Rising Star Actor Neil Whitely On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Edward Sylvan

Understanding your brand or your type is a huge part of having success as an actor. We all come into acting believing that because we are talented we can play almost anything. The reality is we all have a certain “type” that resonates with audiences and makes us more believable. Part of our job as actors is to find what that type is and find the roles that allow us to give the most truthful performance.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Neil Whitely.

Neil Whitely is an actor currently based in Toronto, Canada. Neil discovered his love for performing at the young age of seven but kept it a secret his whole life until his daughter Nicki got into the show business. Being with her on set made him realize he still had the desire to act and inspired him to pursue acting as a career in his mid-40s.

Neil’s first big break came when he was cast in the feature film RED (DC COMICS) where he appeared alongside major Hollywood hitters including Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Hellen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Since then, he has amassed a significant body of work including Lost Girl, Breakout Kings, Nikita, Sex/Life, Nightmare Alley, Hemlock Grove, Utopia Falls and Home for Harvest. Most recently, Neil appeared in the new feature film A Sisterly Christmas which aired on the OWN Network.

Currently, he can be seen recurring in the second season of the hit television drama series When Hope Calls airing on GAC Family.

Outside of acting, Neil enjoys spending time with his family and is a huge hockey fan. He also owns a company that supplies organic agricultural products to help farmers in developing countries increase crop production naturally without expensive chemicals. Neil supports causes close to his heart including the Toronto Humane Society and Greenpeace.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thanks for having me. I was born in Sheffield, England and I am of Jamaican descent. I am an only child. We came to Canada when I was six years old and settled in Toronto’s east end. Even though I was usually the only Black kid at school or in my neighbourhood, I assimilated fairly well, playing hockey and hanging out with friends. I was a good student too. Overall my childhood was pretty fun.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

Well, I knew I wanted to be an actor from the time I was around seven years old, but I always kept that desire to myself. I never even shared it with my parents, thinking they would never understand. I started a career in the fashion industry in my early twenties and thought my acting aspirations were far in the rearview mirror. Then, one day my daughter Nicki (who was nine at the time) came up to me and said, “Daddy, I want to be an actor”. We enrolled her in acting classes and let her join a local theatre group. When she seemed ready we found her an agent and her career began. Spending time with her on set when she was working made me realize, all these years later, that I still had the desire to act myself. So, after a period of training, I embarked upon this new path and became an actor at the age of 46.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There are so many It’s hard to pick just one. One of the first feature film roles was in a movie called Red. On my first day on set, I found myself working with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Richard Dreyfuss. All on the same day! These are all actors whose work I had admired for years as a fan and here I was suddenly on the same call sheet as all of them. It was a day I will never forget.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of my earliest auditions was for a movie that was produced by popular comedian Tom Green who I had been a fan of for years. So I was pretty excited. What I didn’t know was that Tom himself would be in the audition room when I walked in. Upon seeing him I got so nervous that I forgot all my lines and my audition was a complete disaster! That day taught me to be prepared for anything at any time in this business. Needless to say I didn’t get the part.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I have two exciting projects that both premiered this month. One is A Sisterly Christmas which is my first movie for the OWN Network so I’m really pumped about that. The other thing I’m really excited about is that I have joined the cast of the popular series When Hope Calls for Season Two. I play Harley West, a wealthy rancher and the show is set in the Old West in the year 1919. Folks in the US can see it on GAC Family.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Make sure you understand the real reason you want to enter into this business. It should be for the love of the craft and of telling stories. Not for wealth and fame. The truth is the vast majority of us are not household names but are just working men and women with a really cool job. Take care of your body. Take care of your mind. Take care of your money.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

-I feel this a great time to be a diverse actor. More than ever, writers and producers are making an effort to reflect society as it actually is. We need to remember that true diversity is not just about race. It should also include genders, body types, ages. All of it is beautiful and should be reflected on screen. Young people should be able to watch a movie or TV program and be reminded that there is a place for them in society no whatever who they are or how they define themselves.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a

story or example for each.

-A big part of this business is developing the ability to overcome rejection. This is a job where you hear the word no much more often than you hear yes. You have to realize that is not personal and keep going until the right role comes along.

-Understanding your brand or your type is a huge part of having success as an actor. We all come into acting believing that because we are talented we can play almost anything. The reality is we all have a certain “type” that resonates with audiences and makes us more believable. Part of our job as actors is to find what that type is and find the roles that allow us to give the most truthful performance.

-Being a person of color would turn out to be an advantage. There are so many more opportunities now for BIPOC actors due to the increased recognition of the importance of representation on screen. I feel very fortunate to be part of this industry at this point in history.

-I would become a mentor to younger actors. When I was in University my plan at the time was to become a teacher. Obviously, that was not in the cards for me. However, I now find myself mentoring a lot of younger actors and helping them navigate this industry which gives me a lot of satisfaction. Sometimes life does come full circle.

-That being an actor would bring your emotions to the surface not only on camera but in real life as well.

-As an actor, you are constantly being asked to access your emotions. I find this bleeds into my personal life as well and I have become a much more emotional person. This can be good and bad, but mostly good!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Branding is a word we hear a lot these days. I feel that term also applies to our business. An actor should understand where they fit in the landscape in terms of the type of roles they are most suited to play. Their “brand”. This involves digging deep and understanding yourself as a person and how you can best reflect that in the characters you play. Once an actor embraces this concept and puts it forward they become easier to cast. This takes the randomness out of your career as the roles will eventually find you.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Yeah. For me, it’s two people, my parents. They left Canada in their sixties to return home to Jamaica. Rather than retire they went into business and opened a restaurant the business thrived and they went on to hire many of the local young people some of whom went on to successful careers in the hospitality business. Their business became a staple in the community, and they ran it successfully until they eventually retired in their eighties. All of this from a business they started in their sixties! This was a lesson to me that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. I found it very inspiring, and it definitely helps me in my pursuit of success in this business.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Strangely enough one of my favorite quotes came from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. During an interview, he said that when he was on the ice, the reason he was always able to find his teammates with brilliant passes was that even though the opposing players were trying to block him he said he “Never saw the obstacles, only saw the target”. That struck me as a great metaphor for life. We are often faced with obstacles on our path to our goals, but if we keep our eyes on the target and make that our focus, we can be successful. I’ve passed that quote along many times since.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Wow, there are so many but I have to pick just one. In that case, I would have to say Barack Obama. The fact that he was the first African American President speaks for itself as an amazing accomplishment so he would obviously have a unique perspective on that job. But I’m particularly fascinated by how smoothly he has transitioned to life after politics. He seems to have really embraced civilian life and is truly enjoying his new role as a private citizen. I love how comfortable he is in his own skin.

How can our readers follow you online?

My website is www.neilwhitely.com. I’m also on Instagram @neilwhitely. And of course on IMDb.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

Thanks very much. That was fun!