Rising Star Troy Mundle On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Edward Sylvan

Work hard and always be prepared, even when you may not be getting auditions. You never know when an opportunity will present itself, and you NEED to be ready.

As a part of our series about creating a successful career in TV and Film, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Troy Mundle.

Troy Mundle is a bilingual actor known for his work on the 20th Century Studios’ Predator origin story Prey, Peacemaker, Riverdale and the acclaimed independent film, Exhibit Man. He will be seen in a leading role on October 29th on Lifetime’s new movie, An Amish Sin. In addition to Hulu’s new mini-series Washington Black and CBC’s new mini-series Bones of Crows, all highly anticipated projects.

He is the creator of the award-winning series Single and Dating in Vancouver, which he wrote, directed and acted in. The series received several nominations at the ISA Awards in Los Angeles, as well as won “Best Director”, “Best Comedy”, “Best Male Lead” and “Best Overall” at the Austin Web Fest and even took him to Marseille, France to the International Marseille Web Fest.

Troy also co-produced and played the lead role in Mike Bartlett’s award-winning play COCK, in the world’s first-ever post-COVID live-streamed and live-performed theatre production. Other notable stage productions including Vancouver’s hit immersive theatre experience, Deep into Darkness, in addition to BE Color Productions’ rendition of John Patrick Shanley’s The Dreamer Examines His Pillow.

Troy has a deep desire to connect and share the human experience through telling meaningful stories. He hopes to move and inspire others with truthful, authentic performances. Aside from acting, he enjoys playing the electric guitar and ice hockey.

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

I grew up in a small village on the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec. We were a handful of bilingual families in a predominantly Francophone community. We did speak English at home and with friends, however, my formal schooling was in the Quebec French school system until grade 7. Hockey was very big in our community and in our family. My Grandfather was an exceptional player. Having played for the Canadian military team during his time in Britain during WWII even rumored to have attended a camp for the New York Rangers after the war. Our father played in Ontario in various leagues which meant that my younger brother and I were immediately placed into hockey skates soon after birth.

I played competitive hockey until I left for university. After that, studies became the focus until I moved to Toronto to pursue a career in film.

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

Going back to hockey, as it was such a central point growing up in our family and the community. Thinking of or even pursuing an acting career was something that no one thought or talked about. It didn’t even seem like a tangible, remote possibility. Growing up, we did, though, perform skits in variety shows. My uncle would bring home the school Sony Handi Cam on long weekends and my cousins and us would devise skits and film them. Progressively becoming more elaborate and ambitious.

It wasn’t until after I had graduated from University and was sitting home alone one night, having no sense of purpose or ambition that I found myself doing what I had always done, imitating the actors in the movies I watched. That’s when I thought, maybe this is what I should do.

Not long after that, I bought a one-way train ticket, packed a backpack and started the 16hr train voyage to Toronto. My cousin JoAnne had moved to Toronto a couple of years prior and was performing in theatre. She graciously let me crash on her floor and gave me the advice that, “acting may not be right for you. Why don’t you try background work and spend a day on set to see if you like it or not?”

Taking that advice, I signed up with a background agent and soon got booked to do BG on an indie feature. That being the very first day on set, I was completely lost, had no idea what was going on or who any of the crew were or what anything meant. Even in all of my naiveté, I was picked from the group to be the main bad guy’s sidekick for this particular scene. In the scene, which takes place under an overpass, a sports car comes roaring in, we surround it, the villain hops onto the hood of the car and I pass him a golf club and he smashes the windshield. The actor gets out of the car and flees. That was it, but after working on set I was so exhilarated. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. The actor who got out of the car happened to be Sandra Oh. The film was called “Last Night” by Don McKellar.

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

One thing that does stand out, was booking an RBC Olympic Hockey commercial. It was in commemoration of the Olympics in the early 1920s. We were fitted with authentic old hockey gear and spent several days practicing in Richmond Ontario prior to the shoot with the, at the time, Canadian Men’s junior hockey coach. It was a challenge to get used to the skates, which had virtually no ankle support and sticks with perfectly flat blades. Another thing that was quite wild was that because plexiglass didn’t exist back then the end boards had chicken wire to keep the puck from going over them.

