We recently sat down and spoke with the charming, talented and handsome Kieran Biggs, who is becoming quite a sort after name in the world of acting. He was more than happy to share with us some of his personal experiences and inspirations growing up, as well as his plans for the future. Here is what he had to say:
Please introduce yourself to the readers and how and when did you first get into performing?
Hi! Kieran Biggs here! To be honest, I can’t pinpoint exactly when I decided to become an actor. It was a very organic thing for me. I’ve always performed one way or another, even from early childhood. I guess the moment I decided to take it on as a professional career came when I was applying for University. The competition for high level drama programs is extremely high, academically and otherwise. I suppose at around eighteen I realized “If you want this, now is the time to work for it!”
What inspired you to get into this industry?
Easy! I can sum this one up with one of my favorite quotes from Junot Diaz. He says: “If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves”. I think this is such a profound quote and so appropriate for any performer. As actors we want to be mirrors. We want to provide the audience with a reflection of themselves, a reference point for their own personal stories and struggles. To me, it’s one of the most important things one human being can do for another. To provide a reflection.That’s what I try to do.
What kind of training have you had, if any?
I’ve been training all my life and I’m still training! I don’t think we should ever stop learning. I studied from childhood at the Betty Ann Norton Theatre School in Ireland. From there, I went on to study drama for young adults at the Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin. Once I reached 3rd level I was accepted into the University of Dublin to study acting and from there, received a scholarship to continue studying at the University of California, Irvine. I stayed in the US to complete my degree and I still take classes. I can always add to my toolkit…My bag of tricks! Even in LA, I still do theatre, I think it’s so important. No, it may not pay much in Los Angeles but it’s where you keep your craft alive. The theatre is where I keep my fires burning and it will ALWAYS make you better for film and TV roles. I’ll never leave it.
What has been your favorite role to play so far?
One of my first roles in the US, ‘The Wrestler’ in ‘Confessions’ was pretty wild. It was a very provocative role and explored a lot of taboos. Those are the types of roles I naturally gravitate towards, whenever I get the chance!
What would you say has been one of the biggest achievements of your career so far?
Well, commercially speaking, it was probably working on ‘Billy The Kid’. It was a huge production and I got to star alongside Kevin Costner who is one of the biggest names I’ve ever worked with. I remember showing up on set to another project about a week after we had wrapped and hearing these other actors randomly bring up the movie. Then it sort of hit me…”Holy Crap!…..I was in that!”. It’s a strange sort of feeling.
What projects do you have coming up?
The latest one I have in the pipeline is called ‘All Things Fade’, which I’m pretty excited about. In it, my character is HIV positive and it explores how that affects dating and relationships in 2016 and so much has changed since the eighties. Important stuff!
Who would you most like to work with?
Right now I’m completely fanboying over Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender. I think they’re both incredible.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to keep making movies, doing theatre, making art and taking care of my dogs!! The simplest things make me happy, really. At some point I would like to move into directing, but I’ve got a lot of shadowing to do first!
What is your advice to aspiring performers?
I would give them the same advice I wish somebody had given me when I was younger. That is, don’t rely on anyone else to give you your truth! You have all the answers yourself. This is so important. As performers, we have the internet nowadays. This is a massive change for both the industry and for our own artistic empowerment. We don’t have to rely on multi-billion dollar studios to get our voices out there anymore. Just keep learning, keep creating and NEVER EVER let anyone else tell you who you are! You’re gonna be just fine!
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