OHS Grad Lands Role in Netflix Series

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ATLANTA, GA

Cuyle (pronounced Kyle) Carvin is a 1999 Oneonta High School graduate and 2003 Hartwick College graduate. It has taken him 20 years to land his best acting role to date. He will appear in all six episodes of a new Netflix series, “Zero Day,” which stars Robert DeNiro as an ex-president.

Carvin said, “I play the head of the secret service. I cannot give the plot away, but it is a ‘whodunit’ TV series full of conspiracy theories.”

“Zero Day” was shot in New York City.

“I was only working two to four days a week over the course of six months, so I was able to spend some time with family and friends that are still in Oneonta,” Carvin said.

Carvin appeared in “People” magazine, alongside DeNiro and Jesse Plemons, in the May 13, 2024 issue. He has also worked with some other industry megastars, including Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger.

Breaking into the entertainment industry was anything but easy. Carvin lived in New York City for six years after college and in Los Angeles for 10 years. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia now. Along the way, Carvin became an entrepreneur.

“I did not grow up wanting to be an actor,” Carvin recalled. “I was planning to get a degree in elementary education and become a teacher. Then Josh, a childhood friend of mine who moved away, called me up and said he was going to Hartwick College.”

It turns out that Carvin’s mother worked at Hartwick and her son could attend tuition-free, so he quickly applied and was accepted.

Carvin remembers renting videos growing up. Sunrise Video was located in the shopping plaza between “The Daily Star” and the Elks Lodge.

He said, “They had a rent four and get one free special. My mom always picked one video that was family-friendly, one action film, and my dad would get three horror films and we’d watch them together.”

Carvin considers himself a “Goth” at heart.

“I am obsessed with Halloween, horror films and anything macabre,” he explained. “Watching those horror movies with my dad is what got me interested.”

It has taken Carvin years to realize what he likes most about the movie business.

“I love writing, directing and producing. I like the creativity. I like the actual making of movies,” he said.

That’s why Carvin also operates a production company called Salem House Films, which has produced four feature films and more than 15 shorts—many of which are in the horror genre.

In high school, Carvin played many sports, including basketball and football. He played football at Hartwick College until it began to interfere with rehearsals for theatre.

He said, “I did some acting at Hartwick in theatre. It was fun and interesting. I designed my own film production degree called Individual Student Program.”

Carvin’s thesis was based on the movie “Braveheart.” He titled it “William Wallace: Man vs. Myths.”

Carvin was prompted to move to New York City by the opportunities for work in modeling and commercials. After auditioning for several parts, he decided he hated the process and started taking acting classes.

For six years, Carvin was an extra on set, which he calls background work. He did not have many speaking parts.

He said, “You work for exposure bucks. Sometimes, you work for free.”

“It took me six years to get an agent,” he added.

Carvin explained how essential it is to have an agent. His first big break was being cast in “Law and Order, Special Victims Unit.” He has also appeared in a film with Tom Cruise, called “American Made.” He acted opposite Renee Zellweger in a television mini-series, “The Thing About Pam.” Other acting credits include “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Cobra Kai” and “Love Bite.”

Carvin moved to Los Angeles in 2012. He and his girlfriend packed everything they could fit into one vehicle.

“We were really poor,” he said. “We found a 330-square-foot apartment. I worked in Burbank. To get to work, I bought a motorcycle.”

Five months after he bought the motorcycle, he said, “Someone ran the light and ran me over in the intersection. I could not walk for months. I was waiting tables at the time.”

It was 11 p.m., and he was on his way home from work.

He said, “Retrospectively, that accident changed the trajectory of my life in such a positive way that I say that the accident was ‘the best day of my life’ for what it led me to discover.”

He added, “I scoured the Internet for ways to make money online. Online reselling has changed my life! I am an avid treasure hunter in the spirit of “Storage Wars” and “Pawn Stars. It gave me financial stability.”

He calls himself “Thrift Boss.”

Carvin admits, “It is a stressful life being an actor. Online reselling gave me financial stability and freedom.”

For more information on what it takes to make it in the entertainment industry, ask www.CuyleCarvin.org.