Rising Star Huntington Daly On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

Stay true to yourself. It is important to know your type for casting purposes, but at the same time, you have to be yourself. I had an acting coach years ago who really tried to change who I was as a person. Sometimes in this business, people can only see you as a character. The best thing I did was change to a different coach who completely understood me as a person and actor.

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

Huntington Daly is an actor most known for his role of Stephen on the EMMY nominated show, Only Children, as well as the role of Luke in the Lifetime original, Tracking a Killer. He was raised in Winston-Salem, NC and is one of five children having two brothers and two sisters. He grew up playing and loving sports and attributes much of his character, competitiveness, and determination to them.

He attended RJ Reynolds High School before moving on to study acting at The University of Tennessee where he was also a Lacrosse player. Playing the role of Hal Carter in the play “Picnic” let him know acting was his future. He graduated with a degree in Theatre and Communications as well as being nominated for the Universities Leadership and Service Award.

Daly has acted in theatre productions, commercials, feature films, and televisions shows. He studies at the famous Groundlings Theatre and Stan Kirsch Studios. Huntington is a firm believer that an actor should always be in class, working to improve their craft.

Huntington and his wife share a passion for the arts, as she is an award-winning photographer. They have a two-and-a-half-year-old son, a new baby daughter, and a rescue shepherd named, Zoe.

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

Of course, and thank you so much for having me! I grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I’m one of five kids, being the fourth. I always like to mention this because my two brothers and two sisters have had such a positive impact on my life. We’re all extremely close and as kids, we pushed each other to be better. Having the three older siblings helped me develop some thick skin, which has been very helpful in this business where you get told “No” a lot. I can’t answer this question without giving a ton of credit to my parents. They did an unbelievable job raising the five of us and putting up with all of the headaches we must have caused. They are my biggest fans and never once discouraged me from chasing a dream.

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

I actually have a pretty good story for this question. I was an athlete growing up, so mostly all of my extracurriculars were sports-related. For this reason, I never did theatre in high school. When I arrived at the University of Tennessee my freshman year, my advisor told me that I needed to take an art class to complete a credit I was missing from high school. I wasn’t much of a drawer or painter, so Theatre 100 seemed like the most logical choice. I absolutely loved the class and at the end of the semester, my teacher, Tracy Copeland Halter, said, “You know Huntington, I think you should consider really giving this a shot.” The rest is history.

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

I’m choosing this story in hopes to help some other actors who are just starting out. After college, I acted on small projects to build my resume and reel. After finally signing with an agent and running the audition gauntlet, I finally landed my first network television series! This was back in 2013. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was. I told everyone, “7 pm eastern, you have to watch!” I remember this next part like it was yesterday… I was in LA for a couple of meetings, so I was three hours behind most of my friends and family on the east coast. I was sitting in my rental car talking to my mom as she gave me the play-by-play of what was happening in the show. I told her, “My part is coming up, let me know when you see me!” My one-line, co-star moment was about to arrive. But then it didn’t… The show cut to a commercial earlier than it was written in the script and my line had been cut. I was absolutely deflated. The only thing saving me from looking like a complete fraud to all of my friends and family is that my character did make an appearance walking in the room with the leads. To any actors just starting out, this happens, and it happens more than you would know. In this business, there are hundreds of reasons why you didn’t get the role, why another actor got the role, why your line was cut, why the scene didn’t work, etc… You just have to accept that a lot of it is out of your hands. Oh, and perhaps wait to tell people to watch once you know for sure that you made the final edit!

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?

There are honestly so many to pick from, but one for sure is an audition that I had for the FOX tv series, The Orville. It was an audition that had some challenging dialogue and despite hours of rehearsal, I still managed to mess it up. I probably did six takes and fumbled through the same line in the script until I (mostly) got it. The line was a tongue twister, but I felt like crap exiting the room despite the casting directors being exceptionally nice and patient. I called my manager, like I always did after in-person auditions, and told him not to expect a call on this one haha. Side note to all of the actors out there, always being honest with your agent and manager. They understand that not every audition goes your way and they will appreciate the honesty. A week later, I was talking to a fellow actor while we walked through the Warner Brothers lot after finishing a different audition. Coincidentally enough, he had auditioned for the exact same role in The Orville and said he fumbled the exact same line. He said he talked to another guy who did as well. That night, I received another audition for a different role in The Orville. I was so incredibly happy because I had convinced myself that I was forever blacklisted from that office. For that, I will forever be grateful to the casting directors, Sheila Jaffe and Gail Goldberg. The lesson I learned is that you’re never as bad as you think you were, and you also never know how everyone else did. Do not beat yourself up over a mistake, but rather just always give it your absolute best and live with the results. Casting directors have seen millions of auditions and most likely witnessed every mistake in the book. They understand that mistakes happen, but they still want to see how you respond to them. Be on time, be prepared, be professional, be kind, and leave it all in the room.

