Story & Lesson Highlights with Cedric Gegel of Hollywood

Cedric Gegel shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Cedric, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
The second half of 2025 was one that was tremendously difficult for me – the previous decade as a whole was filled with challenges, and by fall I found myself in the middle of an extraordinary amount of change and loss with little agency in most of it. I was on the road and a bit unmoored, and it was quite a brutal and painful time. I feel very fortunate, in the middle of so much difficulty, to have had the opportunity to go to London for a bit (attending the world premiere of The Haunted Forest at FrightFest was a good excuse) and spend time with some close friends, Robert Dukes and Aislinn De’Ath, there, and then got to go to my sister’s for a bit before heading to my cousin Jess’s place in Michigan in between film projects and spending a few days hiking and processing everything that was happening. Then I went back to my hometown and spent time with Mom and Dad before making the big move to Los Angeles, which was pretty intimidating.

I can’t believe how fast a community formed around me in Los Angeles. I found myself constantly meeting delightful people, and all my wonderful friends and family that had been surrounding me before I moved stayed in constant touch with me. I can honestly say that without Kaitlyn, Ryan, Heather, Lon, Natalie, Rob, Ais, Rex, Violet, and all my family that were so generous and caring during that time, I don’t know where I’d be now – but I don’t have to wonder. None of them hesitated, and every one of them reminded me of the love I’m so lucky to have around me in this life. They reminded me how much I love my craft and the opportunity to tell stories, and far more importantly, they reminded me that the real joy comes from the people we tell stories with. They’re all a part of my story, and I could not be more grateful to them. And I’m thankful for organizations like the Hollywood Creative Alliance, of which I am a member and which provided me with remarkable opportunities to hit the ground running once I moved here to Los Angeles.

I think, before, I would’ve struggled to say that I deserved all of that. Maybe I struggle to say it still. But they’ve shown me that I do deserve it, and I return their love tenfold. I’m nothing without them, but all that I am – or all that is good about me – is because of the goodness around me. That was the lesson I took from 2025. Trust in love and in the people that show it to you.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Cedric Gegel, and I am an actor, writer, and director based in Los Angeles. I’m originally from Ohio, where my film and theatre career started and where I directed my first feature film, Cadia: The World Within, which starred Corbin Bernsen (Psych, Major League) and James Phelps (Harry Potter) when I was just 23 years old. I’m very fortunate to have had a wonderful career in indie film and regional theatre and to have worked with extraordinary emerging artists all over the country, and I’ve also got a pretty successful YouTube channel (under my own name) where I analyze music videos and live performances and teach my viewers about artistic interpretation, cinematography, sound design, acting, and singing technique. I’m gearing up to direct my next feature and have several projects in the pipeline as an actor and writer. It’s been a fun ride!

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Oh, man. What a question. Wow. I think I was searching for myself for a long time, and circumstances forced me to encounter these moments where I had to choose who I was going to be.

I was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE for short – learn more and support research and awareness at fightehe.org), at the age of 20, and have been living with a disability ever since; I’ve also suffered a concussion that gave me temporary amnesia, along with a blood disorder. And then there’s the loss of some people very close to me, often in ways that were tragic – most notably, my brother Austin, whom I miss every day.

And maybe it’s that the world told me that I needed to harden to those things, and I wanted to; I needed to protect myself and not allow myself to be vulnerable, because the pain was pretty constant. And 2025 didn’t ease that temptation. But I just can’t allow myself to do it – it’s like in Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979), where they utter the prayer: “May they believe in themselves and become as helpless as children. For softness is great and strength is worthless. When a man is born, he is soft and pliable. When he dies, he is strong and hard. When a tree grows, it is soft and pliable. But when it’s dry and hard, it dies. Hardness and strength are death’s companions. Flexibility and softness are the embodiment of life. That which has become hard shall not triumph.”

I don’t know if the world is telling me that I must become hard, or if it’s begging me to remain soft, but I refuse to harden my heart. I’d rather trust and hope and care. I’ve been finding poetry super helpful these past few years, as anyone who follows me on Instagram would know, and I always find myself coming back to two Mary Oliver poems, simple in construction but beautifully complex in practice. The first is this: “The Uses of Sorrow: [In my sleep I dreamed this poem.] / Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. / It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” And the second, an excerpt from “Sometimes:” Instructions for living a life:
/ Pay attention. / Be astonished. / Tell about it.” I’ve kept my wonder and my astonishment at how incredible this world can be.

Cancer may have taken a lot from me, but it didn’t take my soul. I may have lost people I care deeply about, people I will miss forever, but they live on in my love. I guess what the world is telling me would be defined by what the “world” is, because I know society would seem to lean toward protection and safety, but when I go out into nature or when I find myself with the people I love, I discover that real bravery isn’t found behind a shield. It’s found when you’re facing fear head-on. And maybe that’s really who the world is calling me to be. You can only feel the sun if you face the day.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Whew. So much. It taught me so much.

