In the Emmy award-winning digital drama series, The Bay, he plays Caleb McKinnon, a new teacher in Bay City. “It feels great. It has been a great experience so far. They are such a tight-knit family,” he said. “Working with Gregori J. Martin and Kristos Andrews has been a blast.”
Manning had nothing but the greatest remarks about his luminous onscreen acting partner, Emmy winner Eric Nelsen, who plays Daniel Garrett on the show. “Eric is such a great actor and a sweetheart. He has been great to work with the entire time,” he said. “Daniel is a character that a lot of people can relate to because he is a good person that gets himself into bad situations.”
He is also featured in the spinoff series, yA, which has been yet another neat experience for Manning since it has afforded him the opportunity to play the same character twice. “I am shooting the same character on two different shows at the same time, and they each show a different aspect of my character’s life,” he explained. “I teach the D’Ambrosio twins and a great young cast of actors on yA.”
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “It’s an exciting time. You get to reach a whole new audience. A lot of young people get their entertainment online. It opens up different worlds to another generation of people. It is much easier to interact with fans due to Instagram, Twitter, and all these other platforms. That is really exciting.”
When asked how he handles being dialogue-heavy, he said, “I don’t focus on the dialogue. I focus on what my character is going through in the moment, and then, my brain just finds the words. When the writing is good, it flows better and all you have to do is attach a certain emotion to whatever is happening and then allow the other person in the scene to affect you. 50 percent of acting is actively listening and reacting to what is happening to you. That’s why it is important to have a good scene partner.”
Aside from performing, he also enjoys writing, producing, as well as teaching acting. “I love telling stories and I think the digital age makes it possible for more stories to be told. That’s why I am a big fan of any medium that will allow more people to tell their stories,” he said.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Renaissance.”
He noted the importance of eating right and doing cardio workouts in an effort to stay in good physical shape. “I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to things. If I don’t eat right, I start to get tired, grumpy and I become a different person,” he said. “I drink my water, take my vitamins and try to stay healthy for myself. I also go to the gym several days a week or on other days, I would go hiking,”
The heartthrob actor defined the word success as “having lived a life that leaves this world better than you found it.” “From a young age, I grew up really close with my grandparents. I spent a lot of time with them. My grandfather would tell me that in my situation, your responsibility is to leave that situation better than you found it,” he said.
For his fans and supporters, he said, “Thank you so much. The reason I tell stories is to connect with people. When people follow my journey, and they enjoy what I am doing and they are entertained, it makes it all worthwhile. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all those people.”
Speaking of fans, Manning is also on Cameo, where his viewers and fans are able to book a customized shout-out by clicking here.
To learn more about actor Mike C. Manning, follow him on Instagram, and check out his Facebook page.
