VISUAL TALES: Hello Connor! Thanks for taking the time to do this cover feature for us. Excited to showcase you not just as an actor to watch but as an upcoming fashionable personality. Before we begin our chat, how’s your summer and what have you been up to since we last saw you after the shoot?
CONNOR RUSSELL: Hey Visual Tales! Thanks so much for having me. I had such a great time at our shoot, so excited to get this feature out there. So far my summer has been great! Have been able to travel a little bit, and spend time with family in the Pacific Northwest. Actually heading back to the PNW tomorrow to try to escape this New York heat for a second.

VT: We hear you. It’s been a hot summer in NYC. Tell us about you and how the love of acting began, what motivated you to pursue a career in the dramatic arts?
CR: Well, I grew up in Seattle - which is a great arts and theater city. I was lucky enough to grow up with parents who are big supporters of the arts and exposed me to a lot. I quickly fell in love with theatre, which was my way into acting. I pursued theatre through junior high, high school and started working professionally at some of the amazing regional theatres in the Seattle area around my sophomore year of high school.

VT: Do you recall a play or character/actor that you saw that made you go, I can do that or I want to be up on that stage in the future?
CR: When I was 13 years old, I saw the out-of-town tryout of the original Broadway production of Hairspray. I remember seeing Harvey Fierstein playing Edna and thought he was the most captivating performer I had ever seen. He had the audience in the palm of his hand. I remember leaving that show that was so joyous and knowing that’s what I wanted to do with my life.

VT: Do you recall your first stage performance?
CR: Around that same time, I did a production of Singing In The Rain. I played Young Cosmo. I met a lot of amazing people there, and we are still close friends even today.

VT: Like all actors, you all have to go through the process with loads of auditions and readings. How do you prepare yourself mentally? 
CR: Well, auditions are always hard. I think it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the pressure of an audition. As I get older, I think I’m doing a better job of enjoying the process and treating the time in the room as an opportunity to have fun with the material and meet new creatives. Easier said than done, but I’m definitely getting better. I think it’s absolutely something you can work on. Of course there is something magical that some people are born with that allows them to connect easier, but I think even the best actors are always perfecting their process.

VT: We actually recently saw a production of The Book Of Mormon on Broadway which was very entertaining and hilarious. At our shoot, we found out you were in one of the previous productions. Share with us your experience in working in that show.
CR: What an amazing show! I actually remember seeing The Book Of Mormon when it was in previews on Broadway. I won the lottery and was sitting in the front row right behind the conductor. I don’t think I’d ever laughed so hard. I had a great experience working on that show. I started the show on tour, which I did for a little under two years leading up to the pandemic. It was so amazing touring the country with a show that really makes people laugh. Getting to be a part of something people really enjoyed and connected through the humor  was a real blessing. Additionally, I also made my Broadway debut in The Book Of Mormon, which was a blessing within itself.

VT: We give kudos to any Broadway actors. Doing 8 shows a week, belting out those songs, remembering the choreography, the lines and keeping up that high level energy with every performance, you have to be in your best shape, how do you all do it?
CR: Broadway and touring performers don’t get enough credit. You have to be like an Olympian. Especially actors touring with shows, most of the time your day off is spent flying to the next city, with new weather conditions, altitudes and different hotel accommodations. It can be a lot for the body to keep up with. It definitely takes time, but you really learn to listen to your body. You have to make sure that you are giving yourself enough rest, eating the right food and staying active. Your entire life kind of revolves around making the show go on. It’s an amazing thing to be able to pull it off, it’s certainly not easy. 

VT: From there, you crossed over to the film independent world and starred in a indie feature entitled I Think I’m Sick from director Danny Gevirtz. Tell us about the making of the film.
CR: Yes, absolutely. I’d started to really enjoy working on camera a few years before we filmed I Think I’m Sick. I was lucky enough to work on a couple TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Younger and really loved the process. I remember getting the audition for I Think I’m Sick and really being moved with the writing. After my audition, the producers reached out and set up a meeting with me and the director, Danny Gevirtz. He drove in from Philadelphia to New York and we had this really wonderful meeting. We connected right off the bat and I felt like it would be a really incredible collaborative process if I got the job. After that meeting, I got sent the full script. I figured I’d read it over the next couple days, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down.  it was written in a way that I could entirely visualize what I was reading and it felt really special. A couple weeks later, the part of Will was offered to me. We started filming a month or so later. It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had, but certainly one of the most rewarding. 

