Ryan Kaiser- Fully Immersed (Actor & Rising Talent) (October 2021)
Issue Eighteen- October 2021:
By Mercedes Barreto
What does it take to fully enhance a theatric experience, in the eyes of an audience? Does this have any relevance to an actor’s talent and experience, and how that might contribute to such a production? Ryan Kaiser is an actor who gives you a continuous experience worth your ticket and a seat. We read up on his most recent successes, in this guided yet informative rising talent article.
When you receive your character analysis to begin investigating your role in a film, what do you start with, and how do you go about this process, and in a professional, and timely yet experienced manner? What is it like for you to delve into another person and their story/life, and then act it out?
“It actually may sound a little strange, but I turn all of the lights out, put some music on, lay in bed, get really calm and really quiet, and read the script end to end. I try to fully immerse all of my senses in the story the writer is trying to tell. I gather every ounce of context the script has to offer, from how the other characters interact with my character and vice versa, to the events that impact them all. I not only try to imagine everything that’s happening but feel it as fully and viscerally as possible in my own body.
This really helps me to retain a sense of memory of that one devastatingly traumatic incident or overwhelmingly joyous event. In any case, the point is to understand and internalize the truth and depth of what’s being said. From then on, within the days I have left before actually shooting, I try to find where the fuller form of that character exists deeper within me than in that first flash interpretation. It’s honestly a lot less cerebral than I’m describing it now. The truth is that it’s so deeply subjective and about as straightforward as my life lets it be. Finding the voice of the character, as in the way the character speaks, is a definitive point too. Simply being able to hear the character can clarify so many emotional states and choices that I’m presented with later on in production. What is the character saying and what aren’t they saying? Along the way, I have to dive into the things I’m ready and not so readily expressing for whatever reason too. Every step prior acts as the perfect springboard into action and physicality, because it provides me with so much more context than I would have had otherwise.
The physical prep ranges from trying out a walk, a tick, a turn of phrase, or that character’s cadence in public or private. If I’ve done it all “right,” when it’s time to play it out, I find a flow state where everything I’ve thought of up until that point and even things I hadn’t start to blend together and technique means next to nothing. When you’re in that open, free-flowing space, but you fundamentally know the character and the beats by heart, that’s when you’re really present and simply on. By the time you’re done, what you take with you can be a little shocking sometimes too. One of the most important steps I try to take is relaxing and detaching from the result. As the production changes, so might your character and it’s up to you to be a fluid, yet strong part of that change. At which point acting it out becomes second nature if you truly feel at home with who you are or could be.”
Has Covid had any lasting or impacting effect on your work or routine in general? How would this be so, if applicable?
“Oh, absolutely. The terrain of the entire film industry from my perspective has shifted from top to bottom. Casting directors and agents became much more active with reaching out to talent on an online basis, be it offering more round table sessions and workshops, and at points, operating exclusively through self-tapes or zoom auditions. It’s created a lot of opportunities for remote actors. However, at the height of the pandemic, the number of projects going into production was slashed while friends of mine were even being laid off from their studio jobs. During that period, I wasn’t auditioning very much at all, but that’s starting to change too as the industry begins to adapt and recover. Still, remote auditions and self-tapes are the standards for booking work. I was talking with a former manager and dear friend of mine and he essentially told me that nobody is really auditioning in person anymore. It’s a bittersweet truth because the current state makes it easier to book wherever you are, but there was always a romantic/magically terrifying quality in going into a room full of people and trying to move them. I do miss that.”
What are three words that describe your passion for acting, ultimately when there are so many actors out there? What makes your three words special, in some detailed description?
“Honesty, sympathy, and history. So many people go through their lives gritting their teeth, withholding their feelings, and not expressing themselves to the fullest extent for one reason or another. As we get older, we can easily get drawn into, albeit necessary tasks that tend to ask us to forsake our intuitive, mental, and emotional worlds for the sake of executing said tasks as smoothly and productively as possible. I think what I love most about what I do, is that I get to empty my cup and am constantly encouraged to live my life as openly, intuitively, and truthfully as possible. Always feeling, always finding, and ultimately displaying what I’ve found either within myself or seen in someone else. That openness allows me to better relate to other people. Where that profound, mutual listening and openness exists, there are also the makings of great performances. Deeper still, between the cast members or the audience they reach, lies an opportunity to let others know they’re not alone in the content of their internal worlds. The potential for true connection is unmistakable to me.
