Meet Aaron Sherry | Actor/Writer/Director

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

Hi Aaron, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The idea of risk terrifies me. You have to completely let go of what is safe on the HOPE that your desired outcome will happen? My Capricorn heart shudders at the thought. That said, risk-taking, for me, has nearly always appeared in the form of “jump, and the net will appear.” I have a tendency to stagnate in what’s safe and structured, but I find that when I break myself free from those “chains,” the universe rewards in the direction I depart.

One example that will forever stick with me happened in 2020. I was working at the Kennesaw State University education department, and when everything closed down, I was sent home with my computer and twice as much work (my colleague was stuck in Africa due to a family emergency). Everything was fine until fall semester, when I would wake up and crawl to the end of my bed to work for 12 hours, crawl back in bed, and do it all again the next day. I finally hit a wall, hard, around the end of November, and submitted my resignation for the end of the semester. Nothing lined up, not much left in savings. Two days later, Marvel called me to work on one of their shows, based on a random recommendation from a friend. That call led to me working with them for another year and a half, and has since led me to work on projects with A24, Paramount, and others, as well as a kaleidoscope of commercial work. At the end of my Marvel tenure, I was feeling like getting back into the acting world, and as soon as I decided that, I received an agency request and multiple auditions. The universe (and a large amount of privilege) looks out for me in my risk-taking, which is easy to forget, but oh-so-lovely in its reminding.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a tall white male actor in a sea of the same, so this question has haunted me since I started taking acting classes. I think what sets me apart from others in this field is my attitude toward the work. I took a year off from acting in 2021, mainly due to mental health reasons. Prior to 2021, auditions were a slog. I would get the email that I had an audition (usually one for which I had submitted myself!) and just groan. I’ve got to carve out time to memorize, to do the scene work, to get in the head of a character I only connect to because they’re “white, male, 20s-40s.” I hated it. I chose this career path, took multiple steps, spent multiple dollars, and I hated it.

Time off (and THERAPY) in 2021 really helped me to rewire my brain to focus on what makes me happy. So, when I received a push from the universe to lean back into acting, I was more open to approaching it with the idea of “what, in this work, makes me happy?” Acting is a fraction of the job, but I get to REALLY play when I audition. Maybe what I’m doing doesn’t quite fit the tone the director is looking for (looking at you, tech audition where I went full Macho Man Randy Savage), but I have fun, and that’s what’s important to me.

Yvonne said so many things that stuck with me. Her first words to me were, “repeat it back to me, bitch!” She said that every actor has their [neck]ties, and we wear our different ties for different auditions. But the most important thing about the tie is that it doesn’t change the person it’s attached to; it shows them in a different light. Allowing myself to be me in a different tie, instead of letting the tie control who I am, unlocked a joy for auditions that I hadn’t had before. She also taught us a little song and dance, where we sing, “I get to act today, everything’s okay!” which is a mantra I’ve repeated to myself multiple times since 2021. Any day I get to act is a great day, and I’m going to treat it as such. And the dance was simple, just shake your booty to the words! [insert that one gif of the booty shaking skeleton here]

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh no, don’t do this to me! There are SO many good spots in town! It’s gotta be during Dragoncon Weekend. We’ll go to that on Saturday and Sunday, I think.

For my more relaxed friends, breakfast at Carroll Street Cafe . The atmosphere there is immaculately serene (when it’s not BUSY busy). I don’t know how to describe it other than that after I take my first sip of their cafe au lait, the tension leaves my body and I feel so cozy and safe. Little’s, right next door, has one of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted. Piedmont Park or one of the several amazing museums (High, History, Fernbank, Puppetry Arts, Jewish History, Tellus [not really ATL but it’s awesome]) are musts. Also, get a library card, you can get access to most of these places for free through your local library.

Higher energy friends go to Thumbs Up. I prefer the OG location off Edgewood, but they’re all great. I’ve tried something new every time I go there, and have never been disappointed. In the evening, it’s off to Church or Mary’s or Highland for karaoke, or to Clermont Lounge (possibly also for karaoke, but come on now).

For coffee, gotta go to Chrome Yellow or Muchacho if I’m in the city, or Cool Beans or Rev if I’m closer to home.

Vortex is a basic Atlanta stop, but so necessary for outsiders. Swing into Laughing Skull Lounge if you go to the Vortex in Midtown.

The best BBQ is at Wyatt’s Country BBQ in Kirkwood. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Gotta do a hike, and Stone Mountain is a great one. I love that it’s short and fairly simple, and you get an unbelievable 360 view, from Midtown and Downtown to Smyrna, all the way to the foothills of the Appalachian Trail, and whatever is further out east, I guess. The best views are west and north. Brush up on your history so you can tell your friends why they feel the need to keep the confederate flags and confederate sculpture (spoiler alert: there’s no good reason, but you should definitely know the history of Stone Mountain). Tip: don’t park in the park, park in Stone Mountain village and hit up one of the local food/drink spots after. Stone Mountain Public House is my favorite post-hike stop.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to shout out Art’s Sake acting studio in Orlando, FL, and the late Yvonne Suhor. Without her and the Art’s Sake community’s support, I would have stayed stuck in my repetitive, unfulfilling job and likely would still be in Orlando absolutely hating my life. Coming to Atlanta, the team at Drama, Inc have continually pushed me to become better at my craft, and I can’t thank them enough for keeping Yvonne’s flame stoked in my heart.

Website: aaronpsherry.com

Instagram: aaronunabridged

Other: imdb.me/aaronpsherry