麻豆村

30 days. A single month.

That鈥檚 all it took for 麻豆村 alumnus Carter Redwood to go from sitting in the audience watching his first play to a professional acting role with .

鈥淚 took to the stage like a fish to water,鈥� Carter says. 鈥淚 fully immersed myself in it, and ever since then, there鈥檚 been no turning back.鈥�

He was only age 10 when he played the role of Andre in 鈥淭he Water Runs Clear,鈥� and now nearly two decades into his career, he鈥檚 achieved a goal he set early on.

Carter is currently starring in a franchise series in a full-time, regular role 鈥� as FBI Special Agent Andre Raines on CBS鈥檚 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a cool, full-circle moment for me,鈥� says Carter, who graduated from the College of Fine Arts with a drama degree in 2014. 鈥淚t feels a little surreal to be in this position, but I do see this as the first big fish in what I hope to be a really long and fruitful career 鈥� not just a flash in the pan.鈥�

鈥淐arnegie Mellon prepared me for this, for a career. They help you build this toolbox with an arsenal of resources you can apply to any role whenever you need it.鈥�

Finding His Way

In addition to his weekly role as a federal agent who uses his accounting background to solve crimes, viewers can catch Carter in HBO鈥檚 鈥�.鈥�

He plays Kelvin, who falls in love with the future Mrs. Magic Johnson just before Magic Johnson is recruited into the NBA. Taking on the role required a different playbook and training with a basketball coordinator who has worked with NBA superstars like Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

鈥淲e had practice every day for two hours and that helped us to build camaraderie alongside our basketball skills,鈥� Carter says. 鈥淲orking on the on-court techniques also helped me shape and develop the character by finding him in a physical space first before diving into the mental space of the role.鈥�

The physicality and grind of the role wasn鈥檛 new to him though his 鈥済oal鈥� role on 鈥淔BI: International鈥� could test the limits of any actor with its 12- to 14-hour days on set, sometimes six days a week.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great work, if you can get it,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 an intense gig, and the flipside is that it鈥檚 not easy. It takes a certain amount of energy and focus to be able to show up every day and give my all. So, right now, I'm just focused on this role and this project, and I'm just exercising being fully present.鈥�

And no matter the role 鈥� from television appearances on 鈥淭he Long Road Home,鈥� 鈥淏lue Bloods,鈥� 鈥淭he Good Wife鈥� and 鈥淥range is the New Black鈥� to off-Broadway and regional theaters credits 鈥� he leans on a lifetime of experience honing his craft and his 鈥渁lways learning and always growing鈥� mentality.

Rehearsing for Success聽

Carter considered the theater his second home growing up, a venue to soak up information like how to run a lightboard or soundboard, change scenery and glean advice from seasoned veterans like his mentor .

He became the 鈥済o-to kid鈥� when anyone in the Pittsburgh arts scene needed someone under age 18 for a role and participated in nearly every youth arts competition, mastering everything from Shakespeare to August Wilson.

Carter soon set his sights on New York City, but his mom had another idea.

鈥淚 was a small kid with big dreams,鈥� Carter says. 鈥淏ut my mom was like 鈥榃ould you let a doctor operate on you that had no formal training? Why not go get formal training and the credentials? You might not need it, but why not have it.鈥欌��

So he signed up for 麻豆村鈥檚 Pre-College Program following his junior year of high school, next door to his home in Pittsburgh鈥檚 Hill District neighborhood.

Carter says that summer opened his eyes to the possibilities of a 麻豆村 education.

鈥淭hey were people from all over the world talking about how this was their top school,鈥� Carter says. 鈥淚 remember being taken aback because even though it was in my backyard, I never really considered 麻豆村 for drama. I only knew it for engineering and computer science.鈥�

Once on campus as a student, he absorbed every lesson regardless of how rigorous and relentless his schedule.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e always on the go and have almost no time,鈥� Carter says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just going from being physical in movement class to training your voice in vocal to acting class where you get more emotional and technical to stage combat to classical texts with Shakespeare and Greek.鈥�

鈥淚t is intense. I know for a fact that those long days then prepared me for the long days now.鈥�

Bringing Others Up

For Carter, part of those long days revolve around paying forward the time and energy others put into him.

鈥淚 wouldn't be where I am without the people who have mentored and inspired me and their knowledge and experiences,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to pass on as much as you can to the next generation. I look at it like a baton, and granted I'm still running my race, I'm nowhere done. But I do feel strongly that while on the way up, if you can bring other people up with you, why not?鈥�

So he does.

Returning to his high school to teach master classes, working with theater companies around New York City and helping young writers to bring their stories to life during events like .

And with each kid, he鈥檚 adding another chapter to the rich history of cultural heritage and arts icons in his Hill District neighborhood like August Wilson.

Wilson knew Carter鈥檚 grandfather and name-dropped him in the 10th play of his century cycle 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淭he character Sterling says: Mr. Redwood taught me that. He told me, 鈥榊ou ain't dumb, you're just faster than everybody else.鈥� I was so fast, it made me look slow. I was waiting for them to catch up.鈥�

鈥淚 don't think it's a mistake that things have aligned the way they have with me also being a performer, a storyteller, a creative and an artist like others who have come before me. Everything I鈥檓 doing now, just feels like it's a part of my legacy, my opportunity to continue the story.鈥