We recently connected with Quinn Hysni and have shared our conversation below.
Quinn, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I kind of stumbled into acting out of pure curiosity more than anything else. I had always loved movies but had never thought of trying to go out and audition for anything until my sophomore year in high school when I auditioned for our school play. I knew someone from my water polo team who always performed in the school shows and he encouraged me to give it a try. I got a small part in a show called Radium Girls and that was enough to get me to come back the following year and the year after that and it was a blast. The collaboration in rehearsal, using my imagination to create a character, the adrenaline rush of performing for an audience. I loved every aspect of it. Every year the show schedule would conflict with my swim practices so I would hop out of the water an hour and a half early, shower to get the smell of chlorine off, and head to the auditorium to perform but I barely blinked twice about the chaos of my routine as I was just so pumped to be able to act in a show! I had a lot of different interests throughout school but never a set plan on what I’d do after or what I wanted to study in college. Theatre and acting came to me at that inflection point in my life and I clung to the arts and the joy I got from it. My drama teacher told me if I wanted to continue I should consider studying acting at a university and that was all I needed to hear. Luckily, my parents were extremely supportive of my passion and encouraged me to continue on with it and I will never be able to thank them enough for that. In a relatively short period of time, my interest and curiosity simply overpowered everything else and I decided to go to Wayne State University to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Quinn Hysni and I’m an actor from West Bloomfield, Michigan. Last May I graduated from Wayne State University with a B.F.A. in Acting and a minor in Public Relations. I recently moved to New York City to further pursue my artistic career!
My time at Wayne State was very important for me both as an actor and as a person. Everything came into focus, my acting ambitions became clearer and I started thinking more about my long-term goals. I was learning just as much about the craft of acting as I was about myself. I was also a part of some amazing productions that challenged me in more ways than I could count. I had the opportunity to open the new Hilberry Gateway theatre in Detroit with “Cabaret” where I played Ernst Ludwig and I performed in a production of “Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.” which was selected by The Kennedy Center for American College Theatre Festival and won 15 national awards. A real turning point for me was being cast in Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This” in the role of Pale, the alcoholic restaurant manager struggling to grieve the passing of his closeted younger brother. It was the most complex role I’d been tasked with up to that point with page after page of uninterrupted dialogue spurred on by spontaneous waves of emotion. All three of these productions required me to play intense, unsavory characters that rewired the way I approach acting. Dealing with such sensitive material made me feel as though I had a real responsibility to handle it with delicacy and honesty. As challenging as it was, it led to some of the most rewarding work. It further cemented for me that I had indeed found what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I mentioned it already but curiosity is very important to me. Exposing myself to new ideas and experiences is a practice I hope to maintain for as long as I live. Especially as an actor, where unfortunately you might go months without finding any work, some of the best homework you can give yourself in the meantime is to simply read new plays or go see a show or a movie that interests you. You never know what you’ll end up using as a source of inspiration later on! It’s such a gift to have people in your life who constantly recommend new things that expand your tastes. Growing up as the youngest of four boys, I soaked up everything my brothers were into and not only did that make our bond stronger, but it provided an excellent education early on in everything from movies to music to literature and beyond.
Another quality that goes hand-in-hand with curiosity for me is to never stop learning. Remaining a student is so vital to me because it means I’m always looking for opportunities to grow and that there is no plateau where you simply “arrive” and that’s it. While finding work and navigating the industry can be frustrating, I feel grateful to have such an endlessly interesting art form to constantly be working on. Just recently I started taking classes at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting here in NYC and the opportunity alone to spend time focusing on just improving my craft has been really helpful. It also helps prevent me from comparing myself and my trajectory to others, which is particularly maddening in the world of acting where the rejection you face is hard not to take personally. Remembering that this is a lifelong pursuit helps me focus more on the things I can control.
That being said, it would be impossible to commit to that pursuit without patience. Coming out of college, I was eager to start finding work immediately and I quickly discovered that it doesn’t work that way. Things take time. You never know when the next opportunity is going to come along, all you can do is be ready when it does. I’ve learned it’s important to know when to slow down and breathe when you need to. It’s something that’s been crucial for me during this transitional period after moving to New York City. Remembering that it’s okay to not always feel productive has helped me through it; giving yourself time to rest is productive. I’m starting to feel like even when I’m not actively working towards my goals or finding the next acting job, I’m still making worthwhile progress simply by engaging with the life around me and following my curiosities and educational opportunities with patience.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m overwhelmed, I do my best to take a step back and focus on the little things. Cooking a nice meal, reading a good book, enjoying the sunshine, spending time with family and friends. It’s good to have goals and to be committed to them but at the same time I never want to take any of the little pleasures in life for granted. Practicing gratitude is easier said than done, but it helps me remember how far I’ve come and how fortunate I am to do what I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://qlhysni168.wixsite.com/actor
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qhysni24/
Image Credits
-Personal photo (Quinn Hysni Headshot): RJ Lewis Photography __tpx__ -A Christmas carol photo: Chuk Nowak WSU – A Christmas Carol.jpg -Revolt photo: Chuk Nowak -Cabaret photo: Chuk Nowak -Candy Corn photo: Alivia Vandale
