The Mason Spirit

When George Mason University’s classes went online because of the pandemic, Christian White, BA Communication ’21, was able to pursue his acting career and finish his degree.

White recently appeared in four episodes of the second season of City on a Hill, a Showtime crime drama set in Boston that stars Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge. He didn’t have to miss classes while filming on set as he could use Zoom to continue his course work at Mason from New York City, where the show is filmed.

Christian White. Provided photo

“Working with stars like Kevin Bacon was a surreal experience,” says White, who was a member of Mason’s Honors College. “I’ve watched these actors on TV, and now I’m working alongside them.”

Seeing how Bacon and Hodge interact and getting acting notes from them was like having a master class, White adds. And shining in the role of Isaac, a young teen living in the Braxton Summit projects of Boston, was what White calls a lesson in confidence.

“I actually had to miss class last year to go to New York to audition,” says White, who was thankful for the professor who worked with him to make up the work he missed. A couple of days later, he received a text from his manager saying he booked the role.

White was able to film two episodes of City on the Hill in March 2020 before COVID-19 hit and the industry shut down for seven months. The show started production again in October 2020 with safety protocols and COVID testing in place.

White has other acting opportunities on the horizon. He has booked another role on a show on Amazon, though he says he is not yet authorized to disclose the name of the show.

The Spotsylvania County, Virginia, native says he first caught the acting bug his senior year in high school when he took a theater class. While at Mason, White also took acting workshops in Maryland and Northern Virginia.

—Jeanene Harris