Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Blain
Hi Paul, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Back in 2015, while searching for work gigs, I responded to an online ad for a “customers needed for a commercial”. That email ended up landing me a principal role in a national network commercial for ACE Hardware. I enjoyed being on set for the first time and was in awe of the whole process. Then the residual paychecks started coming in and I was hooked. I became busy with work, moving across the country to be with family, and a couple years passed. Even though I had no idea where to begin, I felt the urge to find acting work again. I began researching. The only thing I could find online, was background work as an extra. I took some photos of myself and used them to start applying for everything that I could. I was selected to be a crowd extra for the TV Show ‘Empire’. I talked my brother into driving us three and a half hours to the set in Chicago. Upon arriving we met the casting director. She absolutely loved us and said “we can’t have you two getting lost in the crowd!” And immediately bumped us up to featured extras as the Club Leviticus Bartender and Waiter. When they called “Action”, the lead actors were just a few feet away from me! It was such a rush of excitement to be filming on that massive set with these famous people. On the way home however, I couldn’t shake the thought that I could be the one in front of the camera. I would never be happy as just a blurry figure in the background. I decided I would not pursue any more extra work and would only accept speaking roles. This lit a fire in me, and in January of 2019 I decided that on top of my full time job as a first responder, I would devote myself 100% to acting and see how far I could get in one year time.
It wasn’t long before my perseverance paid off. I began landing lead roles in short films and student films and by the end of the year I had completed 11 projects! The project that has stood out the most to me was ‘All Screwed Up: The Visual Tribute’. This is the story of Houston’s own legendary DJ Screw. This project started out as a short film, was rumored to become a TV series, and now a deal has been struck with SONY to adapt the project into a full length feature film! My role is that of a racist detective who is convinced DJ Screw is dealing drugs out of his house. In December of 2020, I was finally able to take the next step in my acting career, when I signed with MJB Talent Agency out of Los Angeles. This is huge for me, because the only way to get a role in major films and TV shows is with representation! I am also in a negotiation with a second agency out of New Orleans. Between the two of them I believe I will be achieving my goal of full time acting within the next few months.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest part of my Journey was getting started. There’s not a lot of information out there on getting started in acting, besides the usual response of “take acting classes”. Taking acting classes is definitely something I recommend, in fact I started classes in November of 2020 with Deke Anderson of Next Level Acting. But as far as getting roles in short films, student films, and other local projects, I found searching Facebook for casting call groups in your area, to be the most beneficial in getting started. Then the next biggest obstacle became scheduling. Since there are so many moving parts in the process of a film production, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room in the schedule. When you have a full time job, that especially makes it more difficult. Luckily my supervisor was understanding and did his best to work with me. Then the obvious and daunting obstacle was of course the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been daunting. My wife actually tested positive and we had to quarantine for two weeks while I took care of her. Interestingly enough, even though I was in close contact with her, I never had a single symptom! She is a brave and strong woman. We both tested negative at the end of our two week quarantine. Because of the shutdowns, I also switched gears and focused on weapons and tactics training with retired combat veteran and close friend, Caleb Bridges. This has and will continue to pay off in landing action roles. I also took advantage of this shutdown to contact talent agencies and secured representation with MJB Talent Agency in Los Angeles.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor with a focus on film and television productions. I am currently known for my recent role in ‘All Screwed Up: The Visual Tribute’. However I’m involved in a couple other projects right now that may surpass that role. The project I’m most proud of at the moment is slated to be released soon! ‘Jekyll and Hyde Retold’. It’s a modern take on a timeless story. I portray Mr. Edward Hyde, the villain of the story. Something that separates me from a lot of other actors, is the fact that I train for action specific films. I currently train weapons and tactics with an actual combat veteran. This allows me to offer the most realism possible during action scenes. I am also training in MMA which will further separate me from the crowd. After that, I am looking into stunt/performance driving schools. My goal is to be capable of doing all my own stunts. Not a lot of actors can say this.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something many people may find surprising about me is the fact that I was raised in a very strict religious home, where we were not allowed to watch any TV or Movies. I am still catching up on seeing a lot of classic films. My wife loves being able to watch them with me while I experience them for the first time. Last year, I think I caught up on all the Disney cartoons, The Godfather, Rocky, and a few more.
Contact Info:
- Email: PJBlain@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/PJBlain
- Other: IMDb.me/PaulBlain
Image Credits
1.) All Screwed Up: The Visual Tribute
2.) This Is The Pepsi: Cravings
3.) Photo by Charley Price
4.) Photo by Tony H Phan
5.) The YUREI
6.) Photo by Paul Blain
7.) Jekyll & Hyde Retold
8.) Paul Blain and Justin P Slaughter
