“I knew that safety net was there and if I didn’t try it now, I would probably get sucked into the corporate culture,” he said. “I gave myself a year to see what happens.”

Since the initial days of bartending and auditioning until roles began coming his way, Devlin, who lives in Los Angeles, recently completed arcs on “Cougar Town” and “Grey’s Anatomy” and is filming for “Brothers & Sisters.”

“Hollywood life is exactly what you make of it ­— it’s the biggest mirror in the world,” he said. “It just throws back at you 10 times what you throw it.”

Devlin said he first got into acting when he participated in a school play as a fifth grader in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“I was class clown and probably an unbearable student to teach,” Devlin said. “(My teacher) tried to take that energy of mine and channel it into something more productive.”

Although he was involved in campus TV productions and filmmaking clubs as an MSU student, Devlin said he went the business route out of practicality.

“The bar of success in Hollywood is an amorphous thing,” he said. “There’s always better, there’s always bigger. It doesn’t matter what level you are — you can look up and say ‘I want the next thing.’”

Devlin said his career in entertainment wasn’t an ultimatum of acting or nothing, but a chance to banish future what-ifs.

“I’m going to go and try this and if it doesn’t work, at least I won’t be 35 years old and wondering, ‘What if I had just tried acting?’” he said. “Having no regrets is a good feeling to have.”

Another interest Devlin is pursuing with as much enthusiasm as acting is his project called “Green To The 5th Power,” which combines education and entertainment to encourage fifth-graders’ interest in climate change.

“I volunteer with kids a lot,” Devlin said. “I’ve learned what they respond to and what excites them. Kids are very eager to bring about change.”

Devlin said fifth-graders are at a point where they understand the implications of climate change as well as being able to encourage their parents, peers and teachers to take action.

Devlin’s wife and Los Angeles resident Kara Devlin said her husband’s project merges his love for the environment and working with kids.

“He wants this to be a part of his legacy,” she said. “He loves acting, but he can also use that as a platform.”

Kara Devlin, who is a screenwriter, said initially she pursued acting before turning to writing.

“You have to have a solid belief in yourself and be able to take a lot of criticism,” she said. “I’m always amazed that Ryan is confident in himself and knows even if he doesn’t get the role, he’ll get another one.”

In addition to his wife, Ryan Devlin said his sister, Los Angeles resident Lindsay Devlin, is integral in keeping him grounded and not letting success go to his head.

Lindsay Devlin, a writer and producer in Los Angeles, said she had established herself in the industry before her brother moved there as well.

“When he fell in love with it and decided to move back, we said it’s going to be hard, but knowing (him), he’ll make it,” she said. “(He) has an incredible drive, determination and work ethic.”

Ryan Devlin said there were a million reasons to not pursue his dream.

“The odds are so staggeringly discouraging, but it happens every single day,” he said. “If you want to do it, you just do it. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s life.”