FLINT, Michigan — In the middle of a bustling, hot summer day, actor and comedian David Guster sits across from me inside Sauce Italian Kitchen — his old job —, radiating the charm and wit that have made him a rising name. 

Back in Flint after starring in the upcoming horror short film, Bloodsuckers of Bushwick, with filmmaker Layla Bird Revoldt, over laughter and iced water refills, we dig into everything from his Flint upbringing to his days at FIM’s Youth Repertory Theatre in Flint to the streets of New York. 

With credits in theatre, commercials, and now film, Guster is blazing a path rooted in theater, friendship, and a relentless belief in himself.

With humor and honesty, Flintside caught up with the actor to share the stories behind his craft, the challenges he’s overcome, and his love for acting. 

Courtesy photo"I’d be in the middle of a monologue and suddenly be like, ‘I swear I knew this line,’" explains Guster on the trials of making a film. Flintside: Tell me about growing up in Flint. What was your childhood like?

David Guster: “I grew up in Flint, mainly behind the Rally’s on North Saginaw. I went to Doyle-Ryder from preschool to sixth grade. Walking to school with friends in the winter — those were some of the best times. Around fourth or fifth grade, I started after-school programs. [I tried sports] — trash at basketball, flag football, just trash across the board.

Around fifth grade, one of the teachers there was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re gonna do Aladdin Junior.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, I like to sing a little bit. I can do that.’ That was the start. We did Wizard of Oz the next year, and then I started working with Flint Youth Theater the year after.” 

Flintside: When did you know acting was something you seriously wanted to pursue?

D. Guster: “December before seventh grade, I got this letter in the mail from Flint Youth Theatre announcing auditions for Peter Pan. At this time, I’m a little shy. My dad was like, ‘Get your a** up, you’re going to these auditions.’ I was trying to find any way to involve myself in that world. The Flint Youth Theatre was the catalyst for that. By the time I was fourteen, I was like, I should be doing this. This is what I want to do.” 

Flintside: It sounds like you had a supportive family. I know parents don’t suggest the creative and performing arts as first choices for their children.

D. Guster: “I was grateful they never did that. My dad worked at a plant, and my mom was in food service. I told you it was all about sports and academics. They weren’t too mad that I decided not to do sports. They were just happy I was doing something. They’ve been super supportive.”

Flintside: In what ways did the Flint Youth Theater shape you as an actor and person?

D. Guster: “I think the overall thing was education at the end of the day. It was more impactful in all the behind-the-scenes ways. We would do two shows, and if you weren’t working as an actor in one show, that other show you would be crew. I had opportunities to do lights, sound, set design, and all these different avenues of theatre. Nobody ever feels like their role is too small or bigger than the other.”

Courtesy photo"These roommates aren't human, but they present human," explains Guster.Flintside: What was your reaction when Layla cast you as the lead in Bloodsuckers of Bushwick?

D. Guster: “She hit me up like, ‘Hey, I’ve been working on this script,’ and she was like, ‘You gonna be my lead.’ I thought it was gonna be a comedy, and she’s like, ‘Oh, this one’s actually a horror film.’ I do love horror, and there was instant attraction to the project. Then she said the characters from Flint, and I’m reading it like, ‘Wow, this character sounds a lot like me.’”

Flintside: How did it feel to play the only living human in New York?

D. Guster: “That was something I was thinking about a lot. I wanted to walk in open-minded. It’s a true testament to real life — how we join new spaces and everyone’s mysterious at first — but I just showed up being myself. These roommates aren’t human, but they present human, and it made me think: why would I give up on what I came out there for just because I’m dealing with these ‘others’?”

Flintside: What were some challenges you faced while filming in New York?

D. Guster: “Walking down the street, reshooting the same scene, and trying not to be distracted by people watching us was new. The way we shot, because no film is shot in sequence, really messed with me. I’d be in the middle of a monologue and suddenly be like, ‘I swear I knew this line.’

Luckily, all my castmates were supportive. I also found myself having to go through internal, personal challenges, because truthfully, when you get a chance to work with your friends, it can go bad or good. Layla’s always been my confidant, and she knows so much about my life. It was easier for me not to feel the pressure.”

Courtesy photoHorror is at the focus of 'Bloodsuckers of Bushwick' with Guster taking center stage.
Flintside: Now starring in this film and having been in commercials and theatre productions, how do you navigate the industry’s expectations around appearance and being a Black actor?

D. Guster: “I did find most times there wasn’t much of an opportunity. [I’m] a bigger Black guy. I don’t feel like I fit the conventional kind of ‘leading man’ look Hollywood looks for. It’s stereotypes that follow you. I like to do comedy, but it is a big, overall stereotypical arc for actors, where you have a Black actor, and we are already the face of entertainment and comedy.

I can never experience romance in front of the camera. But this project taught me: if I can do the work — if not better than — then why limit myself? I got the work ethic. I got the talent.”

Flintside:  What’s something you’ve learned about staying confident in your career?

D. Guster: “You gotta have a little bit of delusion and a little bit of arrogance. I tell people, ‘Right after I get a haircut, I’m about to make a million dollars.’ You gotta gas yourself up. Because if you don’t, who else will?”

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