Introducing Drew Tanner

To know Drew Ray Tanner is to love him. I was in the studio positioned behind a set of thick, dark curtains that slice the room in half when he walked in. I could not see him, yet somehow I could sense his energy as soon as he entered the room. With his lively personality, he doesn’t hesitate to make friends and he quickly won over everyone on set. What stood out the most about Drew is that in the midst of his booming voice telling stories or sharing his day on social media, he was swift to learn everyone’s name and include them while he spoke. His energy doesn’t overshadow his awareness of those around him.





From 2011 to present, Drew has played characters in a considerable amount of movies and television series. Like many, his love of acting was born as a child and his investment in the arts played a big role in his life growing up.





One of his most recent roles is in the hit drama-mystery television series, Riverdale, where he plays Fangs Fogarty. In our interview Drew shared with me what is was like for him to get into acting, the lessons he has learned along the way and insider information about playing Fangs.

Growin’ Up Country

Born in Victoria and raised in Aldergrove, British Columbia, Drew is well versed in the life of a small town boy. Though he has been working in and around the city of Vancouver for some years now, he still describes himself as somewhat of a country kid. “I’m a bit of an “inner city country bumpkin” because the small town of Aldergrove is placed between two larger cities. It’s on the outskirts of town and it has lots of farmland and open spaces.”

Drew recalls his time growing up fondly. It’s the memories of time spent with his family that brings forth his love of the place he calls home. “I enjoy both aspects of the country and the city, but I think I’ll always be a country kid at heart. When I lived at home we would go and cut firewood every other saturday, my brother went fishing a lot and we always listened to country music on the radio. I think it surprises people when they meet me and learn that I can sing probably every lyric to every country song from the late 90’s to the early 2000’s.”



Though a country kid at heart, as he grew into young-adulthood Drew found himself taking on a different way of living. One that lead him into a more rebellious teenage lifestyle. “It’s funny because even though I grew up very “country”, I adopted an inner city mentality as a teenager. You know, living in a small town, getting up to no good and sort of rebelling from that societal blueprint.”



Drew describes his city as the red-headed step child of the surrounding cities. During the time of his adolescent years there was no mall, no movie theatre and no rec centre, making it easy for teenagers to adopt a lifestyle that may get them into trouble. “Growing into a young adult in a place like that really took me away from the country persona, but it eventually ended up festering into something really nice. It always surprises people when I talk about my teen years and the trouble I would get into.”

His hometown will always hold a special place in his heart, but as time went on and his acting career moved forward, he made the move into the city of Vancouver. “The city is very loud and runs at a faster pace. I’m not used to it yet. I moved out for a bit when I was eighteen and I bounced around the Lower Mainland for a while, but… the country called me back,” he tells me, laughing. “I have finally made my way to Downtown Vancouver and I’m adjusting to the city life now.”