Rising Star Tait Blum On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

Don’t forget what you love about what you do and it won’t feel like work.

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

Emerging actor Tait Blum (Apple TV’s “For All Mankind”) has kicked off the New Year starring alongside Kevin James and Taylor Lautner in the Netflix film HOME TEAM, produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison and Kevin James’ Hey Eddie.

Loosely inspired by a true story, Blum plays Connor Payton, the son of NFL coach Sean Payton (played by James) who famously coached his son’s amateur youth football team during his Roger Goodell-mandated suspension from the Saints. As the story goes, Payton enlisted the help of some former NFL coaches like Bill Parcels and Jon Gruden to help devise a plan for his son’s team.

Last year Blum starred in WISH UPON A UNICORN (Universal) and is known for his television recurring guest roles as ‘Young Bob Lee Swagger’ (Ryan Phillippe) in the hit series “Shooter” (USA), ‘Shane Baldwin’ in the Apple original series “For All Mankind”, ‘Jackson’ in Nickelodeon’s “Cousins For Life” and as ‘Logan Bane’ in the Netflix series “Team Kaylie” created by Emmy-winning producer Tracy Bitterolf. He also played young ‘Hank Hall’ / ‘Hawk’ (Alan Ritchson) in “Titans” for the DC Universe and guest-starred in Robert Zemeckis’ “Medal of Honor” for Netflix.

Aside from acting, Tait is an accomplished go-kart racer, setting numerous indoor track records, winning his first race by the age 8, at Simraceway in Sonoma, California. He has placed among the top racers in the world. Tait is also a competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, training with Andre Galvao and Josh Hinger at Atos in San Diego, and with the Mendes Brothers at Art of Jiu-Jitsu in Costa Mesa. He won his first Jiu-Jitsu tournament at age 10 and again at the Sport Jiu-Jitsu Kids’ Worlds (No-Gi).

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Absolutely! My parents were somewhat like gypsies prior to me being born in Williamsburg, Virginia and it must have been true because I only took in a years worth of that Colonial experience before we moved to a cowboy town in Colorado, then to the Napa Valley in Northern California where my parents grew up. We lived there for about 7.5 years, before moving to Scottsdale, Arizona and then back to Southern California! So, we’ve moved around a lot, but I’ve been blessed to have a very loving, close-knit family.

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

I think I had a pretty spontaneous desire to try out acting. There was nothing specific that provoked me per se, it was really like and “epiphany” that acting was what I was going to go do. I asked my parents if I could become an actor and, after looking at me like I had lost my marbles, they shrugged and dug up some lessons for me in Los Angeles. My younger brother and I attended an acting studio in Los Angeles and we both immediately fell in love with acting. It’s been about 5 years in the industry now and my random kid idea has turned into a passion.

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

In 2018, my little brother, Teddy, booked the role of “Shane Baldwin” in the Apple TV+ original series “For All Mankind”. About a month or two later, I was recommended to producers of the show by Shantel VanSanten, who I had met on the set of the USA Network series “Shooter”. I was asked to come in and audition for the part of an older Shane. I ended up booking the role!

So my little brother and I play the same character (several years apart) in For All Mankind!

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 most embarrassing moments was a few years ago when I was 12. I had a callback with an intensely creative director for a big movie. We were about halfway through the audition, and I was feeling REALLY good about my performance when the director casually asked me which musical artist’s would I be embarrassed to sing in front of my friends. Immediately, I chose Taylor Swift…and naturally, he then asked me to sing and dance like Taylor Swift before starting my scene…which had nothing to do with Taylor Swift. Again, for the record, I had absolutely ZERO singing or dancing experience prior to the audition. A strong sense of self-consciousness flooded in, making me feel like my feet was stuck in concrete and my face was on fire… I awkwardly mumbled and repeated the few lyrics I knew from “Shake It Off”. It was pretty quiet after that, and I don’t remember him saying very much except maybe, “okay…that’s…fine…”. Needless to say, the role was changed but I realized after the fact that the director honestly didn’t care if I could sing or dance, he just cared that I tried my best.

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

COVID has put a little bit of a strain on the industry, so for now I’m continuing to just audition and wait…and learn some Taylor Swift songs (;-)

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

Be PREPARED. If you talk to enough actors you will hear that many have had nightmares where they have forgotten lines in front of important people. I remember having a series of stressful auditions lined up, one after another, and remember one in particular (not a dream), where I COMPLETELY blanked on my lines, rambling nonsense and slaughtering the character. There was an awkward silence hanging in the air as I ushered myself out…and I’ve tried to avoid that feeling ever since.

Don’t try to IMPRESS, just be yourself. Once, while I was in the middle of an intimidating call-back, stressing about doing everything “right”, and being the “perfect” actor, I was told by a major director to “stop performing for” him. It was eye-opening feedback, and I took his words to mean that to be an effective actor, you need to be REAL. Try to not force a character, but allow things to develop more organically. These directors have seen it all, and know when something feels genuine, and when it feels like you’re trying too hard.

You can give INPUT. When I was starting out in this industry, I would memorize lines and perform the characters exactly as the writers described, and would do only as the directors advised, but would never think outside of the box at all. I was nervous to trust any of my own instincts. Now I’m beginning to realize that the character is also what the actor envisions. It’s a coordinated effort between the actor and the director, but as the character, if you feel strongly about something, you should offer suggestions and give your own input. You have the right to create.

ENJOY the process. I have always put a ton of pressure on myself, and I don’t think that will ever change. There are moments when I relax a little, but I’m ALWAYS in my head, so it’s hard to find those moments. I’m trying to learn (a little more every day), to enjoy the process of acting in its entirety. Over-thinking and over-stressing can lead to dull, stiff, lifeless characters and burnout.

Don’t forget what you love about what you do and it won’t feel like work.

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

I believe that a large reason actor “burn out”, is because they don’t know how to accept rejection. I would remind my colleagues, or anyone for that matter, that rejection is unavoidable and you should never take it personally. I have been rejected for countless roles and been on dry streaks where, after a multitude of auditions, I did not receive a single callback. It really is the worst feeling and can cause anxiety, depression, doubt, and disbelief in your abilities when it rarely has anything to do with you. In fact, most of the time, the difference between winning and losing a role comes down to a small creative choice based on a certain look or sound or feeling the producers have already envisioned. No one can be all things to all people at all times. My advice to anyone in these situations is to not allow rejection to affect your morale, confidence or perseverance. Try to learn from your losses and any creative feedback you’ve been given. Adapt and apply those lessons to every opportunity, realizing that even if you’re not winning a role, you’re still learning, growing and becoming a stronger person.

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 Dad has been one of my biggest supporters since day one. He is continually pushing me to be the best that I can be in whatever I do. From go-karting to Jiu Jitsu to acting, he has pushed me beyond my comfort zones and never let me quit — even when I wanted to. I would not be where I am at the moment without my Dad.

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

“Cream rises to the top” is an old saying from my grandparents' generation that I’ve been reminded of quite a bit. When milk is churned, eventually a layer of cream floats up to the top and is skimmed off as the best part. I think this is a good analogy for how hard work creates something of value. When I’ve been discouraged, going through countless, dead-end auditions, it’s encouraging to believe that eventually, with enough hard work, my efforts can help me “rise” and reach higher goals.

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. :-)

Hmm, probably Aaron Sorkin. I love a lot of things about the way he writes his scripts, his dialogue is incredibly quick, witty and very interesting. Having breakfast or lunch with him and being able to ask him about his process would be a dream come true.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can follow my Instagram @taitblum

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