My latest chat is with Dominic Burgess originally from the UK to living in Los Angeles as an actor who’s been in the business for over two decades. He’s living his dream as an actor and was in two of his favorite show series and currently in Palm Royale, which will premiere on March 20 on Apple+ TV. The show has a ton of powerhouses in the series, and I’ll add Dominic is one of them.
If you’re an actor and you want to pursue acting as a career, this interview is for you as well as anybody who is in the entertainment industry. Dominic has learned to turn failure into stepping stones. He understands challenges with a big move from the UK and moved to Cali to pursue what sets his soul on fire: acting. Besides sharing the challenges of his move, he also shares the joys and challenges of acting.
Learn more about Dominic and which show or shows was a dream come true for him to act in. He also been in so many prime time shows…over 30.
Introducing Dominic…
What do you love about your life right now?
Well, I know that I’m very fortunate. I love my job; acting is all I’ve ever really wanted to do, and so to be able to sustain a career and pay my bills doing what I love? That’s great. I have a wonderful fiancé, an amazing brood of cats, fantastic friends. I love living in Los Angeles, my little neighborhood is very walkable. There’s so much to be grateful for.
When I was just starting out in this career, it was a completely different story, I’ve had all kinds of ‘day jobs’ to get by, terrible living situations, VISAS nightmares… So now I’m very appreciative of what I have and all I’ve worked for.
You have appeared in over 30 prime time shows on the small screen in many roles from Mr Vup in Star Trek: Picard and Zoltan Grundy in Disney’s A.N.T. Farm, among others. From what I’ve read, that the role on Star Trek: Picard was a dream come true for you. Your first role on television was on Doctor Who as Agorax in 2005. You’ve been in the entertainment biz for quite a while. Do you have a favorite role or more than one?
Yes! Star Trek: Picard was a dream come true, for sure. I’ve always been a Star Trek fan, and so just to be a small part of that universe, I pinch myself every day. And it was such a wholesome positive experience, from casting (with Liz Dean and Julie Knapp), through wardrobe and prosthetics, being on set with Patrick Stewart and Jeri Ryan, and getting to be directed by Jonathan Frakes… just divine, every step of the way. It’s a career highlight for sure.
A.N.T. FARM too! Joyous! In fact, A.N.T. FARM was the role that meant I could leave my day job. So that holds and will always hold a very special place in my heart.
And yes, so too with Doctor Who, I’d been a fan growing up, so when I heard it was coming back I wrote a little letter to Andy Pryor, the casting director, who let me come in and read. What a treat to have that as my first television role.
Again, I’m so fortunate to have worked on so many incredible projects. So many of them have had lovely ripple effects moving forward or have just been a rich, rewarding experience. The Magicians, The Good Place, Dr. Death, Sunny In Philadelphia, Palm Royale, Feud: Bette and Jean, Our Flag Means Death. It’s a pretty extensive list. Generally, I can take something positive away from any role, whether it’s the character itself or people I meet on set; cast and crew. It’s the people that make the job!
Was there a particular actor or film that inspired you to become an actor?
I’m not sure if there’s one in particular? I’ve always loved television and film as an artistic medium. I was raised on Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, Twin Peaks, X Files, a lot of fun genre programming that most definitely played a part in me wanting to come and live and work in the USA.
And every so often, I’ll see something formative on the big screen that re-affirms why I love acting. When I get moved by a performance or story. Most recently, I think, I saw Society of The Snow as a screening; and just, the entire audience was gasping and sighing and cheering in unison. That’s just magic. Moments like that just make me excited to tell stories.
But I think more so it was falling in love with acting through doing plays in high school. Loving that process and finding it so freeing and fulfilling.
What led you to move from Stoke-on-Trent in the UK to Los Angeles? Also, what were some challenges in the move?
It was definitely the shows and movies that I enjoyed that lead me here. I guess growing up, I never really had the opportunity to travel too much, so I think that also sparked something.
