Actor Chris McNally’s Big 2017 Break Out

By Greg Harris

Show business has always been a tough profession, and the actor’s life can be particularly punishing. A vocation that requires the most intimate, demanding type of psychic and emotional involvement, it also comes with a built in apparatus that practically guarantees serial rejection — the audition process. Seat of limitless frustration and disappointment, the struggling player must maintain a hide thick enough to not only suffer refusals but also persevere and persist. It’s all about attitude, and Canadian actor Chris McNally has an ideal one: “I don’t think of it as rejection,” McNally said. “I go in prepared, I do my work, I enjoy myself, and there’s a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment with that. As long as I’ve done my job, if I don’t get the part, there’s nothing I could have done to change it — at that point, it’s out of my hands.”

This cogent pragmatism has served McNally extremely well, taking him in a few short years from obscure minor player to leading roles in an impressive run of made-for-television movies and weekly series. 2017 has been McNally’s most active and high-profile year of professional accomplishment to date with jobs for Lifetime, PixL and successive high-profile assignments from Netflix and the Hallmark Channel. McNally divides his time between updating an already formidable resume and savoring the combination of propinquity and good fortune that his dedication has recently thrust upon him.

“I definitely feel a sense of momentum right now,” McNally said. “It’s been a crazy eighteen months where I’ve gone from being an occasional day player on network shows to suddenly booking multiple leads in the last four months. I’d say the biggest turning point was last January when I booked Netflix’s Altered Carbon. That’s what really got this ball rolling.”

For McNally, the ball has been in play since his stage-struck childhood. “I grew up in North Vancouver, Canada, in a very creative environment,” he said. “My parents are both interior designers and I have two older cousins who are also actors. I was very lucky to have grown up with parents who supported my artistic goals.”

Since graduating high school, I’ve been training consistently at private studios in Vancouver and LA,” McNally said. “As much as I wish I had, I’ve never gone through a conservatory program. For the past few years I’ve been happily training at Railtown Actors Studio here in Vancouver — we’ve got great teachers and a fantastic black box theatre.”

McNally made his dramatic bones the old fashioned way — performing before live audiences.

“I love theatre, it’s where I find most of my inspiration,’ McNally said. “We’ve done plenty of Shakespeare at Railtown — my siblings like to tease me about the five pound book of Shakespeare that lives on my desk. The last play I did was Den of Thieves by Steven Adly Guirgis, and I’m currently work shopping Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

His time at Railtown provided McNally a critical boon. “It’s been wonderful, I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “Script analysis, character breakdown, physicality and movement, learning to follow my impulses without judgment. My first main lesson was just getting out of my head though. I used to have a real hard time with that — I was really nervous and self-conscious about my work. My hands used to sweat on the drive to acting class and auditions and my mouth would dry up.”

Those days are far behind him, and whether it’s a lead role in a made for TV film, a labor of love indie project or a recurring role on one of the most anticipated new series of 2018, McNally’s exuberance and enthusiasm — qualities which won him the 2014 audience award for Best Actor in a Feature Film in 2014 at FilmOut San Diego for John Apple Jack, a gay romantic comedy — are as appealing as they are remarkable.

“I can’t wait to see Netflix’s Altered Carbon, the sets were the coolest. I can’t say much about the show, it’s really hush-hush and I had to sign an NDA [non-disclosure agreement] before casting would even watch my tape. But what I can say is that it’s based on the cyber-punk novel by Richard Morgan, and is one of the most expensive shows ever made. I think it’s going to be incredible.”

“Shooting Hallmark’s Rocky Mountain Christmas was another great time. I was working with my friends, third film in a row with the same cinematographer, camera team and transport crew! Small world. I play Cody McKinney, he’s a young guy working hard to keep his Uncle’s ranch afloat, but what he really wants is to move to Hollywood and be a stuntman.”

Another highlight of this remarkably productive period was Freefall, a wrenchingly emotional short film. “Freefall is a project I’m really proud of,” McNally said. “It’s a story about a couple coping with the fact that one is dying of ALS. I play Lucas, who’s healthy, and doing his best to take care of his partner given the circumstances. It’s a really beautiful and heartbreaking story and has been well received at festivals. I think it has a great shot at becoming a feature film.”

MvNally’s fast paced career is definitely shifting into high gear, a success that’s rooted in emotional authenticity. “I find humanity fascinating so I’m into projects that reveal our complexities. I want us to reflect and learn about ourselves.”

The talented young actor relishes the moment, yet always looks to the future.

“In terms of acting, my goal is to work on independent films and Broadway plays that I find impacting and inspiring,” he said. “I also love writing and directing, and want to create my own stories. I’ve written a few short films and have some feature scripts in the works. It’s more of a creative outlet for me right now, but I definitely plan on directing some of my scripts one day.”

This recently attained spot on the threshold of high-profile international success hasn’t changed the actor’s spiritual core: “I believe in staying humble and grounded,” McNally said. “So I like to keep my head up when my career is down, and down when it’s up.”

As this dramatic year of professional achievement makes clear, McNally has got what it takes. “I have the privilege of working with Chris on the upcoming Netflix series Altered Carbon,” co-star Antonio Marziale said. “He is incredibly giving in his work, always prepared and willing to try anything. Chris is a very special actor; very present, full of life and above all is extremely enthusiastic about the craft. He is one of a kind.”