Kylr Coffman
by Calvin Picou
July 1st, 2024
Kylr Coffman is an actor from Oklahoma.
Calvin : So, what came first for you? Skating or acting? Which came more naturally?
Kylr : I think skateboarding. The guy consider my dad came into my life. And he always skateboarding, and it just influenced me, like the punk rock music and culture and everything. I just wanted to impress him. I think I went to pick up a skateboard one day and fell in love with it. I was lucky because my mom had me at like, 15, it was one of the blessings of is that my parents were young. He had lots of friends out on skateboards, like at skate parks on weekends. And then eventually, as I grew up and became a teenager, I just made it my own thing. So yeah, I guess I've always loved skateboarding to have that connection to him. But I also genuinely just loved it myself. It’s nice to hear how people do things and like the rules and things but at the end of the day, you have to do it your own way.
In terms of acting and skateboarding, what overlaps are there?
I could get corny. With skateboarding, you have something we physically have to pick yourself off of the ground. Like when you fall down? And then if you're doing that constantly, it's like, the rejection you face in auditions doesn't really mean anything. Because Oh, you can tell me no. And that's way worse, or way less harsh of a rejection and busting my ass down some stairs. So yeah, and also the process of just you're not going to get some first try. So constantly trying and persistence. So maybe it's insanity, or maybe whatever it is, but gives you a type of perseverance that I think is definitely needed for actors at times.
On that same note, in my own limited skill-less version of skating that I've done in my life, I've noticed that commitment and confidence that you have on the skateboard. Do you see any of that also being useful in the moment as an actor and dealing with pressure on set?
Yeah, I think of it, like, committing to a moment is much like committing to a trick. It's hard to explain unless you've done it, but you just find yourself in this flow state when you just don't get in your head and in your way. And it's the same you always learn your tricks. You're not thinking and you always arrive to the moment where you're supposed to arrive at.
Ballpark estimate: how many auditions have you done in the last 10 years?
100?
You’re being modest.
Easily over 100. I’m a professional auditioner. Brie Larson has this YouTube video where she's going through IMDb and going through roles she didn't get it. It's humbling even watching somebody like Oscar winner, Brie Larson go through, like, “oh, I didn't get this role. I didn't get this role.” And looking back at the producers are probably “Oh my God, why didn't we hire her?” It is what it is. And so, I mean, I'm not competing against anybody. It's not you versus anybody. It's just you versus who you were yesterday. I'm thankful to have the agents and managers that I've had for since the start of my career, I still have the same agents and managers we've had now for maybe 10 years. There's just this feeling of my life could change in a week, but I also have the maturity to know that it's not going to happen overnight. It could also never happen.
What film department do you think is under appreciated?
All of them, man. It takes a village. I can tell you the one that I can think is over-appreciated: actors.
I completely agree. The coddling of actors, especially on bigger sets is kind of a waste of resources.
I’ve grown to have so much appreciation for other crew members. Have you ever gotten the chance to see a focus puller work on set? Oh, my God. Whenever I’m watching a movie now, I’m just like, “wow, the focus puller is killing it.”
Cats out of the bag: casting directors and agents are openly telling their clients that they don't have to be based in New York or LA to have an acting career. What has moving Oklahoma done for you as an actor?
It's given me back my agency. I'm not anti-L.A. but Oklahoma was a home base. Los Angeles is already so established - so many great filmmakers, so many great productions, so many great acting studios but in Oklahoma, the film industry is really new and it’s really blowing up and it's all behind the camera and there's nobody really leading the charge in front of the camera. So, I feel like I'm able to take my experiences and have value by sharing that and providing opportunities for other people in a way that I just couldn't here in Los Angeles, because there's already so many people doing that at such a high caliber. It’s giving me the tools to come back out here and have more value. And because I have O.F.A., I get to act every day, regardless of if I'm booked on a show or I have an audition or anything, I get to pull up a camera with friends every day and act.
What’s given you a higher sense of purpose: acting in Hollywood or teaching in Oklahoma?
I'm so reluctant to call myself a teacher at all but they both have a purpose. And I'm not in any way taken away from my acting career acting ambitions. If I book a role, I will shut down my studio in a heartbeat.
What qualities make you most excited to work with a student?
Just the ability to say yes, you know, like I can lead you to the perfect acting studio. I could buy the nicest cameras for you. I could give you the perfect script, I could give you the perfect scene partner. I could give you everything that you need to succeed as an actor but unless you want to do it, there's nothing that I can do. Ultimately you have to have the ability to say yes and go with things. It doesn't matter how talented you are, if you're going to be a stick in the mud and like, haul things on to the next person, it makes your job more interesting and more fulfilling to work with an actor, maybe with less talent who's willing to show up and try a new thing than it is to work with somebody who feels like they know everything is going to give you a lot of pushback.
Photography by Omar Salas Zamora
Interview by Calvin Picou