Justin Dinkins’ path into the film and television industry wasn’t straightforward. Unexpected challenges from a car accident led to a move to New York City, which rekindled his acting dream.
Once Dinkins decided he was going to pursue acting, he gave it his all. Through Casting Networks, he’s managed to land roles on major productions such as Zero Day, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Apple TV+’s Emmy-nominated hit Severance as Tramell Tillman’s stand-in on season 2.
For aspiring actors, the path to success often feels like a long shot. For Dinkins, persistence and an open mind shows us how big breaks can come from the most unexpected places.
Insights From Justin Dinkins
- Consistently check casting platforms and submit quickly. Early submissions increase the chances of booking roles.
- Building a versatile portfolio with regularly updated headshots helps avoid typecasting and showcases range to casting directors.
- Treat every opportunity professionally, regardless of project size or secrecy. Small roles can lead to major breakthroughs.
Tell us a little bit about your journey and getting into the film and television industry.
I’m originally from Hollywood, Florida. I moved to New York. This year, it’s going to be 10 years since I’ve been here. I originally moved up here with my best friend.
He ended up crashing his car, and he was like, “Where can we go that we don’t need a car and we can still get around? Everyone’s telling me that we should go to New York.”
I was in the hospital at the time, and apparently, I was a little comatose. In my state, I said. “Yes!,” and [my friend] said, “Let’s go.” I get out of the hospital, and his mom is running her car. Our apartment was packed, and we moved to New York.
What’s crazy is that I wasn’t even going to pursue my dream of acting. I had hung it up. I performed in high school. I just never thought it would happen for me.
I ended up having to have hip surgery [after the car accident]. I had a hip replacement, so I was out of work for a while, and I couldn’t go back to a full-time job. I had been reading the Casting Networks emails, and I had to bribe my dad to lend me money for the subscription for the first two months. I was like, “If it works, if I find some gigs, I’m going to pay you back.”
How were you able to manifest that destiny?
One of the very first roles that I got on Casting Networks was actually when I rejoined the site. It’s on Netflix. It’s called Stamped From the Beginning. The original post [was for] a VFX testing shoot. They didn’t tell us anything [about the project]. It was vague.
We get there and we find out [what it is], and they have me change into my costume. It’s on a soundstage. It’s a huge studio. There are maybe 10 other actors there, and they explain to us what we’re doing. We’re going to be a part of this project; they don’t know if it’s going to get picked up by anybody. They’re still shopping around, but they just want to shoot it to get the content.
That was in 2022. This past year, I got a letter from SAG-AFTRA [saying] that I get residual checks in the mail, and I’m like, “What is this from?”
I didn’t understand. I almost threw the mail out because I thought it might have something to do with my dues. I’m thinking, “Okay, they’re trying to get me to pay my dues. They’re trying to tell me that my time is up because I’ve had some other projects and now I’m SAG-eligible.”
I finally opened it up to see what they wanted. They sent me a letter in November; it’s probably January by now. I opened the letter, and it’s my first residual check from that project. I’m like, “What? I’m getting residual checks?” I look at the check, and it says “Netflix: Stamped From the Beginning.”
I immediately go on Netflix, I watch the film and I’m in it. I see myself on the screen. I see everything that we shot in two different parts. Then I roll to the end, and my name’s in the credits. This is the first time my name has ever been in the credits of anything.
That was so much. I celebrated that. I was able to celebrate that with my family, but that wasn’t the first time my family had seen me on television because of Casting Networks. I was lucky enough in 2022 to be part of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
That’s amazing. What was that like?
I did three episodes on that show as a general background. For the final episode, it was the last week of shooting for the last big scene for the entire series at Steiner Studios here in Brooklyn. It took us a whole week to shoot that, and you don’t hear anything back or see anything until the show airs.
They have me in a scene by myself. I do this dramatic crossing between some of the main characters and myself, and they give me camera time all [to] myself.
I had classmates who watched the episodes, and they’re just like, “Justin, my God, we just saw you on TV. Were you in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?” I had people posting to me and tagging me online just from that success.
