IN CONVERSATION WITH KYLR COFFMAN

interview by JANA LETONJA

Kylr Coffman is poised for a breakout year. The Oklahoma-born actor takes on his first leading feature film role in Nimrods, the highly anticipated Green Day-inspired coming-of-age comedy that follows three best friends chasing what they believe is the opportunity of a lifetime, opening for the legendary band on New Year’s Eve. Premiering to strong reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film has already generated buzz around Kylr’s standout performance. But acting is only one part of his story. Away from the screen, he is also the founder and creative director of OFA Studios, an Oklahoma-based acting studio and creative community dedicated to helping develop emerging talent. As Nimrods prepares for its theatrical release, Kylr finds himself balancing a major career breakthrough with a mission to create opportunities for the next generation of artists.

all photography by JARED KINLEY

Nimrods marks your first leading role in a feature film. What was your reaction when you found out you’d be carrying a project of this scale?

Honestly, I don’t think I understood the scale of it at first. Nimrods is my first major film and my first leading role, so I was learning what that even meant while we were making it. There was definitely a moment of, “Holy shit… they’re really trusting me to do this.”

But I’m protecting Fred and myself by practicing gratitude. This moment and this role are much bigger than just me. I’ve spent most of my life chasing this opportunity, and getting to finally have it with this movie, Green Day, and this group of people is insane. I’m just grateful they trusted me to bring Fred to life.

The film has already generated strong buzz following its Toronto premiere. What has it been like seeing audiences respond to it for the first time?

That night was sick. TIFF was my first time visiting a new country, my first time seeing myself in a leading role, and getting to share that with a crowd for the first time meant a lot.

I had never even heard of TIFF before, so my mind was blown at how big of a deal it was. There’s something really special about making a movie in this little bubble with your cast and crew, and then suddenly sitting in a theater full of strangers hearing them laugh and react to it.

With Nimrods being my first major film, I’m learning a lot every day about the industry. It rules.

At its heart, Nimrods is about friendship, music, and chasing seemingly impossible dreams. What drew you to the story?

It felt familiar. While most kids grew up with Marvel, Star Wars, etc., punk rock was my Marvel. Green Day, Operation Ivy, NOFX, those were my superheroes. Then as a teenager, I started playing in pop-punk garage bands with my friends. It was your band vs. the world. Make noise and speak your truth. So when I read a story about three best friends in a band chasing this completely insane dream together, I understood those dudes. It felt like getting to write a love letter to the music scene that gave me a home growing up.

Your character embarks on a wild cross-country adventure after believing his band has been invited to open for Green Day. What aspects of him did you connect with most?

The delusion. I understand Fred because I know what it’s like to believe in something when there’s almost no evidence telling you that you should.

Straight out of high school, I moved to LA. I was homeless for a while, and I did it consciously. All my money was going to rent and student loans, and I needed money to join SAG, take acting classes, get headshots, etc. So I chose to sacrifice rent and having a stable place to live to save money for the things I needed to make progress in my career. I was misunderstood, judged, and called crazy.

You’re only crazy and delusional until your dreams become a reality. And like our characters in Nimrods discover, making your dreams come true is going to take sacrifice, faith in others, and a bag of mushrooms.

Green Day’s music has inspired generations of fans. What was it like working on a project so closely connected to their legacy?

Don’t meet your heroes, unless those heroes are Green Day. Green Day genuinely changed my life. Punk bands were my Marvel superheroes growing up, so getting to make a movie with the people who helped inspire me to become an artist is hard to wrap my head around.

And hanging out with them is everything you’d want it to be and more. They’re the world’s biggest punk band and still the most down-to-earth dudes. They offered some words of wisdom that I’ll cherish forever. Mike Dirnt talked to me about staying true to yourself and told me, “Not every envelope needs to be opened.” I’ll never forget that.

Coming-of-age films often resonate because they capture universal experiences. What do you think Nimrods says about growing up and believing in yourself?

I think growing up is realizing nobody really has it figured out. At some point you have to decide what you believe in and go after it, even if other people don’t understand it yet.There’s such a fine line between faith and delusion. Sometimes the only difference is whether or not you keep going long enough to find out.

