Rising actor Tyler Lawrence Gray chatted about starring in the new series “Wolf Pack” on Paramount+ and being an actor in the digital age.
‘Wolf Pack’ on Paramount+
The synopsis is: When a raging wildfire descends on California, a mysterious creature hiding out in the forest is awoken and a group of teenagers find their lives changed forever.
Aside from Tyler Lawrence Gray, “Wolf Pack” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rodrigo Santoro, Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, and Chloe Rose Robertson.
On being a part of “Wolf Pack,” he said, “It was a life-changing opportunity for me, and the experience exceeded my expectation for sure. I was already excited for this project, but I didn’t know how I was going to interact with the cast and if that was going to impact my performance/ experience. However, we all became extremely close as soon as we all met, and still remain good friends today.”
“I learned so much from working on that set for weeks on end and it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. Really allowed me to break mental barriers as an actor and progress deeper into my craft,” he said.
Portraying Harlan Briggs
He opened up about his portrayal of werewolf Harlan Briggs in “Wolf Pack.” “I love how vulnerable and fragile he is on the inside,” Gray said. “With his character coming off as one of the more confident and fearless characters, he has a lot of untold truths that he is trying to discover about himself and the outlying factors around him. He’s funny and charismatic but also slightly broken and wishes for a less secretive and chaotic life.”
“The most beautiful thing about it though is the people he meets along the way of his journey and how it teaches and changes him for the better, mostly,” he added.
Motivations as an actor
Regarding his daily motivations as an actor, he said, “I used to be an athlete in high school which taught me great discipline and that I needed to stay motivated to be able to compete with everyone else.”
“I realize that if I want to be able to continue to work on projects and showcase different acting performances, I need to always stay sharp and try to improve as much as I can. It also helps that acting is my passion and has come to serve as an emotional therapy for me. Without it, I don’t know what else would interest me in life,” he elaborated.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, now with streamers being so prevalent, he said, “It is something I realize I have to keep adjusting to and always be aware of. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming and discouraging to see people talking about you online and can even ruin your confidence completely.”
“Social media is an amazing way to really get exposure and to put a message out there if it has good impact and intention; however, it is also a very negative thing especially because not everyone is going to like the work you put out and it can become an extremely toxic environment for an actor who wants people to appreciate their work,” he explained.
Dream acting partners
Gray listed Christoph Waltz, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Zazie Beetz as his dream acting partners. “All of these actors have played roles in some of my favorite movies of all time and have given some of the most compelling performances I have ever seen. Their range of characters is astonishing and is something that I really admire and look up to,” he said.
“As much as I would be intimidated to work with them, it would be a dream fulfilling, and know that I would learn so valuable life and acting lessons from them,” he acknowledged.
Success
On his definition of success, Gray said, “Success to me does not necessarily mean fame and riches to me. What it means is achieving something that you worked towards while staying true to yourself. I believe that success comes in all different shapes and sizes and really depends on if you worked hard enough and stayed focused to meet that success.”
“Not taking any shortcuts along with the success or not being at the expense of other people. I also think that having true success is still being able to keep yourself in check along the way and be mentally okay,” he said.
Gray remarked about “Wolf Pack,” “I want people to be able to see the hidden messages and lessons shown through the experiences the characters share. Each character has a different situation they are in, and they need to figure out how to overcome the barriers that these situations bring.”
“I hope that the audience can relate to the characters whether it’s their personality or the dynamic they have with other people in the show. It is going to be scary, suspenseful, and especially tasteful,” he concluded.
To learn more about actor Tyler Lawrence Gray, follow him on Instagram.
