Branden Cook Plays the Oldies
Written by Miles McKeller-Smith
Photography by Daremen Jones
January 20, 2024
*Originally Published on June 16, 2022
When you meet someone who’s aligned with their Purpose, the confidence radiates. Branden Cook carries the presence of an old soul, with the faith and mindset to match. He’s studied the acting greats that came before him, he’s dedicated his education to his craft, and yet he still understands the importance of striking balance in his increasingly busy life. The young actor has taken significant steps in his career over the last few years, landing roles in the HBO drama, Industry, the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks executive produced mini-series, Masters of the Air, and most recently landed a leading role as the character Evan in the upcoming Hulu series, Tell Me Lies. Despite his blossoming career, Branden stays grounded in the faith and support that got him where he is today. We caught up with Branden in Atlanta while he was in town for the Hulu production.
Tell us a little bit about your upbringing.
I was born in Toledo, Ohio. Moved to Charlotte, North Carolina at like 12. Went to school in Winston Salem – Wake Forest, and then lived in London for a little while and now I live in LA.
What was your childhood in Toledo like?
Well, my grandpa is a pastor and had a church – so a lot of church. The whole family is centered on that. A lot of family gatherings. Stuff like that. And then when we moved to Charlotte, it was a little different. It was just my mom and I, so it was a very different experience. But Charlotte was the formative years.
When you were up there, had you already kind of started dabbling with acting?
Yeah. So when I was probably like 10 or so maybe I think I started watching movies like James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Indiana Jones. Transporter with Jason Statham. Those were kind of the movies that I loved that me and my grandpa used to watch. So I always say I wanted to be someone that my grandpa can watch on TV. That was kind of the birth of it. I didn’t know what that meant fully besides just being on TV. As I got older, I kind of saw the path that I had to take to get that done.
Did you have an idea early that this was gonna be a major part of your life? Or was it just another hobby to try out?
I think I always secretly wanted to be an actor and it was only a secret for a little while. Around the time I moved to Charlotte, it became more of a reality. I auditioned for our school play in seventh grade, and I got card number two way in the back in Alice in Wonderland and I quit. I told my mom, “I didn’t like the part. I quit”, or whatever.
She thought of it as a lesson to teach me not to quit when I commit to something. You commit and do it. You’re not gonna just quit. So she made me audition for the next show the next year. And she was like, “no matter what part you get, you have to do it.” I ended up getting the lead as Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That’s kind of where it started in terms of acting and me loving it by doing it as opposed to just seeing it on TV.
Read the full interview in Issue 2 of crEATe Magazine
