Chris is from Fayetteville, North Carolina and is in New York pursing his dream as an actor and dancer and so much more. He has been in the entertainment industry for some time, and has advice he can offer you and others if this is what you want to pursue. He was in one of my favorite films of all time which he talks about in our interview here.
He shares his favorite failure if it’s possible to have one, but you’ll learn that failure didn’t stop him from living out his dreams and what he loves doing.
Introducing Chris…
What do you love about your life right now?
I love the people in my life! Family, my fiancé and friends. My fiancé and I are making the life we’ve always wanted and I couldn’t be more grateful. Also, this is the most in control of my facility I’ve ever been (my dancing and acting ability), so it feels like possibilities are endless and that is so exciting.
Was there anyone in particular who inspired you to be in the entertainment industry as a dancer and actor?
Jim Carrey was my first influence as a performer. Michael Jackson doing the robot in his Jackson 5 days and the thriller video also super influenced me as a performer.
You’ve been in an Emmy award-winning sketch with Amy Schumer titled “Girl You Don’t Need Makeup” from Inside Amy Schumer Show and also was in The Wolf of Wall Street and made many appearances in other films, theatre and also been on SNL. Most recently, you won 1st place in the dance competition in Dance Monsters on Netflix as Grummy the Mummy. Congrats on the win! When you were growing up in North Carolina, did you visualize this success?
I didn’t visualize this success. No, I didn’t really know what success was. I knew nothing about the industry, nor how to get into it, nor if it was even realistic for somebody like myself to pursue a career like this. I think little Chris would be pretty proud.
Do you have a favorite show or film you’ve danced in? If so, why?
I don’t, really. But I definitely have favorite moments from pretty much every job I’ve ever done. I did a theater show when I was first starting out, called Evil Dead the Musical, and that was pretty hilarious 100% of the time. Being in The Wolf of Wall Street, I thought my scene would get cut, but to my surprise, it wasn’t. Now, that movie is a classic, and I think it’s pretty cool that I’m part of it.
Where did you learn to dance? Did you go to school for it?
I learned to dance originally from a breakdancing crew in North Carolina when I was in high school from there. I took classes and pushed myself as a freestyler and once I started working professionally, each job brought new dance experiences and I continued training from there. But most of my dancing is self-taught because I like to move differently and although I study a lot of other dancers, I love to bring my originality.
How did you learn about Dance Monsters?
Casting Director, Tracy Sinclair, from LA who knew me because she tried to cast me in a project about 10 years ago. I went through a long casting process for her, but the show didn’t work out. She reached out to me to see if I knew anyone who would want to try out for the show, and I read the qualifications and said, actually I think I might be right for this. She called me up and then we talked about what it was and what I could do to get seen by the team and the rest is history.
NeYo said in the first episode of the show “Once you’re a dancer, you’re always a dancer.” Do you agree?
100%. Dancers can’t stop dancing. As long as there’s music, there will be dancers.
Was it cool to be a monster in CGI as Grummy? Did it make it easier or harder dancing as Grummy and not just Chris dancing in a competition?
I absolutely loved being Grummy. The motion capture suits were pretty easy to move in, but we had to do certain shots with headgear on which was pretty difficult, and given our characters’ attributes, there were certain movements we couldn’t do. Performing all the dance moves is the hardest part, knowing you only have one chance to do so in front of hundreds of cameras and an audience, and judges seeing your performance, and knowing you could be eliminated or end up winning $250,000.
In the last episode of the show, you and three others (Marsha, Hammer and Chester) were battling out for winner of grand prize $250K. Was there one dancer you were more worried about competing against?
Honestly, I was so grateful to get to the finals that I was completely convinced that I would not be winning the competition no matter who I went up against.
You said in the last episode you grew immensely by being Grummy. Tell me about the growth which I imagine brought you challenges and joys.
The entire process was the most intense dance training I’ve ever gone through in my life. It was 2 1/2 months of straight dancing rehearsing filming recovery. We had maybe two days off during the whole process and we use those two days to visit London. It forced me to stay in the moment and work as hard as I possibly could and just let the results be. And being in front of the camera that much in that short period of a time forces you to condition yourself to be in front of the camera. So, the performer I was before it’s so much more trained and conditioned after the show was over.
You also mention during the show that this was a dream come true for you. Can you talk about why this was a dream come true for you?
It’s a dream come true for obvious reasons ha ha. I won a dance show on Netflix for $250,000 and now I have fans and people who support me and that is something that dreams are made of. It’s a tiny percentage of people who get to go through a process like I went through and have the results that I had. I’m lucky and I’m grateful for the journey.
I watched when judge Ashle Banjo announced you as the winner. How did you feel hearing that you won? Also, I gotta ask, with a big cash payout, what was the first the first thing you bought from the winnings?
