IncREDible : RED FREDERICK

Visuals of RED by Terrance, MUA Lynda De La Mothe, Harvey Robertson Jacket shot at the Kerby Young Studio

Written by Anastasia Tomkin

The first thing that strikes you about Red, is just how well-spoken he is. Not that you don’t expect actors to be well spoken, but that you can just see him suited up as a lawyer or businessman, the corporate route he intended to take up until Form Five.

Back then, Mr. Smart, the Drama Teacher at Trinity College East, saw theatric potential in Red’s mischievous wit, and introduced him to the world of the Dramatic Arts. And he was a natural, easing seamlessly into characters, finding himself while losing himself in the Secondary School’s Drama Festival.

“It was a snowball effect, really. Apart from Mr Smart, my friend Che Rodriguez helped to inspire my career path. He exposed me to the film side of the industry...I got paid to be in a short film, then he made a film that starred me, and I got paid again.”

In true snowball effect fashion, after winning a scholarship to attend Trinidad Theatre Workshop, he enrolled in Film Production and Theatre Arts at the University of the West Indies. Then halfway through his degree, he scored a position as an Apprentice player at the National Theatre Arts Company of Trinidad and Tobago. He went on to work with DMAD Company, The Bagasse Company, Raymond Choo Kong Productions and Eh Bien Oui Don Don Folk Theatre Company. Red can be seen in advertisements from bMobile, Angostura and Westmall, music videos from Patrice Roberts, Jamelody and Kerwin Dubois, and films such as Girlfriends’ Getaway, Flying the Coup and the award-winning Pan! Our Music Odyssey.

So although now he’s used to raking in the dough for his work, Red insists that it’s not about the money or the fame, but knowing that he impacted someone’s life in the audience. He believes that if he can inspire change in anyone, even in the smallest way, he has been successful in his craft.

“Acting takes a lot of patience and tolerance. Any job has repetition that makes it mundane, but in acting the repetition makes it better, more comfortable. Learning lines means knowing what the conversation is really about, so that it turns into muscle memory.”

And when we asked for his favorite actor, Red couldn’t seem to choose.

“Tom Hardy...the guy who played Bane in Batman...he has an intensity that I admire. James Franco...he has a nice variation in terms of choice of roles, he adapts comfortably to different characters. Leonardo DiCaprio...I can relate to his process, from watching him talk about it in interviews. And Michael Fassbender from Shame. There, you have a lot to choose from.”

And Red is pretty serious when it comes to variation of roles. He advocates being selective in the roles you undertake as an actor, otherwise running the risk of being “typecasted”. It’s a delicate battle between wanting to earn a living, and wanting to be stretched in your craft, to allow people to see different shades of you.

Visuals of RED by Terrance, MUA Lynda De La Mothe, Harvey Robertson Jacket shot at the Kerby Young Studio

He takes this philosophy with him as he departs to break into foreign industries, pursuing an MA Theatre Lab at the prestigious Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts in London. But his heart is with his homeland. He wants to eventually open an acting academy in Trinidad to expose kids and teens to film and theatre, and encourage them to consider it as a viable and lucrative career. He also intends to open an adult theatre that showcases highly inappropriate, sexual humour while addressing taboo and sensitive social issues.

His advice to the youngins?

“Doh take on nobody. It’s going to be a struggle, you’ll be alone to make the path but you will meet people who will support and encourage you. Acting is about relationships, connections, feelings...understand your flaws, your triggers, know yourself.”

One thing is infinitely clear, Red knows himself and trusts his path,a true recipe for that Incredible power.

Visuals of RED by Terrance, MUA Lynda De La Mothe, Harvey Robertson Jacket shot at the Kerby Young Studio

Red’s Law of Power

“It’s nice to have your own opinion, but don’t let it be the only opinion you own.”

From L to R : Renaldo Frederick, Chanel Glasgow, Anderson Delysia,
Shanice Vitalis & Lynda De La Mothe

POWER PLAYERS' instagram handles

Renaldo Frederick 

Chanel Glasgow

Anderson Delysia

Shanice Vitalis

Lynda De La Mothe

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