Challenge wise, yes,very much so. Not so much with the actual move. I fell in love with Los Angeles very fast, jumped into classes, found a day job where I made lots of great friends and a small community of people I love. Most problems came from logistical VISA and Green Card stuff. When I moved, I was on something called an O1 VISA, and I think I naively assumed that would mean I could work on anything like a show or film. But at that time there were lots of restrictions on what I could or couldn’t work on. So, I’d audition for something, get hired, and then I’d get told that I couldn’t work on it, which was heartbreaking. It happened three or four times, and then it became a case of not even being able to audition for certain networks and studios. It was very tough.
Again, I thank my lucky stars that I am where I’m at now. I went through the Green Card process twice (my first case was denied), and now, I’m a citizen. Ups and downs, for sure.
Who do you look up to for inspiration in the entertainment industry?
I love seeing my friends working hard and making strides in the industry. You know, when I first arrived in Los Angeles, and you meet circles of your peers that are at a similar place in their careers, and now to see them flourishing. That’s exciting. They’re inspiring.
Actors, writers, filmmakers, they’re all kind of tenacious and passionate. They have to be resourceful and resilient to face so much constant rejection. I think that takes a special kind of person to deal with that.
The newest show you’re in is Palm Royale, and will stream on Apple+ on March 20th. How excited were you when you learned you were going to be part of the cast as Grayman?
Thrilled. So thrilled. One of the directors and producers of the series, Tate Taylor, I’d worked with a couple of times before, and that’s always a delight. And then to see that cast list? With all those powerhouses? Insane. And again, what a joyous experience from start to finish. A set where there’s so much liberty to explore and play, castmates who are so generous and engaged. A dream. An absolute dream. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to work on projects that transcend the definition of “a job” or “going to work” and this was definitely one of those instances.
Palm Royale is set in Palm Beach society circa 1969. Do you have a particular method for this role or any role you play to learn the character and time period the series is set in?
For Palm Royale, it was really about play and exploration. Working with Kristin Wiig, who is so at home with improvisation and spontaneity, that’s exciting! And again, the creatives involved here were so open to ideas and suggestions and letting those cameras roll and capture fun shenanigans. And the writing is already so rich and engaging. That’s already doing so much of the heavy lifting. So we just have fun with what we’re given.
I don’t really subscribe to any one particular method when it comes to roles. Sometimes things feel easy and fluid. Other times, the language might be more difficult to wrap your head around or they might move or talk in ways that are less intuitive to who I am as a person, so I’ll work differently. But usually I guess I go with what my first gut instincts tell me and work from there.
That’s one of the joys of this job too, I guess… each role is different: physically, vocally, movement wise. It’s always a treat exploring that.
Can you share with me the challenges and the joys of the journey of acting?
Sure… Challenge wise, I think I touched on the sheer amount of rejection that actors and creatives can face. Earlier in my career, I’d sort of dwelled on that rejection in an unhealthy way; you know, you want something so much and it can get heartbreaking. Now I’m much better at auditioning for something and letting it go. I have a little ritual now where I finish my audition, send off the tape, and then I’ll deliberately tear up the audition sides and discard them. A sort of form of letting it go and forgetting about it.
The joys are so many! Working with creative people, other actors, crew members, directors who love doing what they do. It’s so rewarding. And then there’s wonderful, rich fandoms of people that are incredible. The fans of Our Flag Means Death embraced my little character in such a heartwarming, fun way. It’s so nice to engage with fans; again, I’m very fortunate and I try not to take anything for granted.
We all have experienced failure, and sometimes success follows it. Do you have a favorite failure?
Oh boy… big question… You know, I think I mentioned that there’s so much rejection in this industry. We audition over, and over, and over and hear nothing back, but if you do good work, people will notice.
