1. When and why did you decide to be an actor?

I first discovered acting when I was a senior in high school. I took a class to impress a girl and found the first academic pursuit (if you can call it that) that I truly cared about. I’m glad I enjoyed the class since I didn’t get the girl... well, that one anyway.

I went to college on a full acting scholarship but majored in beer and women instead and wasn’t very successful in either pursuit. I eventually met my wife. She straightened me out, got me back on track and I graduated with a degree and a decent GPA (not in theater mind you).

Shortly after, 9/11 happened and I joined the Air Force as a logistics officer. While stationed at Holloman AFB, I became a project officer supporting the Dreamworks film Transformers. While assisting and coordinating I met all the right people and ended up reading for and landing a role.

2. What is the most helpful book you've read on acting?

I’d have to say “The Intent to Live” by Larry Moss. It was recommended to me by casting director and actress Sally Jackson and was an incredible read.

3. What do you value most about your experiences so far?

In acting? Every moment I’ve spent on set, from low-budget camcorder shorts to major league productions has been magical. I love it. I think I was born to do this. It’s hard to pick a favorite show or production.

In real life, my military experience probably contributes the most background knowledge to my acting, though being a husband and father definitely ranks above those in my personal life.

4. Who are your favorite actors and why?

I like the chameleons... the actors that change so much from role to role like Johnny Depp, Gary Oldman, Stellan Skarsgaard, Edward Norton and even Brad Pitt. My hero is Matt Damon though because of his work ethic and love for what he does.

5. Who are your favorite directors and why?

I love anyone who can tell a good story and make movies they want to see. Some of my favorites are Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Bryan Singer, M. Night Shyamalan, Zack Snyder and Guy Ritchie.

6. What are your favorite films and why?

Anything I can watch over and over again. These are films with great characters and storylines that don’t have disappointing endings. There are plenty of great movies, but for it to be something I really want to see again and again, I need hope. Some of my favorites are Grosse Pointe Blank, Kill Bill, Frailty, Star Wars, Unbreakable, The Princess Bride, Equilibrium and Reservoir Dogs (there’s always an exception).

7. What was it like acting in Michael Bay's Transformers?

It was AMAZING. It’s what ruined me. When they wrapped me, I felt like I’d been stabbed in the chest. The only way I could make myself feel better was to promise myself I’d keep doing it. Now I’m separating from the military so I can do it more often.

Transformers was so amazing because there were so many industry veterans roaming around. They were fabulous to work with and incredibly professional. It was just a great experience all around.

8. Did you get any direction from Michael Bay or meet any of the leads? Do you have any other stories about this experience?

Michael directed me on both nights of shooting. He was great. The man is EVERYWHERE. He bounces around at 90 miles an hour and just makes things happen... things that shouldn’t be possible. He was fantastic.

Josh Duhamel was a great guy. I heard a lot of great stories from the airmen (almost all the Army guys from the opening scene were Air Force folks on leave or shooting on the weekends) about how personable he was. I went to a bowling night and met Zack Ward. He was also a pretty fun guy to be around.

However, Glenn Morshower and Charlie Bodin were the highlights for me. Charlie was great because he was this young guy from Texas who had made that decision. He was an actor, at the beginning of his career, and he had just nailed a decent role in Transformers. How cool is that? He was also just great to work with.

Glenn was so inspiring. He’d worked over 250 TV shows and movies BEFORE I met him and has done God knows how many since then. He’s a true working actor. He also does a motivational workshop geared primarily toward actors, but it really applies to everyone, and was kind enough to share his experiences and his DVD with Charlie and I. He also gave me some rather flattering compliments and encouraged me to BE an actor. We still keep in touch and I owe him a lot.

9. How did you get a part in Transformers?

I was working a lot of the behind the scenes stuff setting up the SOCCENT Operations Base in Qatar (AKA Holloman AFB in New Mexico). I met some incredible folks behind the scenes (too many to list) and in the process met the locations casting director Sally Jackson. I ran into her at lunch one day and she told me they had a role they were trying to fill still. When I told her I had been an actor, she asked why I hadn’t read for the role. Later that day I read and nailed it. The next thing I knew, I was on set with Glenn, Charlie and Michael Bay.

10. What are the most difficult challenges you've faced as an actor?

Unique to me would be that the military is a hard day job to support an acting habit. It’s never really a choice between a job and a role. If I don’t show up to work, I don’t get fired. I’m considered AWOL and can go to jail.

More applicable to all actors; you can’t really make a living doing this early on unless you’re really lucky. I haven’t been that lucky.

11. What do you think makes a great director?

A great director has to balance art and talent with organization and structure especially when working with the major studios. You’re translating someone else’s vision (writer/producer) into something with your own personal artistic slant while at the same time dealing with time and budget constraints, not to mention difficult personalities.

In relation to the actor, a good director walks a tight rope between allowing an actor to explore a role and being able to pull them back in when they detract from the overall vision. This can be especially difficult for younger directors working with name A-List talent. Actors are a sensitive lot.

12. What is the most fun you've ever had on a film set and why?

I’d have to say Coyote County Loser has been the most fun to make. It was a major supporting role for me and the entire cast and crew were such a team. Everyone was working together to make it a great film... and in my opinion... we succeeded.

13. Did you have any traditional education or training in this industry?

I took several acting classes in college with Dr. Jay Fields out at Missouri Southern in Joplin. He’s retiring this year, but I hope he continues to teach in his free time. I’ve also had the pleasure of learning from some of the greatest casting directors around such as Kathy Brink, Shari Rhodes and Toni Cobb Brock. All three are fabulous ladies, industry veterans and amazing teachers. If you get a chance to take a class from them or read for them, or just have coffee with them, TAKE IT.

14. What can a director do to best help an actor? Do you have any personal stories of how a director helped you?

Tell me what you want. I work for you. I’ve been fortunate enough that all the directors I’ve worked with have not hesitated to tell me what they needed.

15. Is there a particular method of acting you use or do you feel any methods are better than others?

I don’t really have a method. I try to be the character and imagine what they would feel in a given situation, I suppose borrowing from personal experience, but I don’t spend hours of time buried in the script.

16. What do you think makes a really good movie and why?

Again, hope is key. Too many movies end on a horrible down note. Even the tragedies of Shakespeare had hope in the ending. Besides the normal requirements for a decent cast, crew and script, I think the ability to keep me in the movie. There’s suspension of disbelief and then there is absurdity. Don’t cross into the absurd unless it’s obvious that’s what you’re trying to do.

17. What is your highest priority as an actor?

STAR WARS TV SHOW. I want my own Star Wars figure. :)

18. What do you think is the key to succeeding in this industry?

Talent, persistence and professionalism. Talent is something you have or you don’t. It can’t be acquired. Persistence is vital. I hear a lot about luck... even in my case. However, it was my professionalism that opened the door and my talent that got me the role. Now, it will be persistence that keeps me in the business.

19. What is the most importance piece of advice you'd give an aspiring actor?