Meet Damian Joseph Quinn | Actor, Writer, Yoga Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Damian Joseph Quinn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Damian, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
The greatest risk in my acting career I’ve taken is letting go.

I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was a child. It has always been my dream, & a large part of my identity. The risk I take every day is choosing to let go of the false notion that I have any control: over casting, finances, or the edit. I’m a straight A student who is now walking a pathless path. And I’m left vulnerable to rejection, unemployment & failure.

Art is not quantifiable but I’m armed with algorithms. So I have to constantly surrender my addiction to the idea/image that my life will be better once I’ve “made it” (because that definition will always be a few steps ahead).

So I risk letting go of the perfectionism & trusting that the Art will flow when & how it’s supposed to. & I pursue my joy with all that I’ve got. & trust.

(that’s a nightmare for a Taurus!!)

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I just played Roy Cohn in US v. Billie Holiday. The same week of shooting, I found out about my dad’s cancer. A year later, I’m throwing a premiere party in heels & a dress, isolated in quarantine, watching the Oscar nom on Hulu with my mom in the basement. The same week, we got the news that my dad’s cancer procedure is working & numbers are looking good (they still are). The ride has been thrilling, to say the least.

I graduated from Tisch in 2017. I stayed home to save up some money & came out to LA in September of ’17, not really knowing any one.

I started with tons of short films &college thesis projects. I wanted to act in any story that may have some quality. I did some bad projects (Nazi Overlord) & some great ones, too. I played creatures under 20 pounds of prosthetic face makeup, modeled bargain sunglasses, sobbed in character on a 110 degree desert floor. I had fun the entire time.

I’ve had dry spells & consequentially long periods of self-doubt. I was so drunk once that I was fired on-site catering a Seth Macfarlane Christmas party. It’s really hard to beat the “names.”

But no matter what, I hold fast to the dream & the Joy. I want to play! & imagine!! & pave the pathless path for people to heal, learn, laugh & cry.

& I trust every experience I have — rich or painful or sleazy or lonely — will be elements in the nature of the characters I play.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Go to Laguna Beach. Go for a hike in Topanga Canyon or in Malibu (Lion’s Rock I think?). Take a swim lesson with Kapowui. Watch a film at the Hollywood Cemetery. Ask about the orange poppies (you didn’t hear it from me!), see a Groundlings show, walk barefoot in the little meadow on the Silver Lake Reservoir. Catch a sunset!! Smoke weed!! Stay present!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate this Shoutout to Hawaii — living on the Big Island has healed me to my roots. I think of the Ocean & her magic every day.

Website: damianjosephquinn.com

Instagram: damianjosephquinn

Other: TikTok damequinn8

Image Credits
Artists include: Joseph Adivari, Kimberly Millard, Stefano Lirezzi, Christophe Mcwhorter