By: Markos Papadatos
Ryan McCartan is an actor and singer whose work encompasses many mediums. His Broadway credits include playing Fiyero in the 15th anniversary cast of "Wicked" and Prince Hans in the closing cast of "Frozen."
He also starred as Brad Majors in the 2016 Fox musical TV film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again." McCartan also played the recurring role of Diggie Smalls on the Disney sitcom "Liv and Maddie."
In the winter of 2023, he played Cletis in the Off-Broadway show "Lone Star" opposite Matt de Rogatis, which was directed by Joe Rosario. Presently, he is playing the protagonist (Jay Gatsby) in "The Great Gatsby" on Broadway opposite Sarah Hyland as his Daisy.
His favorite movies are “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The King’s Speech.”
Favorite Series
His favorite series to binge are "BoJack Horseman" (the cartoon on Netflix) and "Friends."
Favorite Sports to Watch and to Play
“I enjoy rock climbing. I love to climb; that’s the only sport I am good at. Any sport that involves a ball, I am terrible with.”
“I am from Minnesota, and I bonded with my father over the Minnesota Vikings, even though they are a hard team to be a fan of. American football is my sport that I tend to watch.”
Ryan McCartan's Favorite Cheat Meal
His favorite cheat meals include "McDonald’s French Fries" or a "Cookie Dough Blizzard from Dairy Queen."
“Those aren’t meals… those are food items,” he explained. “My favorite meal is Italian, where I could have all the pasta I could eat.”
Favorite Mottos to Live By
“My dad was a high school principal and each day in the announcements, he would say ‘make it a great day or not; the choice is yours’. Something I say all the time is to expect the best but prepare for the worst," he said.
"I like to be a realist… When you expect the best, you tend to see things in a better light."
How Ryan Unwinds
In an effort to unwind and relax, he enjoys “playing video games.”
Best Thing about Being his Age
On the best thing about being his age, he said, “Everything changes but you stay the same.” “Life itself is so volatile and dynamic, and it is constantly changing,” McCartan said. “Everything changes but it’s all still happening to you.”
If Ryan McCartan Could Have a Superpower....
His superpower of choice would be “invisibility or the ability to speak and understand any language.” I love communication and I love people,” he said.
“To be able to communicate with all different kinds of people from all different kinds of places would be really cool,” McCartan admitted.
Dream Acting Partners
His dream acting partners include Geoffrey Rush, Jessica Lange, Tom Hanks, Patti LuPone, and Meryl Streep.
How Ryan Defines Success
On his definition of the word success, McCartan remarked, "Success comes from the profound and innate sense that what you are doing matters. If you think that, then you are successful.”
To learn more about Ryan McCartan, follow him on Instagram.
Photo Credit: Torrance Coombs