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

A Lifetime movie where I play one of the lead roles actually just aired, so that was really exciting! It’s called, Tracking A Killer, and was an amazing film to be a part of. I play the role of Luke, an attorney who represents a mother and a daughter who is the primary suspect in a murder case. We had such a fun cast and crew that it made filming the movie even more special. A big shoutout to the director, Richard Switzer, who really did a phenomenal job. Additionally, I just signed with new management, The ESI Network. We’re off to a great start and I’m very excited for what we’ll be able to accomplish! Honestly, the most exciting part right now is how work is coming back strong after being slowed down greatly due to Covid-19. There is nothing more exciting than the auditions rolling in!

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?

My first piece of advice is to take an acting class. Acting classes are fun! That way you find out if you truly like it, if you’re indeed a good actor, and you don’t have to worry about the idea of “failing”. Also, you will get your answer to one of human’s greatest fears… How much do you like public speaking? I always like to mention this because it is something that is overlooked by a lot of aspiring actors. We watch tv, we see the actors, and it all seems so natural. However, there is so much training that goes into making it look natural in a very unnatural environment. Having lines memorized, actions memorized, three cameras in your face, a hundred crew members watching, and the director or 1st AD yelling “Action” or “Cut” is a much different scene than what we see on tv. Nerves can be flying in these moments, so it is best to take a class first to see if it is something you can handle or learn to love.

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?

First, the world we live in is extremely diverse. This needs to be represented in the entertainment industry so that it gives an accurate depiction of reality.

Second, it can be a great avenue to educate people on different cultures or societies. I can speak from firsthand experience. I acted on a comedy series called, The FOB and I, directed by the extremely talented and even better person, Meenakshi Ramamurthy. The show is about two Indian cousins, one from India and one Americanized Indian. Despite being in only one episode, I learned a lot about Indian culture just by being on set. I learned even more after watching the show. The ironic part is that I actually played a character who was very ignorant and naïve to different cultures, a person none of us want to be like.

Third, since the beginning of time, the arts have always brought people together. All walks of life enjoy a beautiful painting, a perfect song, or a cinematic masterpiece. I believe the film industry can continue to be more inclusive so that we can bring more people together.

This can have a drastic positive impact on our culture. A culture where everyone belongs and everyone is represented. I’m excited for the day when we no longer have “firsts”. The day when everyone has already played the lead or achieved the major award.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Stay true to yourself. It is important to know your type for casting purposes, but at the same time, you have to be yourself. I had an acting coach years ago who really tried to change who I was as a person. Sometimes in this business, people can only see you as a character. The best thing I did was change to a different coach who completely understood me as a person and actor.

2. The sad reality of this business is that it is a pay-to-play career. I wish someone would have really pushed me to bite the bullet as early as possible. The quicker an actor can get all of their materials in order, the better they will be set up for success and taken seriously. Learn to be a business owner selling a very important product, yourself. You’re starting a company/brand and you need to invest in it. The earlier you join an acting class, obtain high-quality headshots, edit a reel, purchase subscriptions to Actors Access, Casting Networks, etc.… the better. In this digital age, agents, managers, and casting directors want to see your organized materials. It’s all marketing.

3. Not everyone is going to like your work and that’s ok. Every actor wants their work to be the best, but what makes us great is that we’re all different and can play certain roles better than others. I remember a showcase I did at the beginning of my career where one agent gave me poor scores whereas the agent who signed me gave me a perfect score.

