Man on Monday: Brendan Meyer

Seventeen year old Canadian actor Brendan Meyer has already developed an impressive resume as an actor, writer, and director. Currently Brendan plays the title role in the Disney TV series, Mr. Young, which films in Vancouver.  He has also written several screenplays and shorts that he hopes to direct and produce in the future. Brendan has performed with the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Edmonton, and he also has numerous directing  and acting projects with Celsius Youth Theatre, where he is co-artistic director. Brendan is an avid theater-goer, and spends much of his free time studying the work of his favorite actors/directors – Humphrey Bogart, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Woody Allen.

Brendan Meyer is definitely a young man to watch, and we’re excited to introduce him to All Things Girl readers!

Tell our readers how you found your way into the entertainment business.

Making my way into the entertainment business was sort of a gradual thing. I’ve always had an interest in telling stories. Watching movies and theatre has always been a big part of my life, so I kind of just started doing classes for fun and it snowballed to where I am today.

 In your current project, the Disney TV series Mr. Young, you portray the title character, a teenage science prodigy who has graduated from college and turned down a job with NASA to become a high school science teacher. Any similarities between you and “Mr. Young”?

I always find that the biggest similarity between myself and Adam Young is that I am also a kid doing an adult job. Working full time in a TV series is something adults do, and like Adam Young I have to deal with being a kid doing an adult job and all the challenges that go along with it.

You’re a self-professed “Shakespeare nerd.” How did you develop an interest in Shakespeare and what are some of the things you’ve done with that interest?

I was introduced to Shakespeare at a young age through the local Shakespeare Festival in Edmonton and through simple Shakespeare books as a kid. What really hooked me first was the great stories. As I got older I worked my way up to reading the full plays and finally performing in them both professionally and with my friends. One of the biggest things I’ve ever done with this passion is putting on full length Shakespeare plays with an all teen cast.

In your wildest dream, what director and other actor/actress would you like to work with and why? (And they don’t have to be living – this is your wildest dream, remember!)

In my wildest dreams, I would have loved to have worked with Humphrey Bogart as he is my favorite non-living actor. I also really like many black and white films from that time so being an actor during that era would have been cool.

What else besides acting are you passionate about?

Not a lot! I am very passionate about my family and trying to be a good person. I spend a lot of time with my family and have since I was young. We’ve travelled together a lot and they’ve been super supportive of my career.

Any advice for other young people interested in pursuing an acting career?

If acting is truly the only thing you want to do with your life, then commit yourself to it 100%. Watch old movies, attend theatre, take classes, read books, and don’t give up. Many actors don’t make it until they’re adults! Try to focus on your passion and being a good actor, rather than just pursuing celebrity status.

If you could take a trip in a time machine, where would you travel and why?

I would go back in time, invent the internet, and become a millionaire. I would then use that money to make my movies!

It’s Sunday afternoon and your schedule is clear. What do you do with this precious free time?

I would spend time relaxing and probably watching movies.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know?

I really appreciate all the fan support I have been receiving as it enables me to pursue my passion. Thanks for including me in your issue!

Photos by Keith Munyan