How many of us out there can say we started a professional career in acting at the age of 13?

The talented young star Garen Boyajian can! Not to mention being elected as head of Student Executive Council, winning The Prestigious Drama award and Athlete of the year award, in high-school, while maintaining his role as a player of the North York Cosmos soccer team. But who is bragging??

Garen is a creative and enthusiastic Toronto performer, who is on his way to stardom with his positive attitude and marvelous talent. Working on challenging projects as “Ararat” and “The Crossroad”, to name a few of the past, Garen hopes to continue to challenge and stretch himself creatively. He has recently attained American representation and is excited about the possibility of working in the States and other countries in the upcoming year.

Garen Boyajian Q & A

Who or what was your inspiration for getting into acting?

There was no one moment or person which solely inspired me, rather a collection of mini-inspirations. I had a friend on a soccer team I used to play with who was into acting. He would tell me his experiences, which is how I originally became aware of the process. Since I was young I was always the performer type as well, which fed into the desire to attempt acting, on top of the fact that it seemed like I was naturally drawn to the craft of imitating and pretending. I approached my parents with the desire, and after a little hesitation on their behalf, they fully supported me and continue to do so till today. I took a few classes and signed with my agent Shari Quallenberg at A.M.I., the rest is history.

How did you know you wanted to become an actor?

Originally I didn’t now I wanted to be an actor. I thought it was something cool which I could have fun exploring. It seemed like the more I learned, the more it compelled me to surround myself with it. Until I ultimately realized acting is a passion of mine which I must follow, now I have the acting bug attached to my hip.

How did you get linked with Dean Armstrong your acting coach?

My agent Shari Quallenburg (A.M.I.) referred me to Dean for a few acting classes. I took the classes with him and became enthusiastic about the creative doors which were slowly unlocking, with the Dean’s guidance. I continued to work with him in class and before auditions, as well as working as a teacher’s assistant in his studio. We gradually developed a friendship which has now last over 3 years. I must say that several of my accomplishments are due to Dean’s insight of the craft and industry. He has truly become my mentor, which I am very appreciative of.

What is your favorite project (i.e. movie/television show/etc) that you have worked on? Why?

Each project I have worked on is a unique experience in my mind, but I would have to say working on Ararat with Atom Egoyan sticks out as one of the more memorable journeys I have experienced. Collaborating with exceptional talent like Elias Koteas was fun, and not to mention working with Canadian mogul Atom Egoyan. I had an opportunity to travel with the film, take part in the Toronto International Film Festival, and experience Ararat winning the best film of the year award at the Genies. I very much felt the support of my Armenian community following the release of the film which was an added bonus to the experience.

What is the hardest role you have had to play?

Each role bears its unique difficulties, but I would have to say my role as a Syrian boy with a big heart carried the most difficult responsibilities. For starters, I needed to communicate with a Syrian accent which turned out be a challenge I very much enjoyed. My character Salam has a very old soul with a distinct history. Those factors must have impacted the way he spoke, carried himself etc. Furthermore my role as Salam in The Crossroad was the first time I was the lead in a film, which translates into more responsibilities that increased the difficulty and interest to my role. Working with director/writer Alexandra Thompson made the experience truly that much more enjoyable.

Do you have any favorite actors that you wish to work with in the future?

There are so many people I want to work with! I have to start with someone I look up to very much and hope to one day get up to his creative abilities, Sean Penn. I very much respect his work and would love to work with him. Terrance Howard is another individual who has impressed me. Edward Norton, Jennifer Connelly, Stockard Channing and Meryl Streep are all actors whom I hope to work with in the future. Oh, and I wouldn’t turn down a role opposite Angelina Jolie.

What roles are you planning on taking in the New Year? Anything exciting that we should be watching out for?

I plan on further challenging and stretching myself creatively. I have recently attained American representation and am excited about the possibility of working in the States and other countries in the upcoming year.

I am so proud of The Crossroad and the impact I hope this film will have. It will be released following a round of film festival entries, which I’m very much looking forward to be a part of.

If you have any advice that you could give upcoming actors or people interested in acting, that have not yet made a move, what do you think you could let them know based on first hand experience?

It’s interesting; I always get this question very often so I’m going to really break it down this time.

I would say the best advice regarding entering acting is it to take a few classes with great acting coaches like Dean Armstrong and prepare your self for the industry. Learn how to audition and other very important aspects of the business that you will encounter. Once you have better discovered what acting is about, pursue an agent. Acting coaches you have worked with are great individuals to point you in the right direction when your agent shopping and looking to take it to the next step.

Once you have entered the industry and regularly go out on auditions, adapting the right frame of mind will inevitably determine the outcome of your journey. I will briefly touch upon a few concepts.

Striving to progress is so important. In acting, you will very quickly learn, the majority of the factors in landing are role are out of your control. With those factors aside, there are aspects, like your creative development, which you CAN control. Constantly work on developing the factors you have control on, and surrender to the ones that you don’t.

Don’t save your happiness for when you achieve what you would like to. Refuse to only be happy and satisfied once you land a lead in a big Hollywood film. I often find myself struggling with this concept but it is very important to enjoy each step of the journey and value the process rather than simply the outcome.

Finally, a point my good friend Ali Mukaddam relayed to me was the importance of patience. He told me how you don’t want to on top of the world at 18 or 19. I found this statement to be incredibly true and insightful.