Breakout star Troy Mundle, most known for his role in Prey, Hulu’s prequel in the Predator franchise, has been going non stop these days. Currently he stars in An Amish Sin on Lifetime, and has many more projects coming down the pipeline such as Bones of Crows and Washington Black.
Like many actors, or anyone with rigorous schedules and demanding jobs, Troy has worked hard to iron out the best methods to maintain a consistent workout routine and healthy diet. From meal prep and planning ahead, to setting alarms to help stay on a decent sleep schedule, Tony does it all. We were honored to sit down with Troy to talk about it all, so he can share his tips and tricks to stay motivated in both your career and in your fitness journey.
You recently came out in “An Amish Sin”. What do you hope the audience will take away from the film?
“An Amish Sin” is a beautifully written and heartbreaking film. We hope it raises awareness and initiates positive change. It’s a difficult topic to address, but it needs to be talked about. I had the opportunity to meet Joanna Yoder, who was a consultant for the film and who’s personal story along with the stories of many other women from these communities contributed to the screenplay, at our screening in Los Angeles. Her speech at the end was very emotional and heartfelt. We hope that this film inspires and gives strength to those who have endured abuse, in hopes they too, can speak out and find the help they need.
Tell us about your journey to get to where you are now in your career? How did you stay motivated through the low points?
A game changer for me was when I changed my outlook and started to enjoy the process as opposed to making it goal oriented. That doesn’t mean that I don’t set goals, au contraire, I set daily, weekly, monthly goals and work hard to achieve them. There’s a great quote that I got from a Denzel Washington video:
“Dreams without goals are just dreams and ultimately they fuel disappointment. On the road to achieving your dreams, you must apply discipline, but more importantly consistency. Because without commitment, you’ll never start, but without consistency you’ll never finish.”
Regarding my process, I no longer walk into auditions with the goal to book, but rather to be well prepared, make strong choices, and present them with my take and leave the chips to fall where they may. With the amount of rejection in this industry, it’s really helped to improve my outlook.
How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle while on set?
It takes some planning ahead and meal prep. Thankfully these days, more catering on film sets have a variety of healthy choices. For me, the perilous periods are especially at the end of the day when tiredness starts to creep in and you’re more likely to run for that sugar fix. I usually bring a cooler with me with fresh fruit and berries and a small compact blender so that I can make a mid-afternoon smoothie. I’ll also have a variety of quality protein bars or keto treats that I can easily and quickly scarf down at opportune moments to keep my energy up.
What are some of your go-to healthy meals and snacks?
I always like to start my day with a solid breakfast. It’s always my biggest meal of the day as I like to taper my carb intake as the day progresses. Gluten free oats, banana, blueberries and some scrambled eggs. It sets the tone for the day.
As I touched on above, I make sure to have a mid-afternoon smoothie packed with spinach, strawberries, blueberries and a banana. Heavy into the salads and quality protein in the afternoons and for super.
As far as quick snacks I go for apples, bananas, Clif bars, which I’ll always have kicking around somewhere, and I really like having Keto chocolate around. Right now, I’m specifically into CHOCXO Keto Snaps and No Sugar Keto Cups. They help me with my late shoot night chocolate fix at the end of the night.
What would be your number one tip for someone who is just starting out on their fitness journey?
Take things slow in the beginning. I used to personal train for a few years back in the early 2000’s and the one thing that I noticed is that new clients would come in and want to work out every day and start crazy diets. More often than not, they’d last maybe a couple of weeks at most, not see the results they were expecting and slip back into the previous ways.
What I do is look more long-term and implement changes into my lifestyle gradually. It may be a little slower, but these changes become habits and last. They become part of your lifestyle and last for years. That’s not to say that if I need to shed a few pounds for a particular role that I don’t ramp up exercise and diet for short term effects. But for me, overall, slow and steady with increasing intensity works.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. How do you take care of your mental health? What’s your selfcare routine?
For me, my foundation is sleep. Without that, everything else seems to fall apart. My dietary willpower is out the window and it’s nothing but a steady stream of chocolate into my digestive system. I’m a bit Ryan Seacrest-like with my adherence to my sleep schedule. I’m known for setting bedtime-reminder alarms and bailing on events to head home to get ready and be in bed by 20:30-21:00. Obviously, there are night shoots and special events that would require me to stay awake much later into the nights, but overall, because I do have such a regimented sleep schedule, the damage is kept to a minimum when I do have to stay up late.
I do also believe in that strong mind-body connection so I try to eat as clean as I can and stay well hydrated and exercise daily. These things help contribute to my improved mental state.
In summary, over the years I’ve figured out what keeps me functioning at my optimum level and it’s a combination of sleep, nutrition, maintaining connections with friends and family, nature, and balance.
You have some exciting projects coming out, what can you tell us about them?
Thank you, yes. The next project coming out is “Washington Black”. A fantastic new series coming soon to Hulu.
“Bones of Crows” is a film written and directed by Marie Clements and tells the story of Cree Matriarch, Aline Spears, who survives the residential school system in Canada and later becomes a code talker during WWII. The film “Bones of Crows” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and opened the Vancouver International Film Festival this year. There is also a more in-depth 5-hour mini-series that will be premiering on CBC in 2023 that will tell a more in-depth story of Aline’s family history looking back over the last 100 years. I will be appearing in the mini-series in 2023.
Lastly, can you leave us with the greatest advice you have ever received as an actor, and how can you apply it into your everyday life?
I think the best advice that I’ve had that can directly translate into everyday life, is being present.
