The Man, The Myth, The Actor: Meet Ryan Shrime, ’96 (Career Path: Acting)

“You each probably think you’re the smartest person in the crowd,” the dean of students at Harvard told his incoming freshmen, “By the time you’re done with your first year, I can assure you that you’ll each think you’re the stupidest person in your class.” Harvard’s freshman class, as usual, was filled with valedictorians, honor students, and the brightest minds from schools around the world. Ryan P. Shrime, himself the valedictorian of Cistercian’s Class of ‘96, was definitely in good company at Harvard. The dean’s message to them was that at first you’ll be shocked that there are people your age who are smarter, faster, or more driven than you. However, during the second year, you should come to realize that “you deserved to be there, you were no better or worse than anyone else, and that you’re in a class of your peers and you should take comfort in that.”

Ryan Shrime always knew that he was going to be an actor. Ever since he saw E.T. (1982) at the age of 4, he knew that there was no other path for him than acting. However, it wasn’t until the summer between Form IV and V that, at the recommendation of his Form Master Fr. Henry due to his unruly behavior during class, his mother sent him to what she thought was an acting camp. It turned out not being an acting camp, but rather a show choir camp. Nonetheless, finding that he loved performing, Shrime entered dance classes of all kinds, including jazz, tap, and modern. Beginning in Form VI, Shrime took this love of performing and changed it into a love of acting by participating in both the Ursuline musical and the Cistercian play, which he continued doing until he graduated. At these high school productions, Shrime said that he gained the “experience of being on stage” and he “learned how much he loved it.”

In middle school, Shrime felt like he didn’t fit in very well with his form. This changed, though, when his dad was diagnosed with cancer in Shrime’s Junior year. The “tightness and supportiveness” of the Class of 1996 helped him through this tough time. He says that the brotherhood he developed with his classmates is his favorite aspect of his time at Cistercian and that he still tries to spend time with his classmates over Christmas.

After graduating from Cistercian, Shrime went on to Harvard and majored in economics. On how his time at Harvard prepared him for a career, he explains, “It doesn’t matter what you study… [because] they’ll teach you on the job.” Shrime does insist, though, that he learned a very valuable skill at Harvard: humility. He recalls the previously mentioned speech by the dean as having a lasting impact on how he thinks.

After Harvard, Ryan Shrime started his acting career in New York City. He lived there for seven years, doing several acting jobs, and then moved to Los Angeles, where he has lived for the past seven and a half years. Shrime chose to live in New York first because “LA is a city of pretty faces, shining lights, and fancy cars” and he was worried that in LA he would become more concerned with going to the right parties and hanging with the right people that he would lose focus on his craft. Now living in LA, though, he says that he feels “far more grounded and creative because in addition to acting I’m surrounded by writers and directors and all other creative talents in my industry that drive me and inspire me to work even harder.”

While he has faced his ups and downs in his career, Shrime describes professional acting as “cutthroat and unforgiving,” but filled with “beautiful, wonderful people” who are all “trying to create something beautiful.” There are a lot of actors and relatively few roles, he explains. For every role that goes out, there are 1500-5000 submissions, but only about 10 people are given the chance to audition, so even getting an audition is a major achievement. With such little time actually being able to act, Shrime says that he has “learned how to do everything outside of acting.” He has written several screenplays, four TV shows, two features, and is currently working on a novel. He has also had to take up several jobs to support himself outside of acting and is only now, after 15 years, finally making a living as an actor. However, Shrime insists that those 15 years have been the most “inspiring and life-changing” experience he’s had.

Shrime’s advice for an aspiring actor? Don’t compare yourself to others, focus on your craft, go to class, work hard, and, most of all, learn how to enjoy your life. It’s a hard career field; many people “pour their blood, sweat, and tears into the industry.” However, Shrime insists, “I would never be doing anything else.”

Ryan Shrime encourages any Cistercian actors or students to talk with him, contact the Informer if you are interested. You can also follow him on Twitter @ryanshrime.