New York Film Academy (NYFA) Alum Tyler Williams can be seen in the new Netflix series, Medal of Honor, a docudrama anthology series based on real life servicemen who have earned the military’s highest award for valor. It’s perfect casting for the Robert Zemeckis-produced series, as Williams isn’t just a graduate of NYFA’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting for Film program, but a military veteran as well.
Shortly after 9/11, Williams joined the Marine Corps, where he was eventually assigned to a top secret joint task force. After four years, Williams received an Honorable Discharge and attended business school full time in New Mexico.
After trying out for a local production starring Val Kilmer and Gary Cole for a small part as a Marine, Williams was asked to be the military technical consultant for the film, as well as a stand-in for Val Kilmer. It was his first film role and first time on a movie set. He tells NYFA, “I remember looking for the director like, ‘Who’s the General around here?’ I had no idea who did what on the set.” By the end of the shoot, Williams had fallen in love with acting for film.
The background casting director of Medal of Honor, looking to use actual veterans, had contacted New York Film Academy, knowing the school has enrolled nearly 2000 veteran students and military dependents since 2009. This was how Williams found himself on the set of the Netflix series as a background actor.
After one of the featured actors, Paul Wesley, was injured on set by a ricochet special effect, Williams was called over to double for him. After impressing the crew with his expertise around military weapons, he was invited to sit with the “stunt table” at lunch. By the end of that day’s shoot, Williams had been asked to do more stunts the following day. One complicated stunt Williams performed for the crew involved being yanked back while in a “jerk vest” to simulate being thrown back by an RPG explosion. “It looked amazing on camera!” Williams tells NYFA.
Williams credits not just his stunt classes at NYFA but also the school’s instruction in camerawork with helping him tailor his stunts to the specific scenes and set-ups.
Other film credits for Williams include the films Gamer, The Spirit, and MacGruber. Currently, Williams is working as a stunt coordinator on an MFA Thesis film, as well as auditioning for roles on major television series. He is also developing content for his YouTube channel, and advises fellow NYFA students and alumni to make their own content to help break into the industry.
“NO EXCUSES!” Williams exclaims. “Make that short film, write your own feature films, produce your own IG videos, make a YouTube channel — just get out there and use the editing and filmmaking knowledge we learned in school.”
The New York Film Academy congratulates Acting for Film alum Tyler Williams on his latest role in Netflix’s Medal of Honor and looks forward to watching his career develop!