Exclusive Interview: Kevin Csolak Chats West Side Story, Animal Kingdom Season 6, and More

Falling in love with the process has been the guiding principle for Kevin Csolak as he’s pursued a career in the arts. For the multi-talented creative, it’s not about the results; it’s about the opportunity to develop and shape his craft. That mentality has seen him land coveted roles in Broadway productions, hit television programs, and blockbuster films including Mean Girls, Broadway Empire, and Jessica Jones.

Later this year, the rising star can be seen as young Pope in the final season of TNT’s acclaimed series Animal Kingdom.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin about bringing West Side Story to life on the stage and screen, sharing this moment with his friends and family, and joining the cast of Animal Kingdom. Plus, he shares how daring to fail and embracing the fall has led him to where he is today.

PC: You started your career off as a dancer and you’ve made the transition to the screen. Has anything surprised you about that journey?
Kevin: One of the things that surprised me about initiating my career on the stage and then slowly moving into TV and film is that there’s a similar tactic that you use for both. It’s more about the scale with which you use those tactics. For film, you have to understand that the camera can capture the smallest little flicker in your eye. It’s about taking what you do on stage and condensing and distilling it down to the essence of what you’re doing. On the stage, you’re trying to reach the last seat in the house. You’re trying to connect to that person who’s sitting in the back. Whereas with the camera, it’s pretty much like you’re performing on stage but only to the front row.

PC: You’re currently starring in West Side Story and you’re in a unique position where you’ve brought this beloved story to life on the stage and screen. How did you first discover West Side Story? Why do you think it’s stood the test of time?
Kevin: I first discovered West Side Story from the soundtrack in my musical theater class. I believe it was a Jet song that came on. It sparked my curiosity. Cut to me listening to the album over and over again in my basement on my dad’s sound system. I remember those little cassette/CD recorders with the headphones. I would sit in my bed and listen to that all day. Once I was old enough, I was allowed to watch the movie. However, I didn’t want to watch the movie as I was approaching the material for the Broadway show or the film.

I initially did a dance lab for the Broadway show. In the middle of one of those dance labs, I booked the movie. As it turned out, I was going to do the movie prior to doing the Broadway show, even though I had done a bit of it already. I play separate characters in each.

In the Broadway show, I was A-Rab. In the movie, I played Diesel. Coming into the material, I tried not to use what I had learned from playing the other character. I came into each in their own right.

The essence of what the story is all about is that love crosses all boundaries. Any sort of tension that happens in life, love is what supersedes that. That’s why this show really stands the test of time.

I feel like a lot of people don’t know that West Side Story takes place over the course of two days. It’s remarkable to think that this whole journey, from start to finish, happens in two days. It’s this big clash of tension and differences, but love overcomes all. That’s why people can’t get enough of it. It’s been remade, redone, and retold. We’re seeing a lot of movie musicals being redone or remade. It’s a beautiful thing. The messages are all so strong.

PC: Like you were saying, you played two different characters on the stage and the screen. Is there one that you connected more with? Was one more challenging to bring to life?
Kevin: I connected to both of them in my own way. I feel like I’m a bit more like Diesel. He’s one of the Jets that’s a little on the older side. He’s on the outskirts of the group but comes in to say something if he really feels like he needs to say it. He just observes, and he looks out for Baby John. He’s one of the older Jets who is respected but doesn’t need to be the one in the action, as opposed to A-Rab. I think that’s a little more like me. I’m a little more soft-spoken when it comes to group settings.

But A-Rab is the more fiery one. He’s the one that won’t shut up and everyone wishes would shut up. Doing that in the stage version was fun. I got to really let that part of myself that is hidden beneath the surface really come out.

PC: You shared this beautiful post on Instagram, thanking your mom. What has it meant to you to share this moment with her, your friends, and your family?
Kevin: To share this moment with my mom as well as my family has been a dream. It’s been incredible. My mom is the reason why I am on this path. I grew up in her performing arts studio with my brothers. I saw both my brothers do it. It was a way of life. It was my daycare center. Any chance I got, I was watching acting classes or jumping into dance classes when I was too young to do so, as well as vocal or piano classes. She’s been on this journey with me, discovering my love and passion for the craft and this business.

