The director of the film Out For Vengeance–he’s the writer and the director–his name is Salar Zarza. Two things that struck him. First, this is shooting overseas. So one thing that struck his interest was my special skills in my resume, and that was martial arts. Because this is an action film, and if you read the synopsis about it, it’s an action film. In fact, one of the producers is Michel Qissi, and he played Tong Po in Kickboxer. He was fighting {JeanClaude} Van Damme in the ring–he was the bald guy. So what struck their interest was my martial arts background.
And, of course, they saw that I had paid some dues on set with all my credits that were smaller roles and bit parts. It’s one of those times when you could say I got lucky or that they gave me a break. They gave me my first big break. My role is really a nice role. In fact, it fits me really well. I play Viktor Romanov. He’s a Russian crime boss who wants to take over the narcotics in Europe, but he has to restrain his competitor, Scarf, who is also in the market. So there’s a battle between Scarf and Romanov. Romanov has some humanity to him. He’s a drug lord but he has family.
The backstory that I’m developing actually has a lot of humanity to it. But Scarf, he’s a scumbag. He hires prostitutes. He’s a ruthless guy. He kills people for no reason. He cuts out their tongues. So he’s a scumbag. Romanov, he has a son so there’s family there even though he’s a crime boss taking over the narcotics scene. The viewers are going to like Romanov. The main character, Alan, he’s like a cop/detective. So there’s a fight in between Scarf and Romanov and the law. If you check out the synopsis on IMDB, you will be able to pull more details than I can give you.
What’s funny is that when they give you these roles, they don’t give you all the information. You got to build that backstory. You gotta write in between the blank spaces. And you gotta give them something when they’re may not be quite sure what they want. So it’s the actor’s job to find something that’s gonna work with that character. And somehow he found that I fit Romanov, and he liked what he saw. He gave me my break. And now I get to go to Europe for the first time. I told my acting coach I’m so lucky, but she keeps saying, “No, you’re not lucky.
That’s hard work meeting determination, and that’s the stars lining up. ” She keeps telling me, “This doesn’t happen a lot. Consider yourself very fortunate. There’s something special about you that people want to see, and it’s gonna get bigger and bigger. So hang onto your hat,” she tells me. ‘Cause you know, work–even construction–if you do have a job, people will approach you to build something like a hotel or something like that. But if you don’t have work, you’re not working, and it’s harder to get work. But the same thing is true in acting. Work begets work.
As you work, people want to utilize you more. It’s gonna happen quick. It’s already happened very quick for me. And I see this role opening even more doors for me, hopefully soon to land my first lead role. And the big opening for me is I get to go to Europe. I get to travel. I get to do something I like to do. And while I’m over there, I’m actually planning on extending my stay if I can ’cause I understand there’s a niche for American actors in Europe. So who knows where this is gonna lead? But I’m just gonna have fun while I can, you know? Jumpin’ on the road to wherever it’s going.
I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I’m going somewhere. I will say that no, these kinds of things don’t just happen, and it is a result of hard work. I happen to know of a lot of actors who are struggling to get work. Some had a great show or film, and now they just can’t seem to find work. I know a few actors like that, too. And I do feel bad for them. They have ten, fifteen years of experience. They have awesome credits under their belt. They have excellent education and training. They have all these things that on a resume, I feel inadequate to them.
But sometimes you have to step away for a time. These casting directors are sharp. They can see if you’re stressed or if you’re desperate. It’s amazing what these casting directors can see through. My advice to anyone in that position is to step away. Refresh yourself. And then get back into it ’cause it happens to a lot of people. And you know, a lot of people get depressed over it. They’re like booking, booking, booking, and now they’re totally depressed ’cause they’re not being accepted, at least in their mind. But it’s not that.
They use a person’s face, and they sort of burn out in that region of the country. They may have to travel to another region to be a new face. So there’s a way around that, but the actors who get stuck in that, I do feel bad for ’cause there’s almost like no hope. And then there’s no money, and you need to move, but you don’t have the money, so it’s like Catch-22. It’s one of those things where–keep your side job. Keep your day job so the desperation isn’t on your face when you’re walking into the casting room. If you can, try to be light-hearted.
And being a regional actor, I’m gonna to have to move soon out of Florida or start booking elsewhere because I’m in local commercials. I’m about to be used up here. Actually, this is good timing because things have been a little slower around here for me. And I’m glad because the past couple months, I’ve been doing pilot acting coaching. I’ve been doing language coaching for Russian. I have a journal. In fact, I have an over a hundred page journal with a backstory on Viktor Romanov that| developed. There’s a sea of emotion in me ’cause I’m pulling it out of my personal life.
So I’m glad I haven’t been working. And that’s why I’m really glad for this role because I’m planning a whole business end when I get to Europe, I have headshots. I’m gonna go knock on these agent’s doors. I’m gonna go visit ’em with some tulips. (laughs) And if I can keep working, you know, I’m staying right there in Europe. Wherever it leads me. That’s also one of my hopes one day is to be able to help other people find the way. Because a lot of people have determination and desire, but they don’t have the know-how. And I’m willing to share just like my acting coach did for me.
She changed my whole career mentally because of those tidbits and those nuggets that she gave me. And I wanna give people those nuggets as well so they can move along in their lifestyle. Someday when I learn a little more, I’m going to do exactly that. Try to help these–I don’t know what quality is missing out of them if it’s determination, motivation, or what, but if we can just find that little piece that they’re missing, they’ll be all off running. ‘Cause that’s what I like about acting. They need everybody. They need every race, every personality, every size–it’s not like modeling, you know?
So anybody can be an actor ’cause we do it every day. But the thing is people get on camera and they freeze. They forget. Hey, just be yourself. Let’s get this done. Be truthful in the moment. You don’t have to act. Just react. And you’ll be successful as an actor. Now how long have you been acting? It’s been three years. You honestly know the business. I realize you don’t know all the ins and outs, but you know a lot. I will say I learned a lot. I’m like a sponge, and when I get on set, there’s a lot of people who are like, “Hey, bro, how ya doin’? Nice to see ya. And they’re runnin’ their mouths, and they’re giving me agent information and giving me manager information, and so I’m just stickin’ it on the notes in my phone.
These people get on set, and they think it’s a party, and it’s not. It’s a job. And if you sit back and you observe what’s goin’ on, you can learn so much. And that’s what I do. That’s one thing I’ve always done. I’ve always been the quiet guy in the room. People are always sayin’, “Are you mad? ” or “What’s wrong with you? ” There is nothing wrong with me. I’m listening to what’s going on. I’m absorbing the surroundings around me.
And I’m learning. And that’s one thing I tell these young people, “Quit goin’ on set and actin’ like it’s a party. Go to the job and learn– even if you’re waiting. ” You could be reading an acting book. You could be writing your own storyline for a short film. You could be planning for your next production. You could send out headshots to agents. There’s so much you could do. But people don’t utilize their time, you know? I’m a lot like that, too. People think I’m always so quiet, but I’m just listening, and you learn a lot that way. That’s what I do. And the thing is, I’m not quiet.
I love talking. But once they figure that out, they’re like, “Dang, Brad, I didn’t realize you had a personality. ” My parents are old school. My dad taught me when I was growing up to not talk unless I was spoken to. So it’s sort of in my background. But I’m also blessed because it helped me keep my mouth shut and my ears open. And that’s how we learn. And that’s how I’m able to grasp this industry quickly ’cause being on the big set, keepin’ my mouth shut, I’ve learned a lot by just working on set and using my time wisely. That’s it. Just using my time wisely.