We recently connected with DAVE and have shared our conversation below.

DAVE, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

When I started thinking about how to respond to this question, several experiences came to mind, thankfully. In one particular instance, I was working on a show called Sleepy Hollow in North Carolina. It was a warm day, and I was playing a firefighter, complete with PPE and heavy equipment. Tom Mison, who played Ichabod Crane in the show, was sitting next to me studying his script. Apparently, they had sprung a monologue on him that morning, and he was trying to get familiar with it. After apologizing to me for not being more talkative, he asked if I was ok. He could tell I was struggling a bit with the heat. I assured him I was fine, and then he said something to me that I’ll never forget. In his distinctive British accent, he said, “Would you like something to eat? There’s a lovely fruit tray over there…”

Another experience I had was while shooting the movie Greyhound in Baton Rouge. We were filming on the USS KIDD and I was getting a bit hungry between takes. Craft services, however, was on the other side of the ship. I didn’t want a PA to have to come looking for me while I was off grabbing a snack, so I decided to stick it out. While I was chatting with the other actors, someone brought Tom Hanks a couple slices of pizza. Tom, playfully gloated…”I have people that bring me pizza!” As I was trying to come up with a clever comeback, He said, “Here, have some…” and shared his pizza with me.

Funny how bother these stories are about people wanting to feed me….

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Well, I got into acting later in life. I was a visual artist growing up. I could often be found drawing in a sketchbook and I took lots of art classes as a kid. I always struggled in school, especially in math. So, I just figured I would study art at the nearby University of Louisiana, Lafayette. I didn’t want to be a “starving artist”, so I decided to major in Commercial Art. But I quickly learned that you have to be very computer savvy for that to work out…and I am NOT. So, change of plans. I had dabbled in acting as a kid and was in the musical in high school. I enjoyed it and felt like I kind of had a knack for it, but acting professionally was never on my radar back then. Once the art major was in the rear view, I started taking a few acting classes and auditioning for plays and student films. I became really passionate and decided to go all in. I never looked back. Building the career I wanted has been a marathon. It’s taken more than 20 years of auditioning and building relationships with casting directors and other creatives in the industry. There was a lot of trial and error, and I like to think I’ve learned from my mistakes.

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

I was fortunate enough to work with Matthew McConaughey for the second time (the first being season 1 of True Detective) on the movie Free State of Jones. The audition process involved a few trips to New Orleans for call backs. Every trip brought fresh anxiety. I knew the director and producers were interested and trying to find the right spot for me and I didn’t want to blow it. I remember telling myself, “Just give me a NAME…a character with a NAME, not BARTENDER or SOLDIER #2”. I got the call from my agent that I had booked the role of POLLING STATION CLERK. I was crestfallen. When I made the trip to Nola for shooting, I was not in a good frame of mind. I was bitter. Especially when I looked at the call sheet and saw names of friends/peers of mine who had booked roles that I so desperately wanted. Everything changed, however, when I arrived at base camp to get prepped for shooting. I was treated like I was worthy and appreciated, like I belonged. I’m only in one scene in the movie, but it was a very pivotal scene. While filming this intense standoff, my guys on one side, McConaughey’s on the other, Matthew would lean in and quietly speak words of encouragement, assuring me we were capturing something special. Later in the makeup trailer they removed my very itchy fake mustache and wiped my head and face down with warm towel, clearing the sweat and grime accumulated from the Louisiana heat…it felt amazing. The makeup artist said, “We were watching on the monitor! You did so good!”, or something to that effect. She looked to the other end of the trailer and said, “Hey Sean, this is the guy you were talking about!” Sean Bridges, a very accomplished actor in his own right, and who’s become a friend and mentor, leaned back in his chair, looked over at me and said, “Man…I don’t know who you are, but…you’re a hell of an actor” We often hear the phrase, “no small parts, only small actors”, well, it was never more evident for me than on this day. I vowed to never repeat that mistake. No matter how big or small the role, I would give it the respect and attention it deserves in order to contribute to the project in a positive way.

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 there are a lot of misconceptions about actors in general. Some people might think of an actor as a millionaire celebrity. But that makes up a very tiny percentage of actors in the industry. in fact, 90% of SAG-AFTRA members are unemployed. On the other hand, if you tell someone you’re an actor, their response might be, “Oh yeah? what restaurant?”. The fact is most actors in the industry struggle to work consistently, and many need a “side hustle” to make ends meet. Most people who aren’t actors have a handful of job interviews and careers over the course of their lives. Actors, if they’re lucky, have hundreds of auditions (job interviews) and hopefully hundreds of jobs in their life. Each audition/gig has its own unique set of creative circumstances and personalities. To be successful, you have to learn as you go, preferably on the job, and adapt accordingly.

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