Keiynan Lonsdale is a man of many hats. Born in Sydney, the 26-year-old has risen to fame in films such as Divergent and The Flash, and more recently the widely-acclaimed Love, Simon. As an actor, dancer and singer, Keiynan was an essential addition to a star-studded line-up of homegrown originators to star in our new Originals sweats campaign. We caught up with him to ask him ALL the questions. Check it out...

What do you love most about what you do?

I love that it’s my choice. I’m not working hard as a performer or as an “artivist” because it’s a responsibility I have to anyone else, I’m doing it all simply because I can, I want to and it’s fun. If or when this career path stops feeling right, it’ll be my choice to stop and do something else if I want to - whatever that could be.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day is pretty different but some things I try to keep consistent are meditation, practicing my ukulele (it keeps me calm hehe!) and working out in some way whether it’s running, yoga or weights at home. In terms of work, I surprisingly have to answer a ton of emails every day (but I’m pretty bad at that) and then I’m usually jumping between different kinds of tasks, from writing music, script work or just trying to be a good friend - I think that’s an important job!

What’s been your proudest achievement to date so far and why?

Being part of the Love, Simon film and writing my song 'Kiss the Boy.' Self-love was for sure the biggest challenge I thought I’d never overcome. To do a total 180-degree turn and be able to turn those fears into strength has made me really proud of my 'lil journey so far. I look at both of those projects as an artistic fight for love.

Who has been your biggest inspiration and why?

Michael Jackson, forever and always! He made me believe that people could be made of real magic and that it can be shared. Seeing him on the TV when I was two-years-old kick-started my obsession with performing and dancing, in particular. Now, I feel like I can properly understand his innocence and why he placed so much value on making life full of play, it’s really helpful to me now.

What does originality mean to you?

Honestly, I think even super original concepts are really just inspired by the things that have come before them, but I believe that’s a good thing. For me, I find originality in meshing things together that most people might think shouldn’t or couldn’t co-exist. Even with something as simple as clothes a lot of people will follow “the rules” with certain colour choices or patterns but if you make decisions against what is safe regardless of whether it “works” or not, you’ll make something pretty cool.

Do you have a go-to style or look?

Nah I change a lot, even day to day. At the moment I am digging 90’s fashion a lot, and I like a lot of colour. At the same time, I could wake up tomorrow and want to wear all black for a week and just look kinda futuristic or something haha! I just have to base it on how I feel in that moment, it makes me happier to do that and more confident too.

What are your favourite Originals items/colours?

Probably the baby blue hoodie and shorts. It’s so comfortable even when I was jumping around a bunch during the shoot.

What 5 things can you not live without?

Music, love, chocolate, stories, magic. 

What advice do you have for someone trying to break into your industry?

If this is where you are meant to be, you will be, so along with all the hard work you are likely putting in make sure that you actually enjoy this life along the way, cause it’s yours. I think the worst feeling is fighting for your dreams and successes and believing it will be the answer to your happiness only to find out that you feel generally the same, or that you feel lonely. Hang with good friends, explore the world, say yes to weird random adventures, meet new people and learn about their lives because all of that only makes us better at our art in the end, it makes us fuller people and it gives us actual experiences to draw from.

What’s on the agenda for 2018?

A balance of acting work and writing new music, maybe even some performances. I also want to travel a bit and continue to learn about people, the world, etc. I really want to learn new skills outside of the arts, like cooking or gardening. I think that’d make for a nice year.

If you could do just one for the rest of your life which would it be - acting, dancing or singing?

I always get asked this and I can never choose! Haha! I would sing BUT through the motion and movement of my body while communicating stories. Hehe ;)

You’ve said you like to take risks with your style. What’s the riskiest thing you’ve done to your appearance?

I don’t find much to be a risk, sure some things might limit my options for a specific job, like getting more tattoos or straightening/colouring my hair different than the norm but I’d rather make whatever change I want to in my personal life and then have my professional life work around that. Most people feel pressured to cater their own lifestyle to their work but I think that’s a waste of our time here as human beings. Maybe companies should instead make it so that their business enables all people to be and explore who they are.

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