We recently connected with Trevor Knight and have shared our conversation below.

Trevor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?

Before I was a model and actor, I was a real estate agent who never thought of becoming a model or actor in this lifetime. I was once asked at a real estate seminar by the instructor “if I gave you 10 billion dollars, is this the field you would stay in and if not what would your dream job be if money wasn’t an issue” and my response was “no, I’d be an actor”! That night I applied to a few background character roles on a casting website. I didn’t get the job, but about a week later I was contacted by an agency who ended up signing me shortly after. I couldn’t believe in just a week my entire life changed, I went from a real estate agent, unsure if this is really the career for me to a brand new career as a model and actor and new horizons in front of me. Obviously looking the part is huge in this industry, but I believe the real reason I was signed, is because my agent could tell I’m a hard worker willing to do what it takes to be successful. If I wasn’t as passionate, dedicated, or if I didn’t take immediate action to seize the opportunity I don’t believe I would have been signed. So I always encourage everyone to take that frightening first step towards their dreams, it might just work out.

Trevor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Getting into the acting/modeling industries was more of an unexpected twist than a calculated plan for my life. As I’ve mentioned before, starting off as a real estate agent, I was set to sell houses the rest of my life until I was asked that age old question “what do I want to do with my life”. And I don’t know if it was the way he asked or the fact that I’ve always had a passion for movies, but that day something clicked and it just made sense to me, I made a decision to become the best actor I could possibly become. Modeling was presented to me as a way into the industry and a way to get my first on camera appearances. After signing with an agency and ultimately walking the runway in New York Fashion Week I fell in love with the model life as well and I knew from then on my pursuit in life was to build a career as a model and actor. This leads me to the third and most recent branch of my career, personal training. Looking back I honestly can’t think of a time where I wasn’t actively participating in some sort of sport, fitness and working out was my other passion. So it wasn’t a surprise to me that when I became a model I realized I was giving a lot of fitness advice to my friends and cohorts. I also noticed the extremely unhealthy fads and habits some models had when it came to staying “in shape”. That’s when I made the decision to add a third branch to my career as a personal trainer, so I now have the proper knowledge and certifications to help others along my own journey.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My journey didn’t start out as a goal, it started as an answer to a question. It came from passion, self-realization and a desire to help others. I was a completely open book on a new frontier with no expectations and a strong willingness to learn as much as possible. But over time a goal did form, and now I have a target to aim for, or I should say multiple. There are too parts to my goal and both are a continuous test to push myself to be a better actor, model, and personal trainer. The first is to be the best actor I can become, I know that sounds a bit ambiguous and seemingly never ending, but the idea is to push myself to be a better actor than I was yesterday, and to one day hopefully be recognized for it, perhaps in the form of an Oscar! The second part of my goal is to help others along the way. I can do that by helping my clients reach the best physical condition possible. Ultimately I want to become the best version of myself by helping others become the best versions of themselves.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As I continuously work to improve myself, there have been many times where I had to learn or unlearn certain habits or lessons. The biggest lesson and one I still struggle with is to stop being so humble and just put myself out there. The whole reason I started my modeling and acting careers so late is for this reason. There was a brief moment when I started looking into becoming a model about 10 years before I actually did. And the reason was because I didn’t know if I’d actually make it, which is never a reason to give up! Now 10 years later I’m finally where I wish I was a decade ago, but one thing about the modeling and acting industries, you have to put yourself in the spotlight and being too humble will destroy your chances at that. When we are young, we are taught that being humble was a good thing and other people don’t like show-offs, which may be partly true but I quickly realized how that can be an issue in an industry where I’m rewarded for being able to show off my talents to the best of my abilities. I don’t mean you have to be conceited and arrogant, but you do have to be willing to show your personality and be you as loudly and proudly as possible. A mentor of mine once told me to “stop being so humble, and just be my authentic, unapologetic self”. He told me that it was about humility not humbleness. To have the ability to laugh at myself but still take myself seriously enough to put myself in big roles. This is a lesson that still sticks with me and that I continue to work on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trevorgknight.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trevorgknight?igsh=ZWg5a2N4Y2ZwM3Jw&utm_source=qr

Image Credits

Morgan Knight
Peter Mellekas
Melanie Meeker