Greetings once again, readers, and another edition of “In Their Own Words”. This time around, thanks in no small part to independent film director Sean Meehan and 2 of his short film projects that my site had the privilege of screening and reviewing (here & here) that included this individual, we bring further insight into the indie world via one of the actors who’s making it happen. Having worked with Sean for a total of 5 projects now, this accomplished thespian, dubbed by one source as the “Johnny Depp of Independent Film”, continues to keep a seriously busy filming schedule and build an ever-growing and ever-impressive resume. So, without further gilding of the lily as it were, OneFilmFan.com is proud to provide this interview with Timothy J. Cox!
One Film Fan: How about giving the readers an overview of who you are, where you’ve been, where you are, and how acting became a part of life.
Timothy J. Cox: Let’s see–the beginning–I was born in Philadelphia, the 3rd of 4 boys, so my parents are automatically saints. They raised four unruly and very, VERY different Irish Catholic boys. When I was maybe four or five, we moved to Wilmington, Delaware and that’s where I did the majority of my growing up. I had a pretty typical childhood. Sure, like every family we had our ups and downs, but overall it was a very happy time. My brothers and I played sports, which I was lousy at, but that didn’t stop me from having aspirations about being the next Mike Schmidt, Larry Bird, or Joe Montana.
As far as when acting came into my life–it’s funny–my brothers joke with me that I was an actor even before I decided to become one. I was always a bit of a ham as a kid–still one now–always doing impressions–bad ones–of Brando, George Burns and John Houseman. My family always got a kick out of it and I loved the sound of the laughter. They became my first audience and ever since I started working as an actor professionally, they have been supportive in every possible way. For a very brief amount of time, I thought about becoming a priest. I used to have pretend Mass in my bedroom, wearing my Dad’s robe. I’m not sure, but I probably liked the theatricality of the Mass–how the priest had the audience right in the palm of their hand.
My brothers were right I guess, I was born an actor. I studied acting in high school and in college and then moved to New York City in February of 2001. In that time, I’ve been lucky enough to work on many different projects in both the theatre and on film. I’m the kind of actor who goes where the wind takes him. After college, all I ever wanted was to be a decent supporting actor in the theatre, doing Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, etc., which I did for several years here in the city, with an occasional job working on short film. Over the last couple of years though, my focus has shifted to more and more film work. To me, it’s all part of being a journeymen actor and I’m enjoying the ride.
O.F.F.: How did you further learn the art (ie: mentors, influences, and schooling)?
TJC:I acted in high school plays and musicals and that was where I was first exposed to the craft. My first acting teacher was a man named David Patch. From him, I learned about objectives and intentions (What is the character fighting for?) and that has always stayed with me. I also learned a little about improvisation and Shakespeare as well, but more on that came later. It was a great time. Working in the theatre at that age really got me out of my shell, as I was an awkward, at times unsociable teen, but when I got on that stage, something clicked and I came alive. I do wish I paid more attention in those classes though. In a way, at that time, I still wanted to just get laughs. I didn’t have a technique or discipline for acting, which I acquired when I went to college.
Speaking of college, I went to Marietta College, a small liberal arts school in Marietta, Ohio, where I won a theatre scholarship, which paid for about a nickel’s worth of my tuition, but I was excited and of course, a little scared. I was on my own for the first time in my life–about 500-600 miles away from Delaware and it was pretty frightening at first being on my own, as I’m horrible at directions and things like that. I’m sure my parents were scared when they dropped me off, but looking back on it now, it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Of course, I got an education, but I also got important life experience, which is what you need as an actor and as a person. Of course, my family was always there to help me and boy, they helped me a lot, but overall, my college experience made me ready for anything, especially New York City and the hard, hard, hard life of an actor.
At Marietta, I was able to get onstage right away, which was nice, but I learned right away that I didn’t know anything about acting. Thankfully, I had a very, VERY tough teacher/director, a man named Steve Rader. He was a man who didn’t sugarcoat anything. If you were doing something on stage that he did not like, he had no problem letting you know, often quite bluntly and even profanely. It was jarring at first, of course, but I learned, after working with him for a couple of years that if he was hard on you, that meant that he saw something in you. The harder he was on me, the harder I worked. That was where I learned about technique and that being an actor requires a considerable amount of discipline, but also ease and relaxation. To create art, you must do so with a sense of ease. In the years after college, I learned more about ease and relaxation from a great actor/director/teacher here in New York named Stanley Harrison, who turned me on to the acting techniques of Michael Chekhov, whose work became associated with ”the power of the imagination”. I got hooked on that and it has solidified my approach to the work even more.
