We recently connected with Ahmad Damani DeChalus and have shared our conversation below.

Ahmad Damani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Acting, to me, is simply a culmination of life experiences, stretching your creativity and repetition. It is a craft in which I think there are no “masters” because each performance is subjective. Since my youth I had an insatiable need to sharpen and heighten my knowledge of the arts, so I attended drama school. I feel that acting is a process that you cannot inherently rush or you face the risk of seeming unnatural and untruthful to audiences, which is the exact opposite of what I hope to achieve. Empathy is something crucial that I believe all artists must carry with them, even if only an inkling of it. To try to understand the weight of another humans plight is the essence of acting. The only obstacle that ever stood in the way of my journey is myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Ahmad Damani DeChalus. I am 24 years young and currently based in Manhattan. Since I was old enough to perceive my own existence I was fortunate and privileged enough to have parents who showed me a plethora of films. This had a profound impact on me and ever since then, I was enamored with filmmaking, acting, and the process behind it all. Storytelling is a medium that has been used since the dawn of intelligent life, and will be used long after our generation is gone. I hope to continue to be apart of such stories until the end of my lifespan. Both infront and behind the camera. My most notable roles include “Wasted Talent”, directed by Derrick Benton, “One of The Guys”, directed by LaChelle Chrysanne, and “Chimera”’ directed by Andrew Lee Ryan. All of these projects, and the people who helmed them, are all significant figures in my career and I will always look back on them fondly. I am both eager and excited to see what future endeavors I find myself in.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect to me would have to be finally being able to watch the finalized version of a collaborative effort that you were passionate about. There’s something so surreal about creating magic with a group of people as invested in the work as you, and reaping the benefits from creating a project you’re all genuinely proud of.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As of now, to inspire as many likeminded individuals as I can with my work, just as I was inspired watching so many legendary performers. Whether it be a woman in Africa or a child in Japan, as long as my work is able to affect someone I think I will be content as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Ahmad.Damani

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Budi