Russ Russo
Russ Russo is an American actor known for such as Ghetto Dawg (2002), Phileine Says Sorry (2003), A New Wave (2006), London Betty (2009), Two Years (2010), Donner Pass (2011), Revolution (2012), Blue Collar Boys (2013) and Catch Hell (2014).
Russ can be seen most recently in 2015 drama An Act of War, in which he portrays Jacobs Nicks, a war Veteran battling insomnia & undiagnosed PTSD. Jacob works nights as a projectionist at a decrepit theatre. While struggling to adapt to civilian life, he soon finds himself tangled in an inescapable web of seduction, addiction, & violence.
Screen Nut caught up with Russ to talk about his latest film and how he prepared for the role, his dream co-star and what we can expect to see from him in the near future.
SN: Hello Russ, and welcome. Thank you for giving up some of your time for this interview. I’d like to start off by talking about your recently released film An Act of War, in which you portray a war veteran struggling with insomnia and PTSD. How did you prepare for the role?
Russ: I started off in my usual manner, reading the script over & over, research, talking with friends that are Veterans, videos, literature, but then something started to happen & I realized that my biological father had come back from Vietnam with PTSD, my mother left him when I was 5 as his PTSD was quite severe & I hadn't seen him in about 25 years or so & I was to reconnect with him before filming, but was told he was dying of cancer soon after, so I was fortunate enough to get to visit with him one last time & then he passed away my first days of shooting the film. I then started to have memories, both emotionally & psychologically, that started to affect the way I approached the role. I was once told that film is about self realization & never understood it as a young actor, I knew there was something I wanted to say in the art, but I quickly realized that I didn't choose this Movie, it chose me.
SN: Given that PTSD is such a relevant and sensitive subject, how did you deal with the issue emotionally as an actor taking on this character?
Russ: I still don't think people are aware, as much as they could be, about PTSD & the issues facing troops returning home from the horrors of war & then these brave men & women are being asked to just block all those memories out & live a happy, peaceful life in modern day society.
I got this script in early 2011, so, as I began the role of 'Jacob Nicks', I thought that emotionally I had prepared myself as an actor for the next couple months of filming, but I didn't anticipate the depths to which this role was going to take me & toward the end of the shoot, there was a scene, that has been removed from the film, in which the character completely loses it emotionally & cries hard, very hard & it was one of the most cathartic things I've ever done in film, they just kept rolling for 20 minutes of this, 4 takes or so & I had no understanding of just how much pent-up emotion, sadness, anger & desperation was in there, when I was done, I knew I could leave both my Biological Father & 'Jacob Nicks' in that room.
SN: What would you say is the overall message of An Act of War, and what are you hoping that audiences will take away from it?
Russ: You know, film is really subjective & watching it will always be about your own experience, if someone takes away from this movie that they can relate to Jacob, maybe, they might see PTSD as something that they'd like to discuss. We're all human, I hope, it's a human issue.
Russ Russo as Jacob Nicks in An Act of War.
SN: Tell me about the circumstances that led you into acting.
Russ: I was 23 & had been in College, but had no direction. I had no idea of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, that seems like a daunting task, to choose the rest of your life at 23. I love walking in the rain, it was raining hard one day, so I went walking, walked by a theatre with a handwritten sign on it that said, 'Acting Internship: Learn Adler, Strasberg, Meisner, Stanislovsky', had no idea who those people were or what the sign meant, but it was “a sign”, I was to act in plays for free every weekend to learn the craft & history of "acting" & instantly I couldn't learn enough or do enough stage work. My first role was 'Moe Axelrod' in Clifford Odet's Awake & Sing, playing a Depression Era, ‘Great War’ Veteran.
SN: You have an impressive back catalogue of acting credits. Which ones stand out as some of your most memorable roles to date?
Russ: I did a black & white film called Williamsburg, that I quite liked the film & the work. An Act of War, playing ‘Jacob Nicks’ is still the experience that most sticks to my bones though, even though the character is nothing like me, the reason it stands out, I guess you’ve already gathered by now.
SN: What specifics do you look for in a character when taking on a new role?
Russ: I always try to look at the story & how I can tell the story uniquely or where I can help to tell the story, so, as far as character is concerned, I like to be able to play a character that helps drive the story in my own way. I'm not looking for a character that I can put as many affectations on, because that doesn't appeal to me, but I do like to authentically find who that person is, discover who they are & then live in their skin for a while.
SN: What would you say are some of the biggest challenges of working in the film industry?
Russ: People have to know you, know your work, like you, like your work & want to work with you & I think the challenge is getting all those things to happen all at once.
SN: You have a couple of projects currently in post-production; A TV series called Gypsi and The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. What can you tell us about these projects and your roles within them?
Russ: The Devil & the Deep Blue Sea is a movie I just recently wrapped for Director, Bill Purple, one of the warmest human beings I've ever met in the film industry. I play the father of the central character, played by Maisie Williams, but her character is much younger when I appear, so a wonderful, young actress played that part, Caley Fleming Presley. She played her at 9 years old & she was awe-inspiring. The being present, that we lose as we become adults, can be right there in children & she was so alive & so present emotionally. There's a great cast on this one; Jessica Biel, Jason Sudeikis & Justin Timberlake is scoring the film. Should be a great movie, it was a great experience. The TV Series I'm doing in the fall, Gypsi, is from creators Angel & Mysti Cozart, they are lovely women who had been in music for years & had written this original pilot that made me sit up & say 'this is something a bit different for TV'.
SN: If you had the choice of working alongside any actor/actress, who would it be, and why?
Russ: Without thinking, it would be, Marlon Brando, because he changed what it is that actors do on film, in the 1940s, even on stage, he was doing things that you weren't supposed to do, you were supposed to affect & over dramatize your circumstance, but he decided to just live in the character, be that person, play a human being & it carried over into the early film work & it is now a guide for actors like DeNiro, Duvall & Pacino, these guys that I admire, so he was truly the Godfather of acting.
SN: What or who would you say is the greatest driving force behind your career.
Russ: The will to want to learn more about the human condition.
SN: If you met your younger self, who was just starting out, what would you say to him?
Russ: Don't be so anxious to work, the work you're supposed to do will always find you. That doesn't mean to just sit back & wait for it to come to you, but when it does come in, have the tools to assess what it is in front of you & say 'No' till there's something worth saying 'Yes' to.
SN: Is there anything that you would like to say or talk about that I have not mentioned?
Russ: I just want to say 'Thank You' for the interview, it's truly appreciated, So 'Thank You'.
SN: Once again Russ, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to me, I'm most grateful. Congratulations on An Act of War, and I wish you all the best for the future. Thank you.