Taking chances

Even Though He’s Landed On The No 1 Soap, Y&R’s Conner Floyd Won’t Stop Hustling

- Devin Owens

Growing up in Texas, Conner Floyd’s interest in showbiz was sparked by his love affair with movies. “I was a big Harry Potter fan, and I watched all of the Marvel and Jurassic Park films,” shares the actor. “I just loved getting lost in all of these different worlds where my imagination would run wild. When I was in fifth grade, my mom showed me JACKASS, and I tell you, I went crazy for that show. I thought those dudes were the funniest bunch.”

So much so that Floyd and his friends began emulating the reality TV and film franchise by staging nonsensical and dangerous pranks just for amusement. “We used a camcorder to shoot our own stunts, like playing hot potato with a cactus, or putting me in a garbage can and leaving me on someone’s doorstep, and when someone answered the door, I would pop out and scare them,” he chuckles. “Then that evolved into us writing and filming our own scenes and even our own commercials. I got an iMac and an iPhone so I could edit all of this footage, put some music behind them and post them on YouTube. I really enjoyed the whole filmmaking process.”

Soon, Floyd segued into performing. “In middle school, you had to take an arts class, so I started appearing in plays and I loved it,” he enthuses. “However, I would always audition for the role that only had two lines because I would try to make them the greatest two lines that anyone had ever heard. I’d think, ‘Okay, I’m going to get a laugh with these lines,’ even though they weren’t supposed to be funny. I’m sure my teacher absolutely hated me for trying to steal the spotlight.”