Casting Networks has been a major resource for me. It’s been an excellent thing. I found an email from Casting Networks from 2012, when I originally signed up, and Casting Networks was just a blog. [I was in Florida at the time, and] I didn’t understand what Casting Networks was. I didn’t know it was going to be so big [for me].
I’d been subscribed to these things for 10 years, and I never paid attention to them [until now].
You guys have always been sending me emails, and I haven’t really responded, but now it’s coming full circle. Now, it’s the first thing I check.
Every day I’m on the Casting Billboard looking for different roles. That’s how I get a lot of my major acting roles. I’ve been part of plays, like the off-Broadway play called Race: The Movie: The Play, because of Casting Networks. It launched my entire acting career.
I found a lot of success, but I think the biggest project I’ve ever been a part of was working on Zero Day — once again, through Casting Networks.
I was playing a role as one of their secret agents. We did that project for over a month, and because of my brand ambassador gig, I also worked for Netflix to do the release. I had my credentials for Zero Day, and I found the project through Zero Day on Casting Networks, so it’s a full circle that it came around for me, where I got to do both sides of it.
One of the huge projects you worked on was Severance, which is up for several Emmy Awards. How did that happen?
I saw a post for a project called “Cold Harbor” that said Tramell Tillman needed a stand-in. I submitted for it, not thinking or knowing anything. A lady emails me back 10, 15 minutes later, “Can you come in tomorrow? We’d like to do a test with you. He’s going to be in the Bronx.
We can provide transportation. All you have to do is catch a train to this point.”
I sent them my photos and they’re like, “Great. You’re the same height as Tramell. We think that you look like him, but can you grow out a mustache?” I’m like, “Yeah, but I can’t grow a mustache overnight.” She said, “No problem. Once we see you in the test tomorrow, we’ll give you a little bit more feedback.”
I go in, they’re just like, “Wear this kind of suit.” I put it on, and in the first 10 minutes, the lady says, “You’re his stand-in. Can you be here? Can you commit to this for at least the next couple of weeks?” I said, “I can be as available as you guys need me.” I had watched the show, but I didn’t know that “Cold Harbor” was Severance until I met Tramell Tillman.
The next day, I show up and we set up the scene and shots, and everyone’s like, “You’re doing fine.” I’m just standing there. I’m not saying anything to anybody. I’m not speaking because it’s my first day, and Tramell walks in, and I’m starstruck. I’m like, “My God, I’ve been watching your show. This is Severance.” [This project] was only known to me as “Cold Harbor,” and I didn’t know what “Cold Harbor” was. That was the code name they used on Casting Networks.
For Severance, I had to grow my hair out because Tramell Tillman has an afro, and I ended up being the stand-in for the entire season 2. Ben Stiller ended up directing me in some scenes.
I liked the scene where Milchick does the whole band choreography. Just to prepare for some of his scenes, the movement with the camera that he does, it was so interesting.
At the end of the season, Ben Stiller invited us to the wrap party. We felt like we were part of the crew. The energy was great. They even sent me a sample of myself on camera in one of the scenes, and it was so cool to see myself be Milchick for that one scene. It was amazing.
To see the show get so much recognition for the Emmys and everything [has been great]. Tramell Tillman is nominated for Outstanding [Supporting] Actor [in a Drama Series]. I’m rooting for him. I want him to win. I want this show to bring in so many awards because Dan Erickson is a great writer. Being part of this show, I want them to win across the board.
I’m backtracking a little bit, but did you say that people didn’t know what “Cold Harbor” was, even during the filming of the show?
That’s what you learn on Casting Networks. A lot of people use code names for shows, so you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into until you show up to set and you realize that you’re working on this crazy production.
For example, I didn’t know that “DWP” stood for The Devil Wears Prada. In my acting group, everyone was like, “What’s ‘DWP?’ What does that mean?” Finally, someone was like, “It’s The Devil Wears Prada,” but the production team always used “DWP.”
I did an episode of Daredevil, and their code name for that is “Out of the Kitchen.” My friend Devin, with whom I moved up here, works in their corporate offices.
It didn’t dawn on me that I was on Daredevil until I did a scene where the main actor [Charlie Cox] crosses by me, and I’m like, “That’s the guy from Daredevil.” I went to [ask someone, and they said,] “Yeah, this is Daredevil.” I was like, “Get out. No way!” I immediately text my friend, and he’s like, “I’m looking at the call sheet. I see you, man! God has brought our paths to cross, and we’re working on the same project now.”
