Ronald Peet - Actor of the Month for May 2026

1. Has there been a Casting Director who has really championed or supported you in your career journey? 

I’ve been deeeeeeply blessed to have a number of incredible casting directors who have championed me along this journey. Destiny Lilly, CSA, Findley Davidson, CSA, Erica A. Hart, CSA, Stephanie Yankwitt, CSA, Kim Taylor-Coleman, CSA, Karyn Casl, CSA, Doug Aibel, CSA, Jenny Cooper, CSA, Christine Kromer, CSA, Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA, Beth Bowling, CSA, and Kim Miscia, CSA, are just a few of the warriors who have fought on my behalf! 

2. What is the project you’re most proud of, and why? 

I am currently very proud of Bad Monkey for a myriad of reasons: It’s my first time artistically portraying my Bahamian ancestry; it’s my first time working with (incredible) animals; it’s my first time working with the inimitable Apple TV+ and Warner Bros.; it’s my first time working with the impossibly kind and genuine genius that is Bill Lawrence; and it’s my first time telling a story on screen that is as weird, wonderful and singular as the art I like to create on stage. 

3. What or who inspired you to pursue acting as a career? 

It’s almost trite to say it because they are so ubiquitously revered but Philip Seymour Hoffman and Sir Sidney Poitier were my acting inspirations. I grew up in Nassau and Sir Sidney was (and remains) a national treasure so when I told my father I was going to acting school, he simply said, “you will be the next Sidney.” It was a high bar and I’ve since become enraptured with being ‘the current Ronald,’ but it was his way into this endlessly interesting and mystical world of myth-making and it’s been nice to remember what a legacy I am a small part of just by my body being on a screen. I remember watching Phil in Gordy Hoffman and Todd Louiso’s Love Liza and it being like the set dressings of my life dropped to the ground - in that moment I knew I had to do what that person did: made me feel, maybe for the first time in my life, that I wasn’t alone in my pain. It was an act of service. I also give deep credit to Tim McDonough who is Professor Emeritus of Theater at Emory, where I spent my first year of college. I auditioned for NYU Tisch early decision and didn’t get in, so I thought conservatory training wasn’t for me but Tim cast me in the first project I auditioned for which was a Tennessee Williams two-hander and I was opposite one of the titans of the theater program who was in her senior year (who remains a best friend!). He told me I should pursue the acting thing somewhere very serious and coached me through another round of auditions for NYU and I got in on my second try! It takes a village of kindness.

4. What was your first IMDbPro credit and how did you feel when you saw it? 

My very first IMDbPro credit was from an indie short I was in circa 2010 where I played “Nigerian.” It felt very exciting and legitimate to have a real credit! I had another one of those moments of feeling like a dream was becoming more of a reality when my first IMDbPro TV credit landed, which was a co-star role on Girls Season 6 in 2017. Thrilling.

5. How has IMDbPro helped you either to market yourself or connect with other industry professionals?

I know that IMDbPro has been invaluable in pitching me for opportunities behind the scenes. When I’m about to do a new project, I always come straight to the site to see who my collaborators will be and get a sense of their work.

6. Any funny or memorable casting room stories you can share? 

For better or for worse they’ve all become a blur for me! 

7. If you could play any character in any movie, past or present, who would it be and why? 

I say that the character I’d most like to play is the one I am about to play - I fall deeply in love with the souls of the parts I get a chance to embody and I take it (sometimes too) seriously but it makes my work meaningful. I deeply respect the work of actors as artists and the imprints they leave on their portrayals. 

8. What show or movie that you’re currently watching or have watched countless times could you nerd out about forever? What do you love about it?

Dilbert held me down for a year in middle school in a real way - it was what I looked forward to each day, almost obsessively. I nerd out on Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum, Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me, and Ronan Bennett’s Top Boy. 

9. Tell us a fun fact about you outside of acting. 

I am a marathon runner, mentor, mindfulness practitioner, and proud uncle, brother, son, and grandson.