Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Dylan Gilmer

Dylan Gilmer is a multi-talented creative who has established himself as one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. Currently, he can be seen as the title character in Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan.

Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan follows hip-hop mogul-in-training Dylan as he continues his pursuit of stardom, while getting his family into hilarious hijinks along the way.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Dylan about Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan Season 2.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and music?
Dylan: My passion for music started with my great memory. One day, my father said to me, “You should do this song. We’ll post it on Instagram!” I did this popular song called “Don’t” by Bryson Tiller and it went viral, which is how my rapping career started. I already knew that I wanted to be a rapper. I have always loved Drake. I wanted to be just like him.

My passion for acting came from watching movies. I always loved watching Chadwick Boseman. I definitely wanted to be like him and play a superhero like Black Panther. Then Ellen hooked me up with the All That show on Nickelodeon, which was great. That led to Tyler Perry and Nickelodeon hooking me up with my own show. It’s been amazing and a dream come true.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Dylan: The biggest influence on my career has been my parents. They’ve been there since day one and they’ve supported me throughout this whole journey. I’m so grateful for that. They’ve shown me the type of person I want to become.

PC: What can fans expect from Season 2 of Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan?
Dylan: Fans can expect a lot of new settings and characters in Season 2 of Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan. They can expect to see Young Dylan mature and do even bigger things than he did last season.

PC: What has it been like for you to be a part of a Tyler Perry production? Has he shared any words of wisdom with you?
Dylan: Definitely! He taught me how to face my body to the camera when I’m talking to people on the show. I definitely needed that because you can’t have your back facing the camera when you’re talking to somebody when you’re filming, so that was really good acting advice. It’s just really great because I’ve always wanted to be in one of his movies or shows. I’ve always loved watching his movies, like Daddy’s Little Girl, so for that to happen is amazing.

PC: Which of Young Dylan’s relationships has been your favorite to explore and why?
Dylan: I would say Charlie. In the first episode, Charlie looked at my character like a brother. In real life, we both looked at each other as brothers. Hero [Hunter] and I have a really great dynamic in real life and in the show.

PC: Do you have a favorite episode/moment?
Dylan: My favorite episode from Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan was when we all slimed each other. Everyone was slipping and falling on the floor. It was so funny!

PC: This is your biggest role to date. Has anything surprised you about the experience? What have you learned about yourself being a part of this project?
Dylan: I learned a lot about myself from being a part of this project. Everyone from Season 1 to Season 2 has said that I’ve matured and that I’m getting better at acting. I really started acting with Season 1, and now I’m getting more used to it and feel like I’m doing really great.

To keep up with Dylan, follow him on Instagram. Watch Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan on Nickelodeon.

Photo Credit: Nickelodeon