I’ll start with my cancer battle, and the disability that I now live with as a result. I definitely learned about the fragility of life – I was diagnosed when I was twenty, and I think a lot of young men feel pretty invincible at that age. I learned very quickly that I was not. Going from being super active to not being permitted to ride a bike or play football anymore was a pretty harsh change – shoot, no more push-ups and having to be careful when I walk through crowds or door frames even moreso. But I learned the power of resilience and choosing joy.

Losing my brother isn’t something I want to sugarcoat. There’s no part of me that’s grateful for it, or for what I learned as a result. It’s a singularly painful and brutal loss that I will always feel – but I will say that I’ve become ever more grateful for my family and the extraordinary friends I have. And I learned that love really is the most powerful thing in the universe, even more powerful than death.

Last year, too, was one that had unexpected and painful suffering, but I think I really learned that that the sun comes up every morning regardless. Whatever happens to me, it is up to me to choose to love as best as I can. There’s a certain gratitude that comes from loss, or from pain. I think I also learned that, in spite of the things I’ve gone through in this life, I am quite proud of who I have become and who I’ve chosen to be. There’s a great verse from the book of Romans: “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” I’ve known suffering, but because of that, I’ve known hope. I choose hope.

There’s no film or role that could teach me what life has. I do think the suffering that I’ve experienced has deeply enhanced my gratitude, and I like to think that it’s made me more prone to finding authentic connections with other people. That’s what I’ve always loved about set or rehearsals or the theatre or awards shows. It’s just people connecting with people. We’ve all gone through things. When you meet someone who sees past the glitz and glamor of it all and who identifies with the real life that happens in the background, and who wants to experience that with you? That’s the point of it all.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That Paddington 2 isn’t the most perfect film ever made.

Kidding (kinda). Honestly, there’s the obvious answers – beauty standards, etc, which are important to discuss because it’s shockingly easy to develop body dysmorphia in this industry. Actors are traditionally very beautiful, and I think the demand of physical perfection has definitely messed with my own self-image (especially with my disability and the ways in which that limits me). So I think there’s a persistent lie, one that goes back eons, about how we must be beautiful all the time and have no flaws. I’d love to look at a photo of me and not see all the “flaws.” I’m working on that.

But! I think there’s a somewhat pervasive lie that’s been making me laugh lately, and that’s that the film industry is cutthroat. It is, sure – it’s a tough business, it’s driven by money, all that stuff. But honestly, most of the people I’ve met, from PAs or grips on set to A-list stars, are really nice human beings, and I think we have convinced ourselves that everyone in this industry must be totally brutal and self-focused and arrogant or whatever, and that’s just not been my experience. Sure, there are a few bad apples, but I’ve found most people are just cool, kind, thoughtful artists or business-minded folks that want to lift each other up. Not everyone has to be able to give you a “leg up,” so to speak. Sometimes you just meet people and vibe with them, and that’s what really makes this industry hum. Good people doing good things together. That’s why I’ve made multiple films with Kaitlyn Lunardi and Natalie Veater. That’s why I jump at the chance to work with my friends on their passion projects when schedules align. People who care make things that matter, and that’s the point of it all. It’s not all about the money. Yeah, it’s show *business,* but it’s also art. We can’t commodify the human experience. We have to do this together. Thankfully, we’ve always got Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s friendship to remind us of that. I think we’ve lied as an industry when we’ve forgotten that.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes. So many times. Roles I’ve desperately wanted, both in films and on stage; actors I’ve wanted to work with that have attached themselves to my projects, important meetings, nominations, red carpets. But none of it ever filled that “satisfaction” box.

I think that’s something I learned in 2025 – I always thought that I needed acting, writing, and directing to be satisfied. But life came at me fast and I realized that I’ve had those things, I’ve had a career I’m quite proud of, and it wasn’t where I was finding satisfaction. I’ve learned what I really need in this life, and acting, writing, and directing aren’t what I need – they’re simply what I really want. That was a deeply empowering realization, and I’ve discovered that’s made me a much better artist. It’s given me a much greater sense of peace, which is at least adjacent to satisfaction.

That said, if you’re reading this and have a good part for me… the “want” thing is real, and has actually made me work harder. I’m always interested in a good character in a good script told by good people. Hit me up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cedricgegel.wixsite.com/cedric-gegel
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cedricgegel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedric-gegel-78ba30112/
• Twitter: https://x.com/cedricgegel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedricgegel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ_FElDd0cMkgBdHh2dWWlw
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7391561/

Image Credits
Jc Olivera / Astra Awards; Ryan Shreve – Fyrebird Media / Short North Stage; Alexander South; Sane Lake Pictures; Old Coal Productions / Angeline Films