Any time I book something, I always call my mom first. So when I booked West Side Story, I shared that moment with her. Getting to share the premiere, as well as shooting the film, with her has been so special. It shows that the hard work pays off.

Everyone sees the highlights on Instagram, but you don’t see the struggle. It’s really a struggle to keep this performing arts career alive, but the good outweighs the bad all the time. It creates who you are, and that’s what you bring to roles.

I don’t think I fully grasped what it meant to share this moment with my mom until the third time that I saw West Side Story. We had the New York premiere. We did the LA premiere. Then I came back and a couple of the cast and I rented out a theater for our families to watch it. That was the moment when I was like, “Oh right. The whole world is about to see this movie.” It was very special to sit there next to my mom and have that experience. It’s been amazing. My family reminds me to pinch myself every day.

PC: Speaking of those challenging times, during those struggles, how were you able to persevere?
Kevin: It’s my family. It’s a great support system. I have some amazing friends who are also not in the industry. It’s great to have people who have no idea what’s going on and can be like, “Hey, it’s all good. Relax. Move on.”

My mom reminds me of the process. She always reminded me of the process. This is what she teaches all of her students. It’s the process. That’s what you need to fall in love with: the process of auditioning, the process of working on a role, getting the chance to go into an audition and use it like a dance class or an acting class. You’re able for that day to do the thing that you love. It’s really about loving that pursuit and understanding that. That’s what I always fall back to.

PC: Great answer. You’re also going to be starring in the upcoming season of Animal Kingdom. I read that you binge-watched the first five seasons after you landed the role. How did the choices that Shawn [Hatosy] made in the past five seasons affect the way that you approach young Pope?
Kevin: That’s a good question. When I got my first Zoom callback (because of the pandemic), I binged the first three seasons in four days. I felt like I needed to, especially playing young Pope. For people who have seen the show, Pope is such a particular character. He’s been groomed by Smurf (his mom) into this world of crime. He doesn’t know any better. His physicality, his emotions, his social barriers are very specific.

While binging the show, I was taking notes about what he was doing. I was working from the outside in. I tried to understand what Shawn Hatosy did with the character but also tried to make it my own. I think this is especially true for anyone who works on a biopic. As much as you want to be like the exact person you’re playing, you’re not that person. You’re never going to be perfect. It’s never going to be on the money. You can only try to get close to it. Throughout the process of watching Shawn on and off set and on the show, I was trying to look for those little mannerisms and see how they felt for me and how I could make them my own.

PC: Music also played an influential part in how you prepared for this character. What was on Pope’s playlist?
Kevin: My character is based in the ’90s—1992 specifically. I talked with a couple of the showrunners. We were talking about young Pope and what kind of music he would be listening to. I felt like it was music that would either drown out the voices in his head, like Screamo, hard rock, or punk, that skater type of vibe, or it was going to be the complete opposite and be classical.

I had punk rock and I also had Chopin’s “Nocturnes, Op. 9.” That was the playlist that I really loved to listen to. It was this polar opposite of really intense music and then really, really calm, light music. I used that, starting from the first callback. I binge-watched the first three seasons to get into the zone for the audition.

PC: Did you feel any pressure heading into this project, just given how beloved this franchise is and that you were joining a cast with five seasons under their belts and it’s their final season?
Kevin: There was a lot of pressure going into it. I was living in New York at the time. As soon as I arrived in LA, the whole show opened their arms to us. It was me, Jasper Polish, and Darren Mann who played the younger versions of these characters in the flashbacks.

It was nice to come in with both of them. They’re both incredible actors and people. We are all buddies and really enjoyed the experience of coming into the final season of this show. The cast and crew are well-oiled machines. Usually when a show has been on for five seasons, the crew will change. But this crew has stayed the same for the majority of these seasons.

It’s created a sense of family. They were excited to see the younger versions of their main characters played out for the first time. All our set days were exciting because the crew didn’t know what the scenes were and how the characters were going to be developed. We were all in this place of discovering it together. We had such a blast. The crew is amazing. Hats off to John Wells. He really created an amazing atmosphere on set. We had a blast. People are going to be very shocked, excited, and wowed at what we did.

