Tanner Bolin is a talent that has only scratched the surface of how far they will go in this industry. Recently appearing in Gossip Girl on HBO Max, there is truly no slowing down for Tanner now! Tanner is a working actor based out of New York City. Some of his theatrical credits include - Spring Awakening (Hanschen), Gaga (Brandon), and The Killer (Le Clochard) among many others. Tanner also performed in the National Tour of Encore!! for Chamber Theatre Productions.

Anyone who comes across Tanner can strongly attest that he is someone who leaves a mark, and 99.9 percent of the time, it's a great one! I am so happy to feature Tanner!

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?

I spent a lot of time as a child trying to find something I was good at. I grew up in Billings, Montana which while it’s the largest city in the state, is still very small potatoes. Because of my community, I didn’t really know performing was an option. I played baseball, soccer, and was even in taekwondo, but I would often find myself bored. It wasn’t until I was 11 years old in 6th grade at Burlington Elementary where I was provided the opportunity to audition for a bootleg version of Oliver Twist. No, it was not the Oliver! that many people know and love; it was a goofy 1-hour adaptation of the Dicken’s story with CD accompaniment.

Basically, the local theatre that I would end up spending most of my time at had an after-school program where they would set up shop in an elementary gym for two weeks and audition, cast, rehearse, and perform a show for the students and parents. I, on a whim, auditioned and got the role of The Artful Dodger. I was 11 years old, and from that moment on, something clicked, and I knew that I had to work towards a career in performance. From then on, I did countless shows with a company called Venture Theatre, performed on the only youth Improv team in the state, and made lifelong friends and memories that I am thankful for every day.

Where did you study? Do you have any mentors that truly helped make you the wonderful artist you are today?

I began my acting studies in Montana at the Venture Theatre youth conservatory. I have many mentors from that stage in my life. CCM grad, Robert Brian Wood introduced me to high concept theatre and gave me, probably, my biggest break as Charlie Bucket in a months-long production of Willy Wonka. Sarah Butts, who is now working with Seattle Rep, introduced me to the power of female-led, female first theatre. There is also Patrick Scott-Wilson, who literally gave me my first role ever, and Catherine Langlas Bergman, one of my dearest friends who cultivated and honed my talents for character work and improvisation while also introducing me to some of the best people in the world with The Funky Bunch improv group. I then moved to New York to attend Long Island University between 2014 and 2018. I studied in a really small and intense physical theatre training program focusing on the Suzuki method.

I have several professors that made an impact, but none more than David Hugo and Maria Porter. I still hold their teachings close to my heart, and Maria, in particular, has curated and created one of the most unique acting techniques which really forced me to go beyond my perceived limitations. I am a product of my mentors and aspire to make them proud with every move in my career.

Congratulations on your recent cameo on Gossip Girl! How was the experience for you?

I will say that my experience on Gossip Girl has been one of the most exciting and unique experiences in my entire life. I never imagined myself moving into the world of television. Live performance has always been my world, and when I was provided the opportunity to work on GG, I really had no idea what to expect.

Because of the current pandemic, television and film productions have had to make some shifts in regards to creating a safe and healthy workplace for cast and crew. Because of this, I worked on the show as an ensemble member often putting on many different hats from a student at the fictional, upper east side private school, Constance Billard St Jude’s, to a New York socialite having martinis with the 1%, to even being a costumed icon at Bette Midler’s yearly charity event Hulaween at The Plaza Hotel. Where most productions will use background actors for one to two days at a time before saying goodbye, I was working on the show for nearly a year, 5 days a week, filming 12 episodes this season. After the first month of work, I was SAG eligible which I joined just a few weeks later. Because of this experience, in episode 5, I was cast in my first co-star role on the show playing none other than David Bowie. It was a unique experience due to the fact that I’ve gotten to know the cast and crew as coworkers in the last several months. The amount of support I got on set when I was filming was incredible, and I am just so lucky and blessed to have had this series of events play out the way they did.

I oftentimes will tell people that my successes, while I work hard for them, are also a product of patience. I find a lot of comfort in listening to the world around me and trusting that my hard work, my successes, and failures, are all building upon each other in service of me and my dreams. I was very lucky to be working during, perhaps, the hardest moment of our generation, and I don’t take that for granted. I’ve discovered a newfound love for this industry and made lifelong friends and memories.

Are there any roles, shows, moments, or performances in your career that stick out and will always have a special place in your heart?

While I was in high school, I had the opportunity to build and perform a touring show that tackled mental health struggles and the topic of suicide. I worked with mental health experts and counselors, and we toured the show throughout Montana which has one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation. I remember meeting with a younger student in the small town of Miles City during a talkback after a performance. We had a conversation about how he had struggled many times throughout his life with difficult thoughts but he had never seen or felt heard until that day. My character in particular struck a chord with him, and we talked for quite some time about what it meant for him to feel represented. While there is entertainment in performing, there is also the opportunity to change the world around us for the better. For me to be able to do this kind of work in my home state, a very conservative place where most people live a ‘cowboy up’ lifestyle, was one of the highlights of my career. This is why I do what I do.

What advice would you give any young aspiring artist?

This world is so incredibly stressful and, oftentimes, feels like a moving train with no stops in sight. Regardless of how often you’re working or not working, there is always time to take a breath and listen. Listen to how you’re feeling but also listen to the world around you. Remind yourself that you’re already doing what you set out to do. Once you make the decision to be a performer, you are a performer.

Trust in yourself, and if you need to, take a break. Listening to yourself and being patient will allow you to take care of yourself in an industry that thrives on self-doubt and emotional harm. Acting is a product of your life and the experiences around you, so don’t forget to live.

Tanner Bolin Discusses Gossip Girl & Listening to the World Around You!

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