Calvin Leon Smith
Interviewed by: Elizabeth Berra, CSA
1) Has there been a Casting Director that has encouraged and/or supported you in your career?
Elizabeth Berra and Alexa Fogel at Alexa Fogel Casting, hands down. I’m always excited to work with them because I really believe they want me to book whatever part they’re seeing me for. Beyond that, based on the parts and projects they send me, they’re always right. Always in my wheelhouse. I really feel seen by them.
2) What work are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my work on the Prime mini-series The Underground Railroad. I was cast in that by Francine Maisler. Wildly enough, I booked the project off of a self-tape! Getting to work with Barry Jenkins, Thuso Mbedu and Joel Edgerton was a masterclass. Barry was able to pull out of me a performance I didn’t know I possessed.
3) What or who inspired you to pursue acting as a career?
I think I was around 10 years old when my mom introduced me to Bette Davis, Eileen Heckart, and Nancy Kelly. There was something about those women’s performances that struck differently from anything I had seen up to that point.
4) What was your first IMDBPro credit and how did you feel when you saw it?
My first IMDbPro credit was a short film called RSVP. I was so proud seeing that credit, especially because I shot it while I was in grad school and we weren’t “allowed” to take outside work during the school year. The day after my last day of shooting I was dragging my feet at school because we didn’t wrap until around 2am.
5) How has IMDBPro helped you market yourself to filmmakers?
IMDBPro literally does all the work for me. I have had filmmakers reach out either to me or my reps (the amazing Matt Kaplan at Paradigm and Jessica Mogulis as Entertainment 360) after finding my contact information. It’s a wonderful digital resume and with the photos we have up there, I feel it represents who I am as an actor wonderfully!
6) Any funny casting room stories?
I don’t know how funny this is, but it always makes me smile. I can’t remember the casting office this happened in, but I was going in for a guest spot on a procedural. We did the scene once, she gave me a note, I took it, and we did the scene again. As I was getting ready to leave, she said, “If you book this, are you going to do it?” I was so taken aback because I had JUST graduated, it was TELEVISION and I was getting ready to go do a regional theatre gig. I said, “Of course! I guess it would be a conversation with my reps. I’m doing a regional show that conflicts, but-“
“You’re not giving up a regional show for this one-day guest.” She said what she said!
7) Tell us a fun fact about you outside of acting:
Growing up, I was a competitive gymnast. Every time I say that, people are like, “But you’re so tall!” I know, I know! Every once in a while, I take a tumbling class just to keep the skill. It’s come in handy for acting work a couple of times!
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