How do you decide if you should pursue your hobby, your passion, your art, over the thing that feels safer and more certain?
It’s a question that I think a lot of people struggle with, including myself. And it’s far more complex than some people would like to believe. Some say the risk is always worth it if you are doing what you love. Some say it is decidedly not. I say there is a lot more to consider. It’s never an easy choice, and one I will have to make eventually. But recently, I got to catch up with someone who decided to take the risk!
Colin McCalla (remember that name….) is a young actor in LA. He decided he was going to pursue acting at the beginning of this year, and he has had some significant successes since then. Currently, you can see him as Rafa, a major character in a new web-series from Brat called Crazy Fast. The show follows Violet, a tennis player that is forced to return to “real school” after being kicked off the tennis circuit. At school, she finds herself a member of a rag-tag, dysfunctional track team. You can watch the trailer below, and the first episode here!
I first met Colin back in May when I cast him in my friend’s short film. He’s just starting out, but already I was fascinated by his path. An applied math and computer science major, he decided to pursue acting just about a year ago.
Below, you can read a little about what it’s like to start an acting career, when Colin decided it was what he wanted to do, and more about his new show. Oh, and how he manages to still get through school while he’s at it!
Shalinee Maitra: So, how did you decide to pursue acting?
Colin McCalla: Well, it was, I would say, a multitude of a continuous chain of events. I think that…I was always acting since I was twelve. I was doing plays and stuff. And I go to school out in Pomona, which is an hour east of LA. And I started just kind of dabbling in student films, I didn’t really know if it was what I wanted to do.
I kind of had this epiphany while I was studying abroad. Somebody asked me, like, “Colin, what’s your zhuzh?” This German guy. He was like, “what’s your thing?” He used the word “zhuzh.” And somebody else goes, like, “Oh, he studies math.” And I just had this huge moment, like, revelation, where I was like, is that who I wanna be? Is that what I want my “zhuzh” to be? This math guy, working at a computer desk for 40 hours a week? Because I was also coming off an internship at Bank of America that previous summer, where I was making great money, but I was like, after 10 weeks I looked back at my time and I was like, wow, I just spent 40 hours a week at a desk, and for what, a check? I guess? So in that moment, I was like, no, screw that, you know? So I came back to LA in January and I was like, this is what I’m gonna do. I was very intentional from then on. And from them it’s only been going up, honestly. It’s been a really good year for me. A lot of successes. It’s actually pretty cool.
SM: So, you said you started acting at 12. What was your first role?
CM: I played a dog in this show, this short play, called, “Bear and Dog” or something. And I just played this dog named Boris. I showed up to the first rehearsal completely off book, because I thought that’s what you were supposed to do.
SM: Nice.
CM: That was the only time I’ve ever done that. [chuckles] But it was a good intro, I was just ready. Ready to go.
SM: And, what is it like pursuing acting now? Like obviously you have this web-series, but you’re just starting out. You have to—I assume, you’re constantly looking for more parts.
CM: Yeah, yeah, I mean—it’s hard. It’s not for the faint of heart. Honestly, I have had a lot more success in the past few months since getting signed than a lot of my friends who have been out here for much longer than me. So I just feel very thankful for that. But, it just goes to show that it is hard and unpredictable. Often, you’re not necessarily in control of what you’re booking or, you know, what rooms you get into. That’s why, I mean—In September and October, I was auditioning four times a week and I hadn’t booked a thing. It was two months straight of just nothing. That was just hard. I was talking to my manager about it, and everyone just says the same thing. You just gotta keep pushing. And then all of a sudden, at the end of October within two days I booked three things. And I was like, okay, we’re back on. We’re back on. It kinda can make you go crazy. It’s super hard and scary. I don’t know if it ever stops being like that. I think there’s definitely levels of security. But I think that, within every success there’s always, okay what’s next, and how do we get there. Because once the job’s over, you gotta find the next one. Especially when I graduate, I’m like, alright, well I gotta pay bills, you know.
But, I have another web-series that I’m shooting in February. I’m not exactly sure what their distribution plan is, I just found out I got cast last weekend. I don’t know much about it yet. But, you know, I’m gonna be working! Which is exciting.
SM: Is it hard to balance classes and trying to start an acting career?
CM: Um, yeah. I mean it’s not something that—like, there’s a reason that people aren’t just doing it casually. You know, especially where I go to school since it’s so far, you have to sacrifice something, you know? And that is very hard. It is definitely not encouraged by anyone. But for me it at least, it felt like the smartest way I could go about it because what I often saw was that people were graduating without having anything under their belt and then are struggling to build themselves up, start out doing student films, do all that stuff, while also trying to support themselves and get a job and pay rent and all that.
For me, this felt like the time where I could establish myself; I could really build myself a platform and it’s kind of really accelerated to a point where, maybe, by the time I graduate, I’ll actually be at the point where I don’t need to find a job. I might be able to support myself from acting. And I think that is huge.
SM: Yeah!
CM: I think that’s what I’ve been working towards.
SM: Okay, well, since this is a TV show focused blog, I have to ask. What are your favorite TV shows that you’re watching right now?
CM: I will say that in the last year, Euphoria. I would do anything to be on that show. Game of Thrones before this season. The Boys, I love that show. That show is so amazing. It’s so good. Those are just 1 season shows I binged. Oh, also, Barry.
SM: Oh, yeah I really need to watch it. I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Is that funny for you because, you know, he’s trying to be an actor?
CM:Yeah, it is, it is I would say so. My friends are also always telling me to watch Entourage too. I’ll probably get on that at some point.
SM: Well, if you’re ever looking for a new show, you know where to look.
CM: Yes, I do!
SM:Let’s talk about your show, Crazy Fast. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about your character in the show, Rafa?
CM: Basically, he, on the surface, is kind of a slacker. He shows up late for class and he’s always missing class and missing track practice sometimes. He’s not the most accountable human. And he is also a jokester, he doesn’t really take things seriously. Definitely, I’d say the comedic relief of the show, 100%. But, it’s to be discovered that, you know, one of the reasons he hasn’t been as present is because he has some stuff going on at home. That’s to be revealed in episode 5…..
But he’s super fun, really down for his friends, but has some other stuff going on he doesn’t like to talk about. He compartmentalizes his life.
SM: So, the show’s about a track team, right? So did you have to do any prep for that, to be a runner?
CM: [Chuckles at absurdity of question] No. No, yeah, we’re not supposed to be great, we’re supposed to be rag tag—but I ran track in high school, and actually, we have one race in the entire season, and in my race I’m supposed to get second place. But, I like ran track, like I actually know—like, I’m pretty frickin’ fast and I was going super hard, and I had to purposefully slow down to let this guy win. I was kind of upset about it, but yeah.
SM: So, how many episodes are in the season?
CM: It’s 8 episodes, they’re all 10 to 15 minutes. I haven’t seen anything yet, so I’ll see it at the same time as everyone else…
New episodes of “Crazy Fast” are available on YouTube every Wednesday at 6pm EST!
Thanks for the interview. It’s interesting to hear Colin’s train of thought about deciding to start a career in acting.