Rising Star Peter Bundic On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Elana Cohen
A good balance is always important with everything I always try to remember. Sometimes when you’re working really hard, it’s okay to take some time to yourself and recharge. We all need to do it.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Peter Bundic.
Peter Bundic is a Vancouver based actor, writer, filmmaker and TV host best known for his role as Carl Tapper on Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina opposite Kiernan Shipka. His newest role is Fibs in TUBI’s original thriller Trap House. Next up he will play his first leading role in a film to be announced very soon.
His additional work in television includes Disney’s Mech-X4 Season 2, roles in The Hollow on Netflix, the The Trials of Superman episode of Secret History of Comics and an episode of Eureka. He appeared in the sci-fi fantasy feature film Spontaneous and past film appearances include a role in the blockbuster feature Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In addition, Peter has booked national commercial spots for Hot Pockets, NASCAR, Nissan, Crayola, Hot Wheels, Kellogg’s, and United Way.
The Young Entertainer Awards named Peter ‘Best Actor’ in 2016 for his role in the short film Pirates. Two of his other short films, Bocce Boys and Escape Sonata, were co-written by Peter, who also performed and assisted with sound and camera on both.
An all around athlete as well, he has played on several football teams, including the Vancouver College Varsity Football Team and the Canadian All Star Football Team. Peter traveled with his team to play in Miami and contributed to an exciting win for the Canadian All Star Team! He has also traveled to Las Vegas to play for Team BC. In addition, he has been a member of a Gold soccer team. In his free time, Peter enjoys swimming, skateboarding, and dirt biking.
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! Yeah, I grew up in Vancouver. I’ve always loved being active as a kid playing soccer, football, track etc… and making short films with friends before breaking into the professional film scene about 15 years ago.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I took my first acting class when I was about seven or eight years old and ended up meeting my agents Lissa Lloyd and Tom Gusway very quickly. We hit it off and have been working together ever since!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One really fun story was making a short film with a good friend of mine, Montgomery Blencowe, who is a film producer. This was his first short film and our first time working together and we had a blast making the project. It’s called A Million More, can now be found on Prime video for rent or purchase. We had the intention of just having fun with it, and it ended up going to LA international Film Festival which was just such a nice series of events.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. 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?
The funniest experience for me was in my very first acting class as a child. I was mock auditioning for a cereal commercial and I just completely misread cereal and kept saying something like “kirial”. Thankfully everyone was kind and understood I made a mistake but I was pretty embarrassed that I’d said cereal wrong for five minutes straight haha.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Trap House, just released on Tubi where I’m playing Fibs, Co-starring with Jaime Callica in a fun horror slasher film. As well as another movie in post production coming out this summer where I’m playing my first number 1 on the callsheet which is incredibly exciting for me. That one I can’t speak too much on yet but if you follow me on instagram I’ll be posting some cool BTS stills when im allowed!
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?
Keep following your passions no matter what they are in life. There will always be some risk but I truly believe if it’s something you love to stick with it, even in some discouraging times. Because every little “failure” is also just getting another step closer to finding your success.
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?
Diversity is super important in film because it’s necessary to be able to truthfully capture a story that someone is trying to tell. I especially love watching films from other countries with subtitles and seeing the creative genius in people from all over the world. Film is a universal language and I’m happy to see so many people across the globe share a love for film just the way I do.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
I honestly couldn’t give specifics as everyone’s journey is so unique. But I’m a firm believer in learning from your mistakes and I’ve learned to love all the mistakes I’ve made. That’s allowed me to progress on my journey and it’s the outlook I would suggest to anyone starting. Just go for it :)
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
A good balance is always important with everything I always try to remember. Sometimes when you’re working really hard, it’s okay to take some time to yourself and recharge. We all need to do it.
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. :-)
I’ve always been a big supporter of mental health and always encourage anyone struggling to reach out to someone to talk. It can feel difficult to do so but I want to always remind people it’s okay to seek help and there are lots of people who love and care about 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?
My mom is my superstar. From driving me to acting classes and auditions and running lines with me, she has always been the most supportive and nothing can replace what that’s done for me over the years. Love you mom!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“When one door closes, another one opens.” Sometimes you get down on the “what if’s” or “could have been” and it’s important to remember there are always new opportunities ahead of you.
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. :-)
Ryan Reynolds, my fellow Canadian, is definitely the guy I’d love to get lunch with. Apparently, we had the same woodshop teacher growing up in Vancouver. Don’t know if it’s true but I’d love to find out.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can follow me on instagram and facebook @peterbundic
Thanks for tuning in!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
