Today we’d like to introduce you to Mick Ignis.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
While I was born and lived in the Northridge area of the valley, I feel like I was raised in the Hollywood, which had a major effect on who I am as a person and doomed me to a life as an entertainer.
My father is a recording studio engineer in the music industry and, while that wasn’t the specific area of entertainment I went in to, it inspired me to pursue many other creatives venues. I tried a LOT of different things that interested me. I worked as a stop-motion animator, an FX artist, a writer for animation…but found that the thing I loved most about all of these were the different ways to tell a story. When I went back to school for acting, I quickly realized that THAT was the realm I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to.
For the last seven years, I have made a specialty out of giving life to eccentric, surreal human and not-so-human characters, regularly taking on transformative roles in the Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy genre while utilizing heavy makeup and prosthetics. My tall, slender, androgynous body-type and versatile physicality has allowed me to cross a number of spectrums in the roles I’ve taken on, being unrecognizable from one project to the next.
Some of the projects you can see me in include the film ‘Severus Snape and the Marauders’, as the title characters in ‘The Sandman’ and ‘Cucuy: The Boogeyman’, as multiple featured demons in the IFC series ‘Stan Against Evil’, Edgar in ‘The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell’, and I’m currently puppeteering a big blue alien in the recently announced Disney+ series ‘Earth to Ned’.
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?
This is never a smooth road and, in many ways, I’ve been a very unconventional character actor that still has to fight today to be given a shot. I’m not really any sort of [insert famous actor here]-type. I’ve been called “too niche” to succeed, hard to market, I don’t “fit into the right category”, etc. Many older gatekeepers in the industry don’t know what to do with me and, despite enjoying the performances I give, are confused how I’ve made a dime acting let alone a somewhat comfortable living from doing so.
I’ve always been very unapologetically myself. As someone who is openly transgender and a card carrying non-binary X person, I’m something very new for a lot of people to wrap their heads around. But I know my own worth and I know the audience that I appeal to. I’ve consistently moved my career higher every year alone, without representation or management, by seeking out the directors and producers I want to work with myself. The industry isn’t really built around that method, but it’s not really built around someone like me either, so I’ll continue to cut myself a path and find the people I’m meant to and want to work with.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a character actor who specializes in playing a wide range of Perplexing People, Mystifying Monsters, Comical Creatures, and all that lies between. I’m known for building up characters from scratch and making each and every performance unique. I’ve played characters of different genders, species, body-types, etc. making every show an entirely new game for myself.
My background really helped give a unique spin to my character acting. My experience as an animator gave me a keen sense of physicality and movement. Having worked as an FX artist, I’m able to better collaborate with my extremely talented makeup crews. Being a comedy writer with experience in sketch and improv, I’ve played just as many characters that have made people laugh as scream. I always try to add to my tool kit and put myself out there in ways that not only gain me a wider audience but also feel genuine to who I am and my personal brand. Honestly, if it seems like it’s going to be fun, it’s usually the right direction to head in.
Being a lifelong comicbook fan, I also love putting together cosplays for conventions! A large part of my fanbase found me through playing characters on the con floors and turning my cosplay into a live performance of sorts. I’m always looking to innovate myself and try something new and exciting.
What were you like growing up?
I didn’t have an easy time growing up. Connecting with kids my own age was difficult for me. Puberty sucked in SO many ways and most of my friends were more than twice my age. My salvation came in the form of a bus schedule, which allowed me to get away from school and into the LA creative scene. I spent a lot of my time at dark art showings, SciFi and horror cons, comedy clubs, comicbook events, and punk rock concerts. I would offer to work for free just to involve myself further in the world I wanted to escape in to.
My first job ever was working after school at Golden Apple Comics (the old Northridge location) in exchange for free books. I worked quite a bit at my Dads recording studio, being surrounded by famous rock and roll bands who I grabbed coffee and food orders for. I befriended one Hollywood-based band called Stolen Babies, a theatrical avant garde metal act, and spent years as a teen touring all over the country with them. This also leads to my first stage acting work I did, which was during their shows.
I was always highly ambitious with a strong sense of humor and an anti-authority point of view. I always wanted to help people and make myself useful, but it took me years to really find myself and come out of my shell. In a way, I’m thankful for the struggle as it forced me out of my comfort zone to discover where I truly belonged.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
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Instagram: MickIgnis
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Twitter: IgnisTwote
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