I guess I did get to tick a big one off the bucket list, though, and that was being on a giant billboard smack-bang in the hub of Hollywood Boulevard. That was... well, pretty Hollywood.
— Jay Ryan
Coming from New Zealand and Australia is like a tough pre-school for Hollywood. And having been on 'Neighbours,' even though the agents I met with hadn't seen it, they knew it's where Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce had come from. It was a foot in the door.
I always seem to get parts where I play the sports professional - and that's not me at all!
I was a very hyper-active child and my parents just didn't know what to do with me.
I was shooting a mini-series for Sundance/BBC, called 'Top of the Lake,' that was shot by Jane Campion, who's a beautiful native New Zealander and famous film director. The role I was playing was very intense, and they shaved half my hair off. So, I looked like this post-apocalyptic character.
The network made me join Twitter. I am very scared of social media, and I don't know how to use it, so it's kind of trial and error.
I felt more comfortable playing other people than being myself, when I was a kid. And then, the tables turned. Through my performances, I've become more comfortable with who I am, and then I just bring more of myself into the people that I play.
The original theme of 'Beauty and the Beast' is don't judge a book by its cover. Love what's inside.
Having glue stuck to your face in winter is not fun. It freezes as it hits the skin.
My family aren't performers. They're just normal people. They don't understand this entertainment world. They just think it's mental. They have no idea what I'm doing in America.
