Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chandler Ryan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Chandler, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Any success I’ve had as an actor has been the result of walking through fire and doing the things that seem impossible. I’ve learned to trust my gut, even when my truth doesn’t look like everyone else’s. I lived in Los Angeles for 5 years, and after awhile, you start to feel crazy. You hear “no” day in and day out, sometimes going years without success. I started to lose sight of who I was as an actor, trying to conform to what other people were doing or what I thought the casting team wanted to see from me. This was the time I had the least success. During my last year in California, I got an audition for Disney’s “Bunk’d.” The week prior, my car had been impounded, I was at risk of being evicted from my apartment, and I hadn’t booked anything in over a year. I had reached the end of my rope, and didn’t know how to call myself an actor anymore. When the audition came in from my agent, I was stunned. I grew up idolizing anything to do with witches. Movies like Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic were an escape from the difficulties of adolescence, and they were my closest companions at times. In one of my darkest hours, the opportunity to fulfill my childhood fantasy was just beyond my reach. I didn’t have the time or the energy to stress as much as I would have prior. My biggest challenge was finding the money to get to the studio for my time slot. I borrowed money from a parent I babysat for at the time, and showed up as prepared as I could be. When I entered the waiting room, there were fabulous actresses from all backgrounds, no one looked the same. As each girl went in, you could hear everything, from their take on the scene, to the laughs they got from the casting team. I started to panic because my take on the character was SO much different from everyone else’s. As opposed to the classic “Wicked Witch of the West” version that we’re all used to, mine was someone plucked out of Coachella. I combined who I was with the script I was given, as that’s what I knew would fit who I was as an actor. I didn’t have the time or mental bandwidth to change on the spot. All I could do was laugh, and walk through fire. I went in, was true to my gut, and felt something shift in the room. The second I trusted myself, magic happened, (no pun intended.) I booked the role within the week, and proved to myself that not all witches have to burn at the stake when fire is involved, sometimes you just have to have the courage to walk through it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Since I was little, I was gifted the blessing of being unable to be anyone other than myself. At times I saw this as a curse. I knew from a young age I wanted to become an actor. I was a quirky, shy little bird, wearing my Halloween costumes in school pictures and speaking in “I Love Lucy” or “Braveheart” quotes, which, believe it or not, didn’t resonate with the other second graders in suburban Dallas, TX. That’s when I found the stage. All of a sudden I was speaking boldly and proudly, becuase the words of another made more sense to me than the flurry of movie quotes I would spew on the playground. I found my voice through the words of others, and everything clicked. Im lucky in this respect, knowing what I wanted to do at a very young age. My parents put me in an On-Camera acting class in the area, acting onside the likes of Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. The problem was, I was unable to put myself into a box. I was unapologetically Chandler. I tried fitting myself into the mold of what people wanted. I didn’t understand why I was so different. I was surrounded by girls who said the right thing, looked like they could be on the bag of Abercrombie & Fitch, and were the next Hillary Duff. I tried to stand out like the other girls did and ended up with my hair caught in an oscillating fan in front of one of Disney’s major casting directors. I developed anxiety and quit classes. I didn’t touch film again until college, where I was asked to audition for a movie directed by William H. Macy, starring Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, and believe it or not, Selena Gomez. I was a quirky brunette surrounded by beautiful blondes. It was in that moment that I decided that I had nothing to lose, and to just be myself because obviously this role wasn’t going to me. It was my first film audition. and I was first in the room. I did my scene, and when the director asked me how old I was, Chandler took over. I said “19, how old are you?” To William H. Macy. To my surprise, it worked. I had spent my entire life trying to be what I thought people wanted, and the second I allowed myself to be the little girl on the playground quoting William Wallace’s speeches, I connected to something bigger. I realized what was put on this planet to do. I could be a voice to those who feel different, to those who don’t know where their passions fit. Flash forward 5 years in LA, I had booked roles on Netflix and got to play a witch on Disney’s “Bunk’d,” the ultimate dream for tiny Halloween obsessed Chandler. Shortly after this, I returned to Oklahoma to complete a few credits in my BFA in Acting at The University of Oklahoma when COVID hit. I thought I was stuck in Midwestern hell, until a teaching opportunity hit. I thought I was settling until I looked at the students in their first class. It was full of faces, all unique, who needed to understand how valid their place was in this industry. Everyone is a puzzle piece in this wild career, and if they tried to be like the person next to them, they would never fit the role they were put on this earth to fulfill. We were all gifted our own traumas, stories, and eccentricities, and the second you embrace that, you will find yourself on the path you success. I now have the blessing of teaching as well as acting in this growing market, as well as commuting to Los Angeles when opportunity strikes. I’m able to help others through the faults I’ve made along the way, as well as pursue my passion. How do you top that?

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I believe my purpose as an artist is to give a voice to the voiceless. I have the honor of bringing stories and characters to life from the page that people would otherwise overlook. We pass hundreds of people on the street everyday that are going through their own unique and important journey. They’ve had their hearts broken, they’ve reconnected with a love one, they’ve just overcome abuse or poverty. It’s so easy to judge someone on sight by the car they drive, the way they dress, or the job they’re working. We are so quick to judge someone, but my job as an artist to find beauty and stories in places that people don’t typically look. That person we see walking alongside the highway may have wanted to be a ballerina, until injury struck and and they were unable to find the support or drive to work again. Their family could have been in politics, may have been world travelers, or invented something to better humanity. My goal as an artist, is to find beauty and possibility in every situation in hopes that the person who views my art will go about life with a fresh perspective on who we are as people. Everyone is doing the best they can, and no person is better or more deserving of happiness than the man or woman standing next to them.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of this business is seeing my successes and failures benefit another actor or person. It’s so easy to quit in this industry. Whether it’s fear of failure, looking stupid, being jaded by an instructor, etc. I have the unique opportunity to use my knowledge to make this journey seem possible for someone else. Everyone deserves to be able to follow their dreams, and if my failures can help one person along the way, then it was all worth it. Sometimes I think my path was to embarrass myself so horribly that I could help others from making the same mistakes. Whoever bore witness to these events, I hope you laughed as hard as I did at myself. Note to self: keep hair away from oscillating fans in the audition room.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chandlerryan.com
• Instagram: @itschandlerryan