Meet Derek DeVault of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek DeVault.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My love for acting began when I watched my sister in her high school production of Rumors. After seeing her shine on the stage, I immediately wanted to do the same. That summer, my community theatre was putting on James and the Giant Peach. I auditioned, and to my surprise was cast as the lead role of James. The years following, my love for acting grew as I continued participating in community theatre as well as being a member of my high school theatre department. After graduating college with my nursing degree, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting on a larger scale.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest part about moving across the county has definitely been living 2,500 miles away from my family. I remember my first Christmas away from loved ones being especially hard. However, I quickly learned that this city is full of transplants who experience the same hardship. I was fortunate enough to find friends and build my own little family out here. Also getting comfortable with rejection in the industry was a bit of a struggle. Once I realized that’s just part of the business, I learned to focus on the work and not the outcome.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Aside from being an actor, I have also been a Registered Nurse for 13 years. Caring for other humans has always been important to me and being able to do that in my daily profession has been such a blessing. Witnessing life and death on a frequent basis serves as an eye-opening reminder that tomorrow is promised to nobody and therefore living each day as fully and whole heartedly as possible is so important. Like Henry David Thoreau once said, “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts”.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
This journey will be much more enjoyable if you focus on your love for the art and not the booking, money or fame. Not saying those are bad things, but they are fleeting and sometimes rare. Find your tribe, create content, get into class, write, stay creative. Most importantly, stay true to yourself. I struggled for years constantly trying to figure out how to shape myself into who I thought others wanted me to be. A trap that is very easy to fall into in our comparative culture. Once I realized I only needed to be who I already was, that’s when the magic began. In my acting as well as my daily life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/DerekDeVault
• Instagram: @DerekDeVault