Getting Away with Kendrick Sampson

Fans of the narrative-shifting legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder on ABC are getting to know Kendrick Sampson this season as accused murderer Caleb Hapstall, but his face may seem even more familiar.

After a series of guest roles, he first broke out recurring in 2013 as Jesse on Vampire Diaries—and then won notice a year later as boyfriend and murder suspect Dean Iverson on Gracepoint, the Fox miniseries version of Britain’s Broadchurch with David Tennant starring in both series.

Amid the hubbub of career building and testing creative waters, it’s an arc that seems calmly on track for a guy who’s embraced a love of the arts his mother instilled growing up in Houston—but one being forged on his own terms and goals.



Sharing some of his rare free time these days from the much-lauded HTGAWM, Sampson opened up about his time with Viola Davis & Co., his burgeoning career and causes, finding time for his faith and the simple things—and those rock-solid model shoots he did to get out of his comfort zone.




Murder is such a popular and critical hit, Kendrick, with a huge debut season last year.  How did your journey to winning and inhabiting Caleb start, and what’s it been like coming into that crew’s second season and such a quality vibe?



Actually, I was auditioning for a few ABC shows—I was on my fourth at that point—and I was testing, in meetings with the creators, and I really thought I was gonna land at least one of them.

And with this particular role I didn’t think I’d be able to make it to the audition—I had 20-something minutes to get there, and [casting co-director] Linda Lowey told my reps, “If he can get there, he can; if he can’t, he can’t” —because that was the only day. They had to cast it very, very quickly.

And … I made it just in time. It was a great audition. But I forgot about it; I had other projects brewing.

And then they failed, one by one. So, I figured, I didn’t book anything—I’m gonna close all my shutters and pretend life outside my house doesn’t exist! (He laughs) But then I got a call for this role, and I had to start the next day.

For everyone who’s a HTGAWM fan, what’s that set like—that crew and cast? Working with everyone from Viola Davis on down must be powerful.

Well, on that very first day for me, Viola is in the trailer and she’s saying, “You’re playing Caleb? What’s your name?” I told her and she was like, “Come, talk to me!” She was so warm and kind, and included me in everyone’s conversation, and it was great. My first scene was with her, so she made it very comfortable.


And I already knew Matt McGorry for a couple years, and Aja [Naomi King], and I met Jack [Falahee] through Asia—so when I got into the trailer, they were like “Hi….Hey….HEY !”

Everybody’s very smart—and I get to learn from them all. We have great conversations; we laugh all the time. It’s a beautiful experience.



What about Caleb brings you to work—how’s the process of knowing and growing the character been?



I like Caleb’s strength—that’s something I look for in every character, and this one is one of the roles that I haven’t had to pull it out of nowhere. There’s a lot of roles written as very victimized, but this one, not so much—even though he literally is, for what we know now! But it’s not ever written as him playing that way.

I think that even when it is, the directors and writers work with me on empowering it, so ... yeah, I love that about him. 

I told one of the writers, Joe Fazzio—who wrote this monolog where I had to tell Annalise “How dare you!,” that I don’t think I’ve ever had to say, “How dare you!” in real life before. And “Thank you!”

Caleb has such a range—weak moments, intimate moments, sexy moments, and powerful moments— and I get to play the depths of a character in a way that I have not had much chance to before. And with some amazing actors.



And diverse, too: I thought it was interesting that your on-screen adoptive sister was Asian; it was another interesting puzzle piece of casting that Shonda Rhimes has brought to her show.

Oh yes—that’s a huge, huge deal in my life, and one thing that always has been. So it plays right in to my life experience. 



Well, Caleb—like everything else on Murder— has had his share of twists and turns. I’m guessing your writers keep you in the dark about what’s coming, yes? So have you had a jaw-dropping moment—just between you and your script on first read?


I never know what’s coming down the pike! They like to keep us on our toes, they’re very secretive—and a lot of the time they don’t know, necessarily. Things are constantly changing, it’s a very fluid show—and I have absolutely no idea.



But yes, I’ve had a few jaw-dropping moments.  Reading Episode 8—most people will remember that as the one where everyone was having sex, it was a like a sex montage! Tanya Saracho wrote that episode, and I had to come up to her and say, “What the hell?”

I mean, when I read it, I was at home by myself, thank god—because I jumped up and was like, “NO WAY! NO WAY!” …out loud, yelling. I’m sure my neighbors heard me, up stomping around.

I couldn’t believe what happened in that episode. It was a good episode!


These complex and recurring roles have been increasingly coming your way, but what about that original bridge from home to Hollywood? You were born into such a creative world, yes?



