Whether on stage or in front of a camera, University of Oregon freshman and up-and-coming actor Alex Mentzel feels right at home wherever he’s given the opportunity to perform. Most recently, Mentzel was featured grappling with a demonic, wild, sheep-like beast in the mid-season finale of Grimm, a television show filmed and based in Portland, Ore.
Amid the crunch of memorizing lines and traveling to auditions, Mentzel is pursuing a degree in theater and German from the UO, where his father Eric Mentzel is also an associate professor. While studying for finals and auditioning for roles can be hectic, Alex is grateful for his supportive family both on and off campus.
“I didn’t want to do acting 24/7,” Mentzel said. “I wanted to grow as a person as well as academically.”
Early on, Mentzel knew he wanted to pursue a career in acting. He’s made many sacrifices along the way, such as not being able to go to his senior prom. But these are willing choices the South Eugene graduate happily makes and is grateful for.
He spent his early childhood in Cologne, Germany, watching his father perform on stage. For Mentzel, it is not just a desire to entertain a crowd but a fascination to portray genuine emotions and situations.
“I took the attitude that an audition is like a mini-performance,” Mentzel said. “I’m always grateful for an audition.”
He got his first big break after responding to a Craigslist ad. The post was for a small role in 2007’s Feast of Love, directed by Robert Benton and starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. Mentzel appeared in one scene as Kinnear’s nephew in the film, but it was enough to get his foot in the door. Soon after, at age 14, he booked a guest role in the television show Leverage among other productions on and off screen.
Prior to nabbing TV spots, Mentzel first got into acting through doing community theater. He’s been involved in productions at the Cottage Theater, Actor’s Cabaret of Eugene and Rose Children’s Theater.
“He’s so levelheaded about being a performer,” said Peggy Brown-Major, director at the Cottage Theater. “He takes it all in stride and goes with the flow. It’s so rare especially for kids his age because they get out there and say ‘I’m just going to take Broadway by storm’ and the reality is only one in a million are going to do that.”
Above any dream of fame or fortune, Mentzel’s main goal for his acting career is to make a living doing what he loves to do. For this reason, he has chosen to pursue a college degree rather than focus solely on his acting career. Mentzel hopes to use the skills he has learned at UO to teach other students to act, dance and sing or even get involved in business while he builds up his resume.
“I also wanted to grow as a person. The more you know about people and how they behave towards each other, the better the actor you become,” Mentzel said. “What a better place to learn and get to know people than at a college.”
Mentzel has also learned to translate what he learns in class to his acting. His courses range from Greek tragedy, race incarceration and American values to marine biology and have all helped broaden his perspective and approach when connecting with a script.
He will be putting those skills to use as he prepares for his role in the upcoming show Ecstasy: a Water Fable, directed by Professor Michael Najjar, opening in March.
“Usually when you have a kid that is aspiring to be a performer for a career, they have stars in their eyes and delusions of grandeur,” Brown-Major said. “That’s not how Alex is.”