Meet John Ford-Dunker

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Ford-Dunker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was very lucky to have parents who fostered creativity in myself and my two brothers at a very young age. We had great opportunities in our community to get involved with theatre, choir, piano lessons, etc, and we wrung it out for all it was worth. That naturally led to acting in middle school and high school, and, similar to playing sports, I started to get some affirmations and suggestions from those around me that it may be worth pursuing. So I believed them and never really looked back. It’s by far one of the hardest career paths to go down but it has been so worth it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m an actor. Trained in theatre, now mostly doing TV/film in the New York City area.

I think something that sets me apart is I’m normal. That sounds a little strange but I think it’s quite easy these days as an actor to become desperate for the career and casting directors can smell that. I know actors that are way hungrier than me for success in acting, and I wish them all the success. I will say, I’ve seen that desperation destroy people’s lives and I have no desire for that. I want to live a full and well rounded life. So being more relaxed about the career ironically has gotten me into more rooms and had me working along side people I never thought I’d ever work with.

Something I’m most proud of is that I haven’t quit. More and more actors walk away from the career every year and I’m still here so I think that says something. It’s the only reason I’ve “gotten to where I am today professionally.” You just keep going. So many times people are looking for the hack or the quick fix. The secret is just staying in the game and staying steady. The opportunities will come. You just have to be willing to go through the desert seasons. Many aren’t willing to do that. I am.

Obviously that means it’s not an easy career path. But I think something that has helped along the way is community. If you are doing it along you’re going to be isolated and you’re not going to grow. You have to have others around you who are better at the craft than you and they’ll pull you up and stretch you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d take them to George’s for breakfast, a little diner in my neighborhood in Ditmas Park. Then we’d hit Prospect Park for a walk or bike ride. Westville Wall Street for lunch of course (I used to work there and it’s still one of my favorite spots in the city). We’d catch a movie at Angelika Film Center in the afternoon. Then dinner at Charlie Bird. Drinks after at Ray’s.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Gwen Stark at Fargo South High School AJ Cermak at Gooseberry Park Players
Michael Walling at Trollwood Performing Arts School
Tyler Marchant at University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point
Michael Legg at Actors Theatre of Louisville / Montana Rep
Tony & Frances Pappalardo
Josh Bonzie
Ruby McAuliffe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnforddunker

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/john-ford-dunker?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

Image Credits
Photo 1 and 3: Deborah Lopez Photo 2: Carissa Joy