Sorry For My Loss was named Best Short Film by the Lacorne International Film Festival, Best Narrative Short by the IndieEye Film Awards and Best Director by the Big Fridge International Film Festival. We recently sat down with Jared to discuss this amazing film, career, best advice given and more. Enjoy!
Brett-Jared, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. When viewers have the opportunity to watch this, what do you hope viewers walk away with after seeing it?
Jared-"Of course! Thank you for having me. When viewers watch this, I hope what they take away from this film is that you are deserving of actual love. You are worth every emotion and feeling that you have, and it’s validated. Dealing with mental or narcissistic abuse is something I feel that a lot of people go through and if this helps someone deal with that, then that’s all I could’ve asked for. I wish I had a film like this when I was going through something similar as it would’ve helped me identify the problem and saved me so much time that I spent hurting."
Brett-What was it that interested you, and put you on the path to becoming an artist and storyteller?
Jared-"I just really enjoyed telling stories and putting on a show. Even when I was young, I was always crafting stories of some kind. It allowed me to escape reality for a bit and look at someone else’s life. Now I literally get to put myself in someone else’s shoes, get a different view on the world, and see how someone else lives. I think acting is a wonderful outlet and it helps process emotions. I was making edits to a script last week and when I was writing some heavy dialog, I found myself just crying at my computer because it was so on-the-nose with what I was going through, and I didn’t realize it. Telling real and heartfelt stories is what put me on the path to becoming a storyteller because I tell stories that I wish were around when I needed them."
Brett-As an artist and creative, how do you define success?
Jared-"I define success by how the film or show I’ve done affects someone. If I made at least one person feel the way that I intended them to, then I was successful. I say this all the time and I also mean it every time: I don’t really care if people recognize me on the streets or if I have millions of social media followers. What I care about is that I told a meaningful story and you, as the viewer, connected with it. As my career keeps growing, the projects keep growing, and I’m very grateful for the success I’ve had thus far in my journey because it has enabled me to work on some very large upcoming productions that I can’t wait to announce to everyone."
Brett- Oftentimes as creatives we can find ourselves sitting around waiting for opportunities to happen. Clearly, this amazing film and the creation of it is the complete opposite. What would you say to the individual who may feel stuck or afraid to take the leap and pursue their idea or passion?
Jared-"I would say you have to jump then fall because you never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try. I used to be afraid of pursuing this industry because of what people would say and it stopped me for a long time. I had to let that go because you can’t let other people’s opinions of you dictate your life. If you have a good idea and you’re passionate about it, then you’ll find a way to make it work. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals because having a good team is going to fuel you. Your passion is worth the effort and how do you expect others to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself. It only takes one to say yes to make your dreams happen. "
Brett- What is the best advice you have been given in your life/career that has sustained you and kept you moving forward?
Jared- "That’s a phenomenal question. I’ve learned that as your career grows your following and fan base grows which also means an influx of people are messaging you to try and garner a bit of your attention. Sometimes those messages are pleasant, and people want a genuine connection with you while other messages are very far out there and unsettling. When I couldn’t respond to everyone or I wouldn’t respond to specific messages, I started to get uncomfortable and disrespectful messages from fans. It started to take a real toll on my mental health, so I stopped responding to everyone altogether for a bit. I was talking to Iliza Shlesinger about this at a comedy club and the best advice she gave me was that I am an actor and a creative. It’s impossible to validate everyone’s message or feelings because I would spend my entire day replying to people. My job is to create the best film that I can and hope it touches people the way I intended it to. I think about her words all the time. I think about that conversation with Iliza very frequently as I progress in my career. It was perfect timing too because I met her and got that advice right when I needed it the most."
Brett- Jared thanks for spending time with us today!
