Conversations with Peter E Dawson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter E Dawson.

Hi Peter E , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My mother moved to Los Angeles from New York City to take a job as a nurse. She was interested in film and TV and started looking for opportunities as an actress. She answered an ad in the trade papers regarding an aspirin commercial, and she got the job. This national commercial helped my mother get her union card to join AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). When my brother and I were in elementary school, my mother discovered that some kids in my brother’s class were signed to an agent and asked their mother for the agent’s name. We met with the Agent, and my brother and I were signed to our first agent. Over the course of 6 years, I was in many television shows and a few commercials, and movies. I left the business before starting High School, and I returned 20 years later. I stayed in L.A. until I moved to Atlanta in 2016. I started taking acting classes in 2019 and booked a commercial for an insurance company soon after getting back into the business. I got an agent in 2020 before the pandemic, and I continue to read for recurring roles on television. I continue to take classes to hone my skills while I receive auditions. After the pandemic, I booked a Lifetime Film and also filmed a television show for Showtime. I parted ways with my agent and signed with another agency and continue to audition for many roles in film/television and commercials. By 2022, I had become a Full-time actor and was now reading for bigger roles on some of the most popular television shows. I booked a role in the feature film Saturday Night, and I also booked a role in another Lifetime Film and a role on the television series Fatal Attraction on TV-One. I also booked many independent films.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. The entertainment business is a rollercoaster, and some of the struggles you will face could range from rejection to financial instability and many others. As an actor, the word “No” is something you hear too often, and you, as the actor, have to accept and move on to the next audition. You might worry if you’re good enough if given a chance to perform. Actors are always on call, and we have to be ready when we get a call from our Agent. Personal life can be tricky because actors are not on a 9-5 schedule; we work a lot of crazy hours from early morning call times to night shoots. We learn many lines, and sometimes we are given more lines when we arrive on set, so you have to always be ready. The industry is highly competitive, and for every one role we are competing against maybe over a thousand actors for that role.

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 am a working actor and I have appeared in many productions on different platforms, from Amazon Prime, Tubi, Lifetime, Peacock, TV One, and Netflix. I am known for my role in the biographical comedy-drama Saturday Night, and most recently, the Netflix film Ruth and Boaz. I am most proud of Saturday Night because the cast and crew became a family for 3 months during filming, and we worked hard and played hard on this film. What sets me apart from others is my passion to continue to learn and grow as an actor and not become lazy when it’s slow. I reach out to help other actors with scene work or auditions, so I continue to learn from fellow actors and build each other up.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
As an actor, I would say leaving school to film on a television show or movie and then going back to school and telling my classmates who I met on set. Outside of the entertainment business, I would say playing sports and hanging out with friends.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrpeterdawson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrPeterDawson