How Bryce Romero got his first major movie role before graduating

Written byAshley McClure-French

ā€œUL Ā鶹“«Ć½app provided me a place to jump into something that I had never really done before. It gave me a space and a group of people that allowed me to try something new. It gave me a place to challenge myself.ā€

Headshot of professional actor and University of Louisiana at Ā鶹“«Ć½app theatre alum Bryce Romero
Bryce Romero
Graduation Year
Class of 2015
Major
Performing Arts: Theatre
Hometown
Ā鶹“«Ć½app, LA

Where I'm From

Iā€™m from Ā鶹“«Ć½app, La., where I always knew I wanted to be an actor.

Where I Am

Iā€™m living in New York City, where my agent and my manager help me book auditions for supporting roles.

Where I'm Going

I'm going to continue working on my acting career and booking higher profile roles.

ā€œIā€™ve wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember,ā€ says Bryce Romero, ā€™15.

Because of the experience he got at UL Ā鶹“«Ć½app, theatre alum Bryce landed a role in 2014ā€™s  ā€œThe Maze Runnerā€ before he even graduated. Since then, heā€™s appeared in ā€œLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit,ā€ ā€œLogan,ā€ and ā€œFBI.ā€

He signed with his agent within his first couple years of studying. Since graduating, Bryce has moved to New York City, met his manager, and started booking bigger supporting and supporting lead side roles.

ā€œI feel like Iā€™m moving in the right direction,ā€ he says. ā€œHonestly, I just feel so lucky and blessed to have the support that I have and to have the opportunities that have been given to me.ā€

A New World

Although he grew up only watching actors in films and on television, Bryce decided to study theatre and get experience on the stage.

ā€œI found a world that I never really knew about,ā€ he says. ā€œAnd I loved it, too! So, from that point, I decided that I would love to do film, television, and theatre.ā€

While at UL Ā鶹“«Ć½app, Bryce got extensive experience acting in multiple productions.

ā€œI worked on ā€˜The Rabbleā€™, ā€˜Clybourne Parkā€™, ā€˜The Cherry Orchardā€™, and ā€˜Manual Not Includedā€™ (a devised piece that we all helped create),ā€ he says. He also performed in a production of An Evening of Dance with the dance department, which ā€œwas really fun and new for me!ā€

And after graduation, he came back for one more show.

ā€œAnd the last thing that I worked on at UL Ā鶹“«Ć½app was a show after I graduated,ā€ he says. ā€œI was asked to join another devised piece that was going to be on second stage. It was called ā€˜For What Itā€™s Worth.ā€™ā€

Valuable Theatre Experience

While studying theatre, Bryce says he learned a lot that helped him get where he is today.

ā€œIā€™ve learned how to read and try to understand scripts, how to ask questions and how to make choices in my performances,ā€ he explains.

ā€œThe theatre program has given me the tools to bring myself and my thoughts and experiences to the work,ā€ he says. ā€œAnd I think thatā€™s important. Youā€™re really the only person in the world that can bring yourself to your work. No one else can do that. Also, in careers like this, you really just learn by doing it. And UL Ā鶹“«Ć½app gave me a place to just do it.ā€

The theatre program gave Bryce a safe, supportive space to challenge himself and grow his craft.

ā€œUL Ā鶹“«Ć½app provided me a place to jump into something that I had never really done before,ā€ he says. ā€œIt gave me a space and a group of people that allowed me to try something new. It gave me a place to challenge myself.

ā€œIt gave me a place to kind of fall flat on my face at times, but to realize that that was okay and that I could learn from those ā€˜failures.ā€™ Itā€™s okay to fail, as long as you keep going. And itā€™s better to go out on a limb and really go for something and risk failing than to just play it safe. The former is way more interesting and fun than the latter.ā€

Along with the experiences, Bryce says people in his program made it a valuable and memorable time for him.

ā€œI met an amazing group of people. People that believed in me. People that supported me,ā€ he says. ā€œAnd I think that they know that I have just as much belief and support in them.

ā€œIā€™ve met some of the friends that Iā€™ll have for the rest of my life,ā€ he says. ā€œPeople that are just as big of nerds as me when it comes to film and theatre and creating things. And thatā€™s pretty amazing. I know theyā€™ll do some amazing things and I canā€™t wait to see it!ā€

More Alumni Stories