Interview: Daren Kagasoff (Ricky, Secret Life of the American Teenager)

From police officers to waiters, the majority of people in Los Angeles have aspirations of becoming the next Tom Cruise or Angelina Jolie. In fact, most aspiring actors spend years just trying to land that one big role that could change their lives.

When Daren Kagasoff decided to leave his education behind at San Francisco State in order to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, he quickly struck gold when he landed the lead role in a community theater production of Suburbia. Following his theater run, Daren hit the jackpot once again when he was chosen over hundreds of actors by Brenda Hampton (7th Heaven creator) for another starring role in the ABC Family summer series The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

I had the opportunity to chat with Daren and found him to be incredibly sweet and funny. Keep an eye on this rising young star -- I think we're going to be seeing great things from him over the years!

Q: How long have you been acting?

Daren: "I've actually been in the game of acting for about a year and two or three months, which is when I began working on my craft. I moved back from San Francisco State about a year and a half ago and I jumped into this play. The play got terrible reviews, so I decided that since I moved away from college, I better learn my craft and take this seriously. I went on to take some acting classes and I did that for about eight months. The Secret Life of the American Teenager was literally my fifth or sixth audition and I booked it. I'm very thankful, I don't take anything for granted."

Q: I understand that you were a talented baseball player, were you a major league contender?

Daren: "I guess in high school, if I had taken it a little more seriously and didn't focus on my friends and the girls, yeah I could have [made the major league]. I never got to that level, but I know my dad would've definitely liked that a lot more than acting. I don't know if pro ball was my destiny, but I think acting definitely is and I'd rather be in this spot than baseball."

Q: If you weren't acting, what do you think you'd be doing now?

Daren: "I'd probably be at San Francisco State, wasting away my life. It's so stagnant over there and it was just not fulfilling my life. Acting is a way of expressing myself, I feel a lot more comfortable in my shoes because I'm doing what I love and I'm passionate and confident about it."

Q: What was the worst job you ever had?

Daren: "That's easy -- working for my dad! My dad is a hotel diamond dealer, so I'd go down there and answer the phones and run his errands, kind of like a little puppy. I didn't like it, I felt like I was back in San Francisco again, taking orders and not doing what I wanted to do. The best part about getting this job was telling my dad that he had to find someone to work Mondays and Fridays."

Q: What celebrity would you most like to meet?

Daren: "I was in my acting class one day coming down the elevator and Ashton Kutcher was standing right there! This guy has a presence about him, he's a star right when you look at him. I'd definitely like to meet him and I'd love to have the same career path."

Q: Tell us about The Secret Life of the American Teenager....

Daren: "The basis is about these six kids in high school, who all have these secrets and lies that we try to hide from our parents and friends. Throughout the episodes, all of these secrets are unveiled and we find out the true colors of these characters individually. It's great to see how it all unfolds. There's a drama aspect and a comedy aspect, it's just been a ball working on it. All of the actors in it are absolutely phenomenal. I think it's going to reach out to a big demographic."

Q: What is your role in the series?

Daren: "My character's name is Ricky and I'm the bad boy. Ricky gets into a lot of mischief. He's your typical 16-year-old guy who doesn't listen to anybody and thinks he knows it all. He comes from a very dark past with his real parents and now lives with his foster parents. I guess from his dark past, he does certain things to girls and with girls that usually at that age, you don't do. He kind of gets around with the girls and they all love him. The guys despise him, yet wish they could be him. There are a lot of layers to Ricky."

Q: Favorite TV show?

Daren: "Californication."

Q: Favorite comfort food?

Daren: "Pizza."

Q: Favorite sports team?

Daren: "The Lakers."

Q: What's on your iPod playlist?

Daren: "Electro music and some Jack Johnson."

Q: What's your ringtone?

Daren: "My ringtone is on vibrate - I like that vibrate, I don't like the loud ringtones, it freaks me out. Once it vibrates, I know something is happening."

Q: Most embarrassing moment?

Daren: "My freshman year in high school, I was playing ball and we were practicing before a game and this pop up came real high up in the air, in the sun and I lost it.... and it hit me right in the you know what. It's very rare for that to happen with a fly ball, usually it happens with a ground ball. Everyone there couldn't believe I'd do something like that, it was pretty funny."

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring actors?

Daren: "You've got to work at what you do. If you don't put in the work, you're not going to get the results. That was key to getting this role; I put in the work, spending hours and hours a day getting coaching. This guy [Ricky] lived inside of me for two months before I booked the role. It's really got to hit you in a spot inside that you can fully relate to. If you put the work in, you're going to get the results. It's a matter of time and luck and once they meet together, it'll be your time."