Words by Carol Wright |Photography by Ryan West Photo
We got to chat with actor Kai Bradbury about Warigami, his character Vincent, and his advice for aspiring actors.
When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?
I ran out of my first acting class as a young kid. I think I had to say my name and an animal out loud to the room. I come from a family of all kinds of artists, none of them actors, but I think I knew I would always end up working in the arts. In the 9th grade, my best friend Natalie and I auditioned for our school’s improv team. Next thing I knew, I was doing every drama class, school show and started doing community theatre. It consumed my life and by the end of high school, I realized there was nothing else in the world I would rather do. I guess you could say I started late compared to many, but I’m so glad I found my passion when I did. Who knew that scared boy would run out of that room and right back into acting class years later. Needless to say, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable saying my name out loud to a room without running out of it.
What about Warigami interested you?
Just about everything. I find that there is a large gap in original content. Sometimes it feels like everything is a remake, a reboot or a rip from a book. This was a chance to build a world and a character that no one had any preconception of. It was also an opportunity to work with a very diverse main cast and I was itching to explore the action/comedy genre as well. Getting to pick up and move to Toronto for the shoot was a plus, I will never pass up traveling for work! Everything about this show was new and I always want to be part of projects that push the envelope (pardon the paper pun).
Can you relate to your character Vincent Ohata?
Vincent and I are more different than we are similar. Unbeknownst to him, however, we both rely heavily on our support team to help us out. We are both strong and independent in many ways but we’ve gotten to where we are by the friends, family and mentors that advise us, have our back and catch us if we fall. I relate to Vincent’s sense of adventure and hope to take a slice of his courage as I go along my way.
What did you learn from working with Hiro Kanagawa?
Hiro and I have been on a few of the same shows (The Terror, Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle…) but I’d never had the opportunity to work opposite him until Warigami. He is a leader in the acting community, especially in Vancouver, and I was thrilled to share the screen with him. In the short time we had on set together, I learned by observing his concentrated and dignified work and seeing what being totally comfortable in front of the camera looks like.
Outside of acting what are some of your creative outlets?
As I mentioned, growing up around artists found me deep into painting and drawing early on. Dare I say, I skipped the stick figures and went straight for shading and perspective, though we might have to fact check that. As well as keeping an ongoing sketchbook, I love photography, singing, dancing and I pick up the guitar now and again. What we see on screen is such a small fraction of what it means to be an actor, and I find that all aspects of the business feed different parts of the creative soul.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
So much of what I have to say about that are things I’ve only just learned myself. I think that is very much the most important part of being an actor, always learning about our craft and business as each step pushes us to grow and meet new challenges. My best advice to an aspiring actor is to love and be patient with the journey and to remember that there is no sense in comparing because everyone is on their own path.