Meet Chris Atkins

I was born in Australia with one older sister growing up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I would say I had a pretty normal upbringing always hanging out with my group of friends during school years. Cant say I was the biggest fan of school so I never finished but in the back of my mind I had much bigger plans. My parents separated when I was 13 years old and by the time I turned 15 my Dad took me and my sister on a 3 week vacation to Los Angeles California. As soon as I landed I knew this is where I belong. So every other year for the next 10 years I would travel from Australia to Los Angeles and because of US visas I could only stay 3 months, until I turned 26 and it all changed when I signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment better known as the WWE. So I packed up my life in Australia and moved to Orlando Florida where WWE was based. Everyday we would go through brutal training sessions in and out of the ring in order to become a successful WWE superstar. I lived out many dreams wresting with WWE not only meeting my idols but working along side them. After 2 years with WWE the WWE and I parted ways. So It was only natural to move to the one place I knew I was destined to be. Los Angeles. Currently Ive been in LA for 3 years now and what a journey it’s been. Shortly after I arrived I got an acting agent and it all started to happen from there on. I still have a long way to go in my eyes in this never ending journey that is life.

For sure my journey hasn’t been smooth. Yes, some things I got very lucky with being in the right place at the right time which is always nice but not everything works out. The biggest struggle was to stay in America. I knew my visa was coming to an end so I believe I had 5 weeks to leave the country. Those 5 weeks flew by and before I knew it I had received a letter from immigration basically saying pack up belongings and leave our country. I still remember how I felt reading that. Here I am trying to live my ultimate dream in Los Angeles and I was being told to leave. What a struggle that was.
Another struggle was the first few weeks when I moved to Orlando Florida I remember my Dad and my Uncle paid for my airfare over there from Australia and I landed with literally $220 in my pocket. I couldn’t get paid from WWE until my social security came through and that took several weeks so there I was half way around the world living off ramen and tins of tuna really stretching out every dollar I had left, counting down the hours until my social security number came through. That feeling it came through and I got my first paycheck from WWE is a feeling I will never forget. Like winning the Lottery I would imagine.

My acting began in Australia after I had competed in a few bodybuilding competitions. I am 6’6 tall and competed when I was 19 years old weighing 225 pounds. I decided I was going to take acting seriously so I was told to trim down so I wouldn’t be typecast as the meat head in the background. I dropped down to 200 pounds and some doors opened up. I since put that size back on for wrestling and now I believe it is an asset. I had done many photoshoots as a model in Australia but I feel what sets me apart is being 6’6, 240 pounds and having an Australian accent I cant help but say I stand out when I’m in America because every other person asks me when I talk “where are you from”.
I am known for being in the WWE and I recently just finished a Netflix pilot titled “primitive” which is a futuristic based show so I look forward to doing many more action, drama and futuristic shows.

Success is defined by each individual depending on the goals you set for yourself. For me personally I always said it cost nothing to dream so if you’re going to dream you may as well dream big and that’s what I’ve always done. I like to determine my ultimate goal but then create many little daily goals along the way as markers. This is very motivating because if all I did was focus on the end goal it would become overwhelming because I am impatient and I would want it now knowing that that’s not realistic. I believe success is a state of mind because some of the most “successful” people are miserable and some people who don’t have what they could dream of a super grateful and happy everyday. So I truly believe being successful is a state of mind and that can all change by the thoughts and choices that we live by.

Thank you all so much