John Cardiff Gerhardt's journey in the film industry began when he was 18 years old, attending Westminster College, after not pursuing sports in high school. He took an acting class with McCarty Talent Agency in Salt Lake City, Utah, where his teacher, Emily Pearson, noticed his talent and recommended him for immediate audition submission. Cardiff's high callback and success rate led him to secure his first SAG production, The MistleTones, starring Tia Mowery and Tori Spelling.
By his second year, Cardiff secured his second SAG role as a recurring character on Utah's only major TV show production, Granite Flats. During his time on set, he met Christopher Lloyd and complimented him on his performance, saying, "you look like the guy from Back to the Future". Cardiff continued to build his resume with other feature and short films as well as commercials, taking weekly classes at Actors Anonymous with teacher Jim Stevens.
After four years pursuing acting, Cardiff landed a semi-lead role in the feature film, Thirst. During that summer, he was also in talks with representation in New York City who had gained interest in him after meeting him and seeing his first ever demo reel. Acting agency, Innovative Artists, worked with Cardiff, sending auditions for him to self-tape. One in particular caught a spark: Red Band Society.
Cardiff's efforts to move to New York were catalyzed, and he flew out with his mother, Michele Corigliano, to meet everyone in person for the first time. Michele's skepticism and nervousness were alleviated after those meetings, realizing it was "the real deal". Cardiff flew back to finish college and moved out to New York in January, spending the next few months auditioning for pilot season and meeting all new casting directors.
At the end of May, Cardiff flew back to Utah where he attended his commencement ceremony and embarked on a two-week road trip across the western United States until his younger brother's commencement ceremony at Oregon University. During his road trip, Cardiff was confirmed for his first lead role in the series, We All Fall Down. It filmed in Provo, Utah, and Cardiff prepared for the role by packing up camping gear and spending three days prior to filming, and two weeks total living in the wilderness of Provo Canyon.
During filming, Cardiff performed all of his own stunts and even rationed food and water for the apocalyptic zombie series. He believes he performs best when he's as method as can possibly be. The opening scene, when the camera was too close to see, Cardiff took the knife in hand and pressed it firmly into his legs and stomach, leaving bruises to maintain intensity. While thrashing around on a mound of rocks, he fell many times, which dealt deep cuts into his arms and hands, drawing blood.
Cardiff finds bliss in losing himself within the roles he plays, valuing the passion in his work over all else. In July of 2015, Cardiff moved back to New York City, continuing the pursuit of his acting career.
