Colton Little Interview

Colton Little has starred in Christmas movies, such as "A Wedding For Christmas" and "Christmas Sweethearts". He also starred in "Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem 2". In 2021 he also completed a short film called "Phases".

What motivated you to get into acting?

I grew up in a very small town in Nebraska, and I think my motivation came because I wanted to see the world and I wanted to experience the world through other people's eyes. And the idea of becoming an actor felt like the best way to do that.

Was filming and producing the short film, Phases, a good experience?

It was a fantastic experience. My time making that film was a really personal journey, and I think having the opportunity to produce it, write it, direct it, and act in it was a challenge, but also extremely exciting and new for me in a lot of ways. It was my first time having the opportunity to have creative control over a story that I really wanted to tell, so it was extremely important for me to get that made and get it made the way that I wanted it to be done.

Do you plan on producing more screen productions?

I do. My future projects include a feature length version of Phases, which is really exciting. It kind of expands on the character's backstory and how he became a werewolf in the first place. It also has a lot of commentary on growing up in a small town and sort of moving forward into the world and what that looks like and the challenges that presents. In addition to that, I'm working on another horror feature film, which is really exciting and I can't say anything about that, but I'm writing and producing that as well. And the story behind that will be a lot of fun to explore and it has to do with family dynamics and being put in a very high pressure situation with your family and having to sort of step up and examine the person that society sees you as versus the person that you feel that you are inside of your own mind and your own heart.

Have there been scenes throughout your career that have been more challenging to film and what were they?

That's a really good question. I think for me and for a lot of people, we see ourselves one way, and so when you have to step into a role that demands that you act or present yourself in maybe a more confident way or a more intense way, that can be a challenge simply because you have to really go into your imagination and sort of step into your power. And it can be scary and it can be daunting, but I think at the same time, that's the challenge of acting and that's the beauty of it, is that you have the opportunity to explore those lights and shadows within yourself. And so I would say anytime I have to be really confident on screen, I have to sort of turn off those negative voices in my mind and I have to say, "Oh, I'm funny or charming," or, "I can get the girl or the guy," even though the voices in my head don't tell me that all the time.

What did you like most about filming for Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem 2?

The Days of Our Lives team, everyone from the actors to the crew, to the producers, everyone's a big family, and I think stepping onto that set, they were also filming the Mothership show at the same time, so I got to interact and interface with people who had been on that show for 30 and 40 years, and it was a really big challenge because it was the biggest project I had done up to that point, and I had to really show up to work every day fully prepared for whatever they were going to throw at me.

And daytime television is notorious for moving very quickly and also being a challenge creatively for the entire team. So that was extremely exciting, but extremely nerve-wracking at the same time. And the whole experience was fantastic and I learned a lot. It felt like an actor bootcamp because every day I had to show up and I had to know exactly what I was doing, I had to be prepared for whatever changes they were going to make in the moment. But overall, it was so fun and I loved everybody involved with it, and I made a lot of really good friends.

What has been the biggest challenge in your acting career?

For me, the biggest challenge has been to advocate for myself because I think as actors, a lot of the time we're told that we are lucky to get any opportunity, but sometimes if an opportunity comes to you, after auditioning or after working really hard to get to a certain place in your career, you feel like you need to take everything that's given to you. But what's really important to remember is that it's a business and you have a voice in that. And so there have been projects and roles that have been presented to me after an audition that I didn't feel comfortable with or I didn't feel like the story was something that I wanted to be involved with.

And as much as I wanted to take the opportunity, I had to also remember that I can make those choices. I can make the choice to do it or the choice not to, the choice to say that I don't feel comfortable with a specific line or a specific character. And that was a big learning lesson for me, was knowing that I had a voice despite being in an industry that opportunity comes very seldomly in.

What has been your favorite screen role to play?