4. Own the room! When I say this, I am referring to the audition room. It is very easy to get sucked into the “I am the scum of the industry, so I should have no opinion” mindset. Yes, there are thousands of actors for every one role that gets cast, so we can start to feel disposable. Treating every gatekeeper like royalty and apologizing for everything is not the way to go about it. Agents, managers, and casting directors are our allies! They want us to succeed. I don’t want to speak for casting directors, but I’m sure they absolutely love it when an actor comes in the room and nails the audition, it solves their problem! I feel like my career became more fun the moment I started viewing every non actor position as a colleague. Take pride in your work and take pride in being an actor.

5. Keep the colleagues who support you back and let go of the ones who don’t. There’s nothing better than a fellow actor who puts in the work, then lands an amazing role. Congratulate them, support them, and don’t be jealous. At the end of the day, we’re rarely competing against each other but rather the system.

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

“No, no, and no.” This is what we hear a lot, which makes it easy for one to burn out. Here’s a little piece of advice, you’re not auditioning for a job, auditioning is your job. I believe so many actors put so much pressure on themselves to land a job that they start to hate the audition process. If you can learn that it’s our job to audition and to bring interesting characters to the audition room, things start to become much easier. There will always be ups and downs, but that’s part of the process and what makes it so exciting when things are up! Every job and career comes with headaches, so just know that everyone else deals with their own struggles as well. Never stop dreaming and having a little bit of fun in this make-believe business, that’s probably the reason you gravitated to it in the first place.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

For all the good that comes from social media, it definitely has its negatives. I think many people are too critical of themselves because they compare their normal daily life to people’s highlight reels. I also think it is often used too much for self-promotion. I’ll be honest and admit that it’s something I struggle with. My job needs social media and it’s a tool we can use to market ourselves, but sometimes I worry about how it can come across as narcissistic. A way of saying, “Look at me, look at what I’ve done”. I think something we can all work on is posting about others’ accomplishments, perhaps once a week. I guarantee we will all feel better about ourselves, and you never know, you might just make someone’s day.

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?

Rusty Wiggs at Artists Resource Agency. He was the first agent to take a chance on me. After graduating college, I jumped into a local acting class and began trying to build my reel by acting on small projects, student films, etc… I started submitting to agencies in the Southeast, but I really wanted to be repped by Rusty since one of my acting classmates and good friend, Kevin Johnson (Sam Dermody in the show, Ozark), was repped by him and spoke so highly of him. Rusty, along with all of the other agencies, passed on me. However, I was persistent and kept sending him my new materials. Interestingly enough, I ended up sending a short film that I initially planned on not showing him. I guess it shows you never know what will resonate with people because shortly after sending it, I received an email back saying it was the piece he liked the best. I’ll never forget the words to the end of his email saying, “Let’s talk tomorrow, I’m interested.” We hit it off right away and I actually booked my first audition the day after I signed with him. Almost a decade later, he is still my Southeast agent.

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

This one is really tough because I feel like I live by quotes. I’m going to cheat and say two, but only because they more or less give the same message. I love Natalie Babbitt’s, “Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” It’s relevant to my life because I feel like it pushes me to take risks and also utilize my time to do the things I enjoy most. I don’t want to look back and regret that I didn’t do something that I should have or something that I would have truly enjoyed. The second is from arguably my favorite movie of all time, The Shawshank Redemption, and that is, “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

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. :-)

My answer may come as a surprise to the readers, but not to my friends and family. I would love to sit down and enjoy a meal with David Byrne. I am a massive fan of his and I’ll never forget the first time I saw, Stop Making Sense. I obviously love his music and the Talking Heads, but I really love the fact that Mr. Byrne has never been afraid to go against the grain. I find that very admirable and I like how he has never let music define him. If he has a vision, he goes after it regardless of how many years it takes. He has won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, and even most recently, a Tony Award. The list goes on and on. I would love to get to know him and how he keeps his imagination and curiosity in top form. A few others would include Peyton Manning (I’m a huge Volunteers fan), Michelle MacLaren (had the pleasure of briefly working with her on, Coyote), and Jared Keeso (I find him hilarious and honestly just think we would be good friends).

How can our readers follow you online?

Thank you so much for allowing me to share some of my stories with your readers, it’s been a lot of fun! They can follow me on most social media platforms @HuntingtonDaly and my IMDB page for my most up-to-date projects.

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