How about that five-year plan? Where do you see yourself? We’ve heard this asked or asked of us countless times, most likely when it comes to the notion of assessing the future and the goals we might attain or have in mind. Yet, can it be said that there are those moments when you stepped out into the unknown with only a vague concept of what may or may not be when it comes to finding success in a given field, especially when you might not even believe yourself that you would have an impact large enough to establish a skill that would shake up “the norm” or what could be deemed “the standard”.
Well, I know for myself I can certainly attest to taking that leap of faith into the vastness that is the universe of film and being granted opportunity to connect with those who make these works of art come to life, so much of which has gone far beyond what I ever would have conceived it would. As such, as OneFilmFan.com is enjoying its sixth year on the map, the fifth engaging as a fresh, creative, unique voice in support of independent cinema worldwide, and there is one individual who has been with me almost the entire time now. His name? Timothy J. Cox, a consummate character actor whom I’ve had the distinct honor of meeting in person while watching him hone his craft through a multitude of films he’s been a part of.
Whether as a lead or as a supporting player, Cox shines so brightly in every role I’ve ever seen him engage in, and it was at his most excellent suggestion on the five year mark of the first interview I ever did with him, we take the time now to allow this amazingly talented actor to look back on the last five years and five films that have stuck out for him as highlights of an ever-building resumé of work that more than warrants attention. Therefore, let’s dive right in with the Man of Many Facets & Characters, Timothy J. Cox.
One Film Fan: Always a treat to connect with you! Hard to believe it’s been 5 full years since our first foray into the world of indie cinema from Mr. Cox’s perspective! Been a pleasure to watch your work continue to shine! Describe the last five years for you career-wise.
Timothy J Cox: Thank you so much Kirk. It is always a pleasure to speak with you as well and as always, thank you for your kind words and for your support.
As far as the last five years, all I can really say is that my lucky streak continues. I truly believe that I have been very lucky and fortunate in that I have had a chance to work on many excellent projects. I’ve worked with very talented people on solid scripts, each script providing a lot of excitement and plenty of challenges. I really do feel blessed.
I still consider myself a student at this whole thing, so each time I step onto a film set, it’s like going to school. I get to play and pretend, step inside someone else’s shoes and walk around for a little while. I still get fulfillment from that.
O.F.F.: As an actor, when you’ve performed in such a significant body of work as you have, what is it like when you’ve done a film (or films?) you might not have actually been pleased with, but still aimed to put your best efforts into individually? Is it possible to have personal fulfillment even in those projects that weren’t so great?
T.J.C.: Absolutely. I certainly have a few films that I am not as enamored with, but I wouldn’t have missed working on them for the world, because it’s all about the experience. For me, the joy of acting is in the doing of it…the work. That’s what I love. Even if a film doesn’t come out the way you thought or wanted, you still learn so much about the process and about yourself just from doing it. You’re going to have hits and misses in this work and that’s OK. The key is to keep plugging away and enjoy the journey.
O.F.F.: Ok, time for the greatest hits as chosen by, of course, yourself! The Fabulous Five projects you’ve singled out as most enjoyable and successful you’ve been a part of are: “Here Lies Joe”, “Dirty Books”, “To Be Alone”, “Doll It Up” (for which he won a “Best Actor In A Comedy” award from BestActorAward.com!) , and “Miss Freelance” (for which he won a “Best Supporting Actor” award from BestActorAward.com!). Now, let’s get into some talk about these as follows–Firstly, the beauty of indie cinema, I say so often, is the focus on strong narrative and character development. Did each of these draw you to them because of this? Or were there other factors?
T.J.C.: In the case of all of these films, which I am extremely proud of, it all came down to the quality of the writing. That’s what drew me to them. It always comes down to the writing for me. Everything starts on the page. If you have a solid script, a large portion of your job as an actor is done for you.
The characters of Bill in “Here Lies Joe, Dr. Bradley in “Dirty Books”, William in “To Be Alone”, Gunther in “Doll It Up” and Ben in “Miss Freelance” were unique and challenging. You want challenges as an actor. You want to push yourself and be pushed by the material.
O.F.F.: It’s an affecting mix of dark drama, humor both twisted and light, fragile psyches, triumphs and defeats, sobering realities being faced, joys and sorrows, satirical and serious life lessons being presented, and an often greater, eccentric transparency given to the human condition that come up in this collection above. What was it like to prepare for and experience the emotional kaleidoscope navigated in these films?
T.J.C.: The preparation is the same for every project I work on. I read the script over and over and over again and I learn it cover to cover. I make notes on the character; map out their intentions and objectives. And I ask questions. What does the character want? What are they fighting for? This information often changes as you are working on a character. It’s all about laying the ground work. I try to prepare myself as much as possible. Preparation is always key.