I'll give you two answers. The first answer would be that I love how much people connect to my Christmas movies, A Wedding for Christmas, and then My Best Friend's Christmas, which they're rebranding it to be called Christmas Sweethearts and it's going to premiere on GAC on November 13th. So I think having that community of the Christmas fans on my side was really a beautiful discovery for me because a lot of people love those movies and there's such a warm community around Christmas movies and holiday movies in general, so that was really special. But on the flip side of that, when I got to play Andrew Donovan on Days of Our Lives, he's a legacy character and to step into those shoes and know that the character already had so many fans behind him and behind his family in the show, that was exciting.

And also the writers for Days of Our Lives told me when I first got the job that they wanted him to be a gay 007 essentially. So that was exciting for me because for the first time, I had a chance to represent someone in a marginalized group, but also show a different side of that. So I got to be strong and masculine, but I also got to connect with a different part of myself and a personal part of myself in my sexuality and show that I could be both of those things in one character.

If you could play any role from past TV shows or movies, who would you play?

Oh, that's a really good question. I think Jurassic Park is my favorite film of all time and I'm obsessed with that franchise, and so if I could play one of the kids in Jurassic Park, I would love to go back and have that opportunity because I remember that was my first discovery as a young person, watching that movie and realizing that kids could be actors and that that was a job. Because when you're young and you're watching movies, you don't really realize that these are people who have a job, who are showing up every day and they get to do this amazing thing. And so as a kid, that was a really special discovery for me. And even now when I watch Jurassic Park, I look back at those child actors and I think how amazing the opportunity must have been. So I would love to be in Jurassic Park, but right now I'm watching the AMC series, Interview with the Vampire, and I think the two leads in that have an incredible opportunity as actors to explore this really interesting, dark, sometimes funny role.

Which actors inspire you?

Florence Pugh is a huge inspiration to me currently because every time I see a project that she is in, I am immediately drawn to her on screen. I think that she's incredibly original. She's down to earth, she's funny, but she can be intense, so I'm really inspired by her. I would also say Jonathan Majors is an incredible actor. I think he has this depth to him and this strength to him that I really look up to and I would love to somehow embody in my work moving forward.

I understand that you are a fitness coach. Why did you start in this occupation?

Growing up, I was actually very out of shape and I had a lot of body image issues. And I struggled with self-confidence and I struggled with really loving myself and feeling strong in my body. And so when I was looking for a job that I could do in between acting jobs, I was talking to a friend who's a personal trainer and he said that he builds his own schedule and he gets to help change people's lives on a daily basis. And that really was inspiring to me.

So when I had the opportunity to get my license as a personal trainer, I thought that that would be a really good opportunity to meet people, inspire people, keep myself accountable, and do something that was fun, but also a challenge because fitness is like a puzzle with different pieces that change every day. So you can have one person that you're training and they are completely different to the next client who's going to come in and you have to adjust your energy level, you have to adjust how you encourage them, and you have to show up every single day knowing that you're helping change people's lives.

Would you say it's an advantage being a fitness coach considering Hollywood expects actors to be a certain way?

Funnily enough, as much as I like to stay in shape, I think that it's shown me that every person's body is unique and beautiful, and so it's really created this freedom in my mind to accept myself and my body and how I look versus maybe what Hollywood or people who watch my projects, how they would want me to look or expect me to look. So I now just find that I have way more confidence as a person and as an actor knowing that I'm strong and I'm healthy, but I don't have to have a six pack in order to show that I'm confident in myself.

What causes are important to you?

I think personally LGBTQ+ causes are very important because I'm a member of that community and I see and have experienced how difficult it is to be accepted as a human in society. There still is a lot of intolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community around the world, and I think if people can confidently step into their sexuality and show that we're all connected as human beings and that labels don't mean everything, that is a really important message that I want to continue helping spread. Also, I really think that it's important to remain politically educated. I think that we live in a world and especially in a country where we don't have the luxury to remain agnostic towards political issues because we vote with our dollars, we vote with our words, we vote with every action we take on a daily basis. And I think right now we're looking at a country that's so divided, and no matter what your political stance is, as long as you're educated on your stance, I think that that's a very important tool to have.

Where can people follow you and your work?

I have a website, which is www.colton-little.com. I update that with footage and photos and different articles. I also have a Twitter, @mrcoltonlittle and an Instagram, @littlecolton.