Brennan Clost's Dream Role

Ask any actor and you know they will tell you it took a while for them to land their dream role. This was not the case for the talented Brennan Clost. This young actor whose career started in dance was able to quickly make his acting debut on the freshly released Netflix show “Tiny Pretty Things”. This American drama series is based on the novel by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton. Brennan plays Shane McRae, an openly gay dancer. We caught up with Brennan just days after the release of this show.

BALENCIAGA full fit

How did it all start?

So my parents really wanted my brother and I to find something that we were passionate about and so they put us into anything and everything when we were young kids. I don't really know what it was, I didn't know anybody that danced and I really hadn't seen any TV from what I can remember that had dance in it, but I just knew that I wanted to start ballet. And so I begged and begged my parents. I have such a distinct memory of standing, holding onto the counter at my mom's hip height and she was on the phone with my dad saying like, "He won't stop begging, can we please put him in ballet?" And my dad was like, "Sure, if he really wants to, of course." And so I actually started midway through the season in January, and I just did recreational ballet for I think it was maybe even like five months, six months? And then the dance studio asked me to join their competitive team for the following fall, in the autumn and so then I started right away competitive dance at the age of seven.

BALENCIAGA shirt

For men, going into the world of dance can be challenging with all the negative stereotypes and bullying that unfortunately happens in society. Who has been the most supportive of your journey?

My family, my brother, my grandparents, my parents, my cousins, but especially my parents have been my biggest supporters and cheerleaders and support system growing up as a dancer. I mean, another story, in grade nine, I was getting bullied really badly at high school and I didn't know this at the time, but my dad, he went to my studio owner and forcefully suggested that I use this song, Don't Give Up by Josh Groban for my solo song that year and I was going to Germany to compete at this huge dance competition. The choreographer, he gave me this new solo to this song and I went over to Germany and competed it and I ended up winning a silver medal for Canada with this solo song that really became my anthem.

At the time I really needed that song to believe in myself and the message of the song never give up, you are loved and I didn't find out until a year later that it was actually, my dad who had picked that solo song for me. I had no idea at the time.

TOM FORD full fit

You auditioned for both Oren and Shane, I cannot see you as anyone else but Shane. How do you feel now that the show is out and you’re seen as Shane in the show?

So I submitted for both characters and the same as what you said, I can't imagine playing any other character besides Shane. It just, I think, connected with me on such a level of representing kind of my own backstory and Shane's back story. But in a lot of ways, Shane is sort of this version of myself that I wish I was more like back in high school. I wish I was more courageous to be myself, to be true to myself, to care less about what other people think, to... Yeah Shane's bravery is something that I wish I had more of when I was younger and so I think I really got to live vicariously through this character. I felt like I lived a completely different life for those six months and there was even something about bleaching my hair for the role. It just unlocked something inside of me that now I can't imagine not playing Shane on the show.

BALENCIAGA full fit

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN vest, OFFICINE GENERALE trousers, ACNE STUDIOS sneakers

Are you a fighter? Have you gotten into fights? That fight scene was intense.

No, I've never punched anyone in real life. I am not a fighter. Definitely, if it's fight or flight, I'm flying, I run out of there, but Shane is not like me. So in what I said before, I wish I was pretty brave. I wish I had stood up for myself more back in high school. That was my dad's advice, all the time when I was getting bullied, he was like, "Just punch them once. If you punch them once, they're not going to mess with you again," and I just never, I never could bring myself to do it, but so I worked a lot and I really leaned on our spend coordinator in those fight rehearsals, learning that choreography to make it convincing. I also, in that fight scene in the alley, I have to throw that first punch with my left hand and I'm right-handed so that too was really challenging and depending on where the camera was, it's taking things from certain angles.

Shane, he's daring and he's also daring with his fashion. I want to ask how daring are you with your fashion? How much does it align with your personal style? I know he has some crazy ensembles here and there.

It was such a treat to play this character because I really got to dress up all the time on set and our wardrobe department was so collaborative with me and they had a lot of really artistic and insightful ideas into his wardrobe because it was so defining for his character. I wish I had a better sense of style. I love fashion, but I'm not quite as adventurous as Shane I would say.

SYSTEM trench, ISSEY MIYAKE shirt, BALENCIAGA trousers & slides

Favorite line or piece of dialogue?

Yeah. I think, sort of like this one. This phrase became such a catch phrase on set and I actually ended up making a wrap gift. I got custom t-shirts made with this line printed on the shirt and it's from episode one when Shane drops Bette and he says, "Lordy fuck," and lordy fuck has just become the catchphrase on our show. You can use it in so many different contexts and it's a line that I remember first reaidng to our showrunner and it's like, "Do people say that?" Sydney was like, "No, I made it up," and I really worked on it to make it feel real when it came out of my mouth, that Shane really would in the way that all of us would slam our foot on the edge of the couch, we'd just yell out, "Lordy fuck." For it to feel real and not like this funny TV line. It's hard to do and so it's really... That line, I love. It will forever be one of my favorites from the show.

What would you like for your next role to be?

I always have wanted to play a superhero and I think my dance background would help a lot with a role like that because they are often so physical and so have a lot of stunt work and you have to be an athlete to play a superhero on camera. I would love to join the DC or the Marvel universe and either a new character or a new iteration or a remake. I don't really have a particular character though, but yeah a superhero. I've always thought like, "Oh, that'd be a really fun role to do in the future," and wouldn't necessarily be dance related, but I could use my dance background in that sort of a role.

A young actor who was quickly catapulted into his dream role can truly enjoy the rest of his career. He can check off that of the list and have a pleasant experience here on out. We are excited to see how well Tiny Pretty Things continues to do and hopefully, a 2nd season comes in the near future. Keep up with Brennan and follow him on his socials.

Photography by Karolina Kuras

Fashion by Shea Hurley

Fashion Assistant Jonah Solomon

Grooming by Aniya Nandy