How
did you start working for "Adventures in Odyssey?"
I was involved in a local
community theater run by a woman who knew Steve Harris. One day, after
a rehearsal, she called a group of us kids to see her. There was to be
an audition for some kind of radio show that needed kids voices. About
a week later I went to the audition. I had never been to a professional
audition before and I really had no idea what it was I was supposed to
do. I was called into an office with a girl from my theater and we sat
down at this desk that had two microphones rigged up and they handed us
a script. I said my lines. I said thank you and I left. Two weeks
later we got the call that they wanted to use me for an episode. That
was episode #2. The rest is history I guess.
Who is your favorite
character on AIO?
Well, I assume you have
to mean other than Jimmy. Probably Whit would be my favorite, but that
may have more to do with my memories of working with Hal than the actual
character itself. Whenever I would show up for a session and read the
script for the first time, if I saw that Whit was in the episode I would
be naturally very excited.
What was it like
playing Jimmy Barclay? Do you relate to him in any way?
Playing Jimmy was a
thrill. Most of my scripts had great writing. I always enjoyed the way
that the writers approached the brother/sister relationship. The
rhythms in the dialogue were always handled in a very natural manner.
Jimmy was always put into rather imaginative situations, which I liked,
and he had a habit of being a bit mischievous so it was a joy to see
what each episode would bring. He was a fun character to play! As far
as how I would relate to him, I guess I'd have to say that he was
me. In episodic writing, the writers tend to write material
specifically geared for each actor. They try to find their strengths
and to stay away from their weaknesses. I would imagine that much of
what Paul and Phil came up with for Jimmy was to some extent inspired or
derived from what they knew of me. I was a sarcastic kid, so Jimmy was
rather sarcastic. Etc.
What have you
learned the most as you played Jimmy Barclay?
That I was a good
actor. I don't mean that to sound arrogant at all. What I mean is, I
was surrounded by the best professional talent in the industry and, as a
kid, I was able to work successfully with them and to hold my own. It
showed me that I had a skill at something and if I worked hard at it I
could hopefully have a career someday. But I imagine the nature of your
question is more in terms of what life lessons I learned or spiritual
lessons I learned. I think the most valuable lesson I learned in that
context is that life is a constant string of mistakes and slip-ups and
that if there is a greater Grace at work, all our trials and
tribulations will help to shape and mold us into the people we are meant
to be. Jimmy was far from perfect, but in his mistakes he would find
the right paths. . . usually with the help of much wiser people.
If you could change
one thing about your acting on "Adventures in Odyssey," what would it
be?
After my voice changed
I had a very hard time duplicating some of the earlier work. Also at
that time in my life I was going through some very difficult personal
matters. It was harder for me to just let go and act. As a result
there is a period of time where I feel that my performances were very
stiff and unnatural. To this day I can tell the difference and I can't
stand to listen to some of that work. So, I guess I would change that.
If you were to give
one piece of advice on how to act, what would you tell someone
interested in being an actor?
Well, first and
foremost, if you can picture yourself doing anything else for a career
and being happy, then do that instead. Acting is a very tough life and
I honestly wouldn't recommend it to just anyone; it has to be your
life's calling. But, for those who do choose this life, my advice would
be study, study, study. Acting is a very complex art and there are many
different approaches, styles and techniques. The more you know. . . the
more you know. Also, learn other peripheral skills associated with that
art. Learn to write. Learn to direct. Learn to edit or do sound
design. Learn to produce. The more you can do, the more value you have
in a production setting. Sometimes acting takes forever to make a
living at. But, if you have other skills in these fields, than you can
almost always find work in this art form. Remember to pay your bills
first :)
What do you like and
dislike about playing emotional scenes?
During a good part of
my teen years I was dealing some rather severe emotional issues. As a
result there were certain emotions that I just didn't have access to. I
remember on several occasions Bob Luttrell (our engineer) would make a
joke about how I was the boy that can't laugh or cry. So, during that
time scenes that were emotionally heavy tended to frighten me because I
didn't think I had the range to pull it off. Today, however, I love
emotional scenes as they tend to be a good therapeutic release for me.
What was your
favorite part of working with the AIO team?
The people who worked
on that show were the kindest most loving people I've ever had the good
fortune to work with. I never saw anyone have an ego trip, I never
heard an argument, no one ever didn't have fun. The feeling for me was
always like a family reunion. In the end, those are the memories I
cherish the most. My experience with AIO had very little to do with the
character or the stories, for me it was all about getting to see people
I cared about and the laughter and great times we shared in the studio.
What aspect of the
recording sessions did you like and dislike?
The smell of a
recording studio and the muffled sound of the studio doors closing are
sensory experiences that have permanently become a part of my DNA. I
love to record. Let me rephrase that: I LLLLOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE to
record!!! There is nothing about the sessions I dislike. Those
sessions truly were some of the most enjoyable times of my life. I
guess the only thing I don't like is that I don't get to do it with them
anymore :(
What was your
reaction to finding out you would be playing your last scenes as Jimmy
Barclay in "Pokenberry Falls, R.F.D."? How did you react when you were
asked to come back for another appearance in "Living in the Grey"?
When I came into the
studio that day and read the script for the first time I was
devastated. For me, this had always been something that set me apart
from everyone else I knew. The joy I had in doing it was now about to
end. It felt like a part of me had died and I couldn't get it back. I
had no control over it, which was very frustrating. No one asked me
about! But, of course they didn't, because if it were up to me every
episode would be all Jimmy all the time. By that point I had been
recording with AIO for 10 years. I was 20 years old that day. Half of
my life, my identity had been wrapped up in this project. To see it
come to an end broke my heart. I think I cried the whole way home that
day. I wouldn't get to see any of those guys again. When I got the
call about Living in the Gray my heart raced. All those old feelings
rushed back and I couldn't wait to get into the studio again. I tried
as hard as I could that day to deliver my best performance possible,
mostly in the hopes that they would go "Oh yeah, this guy is pretty good
at this, let's use him some more", but also so that I could walk away
from the session with my head held high and a smile on my face. It was
wonderful.
