seeing opportunity when it’s presented. If all that makes sense.

In my life, I always try to stay positive. When I had no money after I had just moved halfway around the world to Florida, sure it was tough and I was scraping by, but I was also so excited to be in America, and I stayed focus on the prize because even though I was broke at that point in time, I knew it was only temporary due to the fact I was gonna work harder than I ever had in my life. The biggest luck I had was when I was simply approached by the WWE scout at the gym. Not to mention I didn’t even train at that gym I went there just that one time at that one hour of the day he was there. Talk about right time right place. My life changed due to that one hour in time.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: chris_atkins89
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actorchrisatkins/

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.