The more prepared I am, the more relaxed I am and the more relaxed you are as an actor, the more open and available you are for things that happen in the moment in a scene, as things always change when you are on set. An actor needs to be open and available. When you are open and available, you feel a freedom to play around with things when you are on the set, especially when you are working with your fellow actors.
And when you play, those little bits of inspiration often pop up in a scene or “happy accidents” as Peter Sellers used to call them. You get into a zone and when you get into that zone, you feel a rhythm, a music. It’s a beautiful feeling, when it works. You feel like you can do anything. And yes, I can feel it when it doesn’t work. I can feel it when I’m pushing too much or ”acting” too much. That’s when I’m thankful for another take.
O.F.F.: Along the same lines, the characters you have embodied in each of these likewise so greatly vary, yet also to me share similar overall traits of being both calculating yet undeniably vulnerable. Thoughts on these people you’ve become in the aforementioned films?
T.J.C.: You said the magic word right there: vulnerable. When you show a characters vulnerability, you show their humanity.
T.J.C.: I just remember being in awe of actors like Maddie Murphy in “Miss Freelance” and Andi Morrow in “Here Lies Joe”. Both of those ladies give beautiful performances in those films. I also enjoyed working with Noah Lewis Bailey in “Dirty Books”. I thought we had a nice chemistry in our two scenes together and Noah was such a nice guy to work with.
I will say though that the blowup doll in “Doll It Up” was very difficult to work with. Very demanding.
O.F.F.: Also, given the perspective we’re talking here, have you felt as an actor and being involved in the arena of indie cinema that its finally starting to get better exposure and more (well-deserved) recognition as you’ve journeyed through its realms to date?
T.J.C.: Absolutely. I started working in film almost exclusively in 2010 and in the last 10 years, I have seen considerable growth in the exposure and recognition of indie cinema. There are more film sites, like OneFilmFan.com, that are open to cover and review indie shorts, features. There are film festivals all over the world that welcome indie cinema with open arms and it’s been wonderful to see and be a very, very small part of.
O.F.F.: Like we’ve been indicating, it’s been 5 years since our first interview. What aspirations are you aiming for in the NEXT five years as an actor, especially given a recent move from NYC to Ohio, and if you haven’t already expanded on this, how have you felt you’ve grown AS an actor and a person?
T.J.C.: Right now, I, like all people, are taking things one day at a time, as we navigate through this unprecedented time in our history. It all seems unreal to me. But here we are and fight on, we must.
I usually take one day at a time anyway, but my hope is that over the next five years that my luck will continue. I will certainly continue to work hard, push myself and enjoy the ride.
Leaving NYC was hard, but I thought it was important to hit the “restart” button and Ohio, specifically Bellbrook, has been a perfect place for a fresh start with my wife Jamie and our two year old son, Spencer. I went to college in Ohio (Marietta College) so the state has a special place in my heart. We have family and friends all over the state, which is wonderful.
It really is nice to be back and when it is safe to return to work and we have a vaccine for the coronavirus, it is my hope that I will have a chance to connect and work with the many talented artists in Ohio, in film and in theatre.
I’m hopeful.
O.F.F.: In this day and age of COVID-19, with your family of course being most important, what is your current “go-to” binge-worthy film or TV watching suggestion for the masses?
T.J.C.: My wife and I just binged on the first season of the Irish series “Normal People” on Hulu and it’s wonderful. It stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal and they are fantastic.
I also went old school and binged on the 80’s detective series “Spenser: For Hire” with Robert Urich as well as the Ian McShane comedy/drama series, “Lovejoy”. It was my second time watching the entire “Lovejoy” series and it’s one of my all time favorites.
I introduced my wife to “Raising Arizona” and it had been years since I had seen the film. It was a reminder of how awesome the Coen Brothers are.
Beautifully succinct, with a splash of humor, and displaying that down-to-earth, intelligent, grounded demeanor and unrelenting persistence that has allowed him to achieve all that he has (with only the promise, I firmly believe, of even bigger and better things to come!), this has been a wonderfully entertaining, informative journey of introspection that illustrates the love of acting and character-driven narrative Cox has enjoyed being a part of for so many years now. No matter the current circumstances, may this only be the start of what we as filmgoers and film lovers get to witness Cox presenting to us, having that excited anticipation of what the next five years might reveal for this prolific actor’s skills to be utilized through on screen and stage. Thanks for all you’ve done and all you’ve yet to do, Timothy!
Say, how about keeping up to date with what the esteemed Mr. Cox is up to. Check out all these ways to do so:
On Instagram: HERE
On Twitter: HERE
On Facebook: HERE
On IMDb: HERE
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Great interview!!!!