As far as influences–well, all actors influence me, as do all directors and writers, but the three biggest acting influences on me were Jason Robards, Spencer Tracy, and Jack Lemmon. Lemmon was the biggest of them all. I’ve probably seen every thing that he ever did on film. The everyman characters that he portrayed so wonderfully, who were so familiar up there on screen, they really appealed to me because they were so honest and true; guys going out there in the world and just trying to make sense of it all and just get through this wild world. Lemmon’s performance in “Days of Wine and Roses” knocked me out. With that performance, he showed that you could entertain and enlighten. I think about the amazing scene in the greenhouse, where he just tears it apart or the one in the drunk tank. Man, it gives me chills just thinking about it.
After seeing that, I knew that I was an actor.
O.F.F.: Your very first film acting job. What was it, how did it go, and additionally, how did that moment in time influence you as an actor?
TJC: When I was in grade school, in the 8th Grade, there were auditions for the school musical and since the auditions were being held during the school day, during Math class, I decided to audition, just to get out of class. It was a musical version of the O’Henry story “The Gift of The Magi” called “Rags to Riches”. I remember the director, Bruce Laird, he was this grand, larger than life kind of character, like Santa Claus really, with the white-hair, big belly and glasses. Man, he was a big presence. I went into the audition with no desires or aspirations to be an actor. I still wanted to be an athlete, but I auditioned and he must have seen something because he cast me in the leading role and I’ve been hooked as an actor ever since. I also got my first real bit of acting advice during that first show and it has always stuck with me. It was from the school principal, Sister Phyllis. She came backstage before a performance and told me not to act, but to react. Smart lady.
O.F.F.: Based on your bio, you are truly one accomplished actor, scoring a total of 114 credits in a mix of both TV series and films! Honestly, very impressive considering it all started only 13 years ago or so! Even one time called the “Johnny Depp of independent cinema”! How has it been to garner such success?
TJC: Oh, I’m just getting started. I’m very much a ”work in progress”. I think all actors are. We’re still students, really. Actors never stop learning and growing, so my experiences so far have really been a continuation of my education and it’s been exciting and fun, but honestly, I’m just getting started.
O.F.F.: Has there been a certain character (or characters) to date you’ve enjoyed playing in particular and why?
TJC: I’ve always been a character actor. I knew that about myself when I started, which has saved me a lot of frustrations in this life, one that is often filled with rejections, disappointment and other frustrations. For me, I’ve never gotten down about not getting a job, because when you’re a character actor, there’s always something around the corner. I love the character roles, the shrinks, the lawyers, the cops, the principals. To me, those roles are richer and more interesting to play, so to have played all of these fun little supporting/character parts over the years, where you come in for a scene or two, score your points and then get out of there; that’s been the best.
O.F.F.: What have the experiences been like in TV roles vs. film roles? Similar? Completely different?
TJC: TV shows tend to take longer to shoot, because there’s so much to cover, whereas on the indie projects that I have done, you’re moving really fast in some cases, because, for example, you have to be out of a location at a certain time because you have several other set ups to do that day. It’s very exciting, but also a little nerve wrecking, as in those cases, you the actor only have 1-3 takes to get it right, so it keeps you on your toes.
O.F.F.: Now I also notice from your bio that you still continue to spend quite a portion of time on stage acting on top of your film and television work. Have you found pursuing both to be equally fulfilling? Or is there really one or the other that ultimately has your heart?
TJC: For me, work is work. Whether on stage or in a film. Both are and will always be satisfying for me. Whether it’s walking onto a stage or onto a film set, I get those butterflies, but also a feeling of ”home”. Like, this is where I belong.
O.F.F.: So, onto your recently completed project, the short film “Total Performance”, currently out and available online. How did this opportunity come about for you?
TJC: I’m always bugging Sean about the ”next project” and one day he sent me a script to read and I really dug it. I thought it was really unique, original and challenging. I trust Sean completely, so I knew that whatever he was doing to do with this was going to be great. Of course, when I read it, I gravitated to Walter immediately. It’s the supporting actor mentality in me. Something just clicked.
O.F.F.: Tell us a little bit about the character you play in it, Walter Baron.
TJC: Walter is a man who runs a business with his best friend…and he comes to Total Performance to ”audition” a scenario where he has to fire this best friend and Cori, played by Tory Berner, serves as his sparring dummy of sorts. It’s obviously very difficult for him, but he knows also that it has to be done.
O.F.F.: Given the unique premise of this film, how was it to watch it all unfold during filming and see the concept come to life as an actor?
TJC: It was fun to be on the set and see it all come to life. I give Sean a lot of credit, because this is an idea that one could go over the top with…make it kind of farcical, which could work, but I think Sean was searching for something different, deeper even.