Yes, in Houston, my creative world was my mom, a pianist, and she always had my brother and I in music and arts. She worked in the corporate world, but pretty much everyone in my family had some sort of artistic talent that they didn’t necessarily pursue as a career.

She had us in musicals and things until I went to a private school where they had a Christmas play they put on every year. That was the first time I discovered you could have a play without music!

And I always liked imitating people: I got to play like I had an Australian accent, and people would come up to me afterward and tell me they didn’t know I was Australian. 


But the catalyst was a GAP commercial: kids floating up into the frame and they had to “Fall Into The GAP!” (he sings, and laughs) And I was like, “Ohhh. I could do that.” And that led me to ask my mom to get me into acting, so she gave me a newspaper with the classified ads and said, “Find an agent!” And I did. That was in sixth grade, and I’ve been training ever since.

That’s a long journey already for your young career—would you say there’s a theme to what’s been driving you? Especially as your options grow, along with the choices you can make with your career?



You know, I believe that we were put on this Earth to help people, and I do want to use my career to do that. I do my best to make sure that I am accepting roles that I believe in, and are not detrimental to the image of young men in general, and especially young men of color. And if they are some sort of negative stereotype, that there is a strong justification for it.

I’ve been that way since the days I had no credits: I think my first audition in Houston was for an independent film and it was very raunchy, and I could find no reason for it. I was in the 8th or 9th grade, and I said, “I cannot audition for this.” And my mom’s like, “Really?” And I said, “Yeah—read it!” And she’s realizing… “Oh, no. NO!” (He laughs at the memory)

My agents understand that too: my M.O. is that if I have that kind of problem with a role, I won’t do it—I won’t even audition for it, ’cause I don’t want to waste people’s time. So, I look for roles that can advance my career, as well as advance people’s minds, and things that I believe in.

I have to ask you about some of your modeling layouts—was that a directed career choice for its own sake, or a spinoff of acting? Because you do look good!



Thank you! No, a few years ago, right before Vampire Diaries, I decided to get more comfortable in front of the camera, and so some photographers I knew offered to do some test shoots, and for their own portfolios, and I was “All right, fine, I’ll do it”—even though at that point I was very, very uncomfortable, in front of a still camera.

When I don’t have to pay attention to the camera, in acting, and pretend it’s not there, that’s easy; when you have to like pose—it just makes me very uncomfortable. So I just decided that I was probably within my goals to make that a large part of my career, and I just decided to get more comfortable with it.

What about some other goals? As you said, we’re all put here on this world for a reason. You’ve produced a couple of shorts, you had a couple scripts out, you’ve set up a production company: What’s driving you as you look ahead?



I’ve been writing for years now, but not necessarily to sell; I want to produce my scripts, so I’ve been doing my best, when I have time, to refine those scripts so they’re at a point where I can either collaborate with a writer to polish them, or pair with another production company or financing, and get it done.

So I’ve been preparing for that, and started a production company to be ready when an opportunity presents itself. Right now, I’m completely wrapped up in shooting, and I haven’t had as much time—but whenever I get free time, I hammer away at it.



In the past couple of years I’ve thought about directing—but mostly producing. My mom brought me up in a business world—Excel, and typing when I was in the second or third grade, getting budgets together— so I have that background. 

But I have been shadowing some of the directors, whenever I’m on set—that’s all I do when I’m not working, I ask questions and sit back and watch and learn. 


And outside the industry?

I do have some philanthropy efforts I’d like to push—social causes, activism and such. I’ve been sitting down with people, and being strategic—not to spread myself too thin, but to make sure I believe in whatever cause I’m supporting. 

I’ve been working with the #BlackLivesMatter movement —to see change with law enforcement and corruption, and to stop bashing or associating the Muslim religion and Islamic culture with terrorism—as well as getting involved with children’s’ organizations. The Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, for one. 



I have many nephews and nieces, and some of them have trouble learning. I don’t like the way school systems don’t cater to specific needs for children, and kinda group them all into one way of learning, a one-size-fits–all that tends to handicap learning, and sometimes hurts more than it helps.

And there are programs like Saving Innocents, a nonprofit that deals with sex trafficking, to work with.

 Whenever I hear about kids in pain, I get a tinge.



Doesn’t sound like you get much free time.

I don’t have much: Most of my free time is in restaurants, because I can always justify a meal. (he laughs) And I do spend a lot of time working out, on my fitness.

I do like to go every Sunday to church, and if I can I go to Bible study—and Sundays are my movie day. 

And every once in a while I go to a game night—Julie Plec, the creator of Vampire Diaries, had a game night at her house and got me started. Any time I hear from that group, I’m like “It’s time. Gotta have some fun.”