Daniel Hayes not only knows what struggling as an actor is like -- he actually plays a character like that in "Going Down in La La Land.a In the film, Hayes plays the best friend of an actor seduced by the lures of Hollywood. Hayesais character Lucas, though, remains level-headed. a a Mississauga, ON resident Hayes, 25, says playing this role really connected with the struggles he and peer fellow actors go through. "A lot of people think this happens overnight but it's really a lot of hard work and perseverance. I have an athletic background where I was taught to never give up" - something Hayes says can serve you well in the world of acting, or any endeavor. a In his senior year of high school, he was recruited to play basketball for several NCAA Division 1 and 2 schools. However, Hayes decided to stay in Canada where he and his childhood best friend were awarded athletic scholarships to Thompson Rivers University. Hayes switched his major in Kinesiology to Theatre after taking a drama class "by accident" and being bitten by the acting bug. a Of Trinidadian and Venezuelan ancestry, Hayes enjoys combining skills. He wrote, produced and acted as the lead role in Modern Day Gladiator, a movie depicting the life of a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. He also completed the Toronto 48-Hour Film Challenge, writing, producing and shooting a short film in just 48 hours. He played its lead, and was nominated for the Best Actor Award. a a Toronto native Hayes, a print model since age 17, and acting in commercials for And1 and Nike since 21, also has played movie roles like a Marine in the film aBoot Campa and a criminal suspect in the short film aThe Police Storya . He has completed studies at The Second City, Toronto. a In his free time Hayes enjoys the challenge of many sports -- soccer, basketball, football, boxing, swimming, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts.a
