DERON HORTON
PHOTOGRAPHY: RAINER HOSCH
CREATIVE DIRECTION: DEBORAH FERGUSON
Tshirt by Puma, necklace is actors own, pants by Citizens of Humanity
DeRon what inspired you to apply to attend SCAD and focus on acting let’s say vs any other acting school?
I wanted to originally apply to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts Conservatory but it was only a 2 year program. And to Juilliard but you had to be in New York to audition for that school. My parents were definitely not going to fly me from Saudi Arabia to New York just to apply for an acting school so I sent in a self-taped audition to enter the SCAD program. And yeah, I got accepted and went from there.
Can you share your amazing background living in Saudi Arabia and then moving back to the US?
My mother asked me had I heard where our new home was going to be. I said no and she proceeded to tell me that Saudi Arabia would be it. I told her this was the worst idea I’d ever heard but I didn’t really have a choice. I moved from Houston, Texas when I was 10 years old to Saudi Arabia. I stayed there until I graduated high school and then I headed back to the U.S. Ha, I don’t really know how else to explain it but honestly if I didn’t go there, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It gave me a unique view about the world.
What did you feel was your breakthrough moment in becoming an actor? Was it at SCAD or during an audition for one of your many recent roles?
I believe it was at SCAD. I was in a play where I played an Egyptian Lawyer in THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT directed by Sharon Ott, a professor at the time. She allowed me to fail in a huge way, meaning to take risks, to still tell me it was a good choice but also challenge me to try something more specific.
That play changed my life for sure. I was completely immersed in this character from head to toe. I even had dialect coaching during the process. Sharon also told me to try and find an animal to base the character off of and I think that is when something clicked. I don’t know what but for some reason it made sense. It was just a totally different approach to acting that I had no idea about but fell in love with conquering at the same time. SCAD is serious about the theatre, it was incredibly hard to be in a main stage show.
You have accomplished a lot in such a short window of time as an actor congrats! Do you have any goals as actor on your wish list? Types of films or TV series?
Thank You! I feel truly blessed. I have many goals yeah. I want to work with John Malkovich. My favorite actor of all time. Hmm. I honestly just want to do incredible work and inspire people to be great but also be great myself and receive that same inspiration from my peers. I’d love to play a villain sometime soon. It’s time to separate from the sweet subtly people see. I’d love to exercise my evil self at some point in a role you know?
Is there a director with current or past work that inspires you as an actor?
Yeah. Everyone loves Spielberg. I’d love to do something with the Hughes brothers and the Coen brothers. Nick Cassavetes is great – I love his early work. I love Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire might be one of the best TV series to happen to television.
Sweatshirt and tshirt by Art4form
Your incredibly inspiring character on DWP on season 1 not only carries an excellent level of comedy but has an added complex layer of coming out and owning his inner gay young man? How did you manage such a big translation in a comedic role?
I don’t know. Hard work. Asking a lot of questions haha. Trying things and them not working or being too extravagant. I had a bit of a leg up from playing a nerd in Burning Sands even though these two characters are pretty different. I just sort of took that part and mixed it with some different ingredients.
What struggles with the coming out did your character have in season 1 that you feel in season 2 have been accepted and or resolved?
Well in season 1 he was struggling with figuring out which part of the spectrum he was on period. The fact that he has figured it out is illuminating. Now he is on the road of discovering how the world of being in a relationship is and the many digressions it may have.
Shirt by TopMan, sweatshirt by Art4form, jeans by Citizens of Humanity, sneakers by Puma
Do you have input with your character while shooting? What does a common day on set include on the set of DWP vs a film set?
I have a lot of input, I believe. To be a show with such specific characters, I think we all have an incredible grasp of who they are and what would be truthful for them or not. A common day? No day is ever the same to be honest – full of surprises.
How did you prep for your role on Roman J. Isral, Esq alongside Denzel Washington?
I didn’t really have much time to prep at all. I was actually shooting a film called Shotgun in New York at the time. I just remembered what happened in my audition and tried to amplify the feeling in the moment. Be in the moment and feed off of Denzel’s energy and see where he took the scene.
Were there any inspiring moments while shooting that film?
Yes. Very much so. I mean, I had the chance to act alongside one of the greatest actors of our time. Of course I took every opportunity to talk to him haha. We talked about a lot. Also laughed at how inconvenient but yet funny our scene was.
DeRon you are clearly very different from your role as Lionel on DWP can you share some of your side projects that keep you inspired? And perhaps you hope they grow as quickly as your acting career?
Yes! I record and produce music as well which I’ve been doing for about 10 years… I believe I have a nice fan base on that side but I honestly just do it because I love it for one, music is my second passion, but it also keeps my brain moving. I’m also in an acting class/program. I have an issue with allowing myself to become complacent or lazy.
Photography : Rainer Hosch
Creative Director: Deborah Ferguson
Layout Art director : Charlotte Lethbridge
Grooming : Elie Maalouf using Tom Ford Beauty @ Tracey Mattingly