Queensbury graduate Dan Thompson has traded curtain calls for camera cues as he makes a name for himself in the world of television.
“It’s been quite a journey,” said Thompson, who recently shot a pilot for Hulu called “Don’t Get High,” a 30-minute situation comedy about an “alpha dork and her merry gang of dweebs.” The show stars Tony Hale and is directed by Kay Cannon, who wrote the “Pitch Perfect” movies. The showrunner is Megan Ganz, who wrote “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
Thompson’s character — named Hook — is the dumb jock/star athlete of the school.
“He’s very lovable, but there’s not much going on upstairs,” Thompson said. “It’s so fun. I have a blast with it.”
Thompson was thrilled to take a comedic turn in this show. All of his previous roles — in series like “Chicago Med,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “FBI: Most Wanted” — have been serious and rather dark.
“I’m part of a main cast for that, I’ll be in most of the episodes, I’ll really get to grow with the character,” he said.
Thompson started his acting journey in sixth grade, when the Queensbury High School Musical production of “The Music Man” needed a young boy to play Winthrop.
“That was the first musical I ever did, and I really fell in love with it,” said Thompson, who continued to participate in Drama Club at Queensbury Middle School.
He spent his four years of high school as a member of the Madrigal Singers under the direction of Penny Schiek and took on the role of the Beast in the school’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” his senior year of high school.
“That show completely cemented for me what I wanted to do with my life,” Thompson said. “That was a really big pivotal moment for me.”
He credits both Schiek and current middle school music teacher Laura Lee DeLand with shaping him into the performer he is today.
“I will never forget when he took the stage after an unexpected fire drill and made an unscripted comment about it, which had the audience rolling!” DeLand said. “I knew from that moment that acting was his destiny. I am thrilled to see Dan continuing his love of acting and performance!”
After high school, Thompson attended Vassar College to study drama and moved to New York City after graduation.
“I had no clue what to do. I didn’t even know where to begin,” Thompson admitted. “Vassar wasn’t a conservatory, so we didn’t have a showcase. A lot of conservatories have a showcase where you perform for managers and agents.”
He eventually started attending “pay-for-play” showcases to have the chance to perform in front of agents and managers and other people in “the industry.” A couple years later, one of those agents reached out to him and signed him.
“For a lot of actors, that first big hurdle is getting representation,” he explained. “So then once you finally get past that big hurdle, the next big hurdle is actually booking something.
“You’re going up against hundreds, if not thousands, of people across the country and across the world sometimes for these parts,” he said. “And pretty much everyone you’re going up against has credits or a resume or they’ve been doing this since they were a kid, they have a famous parent, you never know. It’s a very long, long uphill battle that kind of never really ends.”
He lamented the ups and downs of a volatile industry.
“The grind never stops,” he said. “Even when you are booking jobs and have a resume, you’re still competing against so many people for the next one. It’s such a tough career path, but if it’s the only thing you can see yourself doing, don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Thompson would like to become a regular on a television series and eventually branch out into films. He offered some advice for Queensbury high schoolers.
“Enjoy your time in high school. It goes by so fast,” he said. “Stay involved in the things you’re interested in and the things that call to you. Queensbury has so many amazing outlets and opportunities. Take advantage of them.”