Star in the Making

Posted by Kim Jones in Film

If you know La’Charles Trask as a hard-working, talented, gym-enthusiast, get ready to know him as an exuberant, cocaine loving murder victim in Scream Queens on Fox TV. Trask landed two speaking roles on two popular TV shows, From Dusk till Dawn and Scream Queens. From Dusk Till Dawn season 3 episode 6 airs on Oct. 11 on the El Rey Network at 9/8 central time (prior seasons are on Netflix and season 3 will be added at a future date). Scream Queens, season 2 episode 2, airs Sept. 27 on Fox TV at 9/8 central. “It still hasn’t hit me yet,” Trask says, “because I haven’t seen them.”

Junior film major La’Charles Trask talks with Jackalope Magazine. Photo by Chris Dorantes

Trask has proven he’s a talented director and is ready to prove he’s a gifted actor as well. He works with the Albuquerque-based talent agency Mitchell & Presley with Tina Presley. “I fell in love with the spark he has in our first meeting,” Presley says. “His dedication is so inspiring. This business is very competitive, especially in L.A, deciding on his strengths and what makes him unique early on has set him apart from the crowd and resulted in bookings. La’Charles has an infectious personality, he’s a joy to work with and adds that energy whether he is acting or directing.”

When he scored a speaking role on the series From Dusk Till Dawn, Presley was compelled to put him into a special group of actors to send to Los Angeles, Calif. Trask traveled to L.A over the summer to attend auditions for big name networks like Fox and ABC. Trask stayed in L.A for eight weeks, auditioning relentlessly and rubbing elbows with celebrities.  

After his audition, Trask and his father embarked on a 30-hour journey from L.A to his hometown, Chicago. Trask and his father were sitting in traffic for an hour, 15 hours into the drive, when Trask received a call from his agent. “[She says] You have an audition for Modern Family tomorrow morning. You can send in a tape audition or you can come in,” Trask says.

Trask knew a tape audition wouldn’t cut it, because casting directors can’t properly critique their actors on video and he knew he wanted to be in the same room as the creators of a multiple Emmy award winning show. So he hopped on a plane in Delaware and flew back to L.A while his dad drove the rest of the way to Chicago. Although Trask didn’t get the role, he made the sacrifices that need to be made in order to make it in L.A. “How bad do you want it? What are you willing to do? So far I’ve been willing to sacrifice any and everything to make my dreams happen and I’m only 20,” he says.

Trask in Scream Queens.

The industry is tough, Trask says, but it’s business. And he understands that casting directors are meticulous about who they cast and it doesn’t matter if you fit the role perfectly, like Trask did for Modern Family; they could still cast someone else. “They could literally chop out everything I did [in Scream Queens], because it’s a big network, they do whatever they want. I can watch it and tell everybody to tune in and then I’m not even in it. I don’t know until I see,” he says.

Trask grew up in the southside of Chicago where he discovered his love for acting in the 7th grade. He attended a performing arts high school for theatre but decided to pursue a film degree to fast track his dreams. In 2014, he moved to Santa Fe to attend SFUAD, direct music videos, make connections and make a name for himself.

In the coming months, Trask says he’ll become even busier. On top of being a full-time student with homework, an RA with responsibilities, working on the weekends and flying to and from L.A, he will be collaborating with musicians at SFUAD to direct their music videos. “He is handling it beautifully, he made a solid commitment in our first discussion about representation that this was his dream and passion. I am delighted that he has been received so well by casting and looking forward to what’s next for this highly dedicated professional. It’s so inspiring to watch an actor pursue their dreams and an honor to be part of that team,” Presley says. 

Trask on the set of Scream Queens with actor Jerry O’Connell.

Trask will be working with Spacemob, Niza Clark, Trae Perry and Chassity Coleman. In the past, Trask has directed music videos for Perry and Coleman’s song “Go” and Yoshi‘s “Goes Well.”

“I want to be one of the best, visually,” Trask says. He says he would like to do a project like Beyonce’s visual album Lemonade in the next year. “There’s no reason why I should have to wait until I’m 30 or 40 or until I have a job with all this fancy equipment to go out there and start making really good art,” he says.

Trask won’t be taking a break from film despite his success in the acting industry, he says, “I can’t see myself doing anything except entertainment.” Whether it’s producing, directing or acting. Trask says it has to be something in the field of art and entertainment for him be truly happy.