Rising star Andrew Liner, who stars in the upcoming new series Ransom Canyon on Netflix, has steadily carved out a place for himself in Hollywood by blending hard work, resilience, and a desire to create. Known for his roles on Grown-ish and Vampire Academy, Liner joined the Actors With Issues podcast to talk about his early days, booking breakthrough roles, and why he’s now writing and producing his own projects.
“I was kind of a shyer kid,” the actor shared. “I always played sports. I wasn’t a child actor or anything like that. Performing arts was a mandatory class in middle and elementary school, so that was kind of my shoe-in.” His initial foray into acting came in an unexpected way. “Classic like chasing a girl into a musical,” he laughed. “Then I kind of caught the bug for it.”
Liner recalled playing his grandfather in a school production that he helped create. “Before he got to see it, he passed away,” he said. “There were a lot of weird little things like that kind of pushed me in the direction of what I’m doing now.” Though shy at first, Liner found his confidence over time. “Once you get to know me, I have a lot of energy. It’s just about comfortability,” he said. “Once I’m comfortable, I’m too much.”
He described himself as an “introverted extrovert,” a trait he shares with many actors. “Earlier in my career, I was still finding myself—like who Andrew is at his core,” he said. “Through those experiences, I started to find myself more and more.”
From ‘Grown-ish’ to ‘Vampire Academy’: Letting Go of Pressure
Andrew Liner’s first major break came just months after signing with a manager. “He saw me in *Mamma Mia* at my high school and thought I had good stage presence,” Liner explained. “Three months later, I booked Grown-ish.” Despite the quick success, he faced a long stretch before landing another big role. “I auditioned for 181 different projects after *Grown-ish* before booking Vampire Academy,” he revealed.
Rather than being consumed by imposter syndrome, Liner focused on growth. “I was comparing myself to people like Timothée Chalamet, thinking I better hustle up,” he said. “But it became more about relaxing into the patience of it all… I put all this pressure on myself to succeed and to win, and once I released myself of that, I started finding success.”
He added, “It was like, go be a kid. I was 21. I liked what I did, I worked hard, and it just is what it is.”
Auditioning While Mixed: Navigating Industry Labels
As a mixed-race actor, Liner often finds himself caught in casting limbo. “I go out for Latino people, Black people, white people—but I’m either not Black enough, not white enough, not Latino enough,” he said. “When the mixed roles come along, you’re like, yes—finally!”
One particularly heartbreaking missed opportunity was the Colin Kaepernick Netflix series. “I got pretty close,” he said. “I played football in high school, and Kaepernick was one of my favorite quarterbacks. I met Ava DuVernay over Zoom, but my connection kept cutting out. It was awful.”
Despite the setback, Liner kept things in perspective. “It just wasn’t meant to be,” he said. “There are a million stories like that.”
Creating His Own Work and Embracing Multi-Hyphenate Status
Like many actors navigating a changing industry, Andrew Liner has taken creative control into his own hands. “Now, I don’t only want to be an actor,” he said. “I want to direct, I want to produce, I want to write. I’m writing a show and two films right now.”
He credits the self-taping process with opening new doors. “It got to the point where if I was doing in-person auditions every week, I might not have tapped into writing and creating,” he said. “But now, I can work with other actors, learn from my tapes, and it’s been a blessing.”
For Liner, the key is controlling what you can. “Control the controllables,” he advised. “If you can do it, do it. If you can’t, don’t worry about it.”
Booking ‘Ransom Canyon’ and Building Bonds On Set
Liner’s latest role in Ransom Canyon came after a rollercoaster of callbacks and tweaks. “I taped, then found out I didn’t get it,” he explained. “Then I got a callback on Zoom—a three-page monologue and a chemistry read. After that, they told me I was the creative choice.”
But it wasn’t a done deal just yet. “Netflix thought I looked too big or too old, so I had to put myself on tape again—looking younger,” he laughed. “Then a month later, I was off to New Mexico.”
One of the highlights of filming has been the camaraderie with co-star Niko Guardado. “We play best friends in the show and hit it off right away,” Liner shared. “We’re even writing a film together now.” He added, “It’s rare you get to work with people who are actually friends and good people. That was awesome.”
On Acting, Growth, and Being a Storyteller
Andrew Liner sees life experience as vital for authenticity. “You can tell when an actor is performing, and when they’re talking and listening like a human being,” he said. “That comes with lived experience.”
He also emphasized that acting is about empathy and exploration. “I once chose not to audition for the lead in a play because I didn’t think I aligned with the character,” he said. “And my dad told me, ‘Isn’t acting about being someone different?’ That changed my perspective.”
Even when audition breakdowns seem like a mismatch, he’s learned to embrace the challenge. “I’ve had auditions where I thought, ‘Why did I get this?’ But sometimes those are the most fun to play.” Now, he’s more inspired than ever to develop his own stories. “Let me go make it myself,” he said. “That’s what I’m doing.”
You can watch our full interview with Andrew Liner above or tune in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.
