Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Wayne Lawrence.
Dylan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had an imaginative mind. Even as a small child, I’d put on skits, plays and would shoot my own short films with my friends on a handheld camera. My entire life has revolved around my love for storytelling and I don’t really have some inspiring moment when that creative pursuit all got started – it’s just something I’ve always done and have had this innate desire to do. Now I grew up in a small town in Kenai, Alaska. There wasn’t much going on there, film-wise or otherwise, so most my youth was spent doing community theater and creating my own work.
My parents also separated at a young age, so I’d spend my summers with my dad in Oregon and that’s where several doors to work in studio films and network television opened up for me. At the time, the film industry in Portland was a large pond with only a few fish. I was very fortunate to get some BIG opportunities right off the back, auditioning for guest star roles on NBC’s “Grimm”, a few Lifetime movies, lots of indie films and several national commercials. However, I never booked any of the “big stuff” and looking back now, I’m so thankful for it.
I wasn’t ready at the time and my idea of acting was so wrong I can only laugh about it now. I had an acting coach, who I will not name, that burned the idea in my brain that the best actors are the ones who completely transform and become someone else, which if you work in this business, you know that’s a load of crap. The most authentic and captivating artists are the ones who put THEMSELVES into every role and bring emotional depth through their own life experiences and vulnerabilities.
So take my misunderstanding of an actor’s job, lack of professional training and then add the fact that most teenagers have ZERO clue who they are, and it’s no wonder my booking ratio was low. I was also struggling to accept my sexuality as a gay male so there was A LOT of growth and personal work I needed to do. Backtracking a little… I also found out the hard way that there’s so much out of my control in this industry and most times, whether you book the role, has nothing to do with your talent. I was informed by a valid source for Grimm that the network thought I looked too much like the star of the show, David Giuntoli and because of that, it was one of the reasons I never made it past the first few rounds of callbacks.
The T.V. show “Portlandia” was also shooting in town at the time, but I was never given the opportunity to audition. I was told I wasn’t “quirky” or “charactery” enough. Your look plays an essential part into casting, which makes complete sense, but it took me years to accept who I truly am and to feel confident enough to bring my own personal style into an audition room. That all aside, I spent a total of five years in Portland building up my credentials before moving to Los Angeles, California. I’ve been here for almost six years now and really only started getting traction this last year in 2019. L.A. isn’t the most affordable place to live. Your first few years are about simply surviving, learning the lay of the land and understanding how the business works here. If I’ve learned anything from my time in good ole SoCal, it’s patience and trust that it’ll all work out in the end.
I also learned the harsh reality of the business, it’s all about who you know (relationships) and what you look like.
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?
Easy is never a word I’d associate with this business. The biggest struggle for me has actually been accepting my sexuality as gay. I grew up in a small town where it felt like if you didn’t hunt or fish, you weren’t a man. Most of my life I’d been acting, but acting out of survival to appear straight. In school, I was picked on, bullied and even beat up for being different. I was called every name in the book and even told I was going to burn in hell because of what people “thought” I was. Even though I’m not a religious person, that notion terrified me and made it even harder to accept that part of myself.
Heck, I didn’t want to be damned for an eternity because I liked boys, not girls. You can’t choose who you love. If we all could, don’t you think 99.9% of all people in the world would’ve experienced a little less heartbreak by now? It wasn’t until I was twenty-one years old when I was finally ready to come out and start being the “me” I’ve always been. But most of my adulthood has been figuring out what parts of myself are genuine and what parts I created to survive the ignorance of my peers.
And now, I have a pretty good understanding of what makes me… well, me. We, as human beings, are forever changing and growing. It’s a beautiful thing, but I at least now know I’m not pretending to be something I’m not, which is crucial to being successful as an actor. Casting Directors don’t want to see you play only a small version of yourself or what you think they want the character to be, they want to see the REAL you… all the parts that make you unique, vulnerable, relatable and true to yourself.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m an actor. I specialize in dramas and any role where I’m crying – I’m always crying on camera and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty. Believe it or not, my “type” in this business is playing a criminal, druggie or any kind of bad guy you can imagine. It’s just how the industry views me based on my look so for now, I’m rollin’ with it. I even grew out my hair to better match the characters I play. It’s simple changes like that, that can really open more doors and opportunities for you.
I think the reason why I book these roles more than any other is because I understand human psychology. I’m not just being an “a-hole” to just be an a-hole, although those people do exist. But I always approach these characters from a place of pain and my actions are a way to hide my true feelings/vulnerabilities. Playing villains aside, my main goal as an artist is to break the LGBTQ stereotypes currently portrayed in film/television. I’m not what you’d consider to be the feminine type and it just crushes me when casting offices pigeon-hole gay roles and only want you to perform it flamboyantly – that’s just not me.
I’m drawn to gay roles where your sexuality isn’t the only thing that makes you interesting. It’s only a small piece of what makes anyone who they are, and I was very fortunate to be a part of a film last year that is doing just that called, “After” directed by Christian Walsh. The film is hitting the festival market as we speak and is about a gay married couple who deals with the tragic loss of their adopted daughter. It’s such a heartfelt, relatable and beautiful work of cinematic art. It was one of the most challenging roles I’ve ever done and is the kind of LGBTQ story we desperately need more of in the world today.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
This year is all about self-care in all aspects of my life. I just went through a long-term break-up and realized I’m the kind of person who never puts myself first. I’m a giver, which is a great quality to have, but it’s also made me aware that I need to create clear boundaries to protect myself from being taken advantage of. This also applies to people in the industry and not taking things so seriously. It’s all about having fun for me and a “booking” doesn’t mean I had a successful audition or not.
I base it off how I felt I did, NOT the outside validation I get from others. Because here’s the truth, art is all subjective and one person could think you did amazing and another thinks you’re the worst performer they’ve ever seen. Just take it all with a grain of salt. But my overall goal for this year is to book more television. I actually just had a series regular audition for a T.V. mini horror series playing the main antagonist. This role would be a dream come true so any good vibes sent my way would be much appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.imdb.me/
dylanwaynelawrence - Instagram: @dylanwaynelaw
- Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/dylanwaynelawrence
Image Credit:
Credits can viewed on IMDB: www.imdb.me/dylanwaynelawrence
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