We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Muto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Having been an athlete from the age of five, I got to experience wins and losses. It was instilled in me that I was going to have success and failures. When I was nineteen I got into modeling and would go on “go sees” which is the same as an audition, and I got lucky off the bat and booked my first job. Later, I transitioned into acting. I again was fortunate to get my first job that I auditioned for, on Days of Our Lives. Getting to experience this opportunity was a dream come true. I captured that feeling and used that to keep going to get the next one. I didn’t book for a while after that but the athlete in me said never give up. I knew with hard work and opportunities I had a better chance; if I give up I’ll have zero chance.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of my proudest moments was when I got my SAG card. I remember driving up to the SAG building on Wilshire boulevard in Los Angeles to pay my union fee. I asked the person at the front desk, “Does this make me a professional actor?” She said “Yes!” I couldn’t believe it. I was so over the moon to be in the same union as some of my favorite actors. It definitely is not an easy profession. There is constant rejection, and it is very subjective – you can be a really good actor and do a great job in the room and still not get the job. As time has gone on in my career, I’ve decided to stay true to my work, study, stay in class, do plays, always be ready… that’s all you can ultimately control. The late Robert Forster told me keep a good attitude and it ain’t over til its over. I overcome my challenges by good ol fashion work. For example, if there’s a project that I want to be a part of and my agents said they submitted me for it and I don’t hear anything back, I will go the extra mile and hit up a casting director or associate myself. On many occasions it’s gotten me in the room. Don’t take no for an answer.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I moved to Georgia almost 3 years ago, after 24 years in Los Angeles, so I’m still getting used to the area. I would say my favorite spots are the amazing hiking trails. I’m blown away by how green it is here! It’s great coming from a city. There are so many charming small towns that my family and I like to explore and go to antique stores. There is a lot of history here, Piedmont Park is definitely a highlight along with downtown in which they hosted the Olympics. I took a Segway tour to hammer out our highlights here, I highly recommend that. The best donuts in LA were always Randy’s, and they just opened in Atlanta – I tried them just yesterday and can confirm they taste exactly like the original!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout out to my parents, Chris Muto Sr. & Sydney Solomon; my siblings, Melissa O’Brien, Janeen Muto, Joe Muto and Rachael Osborne. My childhood molded me to who I am and my family is and always have been my rock. They supported me at an early age, waking up early or staying late to watch me compete. I did have an inner drive early on with sports, and a zest for life. Eventually my dream of playing sports professionally switched to being a professional actor. I was all in. I left my family in Upstate New York and moved to Los Angeles. To support myself, I started personal training. There is where I met and started training the most influential person to me, James Remar. He is now a very good friend of mine. I learned so much from him. and he’s responsible for me getting into the Screen Actors Guild. I was also fortunate enough to have worked with him on screen and study how he works. He advised me to join a theater company to get stage experience, and he’s given me countless hours of advice. He’s one of my favorite actors as well!

Image Credits
I have the rights to photos.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.