by danielle holian
photo by karolina turek
Dylan Playfair is a versatile entertainer experimenting with comedy, drama, and music. His first well-known act was in Netflix’s Some Assembly Required.
At the moment, he will have a recurring role in the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks, directing and acting in an indie film Odd Man Rush that came out September 1st available digitally and on on-demand, and the highly-anticipated indie film Summerland released digitally on September 15.
Unclear Magazine caught up with Dylan Playfair to discuss his upcoming projects, entertainment roles, and much more below.
You began your film career at the age of 19, what drew you to entertainment in the first place?
Dylan: “Playing professional sports is hard, very hard. Few people do it and even fewer do it for many years in a row. My dad has been a professional hockey coach my whole life and he played pro hockey before I was born. I knew what ever job I wound up getting when I 'grew up' would need to be fulfilling in my eyes the same way my dad’s job was. Acting, like pro sports, is a difficult profession to secure success in. I had confidence I could learn the skills necessary to become a professional actor and applying the same principles to acting as I had to being an athlete, I was able to parlay the two successfully.”
Who inspires your creative side?
D: “I'm inspired by so many different elements of humanity and nature. Laughter is a huge driving force in what inspires me. I believe it's the best medicine and the best way to communicate difficult ideas. My fiancée Jen inspires me to be the best version of myself on a daily basis and my peers inspire me to be as comedically sharp as possible.”
How did your experience studying at Vancouver Acting School prepare you for your career in entertainment thus far?
D: “The ability to work on the craft of acting eight hours a day five days a week was an environment I was craving when I moved to Vancouver. I had been taking countless acting lessons, working on sets as a Production Assistant and taping auditions for my agent, however I needed a place to grow with peers on a regular basis. I also required the ability to audition as my agent was sending me out and I was getting success in the audition room. Vancouver Acting School allowed me to do everything I needed to grow my skills as an actor.”
You have a wide range of talents from comedy, drama, and music — how do you prepare for a certain role?
D: “I like to build a music playlist for every character I play. Richard Harmon taught me that. From there I immerse myself in films and television that fit the theme of the story and inspire the character. Researching the creative team behind the project gives me familiarity with the tone of stories they have told in the past. From that point on it’s putting myself in the circumstances of the character, reacting naturally to the other characters in the scenes and ensuring I've prepared myself to the absolute best of my abilities.”
And what types of roles really inspire you to keep acting?
D: “I have a deep understanding of comedy and that is something I wish to pursue my entire career. I also find great pleasure in nuance. I'm a Gemini so my dual personality fits nicely into the world of storytelling.”
We can currently see you in the independent film Odd Man Rush. What was it like working on the set?
D: “That set was great. It really felt like we were playing for a European ice hockey team which fit the bill for that script perfectly. The cast and crew were all staying in Hamilton, New York together during one of the coldest winters on record so the reality of the circumstances was very legitimate. I had the chance to work with the cast and develop some of the hockey elements of the show as well, which was a very cool part of that film.”
How does it feel to be working on a successful Hulu series, Letterkenny, that has won a number of awards, including Canadian Screen Awards, Writers Guild of Canada, and Leo Awards?
D: “Letterkenny is a dream role. We make the series with my best friends. The entire cast and crew. Every single one of them, I love them all, Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney, Nate Dales, Michelle Mylette, K-Trevor Wilson, Andrew Herr, Tyler Johnston, Mark Forward, the list literally goes on and on. If you IMDB the cast of Letterkenny I can give you multiple examples for each actor that prove we have the greatest collection of people in film possibly ever assembled.”
You have a recurring role in the Disney+ series “The Mighty Ducks.” What can you tell us about your character in the upcoming series?
D: “It's so cool, what a childhood dream come true. In this series I get to coach the Ducks. Coach T VS. Bombay... maybe. I've already said too much!”
We can also soon see you as “Shawn” in the indie film Summerland. How did working on this film compare to your other projects?
D: “Summerland was such a labor of love, a film made by close friends about a personal story. It was genuinely like a paid vacation. I love independent film for that reason.”
photo by karolina turek
What drives you forward working in the entertainment industry?
D: “The desire to improve every day, to become better than I was yesterday and to deliver the highest quality product I can... I guess you could say fans are what drive me. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do what we do.”
What has been a highlight in your career to date?
D: “When Jared Keeso took us out for supper to tell us that Letterkenny had been picked up by Bell and was going to series.”
And finally, what does the rest of 2020 hold in store for you?
D: “The last time I predicted what 2020 had in store literally everything planned got turned upside down and backwards, so instead of doing that I'll share with you my new daily mantra. One. Day. At. A. Time.”