VAUGHN HEBRON-ACTOR
When I found out I had the opportunity to interview Vaughn Hebron (Barry, from Tyler Perry’s “The Oval”) I was enthralled and quite nervous. Enthralled at Vaughn going from Corporate America to the next rising star. Nervous because his background as a Div 1 college football player for Lafayette College & being a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity had me ignorantly assuming he’d be quite pretentious. Very pleased to say I was wrong! Vaughn was humble, kind, and overall the guy you want to succeed because his attitude and work ethic make him infectious. Hope you enjoy this interview as well!
How would you introduce yourself for people that are not familiar with you?
I am an actor. Currently, I am on the TV series, ‘The Oval’, I play the character, Barry. I will also be in the movie, King Richard, with Will Smith. I am based in Los Angeles now, but I am originally from Baltimore. I come from a big family, there’s ten kids. I grew up playing football and played DIV 1 football in college. Once I graduated from college, I went into Corporate America with a job in the pharmaceutical sales industry.
Your first profession was pharmaceutical sales, how did you segway into the world of acting?
Well, the company that I worked for had a massive layoff. Acting has always been my passion; I was already taking acting classes for four to five months. So, I took that opportunity (of being laid off) to take a chance at something that I did not know how it was going to turn out. As opposed to something that I knew how it would end. So, when I was offered another position by the company (that I was laid off from); I chose my passion. Being laid off created an opportunity for me to follow my passion.
What was your first acting opportunity?
My first opportunity was a Lexus commercial. Then my second opportunity was a Comedy Improv Show (2018), that was on the Zeus Network.
Does your talent come naturally? Or was it a passion that you had to study and fine tune?
Yes, the storytelling aspect of it. And that comes from my love of watching a lot of TV and movies. As well, reading a lot of books. This inspires my imagination of how things would look, and I think that is inherent from watching a lot of TV, as well a lot of training in my craft. I have been training for the last four years, it has been an extreme amount of training. With more practice, you can bring more to your character. I still go on auditions. So, I can still put to the test all my training; and it is a way to get feedback on a performance.
Can you describe the emotions that you felt when you were cast for Tyler Perry’s ‘The Oval’?
Oh my gosh…it was surreal. When I got a call from Tyler – that was hard for me to grasp. I could not believe that it was happening. But once I was casted, it was another level – I had to pinch myself. To see what he had accomplished, it was extreme gratefulness. I wanted to try to stay in the moment. It was really a lot of emotions.
What do you enjoy most about acting?
Acting awakens the athlete in me. In the movie King Richard (2021), when I was onscreen with Will Smith…you see him bringing all these emotions. So, I was like snap, I have something to set as a goal, something to step up to. I played sports all my life. My position was a running back and a safety. In these positions there is adrenaline that comes from this because it is being in the spotlight. So, acting brings that same feeling, it is exhilarating from the moment of performance. Acting awakens the athlete in me. Like to bring my best to this moment – this spotlight.
How much of your own personality do you put into your character, Barry? And is there any part of Barry’s personality you would like to adopt? If so, why?
Well, I try to bring as much of my personality. My character on the ‘The Oval’ is trying to find his daughter. So not really, some parts of his personality I do not have. However, I do try to bring as much of me to characters. This helps to ground me, and that way I can bring as much to the characters as possible.
How did you prepare for the audition of King Richard? And when you got the role how did you celebrate that accomplishment?
I watched a lot of old movies – John Singleton’s movies, L.A. hood movies, because this was a different time. So, I wanted to bring as much as I could. I celebrated the achievement first by thanking God a lot. Then I called my family and friends. Next, me and my manager celebrated with dinner. My acting coach was also ecstatic.
Are there any upcoming projects that you could share?
Well, we are going to start shooting the second season of ‘The Oval’. I have some things lined up, but I can not speak on them yet – but fingers crossed.
The last and easiest question! What do you do for fun?
Well, I picked up horseback riding recently. I am typically in the gym seven to eight times in a week. I do kickboxing, martial arts, and play video games. I go to the beach with friends…and oh yes hookah.
