Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dantrell McClain. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dantrell, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Acting was something I’ve always wanted to do, it just took a while for me to realize that I could do it professionally haha. My first acting experience was in elementary school when I was in the play A Christmas Carol. From there it was just my cousin and I reenacting scenes from our favorite movies or creating sequels or our own version of those movies, playing these characters who inspired us to be martial artists, wizards, or action heroes. We were just having fun, I never thought about doing it professionally and as I got older it became this exoteric thing that I thought wasn’t possible for me. It wasn’t until 2014 after joining the Air Force, I was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama and saw a flyer for acting classes at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Something told me to sign up and I did. I was beyond anxious and nervous leading up to the day of the class, but once the day came, I walked into the class and it completely changed the course of my life. It just felt right, it not only reconnected me with that kid who was pretending to be a wizard and an action hero, but also solidified that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. So after that class I decided to figure out how to do this professionally. Unfortunately, I had signed my life away for four years in the military, so I had to fulfill that obligation first haha.
Dantrell, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Born and raised in Chicago, IL. In 2014, I decided to do something I never thought I’d do, I joined the US Air Force. I was enlisted for 6 and a half years. Joining the military helped me develop the courage to pursue something I always longed to do, but was afraid to even attempt. After separating from the military, I moved to LA to pursue acting. I attended New York Film Academy (NYFA), receiving my BFA in Acting for Film. During my time at NYFA, I acted in and directed
numerous plays and short films. Since finishing school, I’ve been working on perfecting my craft by doing more plays and films as well as working on professional film/TV sets learning, growing, and connecting with other artists. The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that I even took the risk and decided to chase my dream in the first place. I feel that not everyone has the courage to do it and not many have the patience and/or resilience to continue chasing their dreams despite the risks and hardships that come with it. My hope is that, through my journey and my art, I can inspire people to take risks and do what makes them truly happy and to never give up on their dreams.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think that non-creatives will struggle with why anyone would ever purposely chose to struggle hahaha. Not many people understand taking risks to achieve something you’ve been dreaming about since you were a kid or doing something simply because you love it. Even if you’re not able to make a living from it, which is something you have to kind of make peace with if you decide to go on this journey. You have to make peace with the sacrifices, seeing friends or family less. Not being able to go on a trip because you just spent money on something you needed to help you progress in career, whether it’s new headshots, new camera equipment, new music equipment, new editing software. You have to make peace with potentially struggling to pay rent or keep up with a car note. You have to make peace with potentially losing people you care about. You have to make peace with people telling you no and not giving you opportunities you feel you deserve. You have to make peace with people judging you and your art. I get why non-creatives struggle to understand it, it’s scary and it’s hard and it’s insane. I think non-creatives also struggle to understand the freedom that comes with being an artist or creative. Yeah it’s hard and it sounds crazy, but I would rather struggle for 20 years and deal with the stresses of pursuing something I love, something that excites and motivates me, than spend 20 years stressing over a job that I hate, working for some company that doesn’t really care about me or what I have going on in my life. Saving up money and PTO so I can go on vacation for two or three weeks to get away from the job that I hate, just to come back to work that same job that I hate and save up more money to get away from the job that I hate hahaha. That sounds more insane to me. Artists and creatives express themselves in ways that many can’t understand, we make people feel something, give them hope, bring them joy, make them laugh, make them cry, give them something to talk about and share with others. Most importantly, we learn more about life and people because we’re able to connect with so many different people from so many different places in the world.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My purpose is to inspire, that drives my creative journey. I want to inspire people to have more compassion, I want to inspire people to always have hope and never stop dreaming. Do what you love and what makes you happy and what brings you peace, despite what others have to say about it. Live life to the fullest and be kind to others, it’s so simple.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @thee_dantrellmcclain
