Philip Boyd (@philipkboyd) sits down to tell us the in's and out's of his experiences on the big screen, from writing to acting to directing.
PHOTO BY PETER RANDOLPH
How did you get into acting?
I always had a driving force to want to do something where I could be an inspiration for others, and to me, that inspiration came in the form of storytelling. I had played sports all my life, and when that wasn’t going to be a career for me, I decided to pack up and move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Being from Conyers, Ga., I never knew what was outside of that, and arriving in one of the largest cities in the States, I soon met a whole culture of people who were engaged in my pursuit of wanting to create and tell stories through the entertainment business. Little did I know back then that walking into an agent’s office and asking for representation wasn’t exactly how to go about doing that. Luckily for me, that agent called later that day and became my first Hollywood agent.
What is your favorite project that you have worked on?
I’d have to say that one of my favorite projects I got to be a part of was Tyler Perry’s The Haves and The Have Nots. I was living in Los Angeles at the time and it afforded me the chance to come back to Atlanta for periods of time, and on my off days, I was able to see my family and friends. It was the first time I got to be a real part of a show and formed some lifelong friendships that I’m so grateful for.
As an actor, writer and director, how do you manage to juggle all of the work that comes with each job?
I hope to one day do all three of those at the same time. I have acted for over 25 years and written some films and pilots that haven’t yet made it to production, but I think the key is to always be working on something because you never know who you’re going to meet and what someone is looking for. For acting, the preparation is almost already done for you; from the writing in the script and if you have a good director, the process of telling the story scene by scene becomes easier by knowing you have the director’s overview throughout the entirety of the film to lean on. I try to do different things and sometimes my ideas make it to the screen and sometimes not, but I’ll always try to find something interesting as to why is this the moment happening in order to bring the truth to it. Writing, on the other hand, is quite complex. My hat goes off to the writers who put so much effort into telling stories through screenplays. First, there’s the story, and then there’s the format that goes along with industry standards that keep a lot of great stories from being told, because if someone in charge reads a script that isn’t up to the standard, then rarely is it ever looked at again. I’m still trying to find ways to write something that I can get made.
Being a director comes with not one but all the responsibility that goes into making the film come out the way it was intended. You’re constantly racing against the clock, which is something I thrive on doing. I got to co-direct my first film in January, and I solo directed my first film in March.
What is your favorite part about working in the film industry?
My favorite part of working in the film industry is being able to collaborate with so many individuals that are way more creative than me. I have been able to meet some extraordinary people who have impacted the world on so many levels, and that in itself has given me more drive to want to inspire whomever I am fortunate enough to meet in this lifetime.
How do you prep yourself for each role? What is your process?
Prepping for a role usually begins with reading the script about 10 to 20 times and understanding the relationships within the story. By that time, the lines are fairly memorized and then the internal process happens where I begin to start feeling the connection to the characters and jotting down notes as to where my character should be emotionally throughout the process. With film it’s much different than doing a play in the fact that you might be shooting the last scene of the movie on the first day of filming, so it’s important to know where you’re at in the story at all times. Once filming begins, I’m one of those crazy people who usually wake up about two to three hours before my call time and do some exercises to loosen my body up and read over the material for the day. Once I step onto set, I don’t like to think about a thing, but rather live in the moments that we’re creating.
What is the main difference between the film and television process?
The main difference that I’ve found in the film and television process is that in television, you have a fairly regimented schedule, whereas in film, there’s usually some leeway as to how long you can take on setting up the scene and doing as many takes as you need to get the scene in the right place. Television, in my experience, is a more rapid-paced environment, and that’s why it’s important to be a professional when coming onto set, hitting your marks and saying your lines without having to do that many takes. Directors love it when an actor comes to set with ideas and they know how to show up and make the scene come alive with little or no direction.
“I have been able to m meet some extraordinary people who have impacted the world on so many levels, and that in itself has given me more drive to want to inspire whomever I am fortunate enough to meet in this lifetime.” –PHILIP BOYD
What has been your biggest accomplishment so far in your career?
I think the biggest accomplishment in my career so far has been the consistency in which I’ve been able to be hired for professional acting jobs. Like many actors in this business, I’m always searching for that next role and striving for that vehicle that propels the career into the next level. I think that since my drive is still there, that might be another accomplishment on its own.
Do you have any exciting new projects coming up?
I do! I do! I have quite a few projects that have been filmed already and are set to come out this year. A show called Shadrach is set to come out on March 23 on Sony’s Pure Flix streaming service. I’ll appear in the biopic Reagan starring Dennis Quaid as [Ronald] Reagan. A movie called The Single’s Guidebook was just released on Paramount+. I shot a movie in St. Lucia called From Paradise With Love that should be coming out sometime in April, and I just finished a movie called Learning to Love that will also be streaming on Pure Flix later this year as well. I recur on General Hospital as the character Tony DiMarco and just filmed a few episodes earlier this year. I’m excited to get to direct a movie in Miami called A Royal Engagement. It’ll be my first solo directing job and I couldn’t be happier that I get to work with a team of some really great people!
Who is the coolest person you have gotten to work with?
The coolest person I’ve gotten to work with is a tough one because I’ve gotten to work with a lot of people who I would consider to be insanely talented and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out. Ryan Gosling was pretty cool though.
Photography by: Peter Randolph
