Actor Ryan Davies’ fast moving career has encompassed just about the entire dramatic range in a short decade’s time. The charismatic British-born Davies’ roster of experience includes everything from playing Hamlet and Chekov’s Uncle Vanya at prestigious London proving ground the Workhouse Theater to commercials, music videos, television and feature films, a trove of professional achievements which have placed Davies very close to the apex of the acting world.
Surprisingly, the intense, blue eyed Davies had little interest in the field, until fate intervened. “I grew up in Wells in the West of England, a rural city with few artistic opportunities,” Davies said. “I spent most of my youth working on a building site but knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
“I was staying with a friend in London for a week and he was taking a 4-day audition course at [drama academy] The Poor School,” Davies said. “And since I was at a loose end, I thought I’d go along and try it too, just something to alleviate being on my own in a strange city. I didn’t intend to pursue a career in acting, but at the end of the 4 days I was offered a place on the course.”
From that unlikely start, Davies entire life was redefined. “I immediately quit my job on the building site, moved to London and the rest, as they say, is history. I trained at The Poor School in London between 2008 and 2010 and I continue to train at The Actor’s Centre, London.
Subsequent high-profile assignments include a memorable turn as the corrupt villain of producer Adi Shankar’s “X-Men” prequel “Grey Café,” a recurring role in the STARZ/BBC Worldwide original series “DaVinci’s Demons” and an upcoming role in another historical period piece, the forthcoming “Fall of the Templars.”
One of the key moments in Davies’ sure, steady rise to prominence was his performance in director-writer Maria Balduzzi’s acclaimed 2016 short “Wolves,” a nuanced drama in which he excelled as the troubled teenaged protagonist’s father.
“’Wolves’ is a lovely film, about a boy who has a very strained relationship with his single parent father,” Davies said. “The boy uses the woods next to their home as a daily escape from the realities of his life. One day he comes across another boy running away from his own problems, their burgeoning friendship allows him to eventually reconnect with his estranged father.”
“It was an interesting and very challenging role,” Davies said. “It required me to convey the whole spectrum of emotions, and as the relationship between father and son was the emotional heartbeat of the film, it was integral that the audience connected with and cared about both of them.”
Davies’ signature combination of subtle restraint and deep involvement served him well, and elevated the film to an impressive level of dramatic craftsmanship.
“’Wolves’ revolves around the complicated relationship between a father and his son and Ryan was able to give the role the emotional gravitas it required,” Balduzzi said. “It’s very much a film about love. I wanted the film to represent the way we experience life and memory in our most intimate moments and much of the film’s success is due to Ryan’s performance.”
The film was well received in the UK, where it was nominated for Best Short Film at the Iris Prize Awards 2017, and was also selected for screening at the prestigious London Short Film Festival. Balduzzi herself went on to pick up the ‘Horizon Award’ for Most Promising Filmmaker at the 24fps Festival in Texas, where the festival organizers characterized it as “an exceptional piece of work.”
“Wolves” was an important step in the Davies career, one that initiated a new professional momentum. “I came into the industry relatively late, so I’m keen to make up for lost time,” he said. “There’s been a real buzz about ‘Wolves’ that opened up some doors and led to many other opportunities for me and I’ve gone on to be cast in a wealth of other projects, so I’m very fortunate in that respect.”
For Davies, timing has been critical, but his steady reliability and dedication to creative expression practically guaranteed the series of successes which he has enjoyed. With a palpable momentum building, the actor is poised for even greater accomplishments, but he always maintains his own coolly authoritative, resolutely professional methodology.
“I approach each role, no matter how big or small, in exactly the same manner,” Davies said. “I look for characters I can get under the skin of, and I try to bring my individual stamp to each role—and I make sure to have fun along the way.”
Tinsel Town News Now 