About Ryan David Heywood

I never knew how 2 years in Kazakhstan was going to affect my acting career. But I was able to draw on that experience as the roles started to come in - Russian business man, homeless man and a WWII German. What other roles will my experiences walk me into?

My blue eyes and my height tend to make a lot of choices for me.  In the eyes of directors it goes from creepy loner to arrogant villain to good looking sweet leading man. Let my eyes be your crystal ball into the future - the handyman neighbor, the confused rebel, the young broken husband. You want Sinister? My last film, they couldn't stop commenting on how sinister I looked (I was dressed in a sweater vest).)

I was brought up through the improv/sketch training centers of Chicago - from iO to Annoyance to Second City. The last few years I have added other arrows to my quiver. Meisner Training from The Artistic Home Theatre. Scene Study at Profile's Theatre and Cold Reading at the Acting Studio. The list is growing as I add more arrows to my (yup I get to use that word again) quiver. 

I often think about how my acting career is like marathon training. For me it's about the long haul not the sprint. I have to be dedicated to go the distance. I have run 4 marathons, and there is nothing more vulnerable than at the finish line when you are filled with happiness and extreme exhaustion (plus the sweat and smell - yikes!) and the stream of words that come out of my mouth. Two words: No Filter.  Just like being in front of a camera or on stage - I get a chance to see what I am made of - I like that challenge. Plus all that training helped me to wear a 1940's speedo, 4 times a week for 2.5 hours at a time. 

I have gathered experiences from around the world, walked in the unknown in front of people hundreds of times and put myself into self-induced vulnerable states. I am willing to walk into the unknown with you…are you?