The Canadian actor Evan Riley-Brown first became the talk of the town in his native British Columbia, Canada, after successfully completing an impressive comedy tour with the well-known improv group Full Frontal Improv. While reviews of his improv work have highlighted him as a quick witted comic in papers across British Columbia, Evan’s talent for acting extends far beyond that of the improv.
The now well-known star began perfecting his craft while he was still learning to walk. Evan’s journey into the world of acting began with the play “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Although he was only three years old at the time Evan had already developed his own personal flair for the stage. “I remember coming on stage and then I spoke in this weird deep, demonic voice, it was a choice I made last minute because I thought since I am playing a father bear I should change my voice,” says Brown.
Leaving his boyhood behind, Evan’s unyielding ability to forget his inhibitions and push the limits with his characters has remained strong. “I really enjoyed playing ‘Eben’ from “Desire Under the Elms” by Eugene O’Neil. The play is just so beautifully tragic and I loved playing characters that are intense and tortured and the play has it all- love and hate and the stakes are incredibly high,” said Brown.
Evan’s magnificent performance as ‘Newt’ in the stage production of “Playing with Fire” directed by Oscar winner Milton Justice unleashed a whirlwind of emotions within the audience. A happy go-lucky painter who comes to discover his wife and best friend are in love with one another, the starring role of ‘Newt’ required Evan to dig deep into his bag of emotions.
“It takes an actor with exceptional ability to properly embody a character in such a complicated and uncomfortable situation. This is precisely why Evan was cast in the role, because he is a well-known actor with the ability to display a wide range of emotion,” said Director Milton Justice.
With a series of starring roles in heavily publicized theater productions already under his belt, it is Evan’s work on the silver screen that has really put him on everyone’s radar.
As fans of the Netflix hit Video Game High School already know from his role as the ‘Annihilist’, Evan’s versatility is impeccable. Showing no signs of his gentle, small-town nature, Evan was able to seamlessly embody the bully of the story through and through. Although Evan’s character inVideo Game High School was initially written for one episode, his performance was so compelling that the production team went back to the drawing board and chose to incorporate him as a reoccurring character.
Evan is also slated to star as ‘Kaleb’ in Victor Trevino’s upcoming biography film Spit. Spit is a coming of age tale based on real life events that pits a group of neo-Nazis against a group of punks in a war for individuality. The recent release of the film’s trailer has created quite a lot of buzz about the film with various publications referring to it as the next American History X. Stay tuned for Evan’s role in this incredible film!