Acting is a family affair for the sister and brother pair of
Charlotte Delaney Riggs and Tristan Riggs.

Actors Charlotte Delaney Riggs (15), and younger brother Tristan (12), already have nearly 80 TV/film combined credits to their name. And for this talented twosome, acting runs in the family. Their father, Brent, is a successful actor, too, having been in numerous films and TV shows. 

Now, although the young Riggs live in California currently, their journey began in Austin, Texas.

For Charlotte, acting started in June 2015 when her mother registered her for an Austin musical summer camp. “It was for Annie,” says Charlotte, “and I was one of the youngest campers but was cast in the role of Molly.” There was a week to learn everything. She enjoyed it so much she wanted to do more. 

By 2016, Charlotte was taking acting classes and had a Texas agent. As his older sister went on to do more musicals and plays, Tristan decided to join in as well. “Early on, we worked together on several projects but as we grew older, we worked together less,” says Charlotte.

Their love for Texas has never waned. “We miss Texas a lot,” Charlotte says. The family still has a home in the Lone Star State, and Charlotte is part of a YouTube channel doing fun weekly videos with a group of her Texas friends.

With the desire to act in their genes (thanks, Dad!) their parents are very supportive, says Tristan. “But it can be stressful having multiple people in the family who can act, especially during pilot season because sometimes we have multiple auditions every day.” 

As actors, both Charlotte and Tristan appear in both movies and TV shows. “The advantage of TV is that the story goes on for so much longer and allows for character development sometimes lasting several seasons versus film that tells the story in only a couple of hours,” says Tristan.

Their lives are not totally consumed by acting, however. Charlotte loves to make jewelry, especially earrings. Tristan loves to skateboard.  

Each also has their own more unusual way of spending their spare time. Tristan likes reptiles, and has a crested gecko named Dorito. Charlotte loves to travel. “I’ve  travelled all over the world including Germany, England, Spain and, most recently, to Japan.”

For those who want to follow in their footsteps and make acting a career, Charlotte says, “Commitment and hard work will be the key to your success. Acting is not easy and often actors audition for hundreds of roles before they get their big break.” 

“I would just say that it takes a lot of effort, coaching and auditioning and hard work to be successful,” Tristan adds.  “Sometimes, no matter how great you do, even nailing the audition, you still don’t get the role. That can be tough. So prepare to be told “no” a lot and to keep going!”

Their greatest frustration has been competition. For every role, says Tristan, there are hundreds, sometimes thousands of people auditioning. Yet, clearly, acting has its rewards, too. The greatest reward for Tristan is being on set, working with the crew and other actors. One of the best experiences he had was doing his own stunts in the intense movie, The Seventh Day, which releases March 26.  A movie “definitely not for the squeamish,” says Tristan. He also likes earning money so he can save for things he really enjoys,” like video games and skateboarding stuff. Of course, most of it is just saved for college.”  

Charlotte agrees. “The biggest struggle is that there is so much competition. I feel the greatest reward is meeting people on set and making new friends and experiences.”

COVID & the Future

Then there’s the pandemic.

Tristan says, “I had several projects pending when COVID hit, so hopefully those will pick back up and I’ll start filming.” As well as The Seventh Day that he worked on, Charlotte’s Forever and A Day releases in March also.

This hardworking, talented pair of transplanted Texans have seen a lot of success, with plenty more certainly to come. As for the future, Charlotte says she’d relish the chance to work with Tristan again. “We’ve not starred in any feature films or TV shows together.  I think that would be a lot of fun, though!”

Cover photo courtesy Charlotte Delaney and Tristan Riggs

Bob Valleau is a freelance writer living in McKinney, Texas.