PC: We don’t know too much about young Pope’s storyline in Season 6, but we do know we’re going to see him interacting with his twin sister and his best friend. How did you, Jasper, and Darren approach that dynamic? How did you build that bond in the midst of a pandemic?
Kevin: We were on set a lot together. Anytime we were able to have some off-time at work, we went for a walk. We went to the craft table to get dinner. We tried to spend as much time with each other as we could.

Darren and I were both coming to LA. We had briefly lived there before, but Jasper really took us under her wing. We hung out. We would go on walks. We went on hikes. We did a lot of things outside where we could social distance.

It was an immediate family. We had such great chemistry on screen instantly. I met Darren and Jasper on our first day on set. We didn’t get to meet prior to that. We built that bond on set and on our weekends. When you’re on set, you’re on set for about twelve hours a day. You get to know people pretty quickly.

PC: Pope is an intense and complex character. We know you can’t give too many specifics, but we imagine there’s going to be a lot of emotionally driven scenes involving that character. As an actor, how did you prepare for those moments? How do you decompress afterwards?
Kevin: When I wake up, I have a routine that I do that warms me up for a scene. It’s really music that keeps me going throughout the day. I have headphones in. In between scenes, when we’re just sitting and there are a lot of people coming to check on your wardrobe and makeup, that can take you out of your mindset. So on the more emotional days, music was a big help.

As far as warming down, I grew up in Jersey. I lived in the suburbs in farm country, so I love to drive. I would go on a long drive to get home and listen to different music that wasn’t attached to the character. Luckily, for the more emotional scenes, I only had to stay in those for maybe four or five hours.

But yeah, for me, it was a drive and maybe a stop at In-N-Out and getting a little burger. It was food or a drive and music. Music is really the gateway for me to get in and out of all the emotions.

PC: We know you can’t say too much, but is there anything that you can tease about Season 6? If you could share a message with the fans, what would it be?
Kevin: It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride that leads us up to the first episode in Season 1. That’s exciting. The first episode of the series really latches you in as a viewer and a fan. I think the fans are going to be very excited to see Pope, Julia, and Baz weaved in and out as we’re brought up to the first episode.

PC: During the pandemic, you gave back to your community and taught a bunch of dance classes. If you could share pieces of advice to up-and-coming artists trying to make it in the industry, what would it be?
Kevin: I would say it’s two things. It’s a variety of training that’s best for any avenue of artists, whether you’re a painter, a singer, a dancer. Within each genre, you need to explore a variety of training. For example, I’m a dancer-actor. I would say don’t just take your contemporary class or ballet. Take every genre you can because you’re going to get so much out of it. Your perspective on the specific genre that you love will open up to you so much.

Also, I will say perfectionism is something that you create in your own head. It’s not an actual thing. Especially with artists, there’s this dire need to be perfect, especially with social media.

Dare to fail. Dare to fall on your face and get back up. If you’re not uncomfortable or messing up, you’re not going to learn anything. You learn from those falls. You learn how to get back up. That’s where you really hone your craft. You see the boundaries of how you can push yourself and move forward in what you do and what you love.

I would say that. If I could tell my younger self something, I would say, “Try not to be too perfect. Dare to fail.” I saw this beautiful quote, “If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist.” That’s true. For artists, you get in your head about perfectionism or in your creativity and how you want to present it. That quote is a great reminder to get out of your head, do the work, dare to fail, and see what comes from it.

PC: You’ve done so much already in your young career. What’s left on the bucket list? Is there a dream role that you would love to bring to life either on the stage or on the screen?
Kevin: I’m not sure if there’s a dream role, but I feel I have taken steady steps throughout my career. I feel myself slowly becoming more of a leader on set or in the dance studio. In recent years, I’ve witnessed amazing leaders. I mean, Steven Spielberg. There are so many great people who were leading and driving this creative energy, Mike Faist being one of them. Hats off to him. Not just with the Jets but with the whole cast he really created this work ethic, passion, and drive that was reflected in all of us.

My dream is to one day be that on set. I would love to be on the top of a call sheet and curate the creative energy in that space.

To keep up with Kevin, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Photo Credit: David Katzinger