David Thomas Jenkins grew up in Union, South Carolina, and went to drama camp as a kid with a teacher who was also his Theater teacher in High School. He was the one who really instilled in David a love of Theater and Acting. David Thomas Jenkins got my Bachelor’s degree in theater at the College of Charleston and had several teachers there who really shaped his approach. In his senior year, David worked on Dawson’s Creek for a bit and that was what drew his to the camera’s unique side of storytelling and put him on his current path.
indieactivity: How did you become an actor?
David Thomas Jenkins (DTJ): I think I became an actor the moment I decided I was going to do the work. Since then it has been a constant process. I’ve had some really influential teachers over the years: Ralph Lawson, Joy Vandervort-Cobb, Todd McNerney, Evan Parry, Paul Kampf to name a few. It’s a series of moments of fear. Getting material you’re afraid of and don’t know how to approach. Trying something. Failing. Trying again. Finding a way to make it work.
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
David Thomas Jenkins (DTJ): I have studied lots of different techniques. Meisner, Stanislavski, Adler, Strasberg. I keep all of these in my toolbox as they have all been very effective at different times for me. In my training, I may focus on one for a bit but when I get a role I try to let the role inform me as to what techniques I use. For me, it’s important to be versatile and not mired in one way of thinking about or approaching a role.
What wrong impressions do actors have about their craft?
DTJ: Ego. That acting is about you. Self-examination and exploration are part of the work but acting is about the story. There is an inner battle that is happening that ultimately isn’t about you.
Do you take courses to improve your craft?
DTJ: I stay engaged in a continuous scene study class to keep exploring what’s possible and push my boundaries. I also will do private coaching when I don’t feel certain about an audition or role and sometimes when I do. Improv classes. Writing classes. Life experience. It’s all-important.
What acting books do you read?
DTJ: I like to read a variety of acting books even ones I don’t agree with like David Mamet’s True and False Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor. I always find it interesting to see how people get there even if it doesn’t work for me. I recently read Not Bad for a Human about Lance Henriksen’s career which was fantastic. But I keep coming back to Michael Chekhov’s To The Actor. That’s my favorite.
How do you keep fit as an actor?
DTJ: I like to study people. Physicalities, mannerisms, speech patterns. I like to keep a journal of ideas about these things and people’s possible motivations. Other than class and practicing acting specifically I find the things that keep me mentally and physically fit are the ones that help me clear my head of the chaotic noise of daily life. Surfing and martial arts are big ones for me. There are psychological, physical, and meditative aspects to martial arts that really help clear the mental clutter.
How do you prepare for a role?
DTJ: I think the most important and most useful information about how to approach a character for me comes from my initial impulses. I try to clear my head of judgments about the story or character and just read the script several times first. Then say the words out loud. Then walk around with the words. How does this person move? All the time making notes of those first impulses. They will inform everything else.
How do you create a character from a script?
DTJ: After that initial process I usually break down the character as a whole and that character’s place in the story. Then break it down into pieces, learn the words, and start playing with individual scenes. It’s never the same for me. Hard to say in a general sense.
How do you fresh on a production set?
DTJ: Music affects me greatly and can really help keep me focused. I like to make a playlist for each character of what I think they would listen to and connect certain songs to moments in the script that are critical. Also coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
Explain one creative choice you took on set?
DTJ: On the most recent film I did One Remains the director Josh Hodgins came over to me before a scene where my character caves under pressure and gave me a note he wanted me to think about before we started filming because I still wasn’t quite sure how I was going to approach the scene. As we were getting set I started thinking about something that was really tearing me up in my personal life and thought about what it would be like to just give in to it. After the first take, we both walked away from that scene and nodded at each other like “Yup. That was fucking it.”
Describe a memorable character you played?
DTJ: Hans Poley from Return to the Hiding Place was a very memorable role for me. He was part of the Dutch resistance during the Nazi occupation. Peter Spencer, the director of the film was friends with Hans in his later years, and getting to play a person like Hans with firsthand information from Peter was amazing. I got to read Hans’ book and study hours of interviews that Peter had done with him that made this character development process really special. Not to mention what an outstanding human Hans was.
What do you want most from a Director?
DTJ: A storyteller and a collaborator. Someone who knows what they want but allows space for other interpretations. I would love to work with Jeff Nichols. Tell him to give me a call, would ya?
What actor do you want to work with?
DTJ: Michael Shannon. Meryl Streep. Tom Hardy. Denzel Washington. Do I have to pick one?
Why?
DTJ: They are all on another planet talent-wise. I want to work opposite power like that and see if I can summon something from within me that doesn’t get blown away by their sheer force.
What advice do you give actors around the world?
DTJ: Keep training. Work, work, and more work. On your acting. On yourself. Use everything.
What acting technique do you use?
DTJ: I have had the pleasure of working in television, films, commercials, and plays from LA to Scotland, China, the Netherlands, and many stops in between working with some really amazing and talented people. Recently, I played Maya’s father on Girl Meets World. Working with Michael Jacobs and that crew was an incredible experience. I have two female-driven Westerns that were just released last week Cassidy Red and Painted Woman. I also have a horror/thriller that will be out later this year called One Remains.
“An artist’s only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else’s. “J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey
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