O.F.F.: How was it working alongside fellow actors Steven Conroy, Tory Berner, Caitlin Berger, Anthony Rainville, and Paul Locke among others?
TJC: I worked on the film for just one day, so the only cast members I met and worked with were Tory and Anthony, who were great. I did meet Steven and Caitlin, albeit briefly, at the auditions for the film. They’re both excellent in the film. Everyone across the board, cast and crew, were solid.
O.F.F.: You’ve collaborated with director Sean Meehan for a total of 5 films now! I am guessing at this point you kinda like working for the guy? Would that be an accurate statement? And how was it working again with him on this project?
TJC: Honestly, he’s the best. I mean, if you look at the films that Sean and I have done together, Sean is responsible for some of my most favorite and my most challenging roles. “Mallas, MA” was a blast, as was the first film we did together in 2010, “Over Coffee”–so anytime he has a project, no matter the size of the part, I always want to be involved, because I’m always in good hands. He runs a really fun and organized set, has a great sense of humor. His energy is just so infectious that it energizes you. He becomes your biggest fan and your biggest champion and it just makes you want to deliver your best.
Now that he’s moved to Brooklyn, hopefully, we’ll be working together even more. (Hint, Hint, Sean.)
O.F.F.: What other projects are on the horizon or would you LIKE to be involved with?
TJC: In the end of October, I will be heading to Pennsylvania to work on a thriller called “The Deal”, being produced by Ghost in the Machine Films. It’s like a “Twilight Zone” episode, so I’m excited about that. I have several indie short films in post- production now–a comedy called “Elmore Dean”, and the dramas “Dirty Books” from Fitch Fort Films in Massachusetts, and “Here Lies Joe” from Mark Battle of Sweven Films in New Hampshire. I saw a cut of that film last week and it’s beautiful. We’ll have to get that one in your hands when it’s finished. I also have the dramas “Bulldog”, “Trading Hands”, and “Misophonia” in post-production.
I should mention that I’m also very excited that “Total Performance” will be screening in the Big Apple Film Festival here in the city on November 7th.
O.F.F.: Independent film has most certainly been a primary force in your acting career. As I have found it to be a true bastion of story and character being king over special effects and other Hollywood-style fluff that truly can be shallow at times, how much importance would you place on the need for more awareness and promotion of independent cinema and making sure these films get more overall exposure?
TJC:We desperately need that, as how are the filmmakers of tomorrow going to be seen and recognized? As it is, it’s very difficult for short films to get press. Thankfully, sites like yours, as well as Nicholas La Salla of Forest City Short Film Review, Rogue Cinema, and a few others exist and support and champion short films, but every year that field gets smaller and smaller.
For me, I’ll just keep plugging away, as my overall goal has always been to be involved in the best projects with the best people and whether it’s a leading role or a supporting role, in theatre or film, it doesn’t matter; it’s all about doing good work.
O.F.F.: You probably knew this was coming if you read any of my other interviews, so no excuses not to be prepared. What is YOUR favorite film of all time? Why?
TJC: This is easy because my favorite movie, I think, is probably a favorite of many people, so it’s not likely going to be much of a surprise, but it’s a movie that I think is absolutely perfect in every way, from the acting to the directing to the writing to the music to the lighting and to the cinematography–it’s “The Godfather”. I could watch that movie over and over again–and I have. To me, there is not a single thing wrong with it. It just grabs you and never lets go.
And that puts an excellent exclamation point to this wonderfully in depth journey into the life of yet another actor from the independent film arena who strives to illustrate his personal passion for the art he loves by consistently diving in to the projects that strike him and/or are offered that will provide that next opportunity to grow in his profession and support indie cinema. We will be keeping a watchful eye on this current star and current projects he is involved with, as it appears the future shows no signs of slowing down for him! So, want to keep up on Timothy J. Cox and what he’s delving into next? Try these options:
Check out Timothy’s website: here
“Like” the “Total Performance” Facebook Page: here
And why not check out the film itself: here
Once again, OneFilmFan.com extends a heartfelt “Thank You!!” to Timothy J. Cox for taking his valuable time from one whopper of a schedule to do this interview! We wish him nothing but the best, look forward to staying connected with his involvement (and reviews!) of future projects, and also wish “Total Performance” a fantastic screening on November 7th at the Big Apple Film Festival!
Stay tunes to OneFilmFan.com for more exciting reviews and interviews from the indie realms! Until next time, spread the word and thank you for reading!
Tim is a class act and a very talented actor — glad to see him getting the props he deserves. Great interview! Loved his work in “Mallas, MA” and “Socks & Coffee”, among many others!