Meet Sean Yves Lessard | Actor and Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sean Yves Lessard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sean Yves, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is essential. I try my damndest to live my life through curiosity and not fear. I wouldn’t be where I am without risking what was important. Pursuing this career is a risk in and of itself but once you make the decision to dive in you have to commit. I took a giant risk at the onset of covid. I decided to leave my career in theatre behind to focus on film and tv. To start over. Well…not start over exactly, but, start on a new path. And it payed off. I am beyond grateful to say that I am working and thriving. And it all goes back to being afraid; being terrified to take the next step but doing it anyway.

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.
What sets me apart? Knowing what I don’t know. I think the core of any artistic endeavor is curiosity and the ability to, without ego, ask questions. To approach a role with a true blank slate, drawing from my own experience, of course, but not letting it overpower the nuance of the new and unknown.

Getting to where I am now, was anything but easy. I started pursuing this career when I was 20 with no idea of what to do or how things worked. But with a stockpile of bravado, eagerness and curiosity I dove in. I moved to LA convinced someone would discover me right away and when nothing happened, I went to grad school. I needed some incubation and a dose of reality. I got both. I finished grad school and moved to New York. I started performing almost immediately in regional shows across the country but it never fulfilled me. The goal was always television and film, but those roles were few and far between. Now that has a lot to do with one’s representation, but still. After a few years I was in Los Angeles playing Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages, feeling as though I had real momentum and BOOM. Covid. The show was eventually cancelled and I was out of a job and terrified. But I used it as an opportunity to ask myself what I truly wanted out of my career. I had to make some sacrifices and hard choices but i switched my focus to film and tv and didn’t look back. I signed with a new team that truly believed in me and the rest, as they say, is history.

The biggest lesson I learned is that of humility. Anything we have in this life can be taken from us in an instant. Don’t focus on the glamour or surface level appeal of the industry. Focus on the work. Focus on the people. Focus on being the best version of yourself. Only then can you truly approach your work with a wholehearted level of respect for what it is we get to do.

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.
I LOVE Los Angeles. Pure and simple. There is always something happening. If I had a friend visiting the first thing I would do is take them to breakfast at Jones on Third. Their pancakes are out of this world. Then we would be off to the Getty or Getty Villa. The views are incredible and the exhibits make me swoon. Also, you have to get the more “tourist” items out of the way.

Next would be Santa Monica for some sushi at Sushi Roku and maybe a little fun at the pier if we were up to it.

I can’t tell you how ridiculous this makes me feel sometimes but I am a total Disney adult. I don’t know when this happened, but it did. Disneyland and California Adventure would ABSOLUTELY be an essential stop. It’s an excuse to act like a kid and have the kind of fun that only exists in a place like that.

A must see is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. I was lucky enough to go to the opening and was floored. There is just so much to discover about our favorite movies.

To finish things off I would take my guest to a great dinner and night out on the town. We would go to Great White on Melrose. The ambiance and food are incredible. Then out dancing at any number of clubs up on Santa Monica Blvd.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Not a single person who succeeds does it alone. I have an army at my back that props me up and moves me forward. I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my family. My mother, sister and brother are at the core of my being. But my nieces and nephew drive me in a way I can’t explain. I want so desperately to make them proud that I wake up every morning and ask myself, “What else can I do?” Beyond my family, my friendships have formed me into the man I am today. When I feel as though something is insurmountable a friend seems to always throw me a rope and anchor me in a profound way. When I was new to LA I was auditioning for grad school. I didn’t get in. Devastating. But they offered me a spot in the summer intensive. I couldn’t afford it. A few weeks later I got a phone call from the program asking if I wanted a single or double room. I was so confused. “I didn’t pay,” I said. The voice on the phone paused, hit a few keys on their computer and responded, “Well, the room and program are paid for.” My jaw almost broke from hitting the ground so hard. A friend was so convinced that if I accepted the summer program and did a good job, the grad program would offer me a spot. They were right. Their generosity and kindness led to the single most important artistic experience of my life. My MFA from the ART Institute at Harvard University. That one act of friendship put me on the path I am on now. I couldn’t be more grateful. My friends built me.

Instagram: SeanYvesLessard

Image Credits
Seri DeYoung