We were lucky to catch up with Deandre Harris Ii recently and have shared our conversation below.
DeAndre, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I keep my creativity alive by living true to myself and living in the moment. When you do that, you tend to find something interesting in everything. Your imagination can run wild and you can make something out of nothing. Imagination can be fun if used correctly and it helps with getting through the boring parts of the day.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am an American Actor, 10x Award Winning Screenwriter, and Producer.
Raised throughout the Mid-West, he began acting his acting career in high school. After high school, DeAndre studied Theatre Performance at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, then transferred to Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN.
In 2020, I booked his first recognizable role as Jesse in the ESPN+ series, Bettor Days. He has also booked a film entitled Gritty Romance (2020), and a student film entitled Art School (2019).
I has wrote ‘Lucid’, which has won The Diamond Award from The Pinnacle Film Awards in Los Angeles, the Best First Time Screenwriter Award from the Chicago Script Awards, The Best Script/Screenplay from the Critics Choice International Film Awards, a Finalist Award from The Ediplay International Film Festival in Paris, a nomination from the Mojo International Film Awards, and has multiple selections during the screenplay festival circuit.
He has also written Roomies: Nashville, a sit-com based in Nashville, which has won awards from the Critics Choice International Film Awards for Best TV Pilot and The Ediplay International Film Festival for Best Webseries Pilot Script. Roomies: Nashville has multiple selections in the works as well.
I’m continuing to work behind the scenes writing and producing series, short films, and feature films and I’m currently working my on my new film ‘Cicada.’ I’m excited for what’s to come.
In acting, I’m represented by McCray Agency in Nashville.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful to my journey were resilience, people, and learning not to give up.
Resilience because I stutter and that makes it a time in the film industry as an actor. I often think that’s why I don’t get cast in some film, especially indie films. With training and constant practice, it helps to overcome it and it’s slightly hidden.
People because you always have to have a support system. Someone to go to so you can ask questions. Someone to pick you up when you’re down. Someone to have fun with. There’s always someone that can help you. Asking and finding the right people is crucial to success.
Not giving up. It’s in the wordage itself. Not giving up can be hard sometimes. Staying dedicated can be hard sometimes but when you have the discipline, consistency, and especially passion for something and you know you can’t live without it, don’t stop. When things were slow for the industry, I was not getting many auditions and I was sad about it. I wanted to know why no one was casting me, no one wanted me to read for auditions and I cried. Although the industry was slow, it still hurt and put a toll on my mental health. Just don’t give up and do what you love.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking for people to collaborate or partner with. The type of person I’m looking to work with is someone who would try to get anything done in anyway possible. Does film require money? Yes, but there are ways around it so people can get what they are owed in some capacity. Not saying that I would ask people to do things for exposure. There are deferred payments and money on the backend in the form of points based off of how things perform. I’m looking for someone with that tenacity also someone that I can click with and we work well together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hsdfilms.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/deandreharrisii
Image Credits
Chelsea Parsons for film set shots
Theo & Juliet for Headshots
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
