Hello, my name is Chequan Tyreek Holloway, born in Rochester New York, August 5th 1990. What triggered me to want to pursue acting seriously was JK Rowling’s, HARRY POTTER series. After following the series and living through the magic of the words on the pages, it was extremely inspiring to see the magic come to life on screen. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked by the acting bug. It would be so fulfilling to be a part of such a creative story like HARRY POTTER, I’m a sucker for fantasy/adventure films.
Last night’s 2016 ROC Awards was a blast!!! #DARKJUSTICESHOW @darkjusticeshow Now available on Funny or Die!!! pic.twitter.com/qY31quXhev
— Che Holloway (@che_holloway) February 22, 2016
How did you become an actor
After attending High School I knew I wanted to continue on in acting, however I knew I had to get a better grip on my health. After making a drastic healthy change and losing over 100lbs I was more than confident and ready to pursue my passion head on. I moved to NYC and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 2010. After AMDA, I continued to audition around in the city and that’s where I landed my first national gig on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
What acting technique do you use
I tend to toggle between the Alexander Laban and Uta Hagen techniques. I learned about all these techniques back in High School (School of the Arts, Rochester, N.Y.), the one I find myself using more though, is the Uta Hagen technique. The way you use this technique is to ask yourself a series of ‘who‘, ‘what‘, ‘where‘, ‘when‘, ‘why‘, ‘how‘ questions about your character, the environment your characters are in and the circumstances. This helps you gain greater understanding about your character and helps you to make choices based off impulse that would align with the core of your character. Its extremely helpful and I always suggest to folks who ask to use it.
Another tool I use is the “Birth to Now” technique. When you write out a Birth to Now you get the chance to freelance all the events that happened prior to the introduction of your character to the audience.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
First things first, you MUST eliminate the comparative mindset. Every actor is truly unique and its important to know this and to remind yourself every time you forget. In a world where we are taught certain body shapes are sexy or that you must possess a certain “look” or come from a specific background, is nothing more than self sabotage. I encourage actors starting out to not hide your “flaws” or vulnerabilities, but to EMBRACE them, this is what sets you apart from the next artist!!
The key is realizing that good art comes from the inside, and on the inside, were all gross, haha. Also, don’t be discourage about the million “no’s” before the one golden yes. Don’t be discouraged by seasons were work doesn’t flow in, this happens to EVERYBODY at some point in time, the thing is how will you deal and get through it? Keep pushing through and don’t let situations change you for the worst, let them change you for the better!
Do you take courses to improve your craft
Currently I’ve been catching up on my American Standard and working more on my spiritual alignment. But as of right now, I’m soaking up my real life experiences and filing them somewhere in the back of my noggin. hah!
What acting books do you read
I’ve been reading a lot of self-improvement and inspirational pieces to help me get through my real life experiences so that I have the chance to recall and react in the same manner. Two books I highly recommend, is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.
How do you keep fit as an actor
I am always searching for a way to keep myself inspired so I tend to read a lot of inspirational and motivational pieces. As for keeping myself physically fit, I try to sneak some situps and pushups in everyday, and am an avid walker. I’ve also grown fond of hiking and yoga in the past few years.
How do you prepare for a role
When I prepare for any role, I like to run an Uta Hagen list through my head, challenging me to delve deeper into my character through a series of questions. Where is my character? How did they get here? Is it cold out? What are they wearing? What time of the day is it? Are they in or outside? etc.
How do you create a character from a script into a person
I make sure to use my Uta Hagen technique, asking myself a series of questions about the character. I also write a “Birth to Now”, a tool where you get to write about everything that happened to your character prior to the audience’s introduction to your character. I also use sense memory, recalling on past events to help get me in a similar headspace.
How do you stay fresh on a production set
I don’t stay in character in between takes, but I do stay in the emotion of whatever my character is feeling when the director calls cut. I like to stay in the same head space, that way its easier to jump back into the scene when the director calls action.
