With plans of becoming a professional actor, senior Dakota Payne is forgoing a four-year university to pursue his dreams.

“Acting is the ultimate freedom’ you can step outside of your own reality and into another,” Payne said. “When I saw Robert Downey Jr. playing a billionaire superhero in Iron Man it made me realize that actors are just acting and are actually just regular guys. That’s what I thought was so cool about acting, and I never really got it before then.”

Payne participates in Improv and writes sketches when he’s not participating in film projects and advertisements, including a national ad campaign for Build-A-Bear Workshop and web show Intrepid Academy. His most recent project is playing Steven Sullivan in the short narrative film Under the Grove, a drama focusing on a boy’s escape from a disturbed town in fictional Grove County, MO.

“They contacted my agency that recommended me and I had an interview with the director pretty quickly,” Payne said. “I expected it to just be something to put on my demo but it was a lot more than that. The cast mixed together perfectly and the environment director Nathan Townsend created was really friendly. I’ve made a lot of contacts from St. Louis and Los Angeles that will last me a long time.”

Instead of leaving in August for a traditional college, Payne is enrolling in St. Louis Community College’s online program in order to be free to pursue acting opportunities where they arise.

“A lot of people that go to school for theater are trying to put down something that gets them represented. I’m already represented by really good people who lookout for me and want me to be successful. I want to pursue acting in a more creative way with the contacts I meet naturally,” Payne said.

Payne plans on majoring in accounting.

“Accounting gives me a reliable fallback, because when you’re an actor either you’re working or you’re not. Education is important to be successful, and having a background that can get me a job when I’m between projects is essential to support myself,” Payne said.

The prospects for Payne are promising. He flew to Dallas after receiving a call back from some of the top agents and directors in the industry, including the minds behind the casting of shows like Hannah Montana and American Dad. Payne plans on continuing to work with elite casting directors as soon as possible.