His time to shine: NAHS graduate Josh Dallas lands lead in new ABC series

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New Albany graduate Josh Dallas recently co-starred in the movie "Thor" and will soon be appearing in the upcoming ABC series "Once Upon A Time." Dallas visited with students recently at New Albany High School. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
Actor Josh Dallas answers questions about the acting process during one of David Longest's classes Thursday morning at New Albany High School. Dallas graduated from New Albany High School in 1997. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

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October 20, 2011

By JEROD CLAPP Jerod.Clapp@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Thu Oct 20, 2011, 12:43 AM EDT

NEW ALBANY — He said part of the reason he pushed himself to take acting seriously and pursue it as a career was because of the people who encouraged him while he was in high school.

Now, after appearing in the blockbuster movie “Thor,” New Albany High School graduate Josh Dallas took a break from filming a new ABC television series called “Once Upon a Time,” to visit his hometown to inspire students at his alma mater and Floyd Central High School recently.

“I didn’t think of it that way and now I feel a lot of pressure,” Dallas said with a laugh. “I was just kind of coming in and rambling, I felt. But I suppose there is that kind of thing [inspiration], particularly for students who want to do this as a profession.”

Dallas, 29, said he remembered some of the speakers while he was studying at NAHS. Jon Jory, a pivotal director at the Actors Theater in Louisville, was one of the speakers who influenced Dallas in his choice of university and career.

Heather Douglas, another graduate of NAHS spoke while Dallas was a student there. She performed on Broadway and choreographed shows in London.

“We always had people kind of coming in and that just goes back to the teachers and how passionate they are about it,” Dallas said. “They want to get people who are in the profession to come in and give some of their knowledge.”

David Longest, theater director at NAHS, said bringing in former students who made a career out of the stage is an important part of the learning process.

“They see that it’s attainable,” Longest said. “It’s not just something that’s out there like the golden egg that the goose lays — it’s not impossible to get.”

Longest said many of the success stories who came from his program make sure to stop in and visit him as well as speak to his classes.

“When they come back to visit their families, they realize this is their family, too,” Longest said. “You can’t really put a price on that sort of experience, because you can only get that from the people locally who have succeeded.”

And Dallas brought some of that with him when he came home. With his experience on stage and on camera at home and abroad, he answered questions and talked about his experiences as an actor.

Though he answered questions about sound stages, special effects and the length of his days on stage, he also got back to the basics.

“You just have to love it enough and be passionate enough to want to do it in a $200 million movie or want to do it in a church basement,” Dallas said. “That’s the kind of love you have to have or you just won’t make it.”

And he said he’s done his share of both, but with the new series, he said it’s exciting for him to let his imagination go wild. “Once Upon a Time,” — which casts Dallas as Prince Charming — is about a small town where the residents are trapped in fairy tales by a curse.

He said working on the show has been different from working on stage in many ways, but it’s provided him with a pleasant challenge as an actor. They move from the real world into the fairy tale world, which gives him dual roles to play.

But as far as how he went from a high school stage to a network television show, Dallas said some of the people who spoke to him and his classmates inspired him to follow his love for acting and hoped his appearance could give others that push to follow through.

Longest said he’s proud of Dallas and appreciative of his willingness to give a little back to students who learned in the same classes he did.

“I think that’s really sort of his base, I think that’s what keeps Josh who he is,” Longest said. “He’s not a corrupted Hollywood boy. He hasn’t done it the wrong way, he’s always done it the right way.”

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His time to shine: NAHS graduate Josh Dallas lands lead in new ABC series

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