VT: How do you prepare yourself for such a dark role? From Mormon which is politically lighthearted to I Think I’m Sick which is very dark.
CR: I’m a triple water sign, so no shortage of emotions here (lol). Honestly, for me, it’s about focus. Doing the homework ahead of time, then showing up and being open to where the scene goes. On I Think I’m Sick, Danny gave me a lot of trust in the process as an actor, which also really helped allow myself to be as vulnerable as I needed to be for the character.

VT: Which medium do you prefer? Performing live on stage vs filming a series/film or are they both equally fulfilling?
CR: In terms of stage vs film, both I find fulfilling in different ways. Theatre is always going to be my first love and I will always love the experience of feeling an audience. 

VT: So going forward, how would you like to envision your career? 
CR: Well, I’m open to what the universe has in store. But if I am given the choice, I’m looking forward to doing more films. That’s definitely something I’m passionate about. I’d love to keep collaborating with first time directors. I also would love to do a new play in New York. There are so many incredible writers in the theatre scene I would love to work with.

VT: One of the exciting aspects of collaborating with you is your love of fashion. More and more, actors are becoming key figures in promoting fashion (due to public appearances such as premieres, awards shows and social media) Tell us about your interest in fashion.
CR: I’m a huge fashion fan. My mom doesn’t know where I got it from. When I was in grade school, I would go to the public library with my mom so I could check out the fashion magazines and bring them home to look at. I think fashion is something I’ve always been drawn to because in a certain way it’s about portraying different characters. How the clothes make you feel. How the clothes make you perceived. I’ve always been drawn to it and it’s something that still brings me a lot of joy. I keep up on all the shows/collections and all the movements of designers right now. It’s a super interesting time to be following the fashion world. 

VT: Since we are on the topic of fashion, what are some of your favorite items currently in your wardrobe? Also items that are on your wish list to have.
CR: Ooo, I just got a new Dries shirt that I love. It’s a silk sheer button up. Not practical for every occasion, but it’s super special. And on my wishlist, even though it’s a million degrees in New York, I’m already starting to think of what to buy for fall. Have my eye on a couple tall boots I want, but haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m definitely a shopper where I’ll hunt forever and buy after a lot of thought.

Some random questions for Connor to answer:

Three adjectives that best describe you: 
Compassionate, Loyal and Imaginative 

Name your favorite place you have visited.
I went to Ireland for the first time last year and had the most incredible experience. Seeing that much untouched natural beauty blew my mind. I would love to go back. 

Describe your perfect day.
A quiet morning with tea and a croissant for breakfast. Followed by an afternoon walking around The Met. Dinner and a show with the people I love, ending the evening with us all having a nightcap at my apartment.

Name five items that are essential in your travels:
Burt’s Bees chapstick, a journal, my own pillow, under eye patches for the plane and most importantly, my dog, Oakland. 

Your perfect meal if it was meant to be your last one:
To be honest, pizza. Right now, I am obsessed with Ollie’s Pizza in upstate New York. Definitely last meal worthy.

Name a book that you would recommend that benefited you and you feel could benefit others and why this book is significant to you:
I am such a fan of biographies. Maybe because I’m an actor, I’m not sure, but I read so many of them. I’ve loved reading I Was Better Last Night (by Harvey Fierstein), My Name Is Barbra (by Barbra Streisand) and The Chiffon Trenches (by Andre Leon Talley). I think as a creative person, I enjoyed listening to other creative people tell their stories. I think there’s a lot to learn from them.

Describe your personal style:
I tend to gravitate towards something that makes me feel chic with a twist. I love it when there is something just a little bit off or different.

An invitation was sent for you to attend a premiere tonight, what would you consider wearing?
I always feel good in Courrèges!

If you were given an opportunity to portray a designer as your next acting role, who would like to play?
I’ve always thought Yves Saint Laurent would be interesting to play. He had such a remarkable career. The pictures of him in the late 1950s and early 1960s are fantastic too. Alternatively Martin Margiela - given how discreet he’s been in his life and how brilliant he clearly is, I think there is a lot of interesting stuff there. I guess I have a thing for European designers.

A Broadway production you would love to star in.
A New Brain by William Finn and James Lapine.

Advice you would give to young actors knowing what you know now as a professional working actor: 
Don’t put pressure on yourself for everything to happen at once. The best things take time and the opportunities that are meant for you will come.