We came up here with two different agendas, but somehow the world, and being back in acting, came together, and we were able to grab lunch that day. He showed up to set, and he was like, “I can’t believe it. This is so crazy that we’re working on the same project. We didn’t try to do this on our own. We didn’t try to set this up. This is how it happened.” I was like, “It’s God.”
It’s just a full circle because if I had never gotten hip surgery, I would have never been out of work, I would have never been seeking this. I was like, “You know what, let me try to at least pursue this while I’m in my recovery and see if this works.”
I started booking so much work that I was able to pay off my rent with it. I was like, “I can keep going if I keep self-submitting and keep trying stuff.”
I looked online today and [I’ve] submitted to over 1,600 jobs. I’ve probably only landed about 15 or 30 of them. It just goes to show that you have to keep trying, keep putting yourself out there.
I’ve changed my profile picture so many times. I have my own DSLR camera that I use to take my headshots now. I try to take them every week.
I want my look to change. I like to have a lot of different versatility in my portfolio and my photos. They have a lot of different depths of what my possible look can be like so that I’m not typecast.
With getting an email and seeing that it’s a project you want to apply to, how quickly do you do a turnaround?
The fastest that I’ve been able to turn around a self-submission to have a self tape has probably been a couple of hours. I think it was one project where they wanted a self tape by the end of the day. I read one tip, that the early bird gets the worm. The quicker you can get in that self tape, the better.
Casting directors love early submissions. They don’t want any major edits; they just want basic off-the-dome. You’re communicating with the camera and then hitting “submit.” They don’t want to see any major editing, blending or other similar adjustments. They just want you to slate your name, get into it, and submit it, and I either get the gig or I don’t, so I’m pretty quick about that.
It’s hard to keep up and check your email as often as Casting Networks is sending out the emails. You can get an email every five minutes, although it may take up to an hour. You just don’t know who’s going to post what or when, so you have to stay on top of your email.
Do you have any tips for your fellow actors on how to use Casting Networks?
I tell everybody, if you’re trying to start [your acting career], start on Casting Networks. You can go as far as you allow yourself to go. You can get as immersive as you want with it, and you can take it upon yourself to go as far as you need to go with the casting submissions, constantly updating, reloading and refreshing the pages. It’s full of resources, at least here in New York, which is why I love it so much.
I don’t know about any of the other websites, but Casting Networks works for me, and I have the proof. I tell people you have to stay refreshed and you have to look at those email alerts, because the early bird [does] get the worm.
I’ve landed some of the biggest projects, and now I’m SAG-eligible. I just have to pay my dues, and I’ll be in the union now. This is all without an agent. I did all this by self-submitting, so it is possible.
You have to put the work in — be patient and it’s possible. You can’t force it. You never know when people are going to post anything on there, and you can never underestimate a project. It keeps you on your toes.
I keep getting more amazed by the projects every time I submit for something. One time, I think the code name was “Dust Bunny,” and [the role] was a stand-in for Marvel’s Ant-Man overseas [promotion]. We did it here in New York.
The actor was coming in the next day, but we set up all the shots, and we were working on one of the Marvel promotions that they were doing. Once again, this is another big project where I was like, “‘Dust Bunny’? Who would have thought this was ‘Dust Bunny’?’”
You just never know what you could be a part of. You have to be professional for everything. Any little project, whatever its title, just go in and give your all and give your best.
Final Takeaways
Justin Dinkins’ journey shows that breaking into acting isn’t always a straight path, and success often comes from staying persistent and open to unexpected opportunities. His story proves that dedication and professionalism pay off. Here are some practical tips for new actors based on his experience:
- Check casting calls frequently and submit your self tapes as early as possible to stand out.
- Keep your headshots fresh by taking new photos regularly to show your versatility.
- Treat every role, big or small, with professionalism because you never know where it might lead.
- Use casting platforms like Casting Networks to find diverse opportunities and don’t rely solely on agents.
- Be patient and persistent, knowing that rejection is part of the process but consistency brings results.
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