Vents Magazine
Second Acts: Grant Rivers on Reinvention and Late-Life Acting
[as originally published on ventsmagazine.com]
Grant Rivers isn’t just defying expectations—he’s rewriting the playbook. After a decades-long career as a top ENT specialist and medical entrepreneur, once known as Dr. Gordon Schaye, he stepped into a whole new spotlight in his 70s. From starring opposite Suki Waterhouse in a Rolling Stone–featured music video to stealing scenes in national commercials, Grant has built a compelling on-camera resume in just a few short years. His story is one of reinvention, resilience, and a reminder that it’s never too late to chase a new dream. We sat down with Grant to talk about his journey, what it’s like working with major brands and artists, and what fuels his passion at a stage of life when many are slowing down.
You had a successful, decades-long medical career. What sparked the decision to pivot into acting, and why then?
I was a founding partner of what became the nation’s largest private medical group. We sold it in 2016, my department broke up, and I retired shortly thereafter. As an ear, nose, and throat doctor in New York and LA, I had treated many actors and singers and even participated in a yearly panel at Julliard on vocal health. I had acted previously when I was in the military in Norfolk VA at the area’s local theaters. My biggest role was Nonno in The Night of the Iguana, in which I played a 70-year-old when I was only twenty-five. So, when I retired from medicine, the transition was easy.
Reinventing yourself in your seventies isn’t common. What were the biggest challenges—personally and professionally—when you launched this second chapter?
Not getting many roles in the first few years. Getting used to how nice everyone was and still is—meaning even nicer than in the medical profession. Also, it was a learning experience as to what exactly the casting directors wanted to see, such as good head shots and good reels.
You’ve appeared in over 70 productions in just a few years. What do you think makes you such a natural fit for senior character roles?
Well, I am old! And from being a doctor, I know how old people move, speak, and respond.
Your role opposite Suki Waterhouse in On This Love brought you serious attention. How did that opportunity come about, and what was it like shooting with her?
I answered an ad on one of the acting sites and they liked my head shots and acting reel. I think Suki chose me personally. She was a joy to work with. Her sister Immy was the director. Immy and I still exchange emails. They’re doctor’s children—their father is a plastic surgeon in London, and their mother a nurse, so there was a natural rapport. Suki was probably the nicest person I have acted with. So kind and considerate. The entire crew could not have been nicer. We filmed in a mansion on the fancy Bel Air golf course. Even the food was good!
You brought a lot of personality and humor to your role in Devon Cole’s Play House video. Do you naturally gravitate toward comedy, or was that something you had to learn how to play on camera?
I play myself. I feel I’ve got a spontaneous sense of humor, quick wit, a good laugh, and a winning smile. Comedy is my favorite, but I can take on any role—especially with strong direction.
You’ve worked with major brands like Toyota, Puff Vapes, and the LA Lakers. Any campaign or shoot that stands out as especially memorable—or totally unexpected?
My wife and I got a call one night asking us if we could shoot a UGC the next night fifty miles away. That’s a video created by a consumer rather than a brand or a commissioned creator. We said yes. When we arrived at the local Walmart, we were directed to the gastrointestinal products aisle. The young female CEO of BelliWelli—a rapidly selling adult stool softener—met us there in front of a shelf of BelliWelli. The shoot took maybe five minutes and appeared the next day on Instagram. She even bought us each a can, and gave us a handsome remuneration. This was the oddest job ever.
Acting aside, you’ve also stepped behind the camera with Helen and Harold: Wrong Turn. What inspired you and Carmen (Chanel Rivers) to start producing your own content?
There was a need for representation of the entire spectrum of the population, which includes older people. We produced a TV pilot, Helen and Harold: Wrong Turn. It’s on YouTube and Vimeo. It’s about an older couple who argue a lot, like our parents did. We get into the most outrageous situations in this episode, accidentally becoming drug dealers. We also produced a series of short films, 1-3 minutes each, introducing inter-generational conflict. We shot 5 and still have 20 more waiting to be shot. The series is called Elderberries/ We’re still shopping it around to studios and streamers.
Speaking of Chanel—your wife and now frequent collaborator—how has your creative partnership evolved over time?
My wife says we’re “fighting, fighting, fighting” all the time. In truth, out of 10 new subjects, we disagree on 9 and agree on 1. We are very different but seem to work well with conflict. We have been married 42 years, but no one would ever have matched us originally.
With so much success after 70, what advice would you give to someone who feels it’s “too late” to try something new or pursue a creative ambition?
Well, no one ever told me to stop, so I have just continued what I am doing. It is never too late! What else are you going to do?
Looking ahead, what kinds of roles or projects are you still hoping to take on?
Well, when I first started this, I wrote my Academy Awards acceptance speech. I would still like to use it. I would love to do a feature film with very little dialog (less memory at my age) and a lot of improv and ad lib. And I’m always ready to do more commercials, which are easy to shoot and pay well. Also, I am good at hand modeling—a surgeon’s hands! But I can play any role. I’m just waiting for them.
For more information on Grant, please visit: grantriversofficial.com