There’s a particular kind of actor casting directors can’t stop watching. Not just because they’re polished. Not just because they hit every beat perfectly. But because something alive is happening behind their eyes.
That quality—the elusive “X factor” producers talk about in closed casting sessions—is exactly what has propelled Adriyan Rae from newcomer to one of Hollywood’s most intriguing rising stars. Today, Rae’s résumé stretches across some of the industry’s biggest platforms and franchises including Chicago Fire, Atlanta, Poppa’s House, and Hulu’s Light as a Feather.
Adriyan recently appeared in Netflix’s Forever, directed by Regina King, starred in Paramount+’s reboot of The Game, led SYFY’s Vagrant Queen. On the film side, she’s shared the screen with stars like Alfre Woodard, Trevante Rhodes, Michael Kenneth Williams, Trevor Jackson, and Jennifer Morrison in projects including Burning Sands and SuperFly. She is also expanding into gaming in a major way, starring as Hazel Flood in the critically acclaimed Xbox title South of Midnight, a performance already earning award attention, while also appearing in PlayStation’s upcoming SAROS.
But according to Rae, the biggest transformation in her career didn’t begin on a set. It began in an acting class.
The Moment Everything Changed
Before acting, Rae’s life looked very different. Born in Seaford, Delaware, she excelled academically and athletically before earning dual bachelor’s degrees in physician assistant studies and medical laboratory science from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
At the time, she was pursuing music—not acting. “I was kind of forced to take an acting job,” Rae says with a laugh. “But when I got onto set I fell in love. I was working for 15 hours and was still ready to keep going.”
What captivated her wasn’t simply performance—it was transformation.
“I love dropping into a whole new person, their thoughts, perspective on life,” she explains. “And how by doing so it allows not just me but audience members as well, to understand our neighbors in a more compassionate and empathetic way.” That fascination with human behavior eventually led her to The Acting Center in Los Angeles.
And according to Rae, that’s where her career truly accelerated.
Discovering a Different Way to Work
Like many actors arriving in Hollywood, Rae searched online for training. A Google search for “Top Acting Classes in LA” led her to The Acting Center.
“After the first day I loved it,” she says. “I loved how I spent the entire time actually practicing and acting.”
What she discovered there was different from traditional acting environments she’d experienced elsewhere. “I loved how I was stripped of ‘acting’ and brought to the foundation of LIVING as a character,” Rae says. “The process truly allows you to experiment and drop into a character in a way that no other technique has allowed me to.”
For Rae, the difference wasn’t just philosophical—it was practical.
While many classes focus heavily on critique and analyzing, she says The Acting Center’s approach emphasized constant hands-on work, intuition, and freedom. “TAC has you acting the entire class instead of sitting and watching like the majority of other classes do,” she explains. “The hands-on practice and non-judgmental space really allowed me personally to learn how to live as a character and make choices unique to me.”
Perhaps most importantly, she says the training removed the fear many actors carry into auditions and performances. “The lack of criticism and constant critique really allows you to feel safe to make choices and builds your level of intuition and self-awareness.”
From No Bookings to Breakthrough Roles
The timing proved pivotal. “Before TAC I didn’t book a single thing,” Rae says candidly. Then things began to shift.
“After about six months of classes and auditions I started getting to producers, having callbacks, and eventually booking smaller guest stars.”
Those opportunities snowballed into increasingly high-profile projects, including Burning Sands, Atlanta, SuperFly, and American Soul. Rae believes the breakthrough came from learning how to create characters with deeper internal lives rather than simply performing scenes correctly.
“I recently heard that when casting watches series regular auditions they look for great acting, of course, but they also look for an X factor within the character,” she says. “Someone who has thoughts behind their eyes and reasons behind their words.”
She credits The Acting Center with teaching her how to access that depth naturally.
“TAC showed me how to do that in a way that’s natural, allows me ample practice, and that’s guided without nitpicking or diminishing my voice as an artist.”
Trusting Instinct Over Perfection
Today, Rae approaches auditions very differently than she once did. “I don’t focus so much on the words first,” she explains. “I focus on the person. Channeling and building them.” Once she understands the character internally, the script becomes easier to inhabit. And perhaps the clearest sign of her growth is the confidence she now brings into the room.
“When I shoot auditions I make them HOW I WANT TO, not what I think they want to see,” Rae says. “I’m confident in my choices while still honoring the writing and script.” That boldness, she says, came directly from her training.
“The most valuable lesson I’ve learned here? Trust yourself. Trust your intuition and choices.”
A Rising Star Still Training
Despite her growing success across television, film, and gaming, Rae remains adamant that continued training is essential. “Your craft is a tool that needs constant stretching, working, and sharpening,” she says. “That’s done through training.” It’s a mindset that reflects why her career continues to evolve across genres and mediums.
At The Acting Center, she found more than technique. She found a process and an artistic home that encourages exploration over perfection, instinct over overthinking, and truth over performance. And for Adriyan Rae, that shift changed everything.
“Stop thinking about it and DO IT!” she says of actors considering training there. “Expeditiously!”
