Harrison Tipping is an actor from Wrexham who, at 18, swapped North Wales for New York to study at the prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and now works as a professional stage and film performer in the city. His most recent project saw him make his off-Broadway debut, starring in a much-lauded production of The Honey Trap at the Irish Repertory Theatre.
I first got into acting when I was eight years old
My first taste of theatre as a child was at the William Aston Hall, which is a theatre within Wrexham University right next to the Racecourse football ground [STōK Cae Ras]. I can distinctly remember all these dancers creeping through the audience, and that was my first experience of feeling the atmosphere that performance brings to a space. After that, I signed up to some acting, singing and dancing classes at the brilliant Delta Academy in Wrexham. I quickly realised singing and dancing were perhaps not for me, but I was drawn to the performing and acting side of things.
From there, I had the opportunity to go to The Hammond, a performing arts school in Chester, and afterwards did a bit of time at the National Youth Theatre in London. Then, when I was 18, I left home and moved to New York to study at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and it's all been a bit of a whirlwind since.
I think my mum was just glad to have me out of the house
To move to New York at 18 was such a huge opportunity that I thought wasn’t even possible for me. I think no one was more pleased than my mum, particularly as I was probably winding her up a lot being at home. She came out with me for the first week in New York. I can remember landing in JFK and getting in a yellow taxi and just thinking, ‘What the hell have I done? This is way out of my comfort zone!’, but the support and love and guidance that my family has shown me has just been unmatched.
Most of them have managed to come out to see me in The Honey Trap at the Irish Rep Theatre, including my grandad, John, who's 86 and lives in the village of Bangor-on-Dee – it was his first trip to New York! Having them come out and see me here, knowing they’ve watched me in tiny venues when I was younger back in Wales, was just a special experience for all of us.
I received a helping hand from none other than Ryan Reynolds
After finishing my first year in New York I was struggling to get my visa renewed. I really thought my career and journey in America was over. Then, in this bizarre moment of fate, I bumped into Ryan Reynolds in a tea shop and I just thought, ‘I have to go and say hello’. I didn’t expect to get anything out of the chat, but he’s obviously a successful actor and he has a direct link to Wrexham as part-owner of the football club.
I explained my situation and, after seeing some of my work, he was kind enough to sign a letter of recommendation for my visa application. I really do feel his intervention played a role in me continuing my journey in the US, and the generosity and kindness he showed me is something I’ll be grateful for forever. It really is a crazy story.
Wrexham is now a famous name in the USA
I remember going to drama school here [in America], and some people didn’t even know where Wales was on the map. Now, when I tell people I’m from Wrexham, you can just see them light up, and they want to talk about Ryan and Rob [McElhenney] and the football club and the documentary [Welcome to Wrexham]. People are just drawn to that story. There's a Wrexham everywhere in the world, and that's the beauty of it, it's that universal underdog story.
What it has done for Wrexham as well is unbelievable, there’s such a buzz and a positivity about the city when I go home now. I think what Rob and Ryan have done so well is to not make the story about them, but about the community. It's bigger than the football club. It's about everyone in Wrexham. And I think for me, that makes me so proud being from there and coming to New York to tell my story as a young actor.
There’s a long list of great Welsh actors who’ve made it in America
I was thinking recently of the story of Richard Burton, about him coming from this small town in Wales, and his career that blew up and blossomed, and the amount of shows that he did on Broadway over here in New York. It feels like I’m walking a path that has been trodden by many amazing actors and actresses from Wales through the years.
To come from performing for the locals at Brymbo Cricket Club to having finished 100 performances at the Irish Rep, with over 15,000 people watching my work – and to receive some really lovely reviews as well – it honestly gives me goosebumps. I just hope for more opportunities and that one day I can match up with some of those great Welsh giants that have been before me.
The Welsh dragon is up on my bedroom wall in Harlem
When people ask me about Wales I tell them about the beautiful landscapes, the forests, the hills, the rivers, the sea, and, of course, the people. I miss home a lot, but I also feel like that's the sacrifice I'm making to pursue my career here in America.
I do feel growing up in and around the landscapes of North Wales has installed a certain calmness in me. So, when I'm in America and I'm in this intense city, like New York, I feel like I have this inner sense of calm, and every time I step onto a stage or I step onto a set, I bring that with me.
I never want to stop learning
I've just finished The Honey Trap, which I've been doing for the last five months, and I'm now back to the unknown, which is something that excites me as an actor. I just want to keep learning, and if I can continue representing myself and Wales here in America that would be a dream come true within itself.
I’m only 26 but the older I get, the more appreciation I have for the people who love and care for me, like my mum and dad, and my brother, who has been like a guiding light for me. And every night, when I go on to do a performance I feel like the people I love back at home are here with me. That's who I do it for.
