May December star Charles Melton reflects on early days of his career: I was walking dogs

Charles Melton is currently basking in the success of his latest release May December. The actor, who rose to fame with his portrayal of Reggie Mantle in the CW drama Riverdale, has already bagged several accolades, including a Gotham Award and a Critics Choice Movie Award for his performance in Todd Haynes' directorial. 

He has also become the first-time Golden Globe nominee for this movie. Reflecting on his journey of becoming an acclaimed actor, Melton recalled the early days of his career as a dog walker and working at a Chinese takeout. 

Charles Melton on making it as an actor 

In a conversation with the Associated Press, Melton revealed he has dutifully been chipping away at his resume since he moved to Los Angeles more than a decade ago. “I was walking dogs and working Chinese takeout seven years ago,” the actor recalled of his early days trying to make it as an actor.

While his story isn’t one of instant success, he believes the maturity he gained along the way was instrumental in giving him the chops necessary to make his characters believable, particularly in the debatably campy Todd Haynes melodrama.

“I remember hearing this thing a while ago that Bryan Cranston said. And the message I received was that, in order to craft a character, you have to be a craftsman of your own life outside of what you do,” Melton says. “The chipping away, I think — I don’t know, I think it’s good.”

Charles Melton in May December

In May December, Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Moore), who years earlier become tabloid fodder for a sexual relationship with a seventh-grade Joe, agrees to let an actor (Portman) spend time with them to research an upcoming film about the decades-old scandal.

Now, Gracie is seemingly happily married to Joe, with kids of their own and a picturesque lifestyle in idyllic coastal Georgia. In the movie, Joe, now an emotionally stunted 36-year-old, is finally grappling with the trauma of his relationship’s origins and questioning what that means for his marriage and life. 

(with inputs from AP)