We recently connected with Tanner Kerrins and have shared our conversation below.
Tanner, 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.
So, I’ve recently been attending more acting classes, but it did not start that way. The truth is I learn more from experience, being thrown into the fire. In fact, by the time I had first taken an acting class, I was already a few years into my acting career. Knowing what I know now, I will say classes helped me understand the craft, and fine tune my skills, though I would not change my approach. I’m reminded of a quote by Ian McKellen, who once said “I didn’t go to drama school, others did. I learned on the job”. That process of learning on the job, I believe is the fastest way for a person can learn a particular skill. I think the main obstacle for me, at least when I started heavily pursuing acting was finding a class that was cost effective. I can confirm that there are effective and affordable classes out there, you just got to know where to look.
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.
So, I like to tell people that I sort of stumbled into acting. I had a bit of fun with it, and for the past 6 years I have been acting in a variety of films and shows, including; Barbie, Blue Beetle, and more recently Spark (2024). I don’t see acting as a job, but instead a way to play and ideally make others happy. Whether your someone in the theater needed a bit of escapism, or your a crew member in line to get coffee before starting a long day, I find that acting allows me to talk, and be present with people, which was difficult to do at other jobs. This is what I hope people see when they get to meet me for the first time.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think folks working in non-creative industries fail to realize how much work goes into acting. Even during down time, actors are constantly submitting their headshots to casting directors. It’s basically a full time job, even before you get the job. Once you get the job, [if you’re first starting out] you can expect low pay with an average 14-16 hour work day. The actors that I look up to, [the ones that have longevity in this industry] they act because they truly love it. And whenever that downtime comes in between gigs, they have the understanding that breaks are important and should be enjoyed.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
It sounds a little silly and even cliché, but to be a better actor I had to learn how to NOT act. What I mean by this is many actors, especially those starting out, feel like they need to wow the casting directors in an audition, or wow the director on set, or wow the instructor in the classroom. I’ve found that trying to act and give an award winning performance often leads to it looking forced or fake. Again looking to actors who inspire me, many of them are good at just being themselves. They get in, get the job done, then they get out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tannerkerrins.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tannerkerrins/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanner-kerrins-727ba7127/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5zKMalslzHpIRb4azyl_Qg
- Other: 1st published book: https://a.co/d/8rE2rV4
2nd published book: https://a.co/d/2jsaVHG
Image Credits
My photos were taken by photographer, Marielle Stobie