Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Griffin.
Hi Anthony, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my journey as a Film/Tv actor by way of various background gigs I booked in my early college years. Found out I really liked it, so I continued doing it until I realized I wanted more than just a background role. I used to sit on set and watch different stars prepare before a scene and execute it with ease when they yelled action. So I began to think to myself there’s no reason I’m not able to do that too. For a while after that, I was basically studying acting the way I was studying for school and just was doing both up until my first speaking gig. It was supposed to be a faith-based feature film in Mississippi that was about a football team but problems arose where we never finished it so my first actual role was here in Birmingham called, ‘Blood or Not’. After filming I knew this is what I wanted. Before taking classes I had a mini process on how I approached my character and this was developed through an actor friend who was working with me when I came to him and told him I was serious about acting. This was all happening while just graduating with my Associate’s Degree from a community college and making that transition to Birmingham to obtain my bachelor’s degree so I’d say I had a lot going on.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road for me for numerous reasons. The main reason is that becoming an actor is something I had dreamed about doing but didn’t actually see becoming a real-life thing until my sophomore year of college. Navigating through College and navigating through Film/Tv is auditioning late at night after studying or leaving school for a month to go film a project. It’s almost like living a double life which, in turn, made schooling a bit more stressful. However, through it all I know God got me and I’m enjoying my journey. Henry Ford once said, “Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eye off the goal” so I just keep my eye on my goals in life to keep me distracted from whatever obstacle or challenge I may be dealing with.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a Film/Tv actor based in Birmingham, Alabama. Most work I do is either here in Birmingham or in Atlanta since that is the closest major market to me. I am currently auditioning for things and have gathered a couple of bookings to start the year off that I have had a blast filming. My favorite part about being on set is the friends and connections I am able to make and seeing them succeed later on after we work together. So far, the project I can honestly say I am the most proud of would be my last lead role which was a short film titled, ‘In Memory Of’ which has been submitted in multiple film festivals and has won awards. Another proud moment in my short career thus far would be an educational project I did with GSU in Atlanta that I was cast as a principal in, it had a great message behind it and it was the first character I played where I could see a bit of myself in him which made my job easier. The thing that sets me apart from each other is of course my dedication to the craft but I’d also say my ability to adjust to different kinds of people and different kinds of environments. In this business, you work with different kinds of people a lot and I feel that in order for you to move smoothly and work smoothly, you have to be able to mesh with a lot of different personalities and egos different actors may try to throw around and that’s something I’ve always been good at from grade school on up to now.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up in Mobile, Alabama from the outside looking in most would think I came up the same way other kids ‘say’ they came up. Tough environment, poverty, crime-stricken area. Fortunately, that was not everyone’s reality. I grew up in a household full of preachers. My dad was a pastor my entire childhood and my mom was an evangelist. I was on the drums and my brother was on the piano. This was every Sunday morning no matter how you were living Saturday night which is still the rule to this day whenever I go home. I’d say I grew up in a pretty strict household with strict rules that I used to take for granted but now am thankful for it because it allowed me to be myself and love myself instead of trying to play a role to fit in at an early age with friends. This all fits into my personality growing up. I was very confident in myself and never really cared about the opinions of others. Things I was interested in growing up were books, movies, and video games. I don’t have much time to read leisurely nowadays but I still will catch a movie every once in a while. I even still play my PlayStation whenever I get the chance. Overall, I wouldn’t change anything about my childhood and how I came up, I strongly believe it has made me who I am today and I am grateful for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://griffinanthony177.wixsite.com/anthonyrgriffinjr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingdarkskin.official/
Image Credits
Chris Barrett Photography Dorvell Ferguson (FergPhotography)
