‘General Hospital’ Interview: Robb Derringer Ex Special Agent Kyle Sloane Talks Life After GH

Robb Derringer was not on “General Hospital” long but he quickly became a fan favorite playing Special Agent Kyle Sloane from November 14, 2014-January 27, 2015.  After leaving “GH” Robb was next seen on the ABC hit show Castle and tweeted on his twitter, “Gotta love my job. One week I’m a Police Commissioner, the next a drug addled murder suspect. #lifeofanactor #Castle”

With seven feature films, indy films and numerous television series’ under his belt Robb Derringer has been very busy since he left “General Hospital” but he was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for Soap Opera Spy. Check out the interview below:

How did you get involved in acting?

I was an aviation major in college, in Air Force ROTC but took classes in acting for GE and just found out I really liked it ans was good at it. After my AF career didn’t work out I decided to maybe pursue training as an actor and was asked to join a Theatre conservatory and studied there for 2 years, then went to UCLA and studied at the UCLA acting program and my career was born.

How long have you been an actor, and where did you get started?

I’ve been an actor as my focus as a career since I was 23, been working professionally since I was 28.

How many films have you been in, including up till now?

I’ve been in 7 studio feature films and another half dozen indy and short films.

Are you working on any current projects?

Yes, am working on many different TV shows right now like Murder In The First, The Exes, Odd Couple and Castle, and have a couple upcoming projects that I will announce shortly. I also have a feature film called Redstone coming out in the near future.

How different is it to act in a movie, and act in a theater play?

Acting in movies and TV is fragmented, broken up by segments and bits of scenes so its very results oriented cause you have to get right to the obstacle and underlying objective of the scene. Whereas theatre acting, doing plays is a much more slow burn. theres a character evolution that burns over 2-3 hours of the play so its more of a journey and and an evolution of character. I always say theatre acting keeps you honest as an actor as there are no second takes and the audience can see if you’re not being truthful, whereas in tv/film you can always do another take.

Do you have an area in which you would like to improve as an actor?

Yes the key to keeping sharp and truthful as an actor is to always be learning something new. I would say that is a motto for life in general as an actor. if youre not learning something new, you are stagnant. I always say that every time I take on a new role I learn how to act all over again because the emotional triggers, sense memories and subtext I bring to each character is always different and ever different in approach and execution.

Which has been your favorite character, that you have played?

My favorite character. That’s a tough one. I would say a couple roles that still reside in my heart are George from Of Mice and Men, and Joe from The Time of Your Life

What are your strong points as an actor?

My strong points I would say are my collaborative spirit, my humility and my willingness to forego my ego for whats truthful honest and right for my character even if it is not pleasant or attractive.

What are your educational qualifications?

I have a degree in Theatre with emphasis on acting form UCLA. I’ve studied with some of the industry greats like Uta Hagen, Ivanna Chubbuck and Howard Fine, etc…

What has been your biggest achievement in the field of acting?

My biggest achievement in acting have been the moments of pure honesty, truth and clarity of intent that I know and experience in my work. Sanford Meisner said to act is to live truthfully in the imaginary circumstances of the play, movie, tv show, whatever you’re doing. I think those moments when I realize I no longer saw the audience or the crew or the camera or the “actor” standing across from me and I was truly living in the moment of my character are my greatest moments as an artist and thus my greatest achievements.

What is some advice that you would give to someone aspiring to become an actor?

Think long and hard as to why you want to be an actor. If you want to act to paint and sculpt and create art with your mind, emotions, body and experiences, then by all means dig in, train, develop a thick skin, take the early knocks and rejection but keep focused and tenacious and willful and you will get there. If you want to act to be famous or get recognition you’re in the wrong business and go start a Youtube channel.

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time?

I’m very active. I’m an avid hang glider pilot and I also fly airplanes. I recently learned to fly para gliders. I love to surf, ride motorcycles, camp, hike, climb and explore. Love to travel and I exercise every day. I love to read and collect books.

What was the hardest role you’ve ever played, and why?

I’ve played some serial killers and once a rapist. They were hard because I had to access parts of my rage and my anger and my capacity for hate to make the characters real and believable. The work was satisfying in the challenge but not fun to do.

What sort of acting roles do you hope you will perform in the future?

I’d like to continue to do great stage plays. I love Shakespeare and the classics and I’d love to play some of the great roles in that canon. I’d like to also be the lead on a TV show for a while, settle into a role for a few years and really mine nuance and subtlety of character that only those lucky actors who have those kind of long term roles are lucky to achieve.

Did you ever have difficulty playing a certain character, if so what was the character, and why was it challenging?

I did a play last year where I played a man in a relationship with another cross dressing man. It was difficult in that I am heterosexual and I had to both find true love and attraction for not only another man, but a man that liked to dress up as a woman. It was actually really fun work and quite satisfying to take on and in the end I think we did great work finding the truth and honesty and comedy and intimacy of such a relationship. It was hard work, but very gratifying.

What was the biggest audience you have performed in front of?

I’ve been in stage productions with audiences in the many hundreds

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have a dog, a bird and fish named Steve….

Are you single or married?

I am currently single

To keep abreast of what Robb Derringer is up to make sure to follow him on his Twitter Page, RIGHT HERE!

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