Meet Lucas DeNies | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lucas DeNies and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lucas, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
I have no idea who came up with this quote or where I have heard it from, I think it is just a saying that exists out in the world past down orally from one generation to the next. It goes like this (I like to think of it as call and response.)

Call:
How do you eat an elephant?
Response:
One bite at a time!

Now firstly I must clarify under no circumstances do I condone the consumption of Elephants, but it has a powerful sentiment behind it. Trying to break into the film industry in LA is no easy task, it can be quite daunting. Often I find myself crippled with indecision, or drowning in the sheer amount of tasks I need to get done. When the panic is setting in, is when I will whip out this quote like a lash (often speaking it out loud), “How do you eat and Elephant? One bite at a time. How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time. HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT!? ONE. BITE. AT. A. TIME!!!” And through this battle cry I refocus, take things one step at a time and watch the panic recede.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think that what sets me apart from others is the same quality that makes every artists unique: Our lives, our personal experience, our values, the way we view the world. Each life is a complex and nuanced tapestry of interwoven threads. This is one of the many reasons I love acting so much. I’ve never been someone who believes their performances or art will change the world, merely that the act of studying and imagining someone else’s life/experiences makes me a better more empathetic human and that is enough. Its also hella fun.

I find that I am still facing many challenges as far as breaking into the industry more fully, but every day I take one more bite out of that elephant and keep trudging along.

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.
To be completely honest I am not really a city person. I would take my friends either freediving in the kelp forest down by laguna beach, or hike in the Los Angeles national forest, maybe both! I think that the street taco tents are fantastically delicious, but other than that I haven’t explored the city too much since my year of moving out here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think that everything that I am is due to my parents and how they raised me, particularly my mother. I will never forget the moment I decided to become an actor.

It was winter break, I was a sophomore in college. I had just driven home in the cold wet rain, but found myself unable to get out of the car. I was a confused music education major who had just taken a semester of biology, chemistry and calculous with thoughts of maybe switching to biochemistry. I sat there in the car watching the rain, trying to force down this ache throbbing in my chest. This annoying sensation had begun while playing in the pit orchestra for a local high school’s rendition of Into The Woods. I have no idea how long I sat out in that car, but eventually my mother came outside bundled against the cold and climbed in. She sat in that car listening to me work through my turmoil and tears until haltingly I stammered out, “Mom, I want to be on the stage. I don’t want to be in the pit orchestra. I need to be on the stage”
To which her response was, “Okay, so what do we need to do to make that a reality.”

That is my mother. That is her mindful and unwavering support and love. If i am successful, it will be because of what she instilled in me.

Instagram: @lucasdenies