Acting ·
The Blazing World: An Austin Road Trip in a Very Strange Year
At seven in the morning, I was getting ready to drive to Austin for another SAG feature film. In a year when so many plans had stopped, I was somehow having one of the busiest stretches of my...
The Life of a Modern Renaissance Man: A Video Journal, entry 11
At seven in the morning, I was getting ready to drive to Austin for another SAG feature film. In a year when so many plans had stopped, I was somehow having one of the busiest stretches of my acting career.
The project was The Blazing World, and I filmed the trip because I wanted to remember what the road toward a bigger dream actually looked like. It wasn't all premieres and polished headshots. It was an early alarm, packing equipment, driving, finding food, making jokes, and then finally getting to do the work.
We were still navigating the pandemic. Every job opportunity carried extra uncertainty. And yet there I was, heading to a film set, energized by the chance to act and grateful for the people who were helping me keep creating.
One thing I always come back to is how easy it is to romanticize a career from far away. The reality is made of lots of ordinary decisions: prepare, show up, collaborate, stay ready, and do it again. Sometimes the excitement is enough to power you through the lack of sleep. Sometimes you really just need your celery juice.
That trip reminded me that progress can be happening even when the whole world feels off schedule. I was still moving. I was still acting. I was still building the life I'd imagined.