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

I currently have a short film that has been submitted to the film festival circuit. The film focuses on Robert Coderre, an Afghan War Veteran, who became addicted to pain medication after being injured in combat. After returning home, many contributing factors have led to further substance abuse and his life starts to unravel. Robert has lost his family and found himself living on the streets and addicted to drugs.

I will also be appearing in a new movie, “An Amish Sin”, which premieres on Oct 29th at 8 pm on Lifetime in addition to “Washington Black” coming soon to Hulu and “Bones of Crows” on CBC in early 2023.

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?

I think it depends on ‘why’ you want to pursue this career. As the cliché goes, I didn’t choose acting, it chose me. I’m all in. I enjoy every aspect of the industry, love creating art, being part of the community and telling meaningful stories. To be honest, I don’t even think of failure. I am just enjoying the journey. As long as I can pay rent, bills, buy groceries and have an artistic outlet, I’m a happy camper. I think if you get into the industry for the wrong reasons, the rejection and possibility of failure can affect the way you look at the industry.

One piece of great advice I picked up in Bryan Cranston’s book. He said it was a game changer for him as it was for me.

“Focus on process rather than outcome”

- Bryan Cranston

As with Bryan Cranston, it totally changed the way I approached auditions and I fell back in love with the process that once made me very anxious.

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?

Having diversity and representation in film and TV is so important. When we watch films or TV shows we hope to see and recognize ourselves, hear stories that we can relate to and represent our life experiences. To connect to, and be inspired, by the diverse actors who portray those roles. If you can see someone who looks like you, who is going through similar experiences as you, and you can see them overcome these obstacles to persevere and succeed, then it can inspire you to do this in your personal life.

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. Get in a good class and stay in class.

2. Enjoy the journey — you are where you should be.

3. Focus on the process rather than the outcome.

4. You can never be ‘overprepared’.

5. Work hard and always be prepared, even when you may not be getting auditions. You never know when an opportunity will present itself, and you NEED to be ready.

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

Find things that nourish the soul. Whether that be walks in nature, playing sports, or having lunch with a friend. I’m, admittedly, a workaholic. I can go for weeks and weeks on end without days off. But when the urge hits, I love to go for a nice hike in nature, play some old-school Metallica on guitar, or hit the gym. Find out what makes you happy, and make sure to keep that in your life.

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?

I have had the opportunity to have studied with some great teachers who have had a very positive influence on my growth such as Kevin McCormick, John River, Bruce Clayten, Nancy Sivak, Larry Moss, Patsy Rodenburg and now studying with Michael Monks. The biggest influence would come later in my career when I started studying at Haven Studio with Ben Immanuel.

Ben has studied with many of the great teachers himself and brings a very well-rounded and thorough approach to his teaching style. In addition, Ben also takes a vested interest in all his students and has created a safe, inclusive environment with a tremendous sense of community at his studio. During class and between scenes, he often shares stories or brings in inspirational quotes from successful actors to help inspire his students. One night, he played a portion of a podcast where the late great Ray Liotta talked about always returning to class between projects. Hearing that inspired me, I immediately made the decision that I was either going to be on set or in class. No exceptions. I was working four jobs just to pay bills and afford my classes, but I was driven and inspired, and looked very forward to my Sunday nights at Haven. I then wanted more. I asked Ben if I could audit all of his classes. He of course said yes. I was now attending three classes a week, working in one and auditing two. I was at the studio so much that he offered me a job. I was so excited at the possibility. I became the studio coordinator and would come in early to set up the studio, audit and take in the classes, then clean up and close up the studio afterwards. It was perfect for me. My learning accelerated and I felt a sense of belonging that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I have studied with Ben every session since early 2018. His teaching and guidance have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today.

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

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

— Albert Schweitzer

Need I say more.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

It’s always so hard to narrow it down to just one person, with so many talented individuals out there that I admire and would love to have breakfast and converse with. I could do so every day for weeks and not even put a dent in the list.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram: @troymundle

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