Q: Tell us what first got you interested in acting?
Well, ever since I was about 8 or 9 years old I've always wanted to act. I guess as a child I could be pretty entertaining. But I really recall that at around that age, any time someone would ask me what I was going to do when I got older or out of school I would say "I'm going to be an actor". It was only until after High School that I actually started pursuing it.
Q: You've been in a few low-budget horror films, most recently A MOTH TO A FLAME. Tell us a bit about your character and about the movie.
Yeah I've done a few horror films. I don't look at them as "horror" though. I just see them as a story like any other and look at my character as a regular person, no matter what is going on with him. Well, "A Moth to the Flame" is a horror/thriller. It's set in the present time and basically my character is someone who really has self esteem issues. He's a depressed person and completely alone in his life. He's an alcoholic and he cuts himself in private. After he quits his job he is on his way to a store and sees this women get murdered. From there it's his journey to find the killer and in the process he comes out of his shell. Scott Symons, the writer and director, has written some twists and turns in the story and I don't want to give too much away, but it definitely is a film that will be appealing to both horror fans and fans of a Hitchcock film also.
Q: Who are some of the other actors involved with the film?
Well, other than myself there is Felissa Rose, who's been amazing to work with, and some others that they are in the process of getting. So I have to hush hush on a lot of that.
Q: Any anecdotes about the production?
We've only had a few shooting days under the belt so far, but it's just been an amazing experience up to this point. Scott is a very attentive director and is very sensitive of his actors. He really cares about the mood of the scene and is open to any and all suggestions from his actors. There is no ego with him and it's a refreshing element to be around. I feel trusted and able to do and try anything in the scene.
Q: You also work on your own projects--talk a bit about them.
Well, for the last few years I've worked not only as an actor on projects, but as a writer and director too. I think in some ways people have liked what I do as an actor and then that bleeds into other aspects of the film. Especially when you work with the same people over and over again. You might start out strictly as an actor and then you end up in other areas creatively.
I've collaborated and helped a lot of people in the creative process on their films and it was only a matter of time before I had my own ideas I wanted to see come to life. My film co. Rebel Pictures has most recently, made a short "Under the Covers", which is 15 minutes long. I've sent it out to different festivals. I am currently in the process of finishing my script for my first film titled "Fairview St." It's a really personal story that has been a very cathartic experience to write.
It takes place in the present time, black and white, film noir that's centered around this family. My character, Jim, is released from prison after serving a 5 year sentence for being involved in an armed robbery. He goes to a restaurant, that he used to frequent before he went away. He sees the owner in there and runs into one of the local detectives. Jim is threatened by the detective and leaves to go home. The next day he finds out that the owner of the restaurtant was robbed and murdered. The police have no doubt in their mind that it was Jim and everyone in the story starts to suspect him. It's kind of a wrong man accused scenario and I compare it to a Greek tragedy in a lot of ways. No matter where Jim goes, fate trips him up. I'm looking to shoot that some time in the fall of this year. So keep your eyes open for it.
Q: Advice to any would-be actors out there.
Take it seriously. Have fun with it, but don't overlook what it means to become an actor. What you are entering is something sacred. Far too many times people want to become an actor for the wrong reasons. At least to me they are they wrong reasons. Money, fame, awards are NOT what acting is about. It's about expressing one's self and putting a small piece of who you are there up on stage or on screen.
I wish more young actors would appreciate older films and older film actors. There is an abundance of great performances and films out there that people have never even heard about, let alone seen.
I think most important, is don't give up. Get out there. Audition. Hunt it down and go after it. Stay busy. Write and make your own films and plays. Work or yourself in between the waiting of working for others.