I think Nimrods celebrates being dumb enough to dream big, loving your friends enough to believe in their dreams too, and being willing to look a little crazy along the way.

You grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. How has that background influenced who you are both as an actor and as a person?

Becoming an actor in small-town Oklahoma felt impossibly impossible. I had never met a professional actor until I moved to LA after high school.

Luckily, I come from a hardworking single mom. Growing up with the mom I have and listening to punk music gave me the spine to say, “F**k the odds, I’m going to chase my dreams.”

Now the Oklahoma film industry is exploding. We actually shot most of Nimrods in Oklahoma. It was surreal shooting my first big movie in the place where it once felt impossibly impossible to be an actor. Oklahoma is a huge part of who I am. I don’t ever want success to remove me from that.

Your journey to this moment hasn’t followed the traditional Hollywood path. What lessons have you learned from building your career outside the industry’s usual circles?

Stop waiting for permission. I think I spent a lot of my early career thinking somebody was eventually going to discover me, give me permission, or tell me I belonged. Nobody is coming to save you. And I don’t mean that negatively. I think that realization is incredibly freeing.

Make your own stuff. Build community. Help other artists. Get better at your craft. Fail. Try again. Be willing to look stupid. Punk rock taught me DIY storytelling before I even knew what that meant. If nobody is giving you a stage, make one.

Beyond acting, you’ve built OFA Studios to support emerging talent. What inspired you to create that space?

I had never met a professional actor until I moved to Los Angeles after high school. I had to move a thousand miles away from home to learn things that I now realize we can teach right here in Oklahoma. That’s a huge reason OFA exists.

I wanted to build the thing I wish I had when I was younger. A place where actors can walk in, get on camera, make mistakes, meet other artists, learn how a real set works, and feel like they have a community around them. If someone eventually needs to move to LA, Atlanta, New York, wherever, that’s great. But you shouldn’t have to move a thousand miles away just to learn that your dream is possible.

What have you learned from mentoring younger actors that has also helped you in your own work?

Teaching constantly reminds me to stop overcomplicating acting. Especially with kids. They don’t give a damn about your résumé or how clever your acting theory is. They just play. They listen. They react. They’re present.

Then we become adults and somehow convince ourselves acting needs to be this incredibly complicated thing. Having to explain acting to someone else forces me to simplify my own process. I think teaching has made me a better actor, and continuing to work professionally makes me a better teacher. They feed each other.

Oklahoma’s film industry continues to grow. Why is it important to you to help create opportunities in the Midwest?

Because I’m proof of how impossible it can feel when you grow up here. As a kid in Oklahoma, Hollywood might as well have been another planet.

Now I’m starring in a movie with Green Day that we shot largely in Oklahoma. That’s insane to me. There are incredibly talented actors, filmmakers, writers, crew members, and kids here who shouldn’t have to believe that success only exists somewhere else.

I had to move a thousand miles away to learn a lot of what I know. Getting to bring some of that knowledge and access back home means more to me than I can really put into words. I want the next kid from Oklahoma to look at this industry and think, “Why not me?”

Balancing acting, teaching, and entrepreneurship isn’t easy. How do you manage wearing so many different hats?

I don’t know if balance is the word I’d use. I’m still figuring that out. But I think it works because none of these things feel completely separate to me. Acting makes me a better teacher. Teaching makes me a better actor. Running OFA has forced me to become a better leader, and being responsible for other artists constantly reminds me that this whole thing is bigger than me.

Sometimes it’s exhausting. Sometimes I definitely take on too much. But I really love what I do. I get to make movies, tell stories, teach actors, and help build something in Oklahoma that I wish existed when I was a kid. That’s a pretty sick problem to have.

What kinds of stories or roles are you hoping to explore next?

I just want to play real people. Messy people. Funny people. Working-class people. Characters who fuck up and love people and are trying their best. I love comedy, but I especially love comedy that has heart underneath it. I don’t want someone to just laugh at a character. I want them to recognize themselves in them.

And as a Comanche actor, I’d love to continue exploring stories that allow me to bring that part of myself into my work too. But really, I want to keep chasing characters that scare me a little bit. Nimrods gave me an opportunity I dreamed about my entire life. Now I want to see how far I can take it.