Describe a memorable character you played
Two of the most memorable characters I’ve ever played, are exact opposites of one another. The first character is a guy named Rondell, an ex con who comes home from prison to a hard decision he must make in order to provide for his family. PRESSURE (available now on StreamNowTV 2012)
The second is in DARK JUSTICE, a satire web series about the first officer of color to work in a small town police department. I play Amir Johnson, the department’s first black police officer. DARK JUSTICE SHOW, written by Mike Gerbino, now available on StreamNowTv, AfrolandTv and funny or die
Explain one creative choice you took on set
One memorable creative choice I made is shaving my facial hair in PRESSURE to give my character a more youthful, innocent appearance. By part 4 of PRESSURE, I wanted to show how much time has passed since part 1 so I decided to grow out some facial hair. This helped the audience to go with the flow of the time change.
What do you want most from a director
Drive. Enthusiasm. Follow through. There is nothing more frustrating than giving your all to a project, just to have it sit around and collect dust. My way of thinking is, if it has the potential to change or influence someone else’s life or perspective for the better, then why not get it out there? It’s always cool to work with a collaborative driven director, you tend to feel more comfortable expressing yourself.
Che Holloway: From the Oprah Network to Web Series and Short Films https://t.co/gFmQweHEOe via @HuffPostBlog
— Che Holloway (@che_holloway) December 9, 2016
What actors do you long to work with
I would love a chance to work alongside Taye Diggs in a project. We actually attended the same high school (graduated different years).
Why
Growing up and watching a young black man from the same place as me be so successful at his craft was extremely motivating and inspirational. I’d love to work on a project with him, maybe I can play his younger brother?
What advice would you give to actors
Never give up! If you believe in what you can do, that is all that matters. You will encounter a lot of people trying to push their insecurities on you. Train, network, keep building bridges as opposed to burning them. The biggest sentiment of all is for you to just be YOU. Be original! When you embrace and work with your flaws, you end up standing in your own power.
Briefly write about your career
My very first project was a film we shot in Rochester, N.Y. through a program called IN CONTROL (a teen program for inner city youth), the film was called Gang Related. The first professional set I got to work on, was an Independent Feature Film called SOPHOMORE, written and directed by T. Lee Beideck, starring Patrick Warburton and Amanda Plummer. My first national Television appearance was on the Oprah Winfrey Network. I got to play a guy named Kacey who dealt with issues of infidelity on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s season 2 finale of UNFAITHFUL.
I’m currently starring in three shows being hosted on StreamNowTV, a streaming service run by a good friend of mine Ron Valderrama, StreamNowTV is basically the Indie version of Netflix; PRESSURE- a short film written and directed by Reginald Altidor. A story about an ex con who comes home and is forced to make a tough decision. What would you do if your back was against the wall? MODIEVAL- a kids fantasy/adventure short film written and directed by Bryan Ribiero. A wizard and knight are on a quest for treasure, will they find more than what they are looking for? (available on StreamNowTV). DARK JUSTICE SHOW- written and directed by Mike Gerbino. A satire about the first officer of color to work in a small town police department. (available on StreamNowTV, Afrolandtv and funny or die)
Currently I am working on more projects for the year! I will be keeping people updated through my social media. DEAR DARKENING GROUND- written and directed by James Abrams. Struggling to deal with his recent girlfriend’s death, Watson Alcy decides to find a way to communicate with the other side. (Post Production). CHEROPHOBIA – written and directed by Emily Kordovich “A morbid aversion to happiness” (Currently in Production). THE ELYSIAN FIELD- written by Carlos Alvarez (8 is infinity) and directed by Jon Leyton (Grandmaster Elephant Productions), a tale of forbidden love. Fantasy/Drama/Action/Adventure (Post Production)
DARK JUSTICE SHOW Season 2 – Stanton and Amir are back! Following the critically acclaimed season 1, DARK JUSTICE 2 is is back and follows the racially charged antics of the police on the force as well as in the community. (Post Production)
