Get to know Daniel Augustin and his experience working alongside Hilary Duff for ‘How I Met Your Father.’ Plus, how he’s gearing up for ‘Rap Sh!t’ Season 2, which is set to premiere next month!

Daniel Augustin is no stranger to being in the spotlight. The talented actor, director, producer, and musician is sitting down with HOLR to talk about some of his most notable projects to date, including his role on ‘How I Met Your Father’ where he starred alongside Hilary Duff, as well as his breakout role in the series ‘Rap Sh!t.’ Daniel is also sharing how he got his start in the industry and some exciting projects he’s working on this year.

Check out our full conversation with Daniel, below!

Tell us about how you got your start in the industry as an actor, director, producer, and musician. 

It started very early at church when I was about 10 years old. It was a birthday and my dad was telling me to perform a song at the church so I could give God glory for being alive and being able to do the things that I love. He said that because I was always rapping songs at the time, from rap groups such as The Cross Movement. Anyways, I ended up rapping this song at church called “I Am That I Am” by The Cross Movement. The Haitians there didn’t do rap like that but they thought it was very charismatic and creative so they started pushing me to do more and more. This led to me working with the Pastor’s kids, who were the musicians at the church. Ultimately, if I fast-forward this story, the music I was making at the time helped contribute to what I know and do now. We were essentially mining the craft of storytelling and music.

When I was 20-something, these guys were doing this show and they found some of my music, so they used one of my songs in particular that helped tell their story. The show was called “Close Friends” which was a web series that was popular at the time during 2012/2013. The creator of the show asked me to be on the show and it reconnected me with the music. When he asked me to be on the show, I got my groove back in terms of being creative and acting. More and more, I started to see the connection between storytelling and music.

My girlfriend at the time- who is now my wife- helped me buy a camera and we started shooting a ton of stuff throughout South Florida. I even worked as a PA on some small commercial sets where I learned to start shooting. My first few projects were really bad but they helped accelerate my learning experiences. Sometimes I had to wear different hats. There have been constant learnings in my journey- sometimes I feel like I’m back in school!

You recently starred alongside Hilary Duff in How I Met Your Father– what was this experience like?

Hilary is dope! That show is really cool- it feels like such an outer-world experience. I was a huge fan of How I Met Your Mother so being there feels like…crazy! The people on the cast are really cool. We’ve all gone out together and it’s really cool being there, especially working with some of the alumni and Hilary, specifically. Me and Hilary are always talking about food spots in L.A. and she puts me on to some of the dopest stuff. I really look forward to talking to her between takes. This show is such a prestige opportunity for me because every time I’m there I just feel so much gratitude.

What are some of your favourite projects you’ve worked on to date?

I think the first one I want to mention is Wu-Tang: An American Saga because I got a chance to play the role of Rakim. I did get to meet some of the Wu-Tang and that role was really dope. It didn’t feel like a regular acting role- I realized that the dialogue was different, so that role was quite an experience. I’m going to say right now that the Grey’s Anatomy role and my role on Rap Sh!t are two shows I want to talk about next.

The Grey’s Anatomy role- I loved that show for so long! It was insane that I got a chance to be on it. Because of COVID, for a while, there wasn’t a real baby in the bassinet. This was an experience that I journaled about because you don’t really expect to be on that show.

Rap Sh!t has been life-changing. The creators are very creative and interesting. They brought me in and it’s been such a warm welcome. We get together, watch the episodes together, and talk about it the way we do.

You’re reprising your role as a series regular in Rap Sh!t Season 2. What are you most excited about in terms of returning to the series? 

How much they caught me off guard! I didn’t expect to see what I saw on the pages this season based on where this character started in season 1. I’m going to say that they really did a number on subverting expectations. I’m excited about that and for the show to come out! Also- I’m excited to see how we come through the strike. On top of all of that, I’m excited because of how they wrote the character this season. It was very challenging.

What’s next for you?

I’m very excited about some music right now because it’s been so long! It’s been so long since I’ve reconnected with music again because I’ve had some time away from it. I’ve been connecting with creators I’ve worked with and building with them. I’m also working with artists here in L.A., too. The music is one of the most exciting things right now I’m working on. Plus, it’s mine too- the strike has nothing to do with that and that matters so much to me.

Aside from that, there’s also a ton of indie stuff I’m excited about right now. My wife and I are collaborating on two shorts- things that we want to do for us because we want to keep creating. There’s also a feature in the works.

There’s some other stuff too but you’ll have to wait and see!

Published by HOLR Magazine.