In Conversation with Actor Preston James Hillier

Hi, thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me. I think for me, my draw to acting was an accident like a lot of people. I was a painfully shy kid and was able to make friends by doing funny voices and imitations. Eventually, in junior high, a friend’s family had a camcorder and I would write direct and act in skits with friends. I never intended it to go any further. I was still too shy to do theater in Junior High or High School. I got to college, took some theater classes and then the bug bit me. I started doing local commercials and community theater after that. The commercials were mostly for experience as they didn’t pay. I moved to LA in January of 2000 and I worked as an extra on shows, the first was a Joey look alike on “Friends”. I also worked as a PA on commercials and some TV shows to pay the bills and eventually waited tables and bartended to be more cliche.

Your break was a role in General Hospital. Please tell us more about how you landed a part in the long-running soap?

Well, my first speaking role was a show called “Son of the Beach” a spoof of Baywatch. I worked as an extra for two seasons on it and they wrote me a role in one of the last episodes for all my hard work. That first credit got my foot in the door. General Hospital had a casting associate named Gwen Hillier, no relation to me but I knew if I could get her to see my stuff she might give me a chance on my last name alone. Thankfully she brought me in to read and I was pretty green but they had an under 5 role of a bodyguard for one of the main characters Lorenzo Alcazar. I was to be a Colombian mafia leaders thug, I laugh thinking of this because I always thought we were supposed to be Italians. Thankfully they liked me and I worked on it for almost 4 years, however, they never gave me a name. I asked Gwen a few times, she talked to the writers, my co-star Ted King talked to the writers and for some reason they refused to give me a name. I enjoyed the work and the people on set and took that experience to move on to other shows and opportunities.

You appeared in several popular programs including MacGyver, Shock, and Awe, NCIS: New Orleans, Chicago Fire, and Nashville. Which have been your most enjoyable TV roles to date and why?

I’ve been very fortunate to work on some great shows. MacGyver and Magnum PI are two of the most iconic and both reboots. Magnum was an amazing experience getting flown to Hawaii first class and working in paradise. Chicago Fire is one of my favorite gigs, I always wanted to be a fireman when I was a little kid, playing a Battalion Chief at one of the most respected fire depts in the country was quite a blessing. So much fun to work with the technical directors who worked on Backdraft was incredible. NCIS New Orleans was pretty special, Scott Bakula is such an incredible actor and an even better human being. I grew up loving him on Quantum Leap so it really was a dream come true to work with him, one of my favorite actors I’ve worked with. I remember he grabbed a rake on one of our scenes on the beach and helped the crew groom the sand, he’d stop and take pics with fans on another location as well, wonderful guy. Recently I worked on a show called Interrogation coming out in 2020 on CBS All Access, I played the coworker and friend of a character played by the incredible David Strathairn, who is an Oscar nominee. It’s not every day that happens. It was pretty amazing to watch him work, he makes it look effortless and is an extremely humble and generous actor to work with.

You have recently appeared in several independent films, such as ‘Ride Share’ and ‘Venus as a Boy’. How does working on an independent film sets compare to your experience of working on TV productions? 

Anytime you’re working is great let me say that first and foremost. The difference between television and independent filmmaking is generally a budget issue. TV, especially network TV, has a lot bigger budgets than an Indie Film does, so you have better locations, more crew, bigger name actors a lot of times. However, an indie can bring an actor like me more opportunities for bigger roles since big-name actors may shy away because of salary issues. I recently played the lead in a movie called “Ride Share” set to come out in 2020 I believe on Lifetime, at least that’s who they are in talks with right now. It’s a thriller and I play a character you assume going in is the bad guy. We shot the entire movie in about two weeks. We worked long hours and worked harder for less money than a big-budget network show on that movie but the chance to play a huge role overshadowed everything. I also did Venus as a Boy this summer, it covers a whole range of things including racial issues, love, and art. Something that may be a harder sell to a network but needs to be told and indie filmmaking allows that to be possible.

Are there any actors, directors, and producers you’d be overjoyed to work with? 

There are so many I’d love to work with. I had a list when I moved here 20 years ago. I’ve only crossed one-off so far having the good fortune to work with Rob Reiner a couple of years ago on Shock and Awe. Someone whom I admire for his career and would love to play his brother someday is Kyle Chandler. I’ve been told I look like him since I was a kid. I think he’s extremely talented and has played such great roles over a long career of great work. I think working with Christopher Nolan would be at the top of the list. Everything he touches is gold, in my opinion. The way he lays out a story and the performances he gets are incredible. When I moved here at the top was one that may seem odd, Adam Sandler. I’ve always loved his comedy and owned his CDs and wanted to be that actor he always finds some small role for in all his movies as he does with his buddies.

What advice would you give budding young actors, looking to be successful in film and television?

My advice would be this, be prepared and ready for constant rejection, it’s an unfortunate byproduct of this business. The yes’s will come but just know because you didn’t get the role it’s not personal and even if you were good enough sometimes it goes another direction. Have a good day job that can pay your bills and is flexible for auditions. Study, get into a class and do the work, we never stop learning. Find your tribe, surround yourself with good supportive people who will encourage you and pick you up when you need it. Don’t give up, and have fun…enjoy the process. Your next gig is right around the corner, don’t stop now.

Do you have anything else in the pipeline we can look forward to? 

As of right now, the limited series “Interrogation” on CBS All Access is scheduled to premiere in January or February of 2020. The two independent films “Ride Share” and “Venus as a Boy” are also coming out at some point in 2020.

So where can we keep up to date with your activities?

I can be found on Instagram @prestonhillier where I’m the most active, I have a twitter account @prestonhillier but don’t use it as much. Check there for updates I post or check me out on imdb.com/prestonhillier to see current projects I am working on or have completed.

Photography:  Courtesy of Rob Nixon & RCM Talent & Management