Prepared for Life: Actor Lance Reneker '13

by Stephanie R. Leader

Actor Lance Reneker ’13 (or Lance Daniels professionally) was a self-admitted class clown during his four years at Delone Catholic High School. Reneker’s favorite moments during his time at Delone Catholic were spent playing on the Squires football team, making his friends laugh, and learning valuable trade skills in his favorite Technology Education classes with Mr. Bill Grandia. While he didn’t participate in musicals or plays at Delone Catholic, he knew he loved to entertain.

Life certainly changed for Reneker, as today he can be recognized for acting in an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and as the recurring character Luke on season two of the Epix TV show Bridge and Tunnel.

When Reneker was a junior at Delone Catholic, he caught what some might call the theatre bug. This carried him to his senior year when he was discerning what life after high school might look like. “It was an idea,” he said. “I always loved movies. I was reading up on some actors who didn’t really have experience because I didn’t have any and I wasn’t much interested in musicals at the time. That’s when I packed my bags and moved to Los Angeles.”

Before Reneker made the big move across the country in 2014, he saved up by working in his aunt’s restaurant O’Rorke’s in Gettysburg. He took college classes part-time while working but knew he was being called to do something different. He enlisted help from two of his best friends from Delone Catholic to move him to L.A., and they made the journey a road trip.

“You have to have faith that everything is going to work out, and also have faith in yourself that you are right where you’re supposed to be.”

When Reneker moved to L.A., the goal was to break into the acting scene. “I took acting classes and spent a lot of time trying to get an idea of what acting is. I had no idea what an agent, manager, or casting director were.” After spending time in L.A., Reneker realized New York was where he needed to be for his career. Admittedly, Reneker says he did not know much about what a career in television and film looked like at the time. “There’s really a lot to it, it’s not just what you see on television and on stage,” he said.

In 2016, Reneker made the move to the Big Apple to pursue his blossoming career in a new setting. It was in New York that Reneker began building upon his career little by little, taking classes, and eventually meeting his agents which helped land him that first big break in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Reneker says once you start on one episode, your resumé just has to keep building. “Next thing you know, you want the bigger recurring role, a big blockbuster movie, or an independent movie, and you just have to keep climbing the ladder.” In addition to Reneker’s work on television, he also acted in a short film where he had his first experience with stunt driving. He says the stunt work was one of his favorite experiences so far in his career.

Reneker recalls his time in class with Mr. Grandia as a big spiritual inspiration for why he pursued an acting career, and those lessons prepared him for life. “Mr. Grandia was big on embracing what you want to do. Creatively he had a very big impact on my life,” he said. “It’s neat to use your imagination creatively whether it’s through woodshop, architecture, or engineering. I always excelled in those classes because they were hands-on and creative.” He says that because of his experiences in his Technology Education classes at Delone Catholic, he would definitely be building something if he was not acting. He says these skills are useful because as an actor, you should always be open to trying new things, as you never know what the next role might make you do.

Reneker currently lives in New York and is busy auditioning for new roles, after wrapping up season two of Bridge and Tunnel, he looks forward to a potential third season. In the meantime, he is sharpening his skills in a variety of ways to prepare himself for where any new part might take him, including writing poetry, learning braille, and going horseback riding.

While Reneker has certainly built up an impressive resumé in the years that he has been acting, he says he is still working on breaking through and hopes to one day star in a movie. Reneker attributes his faith as a way to keep going through the ups and downs of the industry. “It gets quiet and lonely sometimes, so you turn to somebody to talk to,” he said. “You have to have faith that everything is going to work out, and also have faith in yourself that you are right where you’re supposed to be. It’s all in divine timing.”