ABOUT JÆSON  

I know, that's not how I spell my name. But I have this whole motif thing I'm doing, right, so I had to find a way to use it here, too.

I live a short hop from Sacramento on a good day when traffic is easily negotiated. Northern California is still a bit too brown for my liking, and I have a hard time with the heat and incessant sunshine; I'm partial to the Pacific Northwest , where the rain keeps things green and lush, and where the oft-overcast quality keeps coffee sales at a healthy peak. It's the people keep me here, the ones I've been working with for a few years now. They tie me down, drive stakes through my arms and legs, and hobble me. That's how they keep me here. I love them.

I've a wife and two children,  10 and 6, and they adore one another in a way that makes me wonder what I would have been like had I any siblings to commune with the way they do. My wife runs a performing arts studio where I teach on Saturdays. I don't claim to be an authority on acting; I just have a bit of experience with it, have studied it for most of my life, and have a gift for being able to say things in a way most people can understand when I talk to them one on one. I guess that's all you really need. That and a knack for observation, and the ability to articulate what you've seen.

I try to create whenever possible, barring the occasional (read: frequent) diversion into online video games or Ultimate Fighting Championship marathons. I studied martial arts for over a dozen years before moving here, trying to find a school, and then experiencing a car accident that pretty much kept me out of the gym for a year. Right now I'm getting back into it, and the process is frustrating and daunting...I'd like to be able to pick up where I left off, but there's a whole reconditioning thing that has to occur. But yeah, I try to create stuff. I've got a novel and 3 screenplays I'm juggling in addition to the acting, with one script ready to go and everything pointing to the fact it's time to do a feature...it's hard to prioritize creativity. You have to wrestle it first, like Jacob--and you walk away limping just like he did.

Which brings me to my faith. Now, this may seem contrived to some of you out there who don't feel the same way I do, but bear with me--it gets 'relatable' after this paragraph. Yeah, I'm a Christian. I believe wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ is the single manifestation of God Himself in the flesh, His one and only son, who gave his life on the cross to atone for the mishap humanity so often is. I believe in the Holy Spirit's power to lead, to guide and transform the soul, and I believe that someday I'll quit this mortal flesh, slip the surly bonds of earth to step into the presence of God--because He promised it, and He's never broken a promise to me.

That said, I'm not the best of Christians. I struggle internally a great deal because I've an imagination that never tires. I get moody, have been considered manic on more than one occasion, and often intimidate people because I throw myself fully into whatever world I choose to explore--which makes folks who don't know me feel a bit alienated. But I'm learning that there really is no 'Best of Christians,' and though I truly despise my flaws to the point of incessant self-castigation, I think I'm finally realizing that God still loves me through all my myriad ways of disappointing Him. How's that for apologetics?  

I'm also not the most orthodox of believers. I love horror flicks and write horror/thriller fiction--the clear delineation of good versus evil is often a nice respite from the subtle machinations of less-defined obstacles in dramatic fare. I'm not averse to seeing 'R' rated movies and I allow my son to watch CSI--he digs the effects. He's seen firsthand how they're made, been involved with the filming process, y'understand, which gives him kind of a different perspective. He's seen daddy die a few times on the TV set as well, so there's kind of a line he's stepped over that most kids can't cross.

I feel my talent is a direct testimony of God's diversity, and that my obligation to Him is to create works that in some way reflect His presence in my life. That's not to say I only work on lofty, unrealistic fairy tales full of cherubim and fluffy lambs--or films in which all the bad guys wear black eyeliner and smoke cigarettes while the good guys sport Argyle and perfect hair. Nor do I shun anything with a colorful word or a connotation of evildoing; I believe that for every powerful story, there must be powerful obstacles--and for stories to resonate within the soul, they must be anchored in reality rather than idealism. As such, I try to create films that ask hard questions and struggle with the answers--like I do. And for roles I take, I'm pretty selective but by no means elitist. A story has to have redemptive value--and hey, that can be as simple as 'good guy wins' or 'this is what happens if bad guy wins, so hey, don't let this happen' or 'Ooo, you don't want to be THIS guy'--it's all subjective. I just try to make decisions that I won't mind living with for the rest of my life, because hey--film will outlive me. I dig horror. I dig action. I dig drama. I dig it all.

Some flicks I really appreciate:

Fearless.  Directed by Peter Weir.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Directed by Michel Gondry.

Brazil . Directed by Terry Gilliam.

Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott.  

  Fist of Legend. Directed by Gordon Chan.

Seven. Directed by David Fincher.

The 25th Hour. Directed by Spike Lee.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. Directed by Tom Stoppard.

Magnolia. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Moulin Rouge. Directed by Baz Luhrmann.

Jacob's Ladder. Directed by Adrian Lyne.

Yeah, there's a throughline or two up there. Truth, beauty, consequences, conflict, temptation...mortality.

Anyway, 'nutshell version', right? Hey, if folks want to know more, they can click on the contact button, right?