Determined
young actor Luke Flynn, strikingly similar in appearance to his grandfather,
Hollywood great Errol
Flynn, is definitely not your typical 28-year old. Breaking through
with a new role in Window Theory and securing one of the coveted
spots in the 2003 People Magazine's "25 Hottest Bachelors" issue, the buzz
is - expect big things from Flynn.
Originally
from Jamaica, Luke grew up on his grandfather's 2,000 acre estate where
he enjoyed a peaceful life with his island friends, roaming the coconut
fields and reliving adventures from his grandfather's days. "I grew up
with no TV, no toy stores or video games, just stories of my granddad and
the remarkable characteristics we shared."
Flynn's journey to the world of modeling and show biz began on the islands. the
catalyst proved to be a chance encounter with a talent agent who encouraged
him to travel to New York City. Once arrived at age 17, he discovered an
exciting life as a working model. During the next few years, Flynn modeled
for Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Coach and many others.
After finishing high school and while actively pursuing his modeling career,
Flynn found his true passion to be writing and acting. It was during this
period that Luke decided to move to Los Angeles to focus on building an
acting reel.
After landing a manager with Liberman Zerman Management in Los Angeles, Flynn
found his first role in the feature film Window Theory, starring
Jennifer O'Dell. Luke plays the character "Jeff" who is engaged to the
lead's high school girlfriend.
The Flynns have a long history in the field of acting. "My whole family has
always been involved with the entertainment industry" declared Luke, who
is not one to rest on his family's reputation. On that subject Flynn had
this to say: "I am always tying to perfect my craft and nail a great audition".
Flynn thinks that "acting is the best job in the world". He does not feel an
obligation to carry on his grandfather's legend, but is inspired by it.
His friends and relatives remind him frequently of all the great stories
and performances that his grandfather gave life to. At times friends and
workers on the estate feel that they see the ghost of Errol Flynn exclaiming,
"their resemblance is unbelievable." Luke also exhibits similar traits
with respect to his character and demeanor. Flynn on his grandfather: "I
have nothing to live up to, he was a cool guy and he had a lot of fun and
that's what I plan to do."
Flynn has a couple of tricks and creative scripts up his sleeve he intends to
reveal in the coming months. Inspired by the book of the same name written
by Errol Flynn, Beam Ends is his next project. He plays his grandfather
through the adventures of his young adult life living in New Guinea and
Australia, where, thanks to his travel experiences and related reflections,
he finds his future as an actor. Beam Ends is set to take place
in Australia where Errol Flynn carved out the first half of his life.
Luke has also been brainstorming ideas revolving around another family member,
his uncle, who served in Vietnam as a war journalist, and as such, came
to discover the real reasons behind the fighting. Set to finish both scripts
this year, Luke is working hard to establish a long-term Hollywood career.
Off set you'll find Luke playing basketball, reading and surfing. His family
owns poshvintage.com,
a hip, cool website where site visitors can purchase vintage and 80's clothing.
Luke also plays with photography and is known to dabble with the camera
while shooting the family's vintage site during his leisure time. Motivated
by a sense of social responsibility, Luke would like to eventually build
a public school for the children of Jamaica. He believes the island's public
school system doesn't afford all of the children access to a good education,
which is something he would like to change.
Flynn is currently busy working on several scripts and ended our interview with
these thoughts: "I believe in myself as an actor and that's all the determination
you need to move your way towards an Oscar someday. "Luke's philosophy
for young actors, or anyone at all, is "just have fun."
Article written by:
Fawn Shoemaker
Reprinted from Industry
Magazine - April/May issue