“The pandemic has definitely been challenging on so many levels with everything,” he said. “I am holding on myself. It’s not easy. I try to keep a positive attitude.”
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “It is certainly opening up opportunities. As the years keep going on, the product is so much more professional. Quality is becoming much better. I can name several shows that are a prime example of that. Studio City. Sean Kanan did a fantastic job with that, he really did. The writing, production value, acting performances, and everything in Studio City was top-notch. It is just as good as something you would see on nighttime television. I was very impressed with it.”
Speaking of Studio City, this past February, Irizarry went to the red carpet screening that was hosted by Kate Linder at the Elks Lodge in Van Nuys, California. “I went there to support them. It was wonderful, and I loved the series,” he said.
In 2009, he took home the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” for his work in All My Children. That year, he tied with Jeff Branson for Guiding Light. “That was wonderful,” he said. “My last Emmy nomination was for ‘Lead Actor’ for playing Demos in Days of Our Lives and that was very special. I loved working with Ari Zucker, she’s a fantastic actress. We clicked immediately and we worked hard together.”
When asked how he handled being dialogue-heavy as a soap actor for all of those years, he said, “I don’t even think about that anymore. I know my process, and I am excellent with memorization. I don’t have an issue with it at all. Typically, I can get through scenes without needing to stop. I learned that early on.”
Most recently, he played the role of Dr. Jordan Armstrong on The Bold and The Beautiful. “I loved working there, that was a great, welcoming cast, crew and production staff,” he said.
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “You need to be prepared for the rejections that will come. Chances are that you will go to so many auditions before you get a part. There will be a lot of auditions in between your jobs. Acting needs to be something that you are simply drawn to doing, and are passionate about it.”
In addition to acting, Irizarry is a realtor. “I also do real estate and that has slowed down for quite a while the last couple of months,” he said.
Irizarry defined the word success as “perseverance.” “Perseverance is a big part of it, growth is constant, you need to constantly grow. You can’t rest on your laurels. Basically, commitment and in this industry, an etiquette of professionalism. Those are the foundations of success. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with people that are professionals in this business,” he said.
To learn more about Emmy award-winning actor Vincent Irizarry, check out his official website.
