Actor and Chapman student Christian Weissmann talks creative fulfillment, breaking stigma

Junior creative producing major Christian Weissmann sat down with The Panther to discuss his early passion for acting, the trials and tribulations of a teen actor and his exploration of identity through essay writing. He’s appeared on Netflix’s “Dear White People” (pictured). Photos courtesy of Christian Weissmann

Life mirrors art, so they say. For actor and junior creative producing major Christian Weissmann, this concept first proved true on the set of “Girl Meets World,” where he served as an extra for 10 episodes. Much like protagonists Riley and Maya navigating the daunting world of John Quincy Adams middle school, Weissmann was navigating the complexities of the entertainment industry at the age of 13 in 2013. 

In the sixth episode of season one, Riley is unexpectedly invited to a party. That same episode, Weissmann too, was unexpectedly invited to a different kind of party. He was bumped up from the sea of extra to the exclusive group of co-stars. As producers stuffed him into a nerd costume, he rehearsed the one line that he would perform in front of a live studio audience — “Yeah, right.” He was, as Weissmann put it, “shitting bricks.”

“I don't even think they ended up keeping my line in the show, but I was like, ‘This is my Oscar moment,’” Weissmann told The Panther. “I was petrified but also ready to go at the same time. I would say every single time I book a project, I feel the same feeling that I felt when I was getting that line on ('Girl Meets World'). It's something that reminds me everytime, why I do it."

Weissmann’s first Los Angeles Times essay was published in 2020, and he’s written  several essays for the LA Times and HuffPost exploring his identity and self-reflection.

Growing up in the small city of Evanston, Illinois, Weissmann’s earliest recollection of acting spans all the way back to the age of three when he put on a production of “The Wizard of Oz” for a family gathering. As the visionary of the project, he took command as casting director, writer, producer, director and of course, the star – trailblazing a path for male Dorothy. 

After glowing reviews from relatives, his parents placed him in community theater. Here, his dreams of acting took off and Weissmann soared — literally, during a production of “Peter Pan,” where the children were strapped to harnesses as 17-year-old volunteers yanked their ropes behind stage (surely a violation of some safety law). However, as the years went on, Weissmann’s aspirations grew larger than the community theater could support, causing him to feel like an outcast among his peers. 

“I felt like I was kind of crazy because I was overly passionate about (acting),” Weissmann said. “When these other kids were wanting to do soccer, wanting to do other sports and worrying about elementary school or middle school, I was honed in and focused on it.”

Weissmann said he knew his Oscar moment wouldn’t come in Evanston. At the age of 13, he presented his parents with a PowerPoint presentation convincing them to let him stay with his uncle and aunt in Los Angeles and attend a summer program at the New York Film Academy in Burbank. 

If it was graded, he would have earned an “A.” His parents gave him the green light. 

In Los Angeles, Weissmann slept in his uncle and aunt’s office, earning his keep by helping take care of his 7-year-old cousin. But the bright lights were far too alluring in comparison to the quiet suburbs of Evanston. Summer was ending and when his parents came to visit, he convinced them to let him stay full time.

“I was deep down petrified that (my parents) were gonna rip me back to the suburbs, but I just really tried to sell it,” Weissmann said. “My parents came one day, and I felt like it was an accreditation place coming to school and seeing if you're doing well. But they came and visited the summer camp, and they got to watch me do a scene. I was so terrified, but I guess I sold it.”

Weissmann has appeared in television shows such as “A Girl Named Jo,” “The Dream Motel,” “The Potwins” and “Dear White People.” In 2020, Weissmann would film one episode of the “Saved by the Bell” reboot. Soon after, his agent would call to inform him that they wanted him back for five more. Here, he would appear alongside his high school friend Josie Totah who starred in the series. 

Unlike his role as a nerd in “Girls Meets World,” Weissmann played a sporty student named Nate who can be seen exuding school spirit, sputtering through Spanish class and killing it in tug-of-war.

“I was surrounded by such an amazing group of late teens and early 20s that just wanted to be creative, wanted to have fun and wanted to let loose,” Weissmann said. “I’ve felt welcomed on sets before, but that was another level of friendship and feeling seen as an actor but also as a person. So that was like the most incredible experience I've worked on thus far.”

After two seasons, the “Saved by the Bell” reboot was canceled, only reaffirming to Weissmann that acting is a volatile job and Hollywood can be just as cruel as it is magical. Between unsuccessful auditions, unsteady work and canceled shows, it can become easy to become discouraged, but Weissmann chooses to lean back on the advice to "never take anything personally." 

“Even though it's a lot easier said than done, if you look at every job that you didn't get as ‘it was a me thing,’ it's going to eat you alive to the point where you're not going to be able to bring in that charisma to the next audition,” Weissmann said. “If you're constantly telling yourself, ‘I'm not good enough, it's a me thing, I'm not there,’ the casting directors, the producers and the directors are gonna see that on your face, and they're gonna be like, ‘Well, I don't know if we can put a budget behind this kid because he doesn't trust himself.’”

A slump in auditions sent Weissmann into a creative drought. That’s when his friend and Chapman alumna Totah introduced him to Chapman, which Weissmann described as a perfectly fitting puzzle piece in his life. He now balances school with his slate of responsibilities as an actor and kills his one-hour commute from Burbank with podcasts by Smartless, Mel Robbins and music from “Daisy Jones and the Six.”

“It's a lot of work, but I hate being stagnant,” Weissmann said. “I love feeling busy and something that I've never experienced before this semester is getting to write scripts and getting to produce. At the same time, I’m working and auditioning and having director sessions and screen tests. It feels so cool, because I'm getting a full 360 view of the entertainment industry in a way that I've never known before."

Around the time Weissmann was playing a character on both the lacrosse and football team in “Saved by the Bell,” Weissmann was navigating his bisexual identity and “playing for both teams” — another instance of life mirroring art. After one of his friends published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times and his therapist advised him to write out his feelings, Weissmann took a crack at essay writing, authoring a piece reflecting on the spectrum of sexuality and breakups. 

Hours after submitting his piece to the LA Times general forum, he received a call asking to purchase his article. Since then, he has written several essays for the LA Times and HuffPost exploring his identity and self-reflection. 

“It's been so cathartic to explore my identity through writing and to share it with other people that may be questioning or struggling with their own queer experience,” Weissmann said. “I wrote this piece with the HuffPost that came out like a week or two ago, and it was probably the scariest thing I've ever put out in my life. But the response was so kind. I'm not doing it for any sort of external validation. I'm doing it so that people that have had the same or similar experiences as me can see it and know that they're not alone.”

Weissmann told The Panther he hopes to open the door to conversations about men’s mental health and break the cycles that prevent men from expressing their emotions and vulnerability. 

Outside of acting and school, Weissmann’s loves consuming poetry by poets Richard Siken, Franz Kafka and Louise Glück. He is also an avid tennis and pickleball player. Although contractually bound to non-disclosure agreements, Weissmann promises exciting projects coming up and hopes to keep his options for future career routes open to all creative mediums. 

"I would say that there isn't one succinct goal,” Weissmann said. “I think I just want to continually feel creatively fulfilled and I continually want to be pushing my bounds of vulnerability throughout art.”