How to Run a Mile Without Stopping

A young kid at the tender age of 19 had bigger dreams than what Jefferson City, Missouri could offer him. Charlie Weber knew he wanted to study acting so he hit the ground running and made the big move to New York City. Coming up the escalator at Grand Central Station, he experienced culture shock (“The air smelled different, and the energy was really something”) but also found everything he had been looking for. He stayed at a house in Rahway, New Jersey, and hopped on the train the following morning. While studying at the prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Weber was doing whatever he could to learn, work on his craft, and get his feet wet there.

Weber found success in the modeling industry before his acting career took off. He appeared in the Christmas 1998 Abercrombie & Fitch catalog when Bruce Weber restored the publication. “I shot with him a lot, and he was always very kind and gracious and was very curious about you. He always wanted to talk about you. Some of the photographs are so beautiful. Such a talent,” he says of the fashion photography veteran. Modeling gave him time to develop as an actor; when he felt ready, he started going on auditions. Things started happening quickly after moving to Los Angeles.

Weber garnered attention playing Ben Wilkinson on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the show had seeped into pop culture and become quite the phenomenon). He experienced anxiety and fear in the beginning but those two things ultimately became fuel for him. “I oddly enjoy those feelings, and it was intense to jump on doing the fifth season of this massive hit cult American institution of a show. I think I had been in L.A. for about six months when I got Buffy – and it was great,” Weber recalls.

In 2014, Weber landed a recurring role as Frank Delfino in Shonda Rhimes’ ABC legal drama How to Get Away with Murder. Getting the opportunity to work with the one and only Viola Davis is, he says, still “such a crazy thing” for him to grasp. It was a bucket-list moment for him. “We've been doing this for so long, and it's such a huge part of my life. It's almost just my day-to-day life now, and don't get me wrong, it means as much to me today as it did back then,” he adds.

“I'm not content with where I'm at. It's not about fame or money. I just want to keep doing good work, keep pushing myself, and continue to see myself grow as an actor,” says Weber who believes that one must keep a level head and be able to step away and objectively look at what is going on around them because that will help them find success and lead them on the right path in this industry. “I think what I've experienced, as far as being a part of this business, is finding a way to stay in it. Being proactive and just staying focused [are] important. It takes time,” he asserts. “I mean, the right thing doesn't just come along. Sometimes, it does. It's a crazy industry. It's a crazy world. The one thing you have unique is you.”

Writer: Dylan Worcel 

Photographer: Sandra Selva 

Stylist: Andrew Philip Nguyen 

Men’s Grooming: Phoebe Dawson 

Videographer: Mason Kim 

Editor: Eiko Watanabe 

Special thanks to Smashbox Venice (@smashboxvenice - www.smashbox.com/book-appointment) & =V= Venice Ale House (@venicealehouse - venicealehouse.com)