Kris Holden-Ried, well-known for playing Giles in Touch of Pink, William Compton in The Tudors, and most recently Dyson in Lost Girl, has many things to be thankful for. At 37, he can finally say his career “is in a good place.” He has built himself a strong reputation and is well respected in the film industry. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been a short road by any means. I’ve been doing this for 16 years. It feels good to be in a position where I have some creative power,” he says.
Having input into his work is crucial to Kris, and as an established and sought-after actor, he is now able to do so in a more meaningful way. Not surprisingly, things were quite different in the beginning.
Although he knew he wanted to be an actor in high-school, where he took drama classes, Kris didn’t really know much about acting back then. He liked math, science and psychology, and almost chose a more sensible career in business. At his father’s authoritative request, Kris went to Montreal's Concordia University School of Business, and eventually got into acting by fluke.
As luck would have it, at the time Kris was a member of the Canadian National Pentathlon Team, but due to lack of funding for athletes, he decided to join a modelling and talent agency to make a little extra money. Shortly afterwards, an audition came along for a movie called Young Ivanhoe and, thanks to his riding and fencing prowess, Kris got the leading part. “I got into acting because I needed some money, and from that one gig, I thought, this is really fun and I think I can do it.” The rest, as they say, is history.
With plenty of youthful enthusiasm, but almost no acting training and experience, things were not exactly easy in the beginning. “It was an interesting way to start,” Kris muses. “It was really trial by fire.”
About a year into his acting career, with no internal support systems and still feeling like he didn’t know what he was doing, Kris almost gave up acting. Fortunately, around the same time, he met veteran actor Michael Ironside, who recognized Kris’ raw talent and put him in touch with his own acting coach. Kris went on to train with Uta Hagen, Janine Manatis, as well as at the Green Room Actor's Workshop and the National Film Acting School.
The following years were instrumental in helping Kris build his repertoire, become increasingly more secure about his acting, and advance his career. He took every job he could get his hands on knowing each role was an important learning opportunity.
When asked if he had a role model early in his career, Kris says that he didn't start thinking about that until he was a few years into acting. Now, there are many actors he respects and admires. "I would like Gene Hackman’s career. He always delivers and I love his work. He has also kept his personal life private and you never hear anything bad about him."
(In Part 2 of this exclusive interview, Kris Holden-Ried talks about the role that changed his life, his creative process, and the "wolf" inside him. In Part 3, he gets personal and shares why he has no plans to slow down.)
Iulia Mihai - Iulia Mihai is a Vancouver-based Human Resources Manager, management coach and freelance writer. Originally from Romania, her passion for ...
