Charlie Weber Keeps Unfolding
If there’s something to be learned from Charlie Weber, it’s that you never know what the future holds when you choose to take a leap of faith. The Missouri born star first came to realize his passion for the arts during his high school career, which lead him to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. He moved to New York, where he was born into the fast world of modeling, but it wasn’t long until he was booking acting gigs across the city. His acting career took off after landing his first major role as “Ben” on the household favorite of its time, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Since then, his career has grown immensely , and his passions for acting is just as strong as ever.
Weber is known for his current lead role as “Frank Delfino” on Lifetime’s award-winning dramatic series, “How to Get Away with Murder.” Working closely alongside Viola Davis, Weber shows his audience the power and talent he possesses as he constantly grows the hardcore personality of Frank. A powerful and influential force on the show, and Weber continues to amaze his audience with every season. With talent, charm, and a gift to entertain, Weber shows us the ingenuity of his creative process as an actor.
JA: Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, what prompted you to leave your home state and follow your dream?
CW: I wanted to explore the world and do something different. I think that’s the whole point, it was a leap, but at the same time everyone is from somewhere. I thought, why not see what the world is about and it led me down the path to becoming an actor.
JA: Was acting the driving force behind the decision to make the move?
CW: It was, [acting] was the ultimate goal. I didn’t know how I was going to make that happen, so I just got to the city started studying, started meeting people, and it all kinda came together pretty quickly.
JA: What attributed to the quick start your initial modeling career in New York, and how did that transform into your acting career?
CW: Just being out there, meeting people, and getting pointed in the right direction by good people early on. I got pretty lucky in that respect - that people were willing to take the time to represent me and point me in the right direction. It really all started by proxy of modeling. I met with some people, I was being represented, but I didn’t know what I was doing as far as being an actor was concerned. I wanted to take my time to study [acting], and modeling was something that was available for me to do. It was a fun way to make a living for a bit. [Acting and modeling] kind of coincided in some ways, but one didn’t really have a whole lot to do with the other. It was a great opportunity, and when you have that you’ve got to do something [with it].
JA: The fifth season of How to Get Away with Murder came out in early September and the series has been on-air since 2013. Over the course of these last five years, what has been like to portray the ever-evolving character of Frank Delfino?
CW: It really has been an interesting ride. [Frank] is still changing and evolving and I’m still trying to figure things out about him as this whole thing grows and changes, but it’s been cool. I’ve never done this before; I’ve never been the same guy for this long. It been a very, very interesting ride.
JA: With such a long history, what has your relationship between you and your character, Frank, grown to be?
CW: [The relationship] gets very close, very quickly. Frank is someone I talk to a lot and we go through things together. It’s a kind of coexistence where he just lives in my bones now. He’ll be tough to shake [laughs], he really will be. He’ll always sort of be with me in a way.
JA: The script and storyline of How to Get Away with Murder is written as the show progresses. What is it like to not know what’s coming next in the show?
CW: Honestly, it can be kind of difficult because you never know quite what's coming so it's hard to make some specific choices about where you might be going. But that's the fun of it too, because since you don’t know, you can kind of choose your own adventure and make choices that you think might lead here or there, and then if you get a curveball it’s up to you as an actor to make it work.
JA: Looking retrospectively on your life, what has this the evolution of your career been like for you?
CW: It’s been over the course such a long time that everything has grown organically to what it is now, but when I look back at that time I'm really proud of my choices. I'm happy that this is how things have come together.
JA: What goals do you have set for yourself next?
CW: For me, I just want to pursue good material that fills me up creatively and to just let that keep unfolding. I don't ever really have a career plan as far as wanting to play a specific type of character or script. It's more of letting things just present themselves to me and going forward with them. I'm entering a new phase [of my life and career] and I think I still have so much left to do as an actor that right now. That's my whole focus, but I don’t know what the future holds.