When I first moved to Los Angeles, I’d auditioned for a show called iCarly so many times; never got booked, and from the outside you might think “oh boy, that casting office hates me”. But the reality is if they’re calling you back over and over, you’re doing something right. I never booked iCarly, but the casting associate from that office, Jenny Treadwell, moved to a new office, who then brought me in for A.N.T. Farm, which changed the course of my life. I was able to leave my day job, and I could pay for my second Green Card case. I was able to move out of a living situation that was miserable. And then, a few years later, Jenny was working in another new office, at UDK, and she thought I’d be a good fit for the role of Victor Buono in Feud: Bette And Joan. She made a little vision board to show the rest of the office, and they brought me in and hey presto! My life changed again. That job led to so many incredible opportunities.
So, things might seem like failures and rejection at first, but really, if you’re doing good work, you’re just laying a solid foundation for things to come.
Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to pursue a career in acting?
Do it! Do it! If it makes your heart sing and brings you happiness, do it!
I love it. I can’t imagine not being in this world of acting, writing, creating… I’d hate to think what my life would have been like if I’d had followed all those voices that said “get a sensible job”…
Maybe first it’s getting into a class, dipping your toe in and seeing if you enjoy it. Maybe trying some amateur dramatics first. Maybe just seeing how commercial auditioning goes. But if you’ve got an itch to want to try acting, then I’d wholeheartedly say, “go and explore it”. It doesn’t mean quitting your job in finance and diving in head first (but you can if you want!). Just be curious and explore it!
I think regrets can haunt us… that “what if I’d have…” doesn’t leave a very pleasant taste.
Who are your biggest supporters?
Gosh, I’m lucky, I love my team. You hear a lot of actors talk about how they aren’t happy with their agents and managers, but I have lucked out.
I’ve been with my wonderful manager, Camilla, for seventeen years, my theatrical folks at Artists and Reps for almost twelve. It’s a great fit. I love and adore them. We all work very well together. You find what works for you, who you gel with, who you get excited about. How they get excited about you.
I’d been through several agents before, and for one reason or another, it just wasn’t a fit. Not to say that those folks didn’t work well for others, it just took time to find what worked for me.
My fiancé, bless him, is always on hand to help with self tapes; we’re each other’s biggest supporters. Wonderful friends who are genuinely happy for each other’s success.
Casting Directors who constantly let me read and play and explore, even if we’re pitching on something a little outside the box or something I’ve not had an opportunity to explore before. Any time I get to read for Allison Jones is a treat. Wendy O’Brien’s office. UDK. Liz Dean. There are so many champions out there.
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what message would you want to convey to millions? What would it say and why?
Keep going? Is that trite? It might be a cliché. But that’s what I’d say. Then I’d probably put some cats on there or something. Is that plagiarizing the “hang in there” cat poster? Maybe that’s what I’d put on there instead then.
Pay that person their royalties! Hang in there!
Are you currently binge watching any shows?
I’m saving up Shogun for a binge and very excited to dive into that! I just finished season four of For All Mankind, that’s a favorite right now. Loved Heartstoppers. Eagerly waiting for House Of The Dragon to come back. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds I’m very into!
And if I need something completely focus free to put on, Survivor is a new welcome distraction in my house. I only discovered it during lockdown when I needed some sort of background noise. Then I got invested and now I’m fully on board.
Describe yourself in one word.
Persistent!
Alright, Dominic. This is one of my favorite things I inquired from anybody I interview. Tell me three fun facts about you. You can share a secret if you so dare or just some fun trivia about yourself. Three fun things…
Gosh, I’m a bit of a collector of things like Blu-Ray movies/physical media and Transformers figures in particular. Also, have a little of a growing Lego problem.
I have a fun nerdy tattoo which is a mix of Thundercats, Mysterious Cities of Gold and my cats’ names in elvish.
I can’t handle spicy food too well. Not for a lack of trying. My mouth just can’t handle it.
I love ending the chat with a quote. Do you have a favorite quote or saying that has inspired and motivated you in your life that you can share with my readers?
Sure! Once, many moons ago, my drama school went to a Q&A at a theatre where Gillian Anderson was performing in the West End, and an answer she gave to a question has always stuck with me. She said… “Acting is like… tick… tick… tick… tick… BOOM!” And I love that.
Thank you for reading my chat with Dominic!
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