LOCAL ACTOR
Grind Inside the mind of actor Karon Joseph Riley By Mi chae l J . Pa l l e r i no
Karon Joseph Riley
I never want to go into an audition room or on a set unless I know every line. I put the work in just like I did when I was on the field.
I t is not about the transition, but the transition matters. Karon Joseph Riley wants you to know that no matter which path you choose, there is always another one tempting you to explore. That moment affects each of us at different times—the moment you are living in and the one that awaits. For Riley, playing in the National Football League was a dream come true. When the Chicago Bears drafted him in 2001 (he later played for the Atlanta Falcons), it was a box that only a chosen few get to check. But as much as Riley dreamed of a life on the gridiron, he longed for other ways to entertain the masses. For that, you have to travel back to the first grade. That was the first time Karon Riley heard the roar of the crowd, so to speak. With a single line—delivered with every ounce of passion and energy in his young heart—Riley watched and listened as the auditorium roared with approval. At that moment, he knew what he wanted. The crowd. The approval. The validation. “For years I focused on being an athlete, putting my attention there, training my body, my mind, and my spirit to be the best athlete I could be. Once I accomplished that, the NFL came. But as soon as I made it, I started shifting gears to wanting to be an actor. I started traveling to LA in the off seasons and taking auditions once I retired.” When the NFL road came to an end, Riley was ready for what was next.
He started the transition by co-hosting a handful of local sports shows. From there, he landed a role in Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns , followed by the romantic comedy 35 and Ticking , where he shared the screen with Kevin Hart, Nicole Ari Parker, and Meagan Good. Next were parts in a string of independent films, theater, and television projects, including Single Ladies , For Better or Worse and Necessary Roughness. “Everything I did I used to make it today, no fail. I try to be intentional and keep working. I’m constantly thinking like an athlete, training like an athlete. I never want to go into an audition room or on a set unless I know every line. I put the work in just like I did when I was on the field. For me, the worlds are very similar.” One of Riley’s blessings is his relationship with his wife, Terri Vaughn, a successful actor and producer in her own right (the couple also have three children). While the journey and passion to get to the top is what drives the competitor in Riley, having the support and guidance from a soulmate and fellow artist is comforting. “We support each other—prop each other up when need be. But we’re also very independent and strong in our own right. We do a lot on our own—the things that we have to do. It’s the way we’re both built.” In a time and place (he gives major props to Georgia and the ATL here) where Hollywood dreams can still come true, Riley will stick to the game plan he has been following. Keep grinding. Keep pushing. Never give up. “It is like riding a bike. Sometimes you go fast; sometimes you go slow. There are going to be times when you feel like you want to get off, but you know you have to stay on and keep pedaling.” For now, like in every path he has chosen up until this point, that is the plan—the strategy that without fail that will keep the crowd roaring like that first grade play. “Put your head down, close your eyes and pedal. That is my path forward in this business. Know thyself, stay grounded and keep pedaling.”
@karonjosephriley
Photo by Habeeb Mukasa
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