Lastly, it’s important to me that I leave behind an honest reflection of the people I get to portray and the stories I get to tell. So just maybe people of the future might be able to look back and say, “Ah, that was them. That’s what some of our ancestors felt. Those were their souls on display. This is what they dreamt about. This is what haunted them. This is what they truly cared about more than cars and clothes and new fixations. You know it’s true because it’s welling up and leaking out of their eyes and blushing in their cheeks and heaving in their chests.” In the truest moments, we reveal who we are to everyone. That’s the most I can hope to accomplish within what I do. It’s also just a lot of fun, but that makes four words.”
If you could hypothetically time travel for a day, and act on a stage or production in any previous time period besides this one, where do you see yourself fitting in as an actor, regarding the customs and how they reflect on the actors of that time, and how you would adjust?
“I’ve always wanted to lead in a big production that needs to rely on a lot of techs to render the world and the story they’re trying to tell. I’d have to say productions like “Avatar,” “Ready Player One,” or “Inception” would be at the top of my list in that sense. Not just because of the legendary directors that helmed those movies, but the more sets I’m on, the more I viscerally enjoy the relationship between the actor and the tools, and their production uses to capture the shots they need. I remember seeing BTS footage of one of the Avatar sets and the large studio filled with props and motion capture equipment just looked like one big playground to me. I couldn’t believe actors got paid to play in that way. It was a similar kind of envy to what I felt watching the actors in Jurassic Park when I was little. Getting to imagine, big, otherworldly things and scenarios is my idea of a happy place. So I’d probably gravitate more towards the 2010s. From more of an acting nerd perspective, I’d die from pure joy if I had the chance to play across from James Dean. However, I imagine that being a queer performer of color would be exceptionally more difficult in that time period than the former.”
Where do you see yourself in just a few years? Would you be able to handle Hollywood-type fame, if this is to occur in your future? What measures success for you, and is time a big factor? What about the experience gained?
“In a few years, I’ll have finished writing a sci-fi novel (potentially two) and will still be acting to my heart’s content. I’ll generally be pushing myself to become better and more honest with everything I do. Having fame wouldn’t be difficult compared to other situations I’ve been in. I’m not so unshakably reclusive that the overabundance of exposure would just cause me to self-destruct. I like people but can assert myself when I need to. Whether people’s opinions of me are good or bad, I’m able to let them flutter off. I really love who I am and who I’m becoming. I also think a lot of benefits come from the access and exposure that fame gives. I’ve always admired people that can use that exposure to promote noble causes around the world. It would be cool to be one of those people one day. I think success has a lot of faces for me. It can really be as simple as getting to share something that I’m proud of with my parents or friends. Though, I’d say the greatest success I could attain would be to get to tell the stories that I’ve always wanted for a living. As important as it can be, time is sort of a cruel idea to get too attached to when everything is a process and so much is out of your control.
If there’s one thing I believe, it’s that for every artist, there is something that can be done toward your goal immediately. Right now. Even if you’re only able to get a piece of it done at a time, you’re still progressing. The experience is a treasure, but the most important part is present for each new moment. Without it, you’re either always looking back or forward and never getting the most out of what’s right in front of you.”
Where can we find your recent and latest works, and why should we? When there are some really great actors out there, what is it that is so incredibly special about Ryan
Kaiser’s acting work that will turn heads in the theatres?
“My most recent project is “Cold Mind.” It can be found free on YouTube. It’s a short film that we shot in a retired coal mine in West Virginia. The film tells the story of a man who is forced to confront his demons when he gets trapped in the mine after a cave-in. The film just played at Catalina Film Festival. After the screening, the older gentleman sitting in front of me stood up, turned around, and with tears in his eyes said “Well done” to me before walking out with his family. It would have been hard to imagine a more profound compliment at that moment. I’ve always wanted to have that effect on people with my work, acting or otherwise. After having seen that reaction from my family and even complete strangers, it’s made all the years of emotional growth and awkwardness and even the difficult moments abundantly worth it in a way I never truly expected. I’m grateful that I can best speak to the literal blood, sweat, and tears that go into what I love to do through people’s reactions to it.”
Anything to add here?
“I mostly want to thank you for taking this time with me. It’s been thought-provoking and genuinely lovely getting to talk to you. I hope we get to do it again one day.
My Instagram handle is @ryanmkaiser.”
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