ChanVillager 2008

Students in Mrs. Beard’s
and Mrs. Glynn’s classes
had a celebrity moment two
weeks ago when Chanhassen
Elementary alumnus Brandon
Ruckdashel stopped in.
The now 25-year old was in
town for an audition at the
Guthrie Theatre, a visit
with his family—his parents
live in Chaska—and a
visit to his former school to
say hello to the two teachers
who were among those who
encouraged him to pursue
his dream to act. He brought
a stack of headshots to autograph
and hand out to students,
and talked about his
life as a working actor who
splits his time between New
York and Los Angeles. He
hasn’t yet heard about the
Guthrie audition. The play
is called, “The Secret Fall
of Constance Wilde,” and
is scheduled to run May 31
through July 11. The audition
went well, but Ruckdashel
doesn’t obsess over
it. “My approach is to forget
it, and then be surprised if I
get the phone call,” he said.
“Still, it was great to be
considered, and if I don’t
get this play, there are always
other projects at the
Guthrie, and at least I met
some people there and now
they know who I am. Maybe
I’ll be right for another part
in the future.” He owes his
ability to stay grounded,
focused and positive to his
parents Meg and Randy.
His mother Meg credits
his poise and aptitude for
networking as something
he was born with. It’s come
in handy as an actor who
does lots of auditions. At
25, Ruckdashel has already
enjoyed success by receiving
a glowing review in the New
York Times for his fi rst Off
Broadway appearance
in the edgy comic drama,
“Ascension.” The role was
especially challenging
for the young actor as he
played many of his scenes
nude. Yikes! He prepared
his parents who came to see
the last performance. “He
did a really a fabulous job
in ‘Ascension.’” Meg Ruckdashel
said. “Still, there are
some thing that as a mom
and dad you don’t really
want to see,” she allowed
with a laugh, “but he did
a great job.” Since then
Ruckdashel has appeared
in several fi lms, done more
theatre in New York and Los
Angeles, shot TV commercials
in South Korea, and
has a regular role in the
second season of a vampire
series “Lair” on the “Here”
cable TV network.
Q: Does your success
surprise you?
A: I’ve had a lot of success,
but it’s been a long journey. A
lot of the projects I’ve done
have been risky but in the
end, they’ve been excellent
opportunities. Somewhere I
read, “You have to fall if you
want to fl y.” You’ve got to fail
if you want to succeed.
Q: What did you talk
about with the Chan Elementary
students?
A: That if you believe in
yourself, you can do anything
you want to do. As long
as you believe in yourself, you
can make it happen. I always
think, “I will be booked. I will
be on stage.” And my parents
have been so supportive.
Q: Is it diffi cult to maintain
such focus in sunny
L.A.?
A: You have to have a work
ethic to succeed in this business.
It’s interesting out here.
It’s easy to get to beach, it’s
always warm. It’s seductive
and easy to fall off, skip an
audition because you want to
go surfi ng instead. You have to
know when to say no, that this
(acting) is what is important
right now.
To learn more about Brandon
Ruckdashel, visit his Web
site at www.brandonruckdas
hel.com
— Unsie Zuege