Meet Lex Ryan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lex Ryan.

Lex, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Up until 2009, I was pretty clueless about what I wanted to do. I had secret dreams of doing anything creative but mostly kept those ideas to myself because they seemed impossible. I watched The Golden Girls, imagining myself as Blanche Devereaux, and The Sound of Music–sometimes I was Maria and other times I was Captain Von Trapp (there were no non-binary or trans characters that I knew of at the time).

But I told no one because practicality cast a large shadow over my fantasies. Although even in college, I studied English and Spanish Literature and mostly spent my time writing poetry, so perhaps there were limits to even what I thought of as practical. Somehow working in film seemed even less possible than being a poet. I’m smiling as I write this.

In 2009, I studied in Madrid. I fell madly in love with the city, and followed my actor roommate around everywhere he went. I saw films I didn’t know existed, particularly those of Michael Haneke, and I thought: wow, you can do anything in cinema. I never knew there was space for my strange and morbid thoughts in this form. I soaked up as much cinematic knowledge as I possibly could; I taught myself photography on old film cameras; I wrote and directed a short film as soon as I got back to New York, and I knew that’s what I would have to do forever.

After college, I applied to only one film school: USC. And I got in! I spent a lot of time not eating or sleeping, and tearing a few relationships apart (thanks, undiagnosed mental health issues) but I was making films and that was what mattered most to me.

After graduating from USC, I went through a period where it felt I had completely stopped being creative. I was drinking way too often, and I became very depressed and even suicidal. But with a whole lot of support from my loving partner and our friends, I got back on track with the right doctors and therapy and medication. And part of my healing was getting back to my creative self. I took Gina Young’s Feminist Acting Class, and I started to feel alive again. I was doing something creative each week, and I realized I’d forgotten about this desire to perform.

One night in the summer of 2018, I went to dinner with an actor friend and his manager. Two days later, she asked if she could rep me, and I’ve been with Authentic ever since. I landed a lead role in a feature film this year and just finished shooting that. I am training at Anthony Meindl’s studio in Hollywood, where I received a scholarship for trans and non-binary actors, and I am over-the-moon happy. It seems the journey has always been back to myself, and I think that’s probably true for most people.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This is an interesting question for me. I suppose in many ways I could say it hasn’t been a smooth road, but I do feel that the Universe has always got my back. Each time I have come up against pain and grief, I have come out so much stronger and more alive than before.

In one sense, my acting career has been handed to me. But I also feel that in some ways, I have been working toward this all along. It just took one person to really champion me and believe in me in order to move things forward.

In photography, I took the route of teaching myself how to shoot by using old film cameras. I’d take the same photo over and over, noting the differences and comparing images. I broke so many cameras. I destroyed irreplaceable rolls of film. But after learning how to shoot properly on film, digital was wildly easy. Plus learning cinematography at USC rounded out my education, and now I feel I can shoot anything.

My mental health has been one of my biggest struggles. But it was also at my most low that I learned to really take care of myself and prioritize my creative endeavors. And I feel that the deep knowledge I have now of my own mind makes me a better actor and writer.

Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
I have a couple of different businesses. One is myself. As an actor, I am still very much figuring myself out. I think I am versatile and contain a multitude of people inside of me – some are very goofy and some are very intense.

I am also a photographer and retoucher. I specialize in photos of humans – portraits, headshots, lifestyle. I love helping people look and feel their best, and essentially, what I mean by that is helping them look most like themselves.

As a photographer, I am most proud of my ability to make folks comfortable in front of the camera, and that I prioritize marginalized groups in my work. Like anyone else, I want to live a comfortable life financially, but equally as important to me is making my services accessible. I discount my services for people of color and members of the LGBTQIA community, and I’m very proud of that.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success by waking up proud and excited to do the work I do. That’s essentially it. It’s a plus if there are material rewards, but I mostly define my success by how I feel when I first open my eyes in the morning, and lately, that feels pretty damn good.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lexryan.co
• Instagram: @lex.ryan

Image Credit:
Noah Jashinski, Angelica Rodriguez, Ande Cunningham

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.