Stoddard started his acting career in 2017, playing a young John Abbott in The Young and The Restless. “This was a groundbreaking role for me. What started as a simple ‘Under 5’ turned into a three-year journey with CBS and ‘The Young and The Restless’ family. This was my first network booking, and I was so nervous before my first day on set that I pressed my agent to give me the phone numbers of anybody he knew who had ever been on Y&R,” he said.
“Then, I called everyone and asked them what it was like to film and how I should act. I couldn’t eat for two days before we filmed because I was so excited with anticipation. Little did I know, stepping into the role of young John Abbott was setting the stage for some of the best training in acting, memorization, and teamwork I could have asked for. ‘The Young and The Restless’ was a pivotal turning point in my early career, and it was an honor to work alongside veterans of the silver screen and with CBS, a legendary network,” he explained.
In the past four years, he has starred in 17 feature films such as The Voices, which was released in theaters on April 2, 2021, and Lifetime’s The Wrong Prince Charming, and three television shows, including Showtime’s Black Monday.
In 2019, in the feature film One Little Finger, Stoddard portrayed the supporting role of Max. The film joined the 2019 Oscar race for Best Film and Best Score.
He just finished filming Finding Love in Big Sky in Montana as the romantic lead and is set to film Blowin’ Smoke in June of 2021.
On The Voices, he said, “Let’s set the stage: four auditions, seven chemistry reads, and a month living out of a hotel room in Mobile, Alabama, and somehow, completely exhausted, I came back to Los Angeles full of newfound energy and a huge smile on my face. Safe to say, I had an incredible experience – I fell in love with ‘The Voices’ cast and crew and can now proudly call them my family.”
“This film is categorized as a horror, but for me, it is more of a complex, disturbing human drama. ‘The Voices’ will make you question reality and blurs the line between motive and intent. I dare you to keep an open mind and watch this movie not only from the perspective of Lilly but the desperate souls trying to live through her as well,” he added.
Regarding his daily motivations as an actor, he said, “An insatiable curiosity for humanity, self-discovery, and experiencing the best of what life has to offer. This is the only profession in which I’m forced to deepen my compassion and understanding – not only for the character that I’m in the scene with but the character that I’m embodying. To me, this quest to deepen compassion and love for humanity and the human journey motivates my drive to be an actor.”
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “As film creators and actors, for the longest time, we were all fighting for a piece of a very limited pie (airtime). With today’s streaming technology and digital platforms, there have never been more opportunities to create – not only as filmmakers and storytellers but as actors and entertainers.”
“This is a wonderful time to honor the art and craft of acting. I think the biggest challenge now is finding the stories that have the heart and substance to cut through the increasingly widening landscape of content. Of course, this comes with its own challenges, but to me, this is a very exciting time to be an actor,” he elaborated.
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “This is one of the biggest joys of being an actor for me, sharing the journey and creating a legacy beyond just a portfolio of work. This is why I created a company called ‘The Resourceful Actor,’ where we aim to strengthen the artist community, shorten the business learning curve, and provide advice and support to actors.”
“I know I still have a long journey to go myself, but here are a few things that I remind myself of every day: 1) Never give up 2) This is a marathon, not a race 3) This is a team sport, and my community is my greatest investment,” he added.
He opened up about life during the quarantine. “Quarantine was, of course, devastating for the film and television industry across the board. Productions shut down, and our world, myself included, started looking for ways outside of the studio to explore personal projects and focus on content development,” he said.
Stoddard continued, “I was very fortunate that platforms like Zoom enabled me to continue virtual meetings with directors and writers from my community and led to the booking of four feature films during quarantine. But until filming could safely resume, the easiest way to sum up quarantine for me would be to call it a ‘Forced Writing Retreat’ for music.”
“During this time, I fell, stumbled, and then leaped into a passionate and creative music endeavor in music and songwriting. I’m looking forward to our first single release later this year,” he added.
On his definition of the word success, he said, “There is a 5,000 ft view and a 50,000 ft view of success for me. It’s not a simple question, nor a simple answer. The 50,000 ft view of success is contributing to and being a part of a strong community, providing guidance and inspiration for future generations to come, and leaving a legacy for my family. The 5,000 ft view of success is the art of happiness and learning to be content while in pursuit of what I want. An Oscar would also be nice.”
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