We recently connected with Timothy J. Cox and have shared our conversation below.
Timothy J., we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Am I good enough?
And every time I would get down, I would always hear my father‘s voice. He would always say to me that, in this life that I have chosen, that I would have to be relentless because it’s not an easy life.
I was going to hear the word “no” a lot.
I was going to have doors slammed in my face.
I was going to have people that are going to tell me, often quite bluntly, that I’m not good enough and that I should quit.
But if I am relentless in my goals and in my pursuits, that will give me strength and resiliency and that strength and resiliency would sustain me during the dark or unproductive periods.
And my father was right.
So, the answer is, definitely my father.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an actor who has played close to 200 roles on stage and in film, who specialize in character / supporting roles. My belief is that ”Character actors always work”. Over the years, I have been very fortunate to have had a chance to be a part of many wonderful films and theatrical productions. In everything I do, I try to be diverse in the types of projects that I get involved in and do projects that challenge me emotionally, mentally, physically. That’s part of the journey of an actor. We are always on the hunt for a challenge. Actors want and should want roles that test them. These days, if a role scares me, I am all in. Each time I step onto a film set or on to a stage, 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. You never stop learning in this work. There’s always something else to discover. You can always dig a little deeper, do a little bit more investigation. That’s where the mystery lies in this whole thing. It’s tough and it should be tough, but it’s also a lot of fun, if you let it be fun.
Professionally speaking, I have been busy.
The films ”Ready Cash” (directed by Austin and Dylan Shell), ”Sisyphus Unbound” (directed by Ryan Fleming), ”Rewriting Mallory” (directed by Emerson Adams) and ”As i Believe the World To Be” (directed by Spooky Madison) were released in 2023. Both ”Sisyphus Unbound” and ”Rewriting Mallory” received almost universal praise from critics around the world.
In May of 2023, I wrote/co-produced and starred in the film “After”, which tells the story of a father, who is a veteran police detective, who must choose between following the law and seeking vengeance after the murder of his police officer son in the line of duty. The film was co-produced, edited and directed by Thomas Angeletti of Alysm Films. I had the honor and privilege of working with the stellar crew of Maya Ahmed (Assistant Director), Jake Reynolds (Director of Photography), Robert Morris (Sound), Alex Johnson (Sound), Dorothy Gerwing (Set Decorator) and Beth Metcalf, an amazing actress, who played my daughter Annie in the film. The film was completed in July 2023 and was released for a festival / critical run. It has since received rave reviews from critics all over the world and was recently made available for viewing on the site Shortverse. The film is available for viewing at this link: https://www.shortverse.
I also collaborated with Tom and the same team again on the upcoming slasher horror film ”Friends Forever”, which I had a ball working on. This film is also set for a festival / critical release before the end of 2023.
A few months ago, I wrapped a supporting role on the black comedy ”When Eliza Met Penny”, directed by Richard Russell of Dark Hearts Productions. The film stars Heather Bayles, Allison Marie Rogers, Patrick Johnston and Brett Voina and is scheduled for a February/March 2024 release.
I recently wrapped on the film ”Road to Mimosaville” which is a fun and energetic homage to the recently departed Jimmy Buffett, written and directed by Trevor Seech-Hrvatin. The film is scheduled for a 2024 release.
Moving forward, I’ll be collaborating with Tom Angeletti and team again on two other scripts that I have written, a comedy titled ”Sundays With Dad”, where I co-star with the wonderful actor George R. Hildebrand. Tom will be directing the film and George will play my father, Ben who is a widower who misses his wife Maggie, but finds solace in his weekly meetings with his actor son, Jason. One day, Ben reveals to Jason that he has hired a prostitute, not for sexual favors, but simply for companionship. The script was inspired by the plays/screenplays of Neil Simon. Doc’s scripts were, of course, very funny, but he also had the ability to bring a tear to your eye with something heartfelt, honest and true. George and I have already started rehearsing and I think it’s going to be fantastic. Jake Reynolds will be returning as director of photography and Robert Morris and Alex Johnson will be on board again for their great sound work. Production is tentatively set for Summer 2024.
I also wrote the script, ”Hall of Famer”, which stars the amazing Julie Carney as Molly Hendricks, whose normal, quiet life is interrupted when she receives a visit from her lawyer, informing her that she is about to be inducted into the adult film Hall of Fame. Turns out that Molly once worked as an adult film actress. I’m so thrilled that I will get to act alongside Julie again (as her husband Dan in this film. Julie and I also appeared together as husband and wife in ”Friends Forever”) as well as my ”After” co-star Beth Metcalf (who plays our daughter, Chloe). The cast also features the stellar talents of Patrick Johnston (as Ricardo ‘Oli’ Oliveras), Tom Cline (as Larry Hendricks), Robert Morris (as Jerry Malley) and Alex Johnson (as Mickey Blue). Jake Reynolds will be behind the camera again as director of photography for the project.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Key Things That Work For Me:
Attitude: 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.
Gratitude: 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.
Preparedness: 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.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
You must be at ease, in your mind and in your body.
If you walk onto a film set or into a rehearsal room and you bring in your personal and emotional baggage (if you had a bad day; a breakup; an argument, etc.) you will not be able to work, to create.
Before you cross the threshold into that space (film set, rehearsal room, etc.), you must leave your baggage at the door, because if you bring it in, it will cloud your judgement. You will not be in the right head space to create. You will not relaxed. You will not be open.. You will not be at ease.
It always helps me to listen to music. I try to find a piece of music that matches up to the personality of the character that I am playing; kind of like their theme music. It helps get me into ”the zone”.
Breathing / relaxation techniques also help me as well; anything that gets me to that place of ease.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.imdb.me/timothyjcox
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timothyjcox/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialtimothyjcox/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimothyJCoxAct
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TimothyJCoxActor