It was probably the most surreal moment of my life. It didn’t feel real while it was happening. Two days before the finale, my dog passed away, so I had a deep broken heart. I had to bottle those feelings down and then I went through a roller coaster of emotions that actually happened off camera. Unfortunately, so by the time I was on camera, I had already cried my eyes out. Then they had to redo my hair and makeup and put me on the stage, the whole time I was thinking, how am I supposed to react? I had thought about these kinds of moments for so long and when it actually happened to me I felt like Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights when he’s like what do I do with my hands, and it was just a waterfall of emotions. The first thing I bought after I won was an engagement ring to ask Christine to marry me. She had been supporting me and being the light of my life. I knew that as soon as I had the opportunity; I wanted to marry her and so I went and got a ring for her.
I’ve enjoyed talking to you about your experience on Dance Monsters. During all of this, who was and still is your biggest supporter?
My family and my fiancé have never wavered their support for me. Times have gotten really hard for me and not once did any of them ever even come close to hinting and giving up. I appreciate them more than they could ever know.
We all have experienced failure, and sometimes success follows it. Do you have a favorite failure?
Ha ha, I love that question, and I also hate it. I definitely hated going through failures, but after going through so many, you get conditioned to accept it. But if I had to pick one, it would probably be a tequila commercial I shot years ago. It was a big deal for me or anyone who would’ve booked the job. The company chose me to be the new spokesperson of this tequila company, replacing a huge A-list celebrity. They flew me out first class to Barcelona. I filmed for a week the commercial came out amazing. There was millions of dollars worth of equipment and extras and so much that I was like, this is it, I’m finally going to have my moment. There’s no way they would spend millions of dollars on this commercial just to not air it. Well, guess what they sure did. Not only did they not air it; they didn’t tell me they weren’t airing it and that caused friction between myself and my agent at the time. That would then lead me to a path of dropping them and leaving the agency. People say well you got the footage though, right which really undercut that this would’ve been an international commercial by putting me in front of homes all over the world daily. I would have been a household face. As you would imagine, that was heartbreaking and it let me know that this industry is not afraid to waste money and time. Also, they really don’t care about me as an individual. I know this really didn’t turn into a nice answer, but it let me know how harsh and unforgiving the industry can be. It was a tough lesson to learn.
Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to pursue a career in acting or as a dancer?
Absolutely. Go train right now, go and learn everything you can, as often as you can, and start putting that knowledge to practice. Take classes, go to school, make movies with your friends, or make up some dances with your friends. Find like-minded individuals and share your experiences, and make things up together. If you really want it, you can make it happen. Your social media is a great place to practice. Get out there and just make some stuff up. You’re gonna have to try things and fail at them to learn. But there’s no better time than now to get started.
In my first interview with you, I ask you who you would like to act in a film with and you said Jim Carrey. On your IG account, you do videos impersonating him from The Mask and Ace Ventura. You do an excellent job of it, and you nail his expressions! Is that a dream of yours still? I’m guessing the answer is yes. Also, have you had the chance to meet him?
Yes! That is still a dream of mine. No, I haven’t met him but here’s hoping someday I could play him in a biopic or something I don’t know.
Back at Christmas last year, you were doing some sketches of old Christmas movies. Those took me back to my youth, for sure. What do you enjoy about making those videos?
My favorite thing about making those videos is the response I get from people. When I was a little kid, I watched those stop motion and claymation specials. Being able to put a spin on classics like that, and people still enjoy the nostalgia really warms my heart.
What are you currently working on?
I have been in a whirlwind of auditions for TV shows and movies. I have a commercial coming out soon, but honestly, I really don’t even like talking about some of this stuff because I feel like I’m jinxing it. Remember, I mentioned that I’ve had so many projects that didn’t come out? Fingers crossed those days are behind me! I’m very excited about what’s to come and I know my friends, family and fans will be excited as well.
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?
Life is short. Love everyone you possibly can. You’ll figure out the rest.
Describe yourself in one word.
Lucky
Alright, Chris, let’s get to know you a little more with some fun fact sharing. Tell me three fun facts about you.
OK, sure well, ignoring “skills” that I use in my career, I would say I’m obsessed with basketball and everything NBA. I love stand-up comedians and absolutely love comedy. Look for me soon doing my own stand-up. One last fact, I broke my front teeth breakdancing when I was a teenager, and I now have a titanium screw in my face.
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?
I actually do have a quote that I love, by “Jake” from the cartoon show Adventure Time, “Being bad at something is the first step to being good at something.”
Thank you for reading my interview with Chris.
Here’s our first interview awile back.
Follow Chris on social media.