Entertainment Spotlight: Charlie Ian
Charlie Ian, who you probably know as Damien from The Bright Sessions, started acting in Los Angeles in 2011. He made an appearance in the 2015 Oscar winning film Whiplash, and has done voice over work for many companies, including Ford, Taco Bell, Toyota, CBS, and more. In 2017, Charlie began working in visual effects, and has since worked on more than a dozen features and tv shows, including Aquaman, Godzilla, X-Men, Maleficent 2, Dr. Sleep, Joker, and more. His wide ranging experiences within the entertainment industry have continued to make him fall further in love with film and television, and he aspires to become a director in the near future. He’s currently working on Bill & Ted Face the Music starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, slated to release later this year. Charlie took the time to answer some of our hard hitting questions. Check it out:
If your life was a choose your own adventure, what decisions would viewers have to make on an average day?
My days are typically consumed with designing and creating things that live in service to a story. Sometimes it’s something large scale and epic such as building Ancient Atlantis in CG for Aquaman. Other times it’s something more intricate and close up such as creating all the blood in Joker. The creative decisions you make along the way are all influenced by the goal of the story in that moment, whether the goal is to achieve a sense of grandeur or horrify your audience.
What is your favorite aspect about the podcast medium?
The ability to consume it passively. I’m listening to some form of audio content through most of my day, typically when I’m driving or working. What I love specifically about fiction podcasts is the low barrier to entry to create one. Anyone with a story to tell needs only two microphones and a laptop. This makes podcasts an especially amazing medium for writers. You have permission to fail because of the low cost, which is essential to improving at any skill. This aspect has allowed entire communities to develop that otherwise may not have existed, TBS being one of them.
Do you have a favorite fan theory or piece of fan art?
I really like this fan art of Damien from vpdoodles I love the style and design. I’ve seen Damien interpreted so many different ways in fan art, but this one matches pretty closely with what my mental picture is. And you know...it’s funny. Looking at it again now, the jawline and hair kind of reminds me of Ian McQuown (Agent Green). Am I crazy??? Bahahaha, I can’t stop seeing it now, that’s amazing.
What’s a question that you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview?
With James Lipton’s recent passing, I’m reminded of the questions he always asks at the end of Inside the Actor’s Studio. Some of these are “What is your favorite word?” or “What sound or noise do you love?”. But the final question he always asks is “If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?” to which I imagine myself answering “Ask away.”
If you could give any character from the show a piece of advice, who would you speak to and what advice would you give?
I would speak with Damien, and remind him that the good we receive from this world begins with the good we put into it.
Do you have any fun facts about the making of the show that fans would be surprised to find out?
This goes back a bit to the question about my favorite aspect about the podcast medium. Lauren Shippen started this podcast with two microphones and a laptop in her bedroom. With the exception of one episode in which she rented a recording studio, that’s what all of my recording sessions looked like. I hope that inspires listeners who are itching to tell their own stories to give it a go.
Thanks for taking the time, Charlie! Give Damien, September a relisten right here:
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