Shane
From Vampire Diaries to Creepshow and more, we were honored to be able to have a distance chat with the amazingly multi-talented Sydney Wease.
The young Sydney has already made her mark in both film and TV starring in mega hit TV Series’ aswell as taking the initiative of adapting to all sectors of the big and small screen industry.
Photo credit: penguinuhh.photo
Shane: Hey Sydney, thank you so much for chatting to us at STG. From being raised in Arizona, living in Japan at one time to going on to the small screen (TV) and big screen (Film), how did it all happen?
Sydney: I am a military brat so I am very fortunate to have lived in so many beautiful places. As for my acting career, it goes way back. I think I was 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to be an actor. My parents kind of brushed it off because they didn’t think I was very serious about it, so I got into theatre. I performed a lot of shows for this kid’s theatre company and then went on to taking drama classes at my middle school. After one particular performance, my mom realized how much I wanted to be an actor, and we both did research into it. I got my first agent at 13. I was living in Utah at the time, and I did so many indie short films I couldn’t even name all of them. In my freshman year of highschool, my dad retired from the military and was given the option to move anywhere and the military would move us for free. My mom and I wanted to go to Los Angeles and my dad said “Hell No”. So we did research and realized Atlanta had a great film industry; so that’s where we moved. There couldn’t have been a better place for me to build my acting career. A little less than a year after arriving in Atlanta, I signed with an agent and booked my first co-star on The Vampire Diaries. That show was the start of my career and now I can call myself a working actor. I am so beyond grateful for everything in my life, and all of the people who have guided me through this journey.
Photo credit: KW photography
Shane: You have starred in a few major TV series; Vampire Diaries and AMC’s Creepshow. Throughout your career which has been your most favourite experience so far?
Sydney: Ahhh! This is a great question but it’s so hard to answer. I think all of the things that I have done have been so amazing in their own unique way. Overall, I think Creepshow has been my favorite project that I have worked on so far. It is a horror anthology series on Shudder, but it is airing on AMC starting May 4th. I have always wanted to work on something in the horror genre because scary movies are my absolute favorite and this was the perfect project for that. I remember when I booked it and went to the table read for it, Tom Savini showed all of us the studio. We got to walk around our set and see the making of Champy, but we also got to look at the other sets that had been used or were still being built. It was so amazing to see how many different sets could be made in one studio. For this episode, I also got a taste of what a series regular is like and that was the absolute best feeling in the world. Not to mention, everyone on that set was so humble and so wickedly talented. Getting to work with Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero was a dream come true. They are both such sweet souls and I loved talking to them about how they got to where they were. It was just so inspiring being around them. The story of my episode was based off of Joe Hill’s story “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” and the teleplay was written by Jason Ciaramella. Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella are both so amazing at what they do and I find them very inspirational as well. I just knew after this episode wrapped, that I wanted to be a series regular for the rest of my life. I always tell my parents and friends that I want to work like I did on Creepshow for another few months!
Sydney Wease – Creepshow Episode 6: By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain
Shane: You have also written, directed and filmed your own work aswell. How did you find the transition going from acting to doing almost the entire production?
Sydney: I’ve always wanted to do more with my career than just be an actor. Before I left for Atlanta I wanted to bring all of the people that I cared about into a film that we would all remember forever. So I actually cast all of the actors that were attending the same acting class as me in SLC, and we made a film together. It was very interesting since I wrote it, directed it, and produced at age 14, but it was a wonderful experience that I will never forget to this day. Being able to direct, produce, and write things have always been an interest of mine and I know that I want to do more of it in the future as well.
Shane: Currently with the pandemic and lockdowns everywhere, how are you fulfilling your time while keeping up with upcoming acting / production roles?
Sydney: This pandemic is something that I never would have thought would happen in my lifetime. It is such a strange time to be alive. However, I am grateful to be happy and healthy. I am surrounded by such lovely people who I love very much and that’s all I could ask for. As for the film industry, it is also unfortunately shut down. I have been keeping my creative energy through doing a lot of open calls. So many casting directors are giving actors a chance to get in front of them and I think that is so nice and helpful. I also have been attending Zoom classes and meetings with casting directors who are doing Q&A’s and that is also inspiring in it’s own way. It is wonderful seeing all of the industry folks being mindful of this quarantine, yet giving all of us creative individuals a chance to show our talent. I know after this quarantine, there is going to be a lot of amazing stories being told and I am so ready for it.
Photo credit: Anthony Paderewski
Shane: And finally, what advice would you give to others wanting to forge their own path in Film and TV?
Sydney: The advice that I would give to other creatives out there is to just go for it. You have this one life and you are the only person who can achieve your goals. You need to get out there into the world and you need to do what you feel is right for yourself. It is such a beautiful thing when someone can say that what they are doing is what they want to do for the rest of their lives. That their work, is something that they adore so much. You have to go for it, but don’t beat yourself up over it. Stay true to yourself and be happy please.
A huge thank you to the outstandingly talented Sydney Wease for taking the time to chat to us. You can check out all of Sydney’s past work at her official IMDB profile and follow her on Instagram.