With an impressive spate of indie films under his belt, including leading roles in Sundance favorite “Monsters and Men” and this year’s “Luce,” Kelvin Harrison Jr. once again teams up with “It Comes at Night” filmmaker Trey Edward Shults for the family drama “Waves.” As 17-year-old Tyler, Harrison struggles to form his own identity while dealing with parental pressure from his overbearing father (Sterling K. Brown).
READ: Kelvin Harrison Jr. Reveals Viola Davis’ 1 Tip for Young Actors
What advice would you give your younger self?
Have more fun. I started as a marketing major in college and I accidentally fell into acting. Once I started learning about the craft, I took it so seriously I was suffocating myself. I thought I needed to know everything about the craft—every book I have to read, every class I can take. I took the fun out of it. The whole idea of entertaining and telling stories is a lot of fun. It’s very personal and very emotional and human-driven, and once I start to intellectualize it, it kills the light, it kills the levity, it kills the thing that makes people want to watch it.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done to get a role?
I’ve told people I know how to play a sport—and I definitely don’t. I’ve played a lot of athletes and I’m always like, “Oh, yeah, I’ve done that.” That’s the thing every casting director says: “Please don’t lie on your résumé.” And I’m like, “Well, if you give me the training, I can do it.”
What is your worst audition horror story?
I went to test for “The Good Doctor,” and I was so excited about it. I thought this was going to be the role; I worked so hard on the material, and the casting director was really rooting for me. I don’t know how I got there so late. I was unfamiliar with Los Angeles, and it was raining, and I got lost because the map got wet as I got there. It’s pouring rain, I’m crying, and I’m running through the lot, looking for the place. My phone died. I couldn’t contact my agent or manager. I finally found the place because I saw some other actor leaving and I asked him where to go. I go in, I’m drenched, and she wonders why I’m so late. I could barely read—I could barely open my mouth. It was the worst read of my life. I thought, I ruined my career, it’s over, I’m going to New Orleans to work at Starbucks.
How did you first get your SAG-AFTRA card?
In New Orleans, you can get your SAG card locally, but you won’t have it everywhere. I did “12 Years a Slave,” and that was enough to get me my local SAG card. I didn’t want to pay the full fee because I didn’t have the money. I got my full card on “The Birth of a Nation,” and that’s when I could go to L.A. and be a proper actor in the union.
What performance should every actor see and why?
[There are] three movies I watch before I do any movie, because that is my acting language. I watch Amy Adams in “American Hustle,” I watch Viola [Davis] in “Doubt,” and I watch a lot of Angelina Jolie in “Girl, Interrupted.” I don’t think I watch male actors as much as I should!
This story originally appeared in the Nov. 28 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
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