Meet Matthew Blade | Actor

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

Hi Matthew, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have a love/hate relationship with risk (don’t we all!). It’s sexy to talk about risk, but man, it’s a different story when we find ourselves in a moment where risk is actually required. The fears that come, they can be crippling. I think that is what is so daunting about risk, it’s the fear associated with it. I know that’s been my story, it’s been one tied closely to fear. Ever since I was a boy, I’ve felt as though I had an extra dose of it. Ironically, around public speaking, social settings, and communication. For most of my life, I would’ve rather jumped off of a cliff than speak publicly. I remember literally almost blacking out in class as a college student when we had to go around the room and simply say our name. Now, to find myself in LA as an actor, it’s surreal to say the least. I’m not all that sure if I could really explain how I got here, but I can say assuredly that taking risks, in the face of fear, has been par for the course. You know, now that I say it, all these risks and fears, they do add something positive to this life. It’s my belief that the real reward in regards to risk is who we become as we face our fears. Each time we take a stand, and face that fear, we come out on the other side a different person. We find ourselves changed from cowardly to brave. We discover a courage we never thought we had, and in time, we find ourselves on a journey we never could of dreamed of. I know that’s been my story. I heard a quote by a man named Kris Vallotton that stuck with me, “The dogs of doom stand at the doors of destiny.” As in, the place that you are called to go will have the loudest voice of fear. I must say, those dogs have one mighty bark on them, but perhaps with this one life we’ve been given, it’s worth risking it to see what’s behind those doors.

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.
One thing about my career as an actor that is different from most, is that in many ways, I have no business being an actor in the first place. A bit odd to say, I know. What I mean by that is I considered myself the last person that should be in the acting business. The thought never once crossed my mind to act until I was 26 years old. In my mind, I was untrained, lacked the confidence, ability, and talent to act. As I mentioned before, I had dealt with the anxiety of public speaking and communication my whole life. One of my earliest memories is going to a speech pathologist as a boy because of the stutter that I dealt with. I had a stack of evidence as to why I was not enough. The self-doubt was, and sometimes still is, crippling. I love quotes, and one of my favorites is from Emmanuel Acho. He says, “Your calling in life will call you.” That’s what happened to me. Something in my life called out to me, and told me to act. I knew it wasn’t my ego, because the thought of acting terrified me to my core. Acting didn’t align with what I was gifted in. But that’s one of the things I’ve learned about being called. Sometimes we are called to go to where we aren’t gifted, where we aren’t qualified. But perhaps that’s what qualifies us in the first place, just the fact that we go, we answer the call, even when we have no business being there.

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.
A tough question! A city that is a sea of incredible spots to go to…But since you asked, first and foremost, coffee. So many good spots around town, Sightglass, Coffee Connection, Maru, Undergrind, Alana’s, Verve, all places that stand alone as coffee hubs. As Bill Johnson says, “I like my coffee strong enough to show up on a drug test.” These places meet that requirement. And if we are talking food, Great White in Venice is probably my favorite spot to eat at around town, but would also have to mention Jon and Vinny’s, sushi at Sugarfish, Prime Pizza, and ramen at Shin-Sen-Gumi. I have to give a big shout out to Salt and Straw. I’m obsessed with ice cream, I usually make my own every night, but when I don’t, I’m another person slowing down the line at Salt and Straw, asking if I can sample yet another one of their seasonal flavors. Evening hangs I’m taking my people on Sunday night to The Gathering with Tim Davis. A bunch of us get together, eat, and spend time hanging out and worshiping God. Night life, depending on the crowd, we are going to Foreman’s Tavern in Toluca Lake, Bodega in Santa Monica, or a making a fire a Dockweiler Beach.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be where I am at today without the support from my parents, David and Jolynn Nicholas. They have championed me and believed in me at many places in this journey when they had every right to question what I was doing. I am truly thankful down to my bones to have them on my team. My dear friend, as well as my acting manager, Iona Maclean has been a godsend. As her client she has fought for me in ways that I could never repay her, and as a friend she’s believed in me ways that I didn’t yet believe in myself. My best friend, Payne Kellum, who has been the brother that I never had, and a friend where we’ve walked through some of the most formative and impactful years of my life. My friends and mentors at BCA in Redding, California, Fabiano Altamura, David Noroña, Lisa Broere and Michael Broere. They are the reason I am in LA today, they were the first glance I had at this thing called acting, and have played a key role in my journey. My acting coach, friend, and mentor, Doug Tompos, whose perspective in this craft has been one of the greatest gifts since moving to LA. A few of my people in this city, Nico Degrange, Tori Danner, Alex Barlas, Luke Charles Stafford, Billy Frankie, Tyler Stone, Emily Robbie Smith, Kevin Roldan, and Taylor Grabowski, who have been incredible friends to navigate life in LA with. My mentors from afar, Bill Johnson and Heather Johnston, who have inspired me in ways they’ll never know. Rounding out this question, I owe all of my story to God, who has been a father to me in ways I could’ve never dreamed, and who has taken me on the adventure of a lifetime.

Instagram: @thematthewblade

Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12508066/