Visions - Cy-Fair Magazine

PEOPLE
Visions of
Cy Ranch graduate Dominyck McCargo makes his
big break with a leading role in a feature film
Written by Julia Davila | Photography courtesy of Dominyck McCargo
A monologue was all it took. Raw talent is hard to find
in this generation, especially in the acting industry. But
Dominyck McCargo has what it takes.
“The main reason I like acting is because I’ve always been
for the underdog. In every role, whether it’s a lead role, small
role, or extra, they’re the underdog because they don’t have a
voice until I give them one,” McCargo says.
The Makings of a Star
Twenty-year-old Dominyck McCargo was in a theater class
his sophomore year at Cy-Fair High School when he had to
perform a monologue - originally written for a girl - but he
crafted and tailored it as if it were for a guy. “[…] you could
hear the tears drop to the ground,” McCargo says. “That
feeling was like acting venom, a bug biting you and that
feeling, that sensation, it’s indescribable.” McCargo credits
that monologue he read for getting him hooked on acting.
“Acting became the new love of my life,” he recalls.
While he was also in his second year of high school,
McCargo began modeling at Neil Hamil Agency. His junior
year, he transferred to Cy Ranch, where he was the lead in
two short films - Rise Above, written by his fellow classmate,
Cameron Bishop of RnD Productions and Stand, which was
written and co-directed by McCargo himself, and filmed and
directed by Dallas Box.
Becoming an Actor
McCargo’s lead role in Walk by Faith premiered to a sold-out
show of family and friends in 2013. The independent film
was written and produced by Cypress resident Trina Brown
and was directed by Lamarcus Tinker, whom McCargo calls
his “industry mentor.”
McCargo didn’t have any formal classes under his belt,
but after performing the monologue, he realized he could
act. “Training came in a non-traditional way,” he says.
He competed in the International Modeling & Talent
Association (IMTA) competition in Los Angeles, took first
place in the monologue competition, and was awarded a
scholarship to spend summer training at the New York
Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, NY.
“Those three months turned me from a kid that could act
into an actor,” he says.
After graduating in 2013, McCargo and his mother traveled
to California to find representation. Upon returning to
Texas, he auditioned for several roles and felt as if nothing
was happening until he booked Caseworker, another lead
role for a film he wrapped up early 2015.
Finding Inspiration
One would never think that McCargo was only 20 years old
by the way he holds himself. “If there’s one thing I do pride
myself on, it is the desire to be well-rounded in anything
I do,” he says. McCargo identifies his mother, Sharmelle
Pittmon, as his inspiration for everything, noting that she
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Cy Ranch graduate
and actor Dominyck
McCargo is looking
forward to his latest
role in the Hunger
Games series which
premieres this fall
“It can all be
taken away;
the phone can
stop ringing
tomorrow. Just
be grateful for
the journey,
because it is
a journey.”
– Dominyck McCargo
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has been through many obstacles and she still manages to rise
above those challenges. “For the level I’m looking for, just not
giving up is not enough to inspire me. I need a tribulation that
I can relate to,” he says.
Acting as his “unofficial” coach and mentor, Pittmon says she
upholds very high standards for herself with regards to work
ethic, appearance, mastery, and achievement. “I think that
instilling these qualities into Dominyck makes him a better
man and contributes to his success as an actor.”
Grateful for the Journey
Although McCargo was working with an agency and had some
direction, he was still learning, so he continued to search for
roles on his own and came across projectcasting.com where
there was an advertisement for a supporting role in The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. McCargo fit the description
perfectly, submitted his headshots and resume, and within a
day, he received a call asking if he wanted to go to Atlanta for
a fitting.
Don’t forget to watch
for Dominyck on the
big screen as a rebel for
District 11 in The Hunger
Games: Mockingjay Part
2 this November!
McCargo discovered his love for
acting during his time at Cy-Fair
and Cy Ranch High School
McCargo was the lead in Walk by Faith
where he played a teenager living with the
painful effects of sickle cell anemia
“I’m just grateful; my mindset now is a lot of gratitude,” he
says. “It can all be taken away; the phone can stop ringing
tomorrow. Just be grateful for the journey, because it is a
journey.” CFM
JULIA DAVILA is a freelance writer who has tried her hand in
acting and singing, but realized at a young age that she should
leave it up to the “pros,” like Dominyck McCargo.
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