- Where did you grow up? Did your childhood have any impact on your drawing?
A: I grew up in Strawberry Plains, TN. I loved comics, cartoon series, and toys growing up. It led me to have a wild imagination and fueled my creativity. My mom painted when I was little as well and I saw her create paintings and knew I wanted to do that too.
2. What were some of the first drawings you did growing up?
A: I drew the comic book characters that I loved to look at. I drew my toys and Saturday morning cartoon characters. And I drew an award winning squirrel when I was in the 3rd grade. ☺️. It was for a K-12 “Reading is Fundamental” art contest and I won! The drawing was even sent to the White House. It encouraged me to stick with my art.
3. What are you currently working on, art and acting wise?
A: I am working on a new tv series that will be on a major streaming service. I am a reoccurring cast character. With the NDA I have in place, that’s really all I can say at the moment. Artwise, I’m working on several new pieces across many genres of pop culture.
4. Who are your favorite characters you have ever acted as and why?
A: One of my favorite at the moment is Sean from the film “Special Election.” It was a rare occasion that I got to play the bad guy. It was a lot of fun. And I really enjoyed playing FBI Agent Doug Wall on “Richard Jewell” that was directed by Clint Eastwood. The fact that it was based on a true story made it even more intriguing.
5. What are your warm-up methods before auditioning?
A: I tend to not warm up really. I’ve found it makes me more anxious. I just go off the cuff and pray that it works. 🤣
6. What was your path like until you found acting and art?
A: I drew and painted all through school. I performed in school plays all the way through college. Then when I graduated college, I kind of just put it on the back burner. I worked in broadcast news for years and years. Then I decided I wanted to give my true passions a try again. I created some fan art for Iron E. Singleton from The Walking Dead. He fortunately loved the drawing I did and showed the other cast members. And they started asking me to do work for them. As that kept going, I became friends with many actors. They encouraged me to get back into acting. I took a chance and started auditioning again.
7. How is your relationship with your agents or actors you work with? What is the key to a good rapport with them?
A: I love all my agents. They make me feel like they always have my best interest at heart. The key to a good rapport with my agents and fellow actors is really simple. Respect and understanding. Not everyone has the same method of working. It’s key to remember that “different from you” doesn’t mean wrong.
8. What is your favorite piece of art you’ve worked on and why?
A: I did a portrait of the tv character “ALF” from the 1980’s series. Many times, I don’t get to choose what my drawing subject matter is. I get asked by actors and others for exactly what they want the drawing to look like. ALF I did just because I loved him when I was a kid. He made me happy. I worked so hard on that one. I wanted you to look at him and see all the different textures of fur he had. I wanted you to think that if you touched that painting that you’d be able to almost feel his fur.
9. What actors and artists inspire you?
A: Todd McFarlane really inspired me when I was growing up. His comic work was beautiful to me and I loved his style. As far as actors go, I tend to like “the working actors” in the business. Not the big-time “stars”. I always admired the guys you’d see a hundred times but may not ever remember their names. He was just “that guy”. To me, that was always a true actor.
10. How do you get reviews?
A: I never watch my own work. I don’t pay attention to what critics say about any projects I do. Not everyone has the same taste. All that matters is I do the best work I can do then move on to the next gig.
11. What is hardest: auditioning, acting, editing, or marketing?
A: Editing. My minor in college was actually in Single Cam Directing and Editing. So I’ve been on both sides of it. I know what it’s like to work your heart out as an actor and find out that your scenes have been slashed to bits. And I know what it’s like doing the slashing. I was once cut completely out of a film I worked on. Not because of me. Because a well-known actor with a minor role was “removed” entirely from the film and all my scenes were with him. So I disappeared.
12. What type of genre for acting or art do you dream of doing that you have not yet?
A: I feel like I haven’t really gotten to do a lot of comedy in my career. I used to be a part of a sketch comedy group and I miss that kind of work.
13. Tell us about your experiences collaborating with other artists or actors.
A: I collaborated with Actor Sean Astin on a comic strip series in 2017. He wrote them and I drew them. It was an interesting process. I had never really worked with a partner in that capacity before. It was sometimes interesting trying to comprehend what vision he had and getting that out on paper. We released the first few at a Wizard World convention and did a fun panel together.
14. What do you do to relax?
A: I watch re-runs of old 1980’s tv series. Night Court, Charles in Charge, Married with Children are a few of my favorites.
15. If you could tell your 14-year-old self one thing, what would it be?
A: Don’t let people try to convince you to be someone you’re not.
16. What advice would you have for this upcoming generation?
A: Lots of things in your life that upset you, you’ll later see weren’t that bad. Try to always look at the bigger picture instead of an often short-term problem.
17. Have you ever watched a movie that changed your outlook on life?
A: The Original Superman movie. It helped fuel my imagination.
18. Do you have a classic piece of art or a classic artist you are fond of?
A: The Starry Night by Van Gogh. It’s always given me a sense of peace.
19. Any type of music that gets your creative juices flowing?
A: I listen to older music. 1960’s to mid-1990’s is all I listen to. I am into nostalgia I supposed. Older music gives me a sense of calm.
20. If you could pick three people who are your heroes or role models, who would they be and why?
A: I can’t really put a name to people I look up to but I can tell you the kind of people I look up to. I admire people who are strong. People who have always been brave enough to be exactly who they are with great confidence.
21. Dog or cat person?
A: I thought I was more of a dog person until I married my wife. She had a cat named Izzy when we met and I fell in love with her. She was such a unique little personality. My wife had hand-raised her from a 3-week-old orphan. She won my heart. Sadly we lost her a couple of years ago at the age of 20. Now we have 3 rambunctious calico sisters that we rescued from a feral colony, named Maisy, Daisy, and Chloe, who have me wrapped around their little paws
22. What do you want to eat right now?
A: Chocolate. lol. It’s always chocolate. I may have a problem.
23. If you could be in any movie that has already been made, which one would it be?
A: Star Wars! The effects for the time were awesome. All the models they built and props that they made were bubbling with creativity. CGI has changed how things look so much. I prefer the older, grittier way of doing things.
24. What is your favorite holiday or time of year?
A: Christmas. Everyone seems to be just a bit more kind to each other at that time of year. I enjoy the lights and decorations. Things feel a little more slowed down and peaceful around Christmas.
25. Anything else you would like to add?
A: Stay true to yourself. Give yourself a chance.
BIO:
Matthew Atchley, like most superheroes of lore, has a dual identity! He’s an actor and artist known for his intricately hand-drawn artwork and ever-growing list of acting credits. His art subjects span across all fandoms and forms of pop culture including characters from popular TV, film, comics, and more. He has created artwork for several actors from a wide variety of TV series and films. Ever diverse, his other projects have included co-creating a cartoon/comic series with Actor Sean Astin, book cover art, company logos, and more.
Matthew’s acting credits continue to grow as he has been cast in over 90 productions thus far. He’s very well known in the “True Crime” genre as he’s starred in many episodes across several networks. His TV credits include Homicide Hunter, Fatal Attraction, Ozark, The Resident, The Originals, Watchman, The Righteous Gemstones, Tulsa King and so much more! His movie credits include Richard Jewell, What Men Want & Safety.