We were lucky to catch up with Matt Drago recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was a young boy, my amazing grandmother Matilda took me to the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. She had gotten us tickets that allowed you to sit onstage during the performance of Cats on Broadway. It was a really fun experience, the performers interacted with me, and at one point I even pretended to be one of the cats along with a cast member… one of the cats even came up and tied my shoelaces together! I was hooked, watching the creativity, imagination, and playfulness around me. Getting to experience another world for a couple of hours made me realize what a magical effect performers can have, and I knew in that moment I wanted to be an actor.

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 back background and context?

I’m a SAG-AFTRA actor currently living in Los Angeles, but I grew up on the east coast and studied acting in New York City at Marymount Manhattan College and at T. Schreiber Studios (where I also met my wife!)

I’ve been working in film and television for many years, but I’m especially excited about a couple of projects I have releasing in the near future. I’ll be starring opposite Graham McTavish and Michelle Hurd in the upcoming independent film “Somewhere in Montana,” which I had the opportunity to shoot on location in beautiful Polson, Montana.

I am also developing an independent production company (Dragon Hunter Productions) with hopes to produce a feature film in my home state of Virginia, as well as a variety of other projects in the next couple of years.

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

I think the stories we tell in life are the essense of our humanity, and such a big part of how we track our experience in the world. Getting to be an artist allows me to fully dive into that concept, and I look at it as a huge privilege. My goal as an actor is to be able to tell stories that help other people understand their own life experiences.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think creatives are often misunderstood, because some people don’t view artistic careers as “real” jobs. When in fact, it takes many years of work and perseverance to maintain a career in a creative field. While some careers have a clear path to what “success” means, creative pursuits are often a winding road… but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t hard work going on in the background!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mattdrago.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mattdrago
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattdrago

Image Credits
Mariposa Pictures