Q & A with Filmmaker/Actor Garret Williams
Filmmaker/actor Garret Williams grew up in a rural Battle Creek, Michigan home with an artistic family that supported his creative pursuits. His father was a photographer himself, so from the age of six, Garret always had a camera in his hands. His family encouraged him to create short films, documentaries and movies in his childhood.
When he grew older, he moved out to Los Angeles and enrolled in acting classes at UCLA as well as the famed Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute where he continues to take class twice a week. He will appear in the new ABC television series, “The Grand Hotel,” directed by Eva Longoria, as well as in the lead role of a new multi-media, satire series about YouTubers and social media influencers. He also has a supporting role in an indie film titled “Audio” that will come out next year.
Soon, his focus turned to creative projects behind the camera as well: “As a filmmaker you are given all the power to bring truth and new perspectives to the world of ideas.” Garret says. “I want my films to inspire viewers, question the conventional circuit, and act as philosophies to the way we live and breathe.”
He just finished a screenplay called, “The Blood Poet,” the story a young student who mistakenly becomes involved with the criminal underworld of Beverly Hills to find his missing girlfriend and earn money to afford a college education as his mother’s last dying wish. He drew a lot of inspiration from his personal life and highlighted the challenges of the student-loan debt crisis. “It is a reality that hasn’t got enough attention,” Garret explains. “The improved economy has yet to mean higher wages for many graduates already struggling to pay down massive debt. And the problem is only getting worse.”
Where are you from originally?
I’m from Battle Creek, MI, the home of Kellogg’s frosted flakes! The city always smells like cereal. It’s a small town south of Detroit about two hours. It’s the same city in Vince Gilligan’s show, “Battle Creek.”
When did you come to Los Angeles?
I moved here when I was 18, on my own, to go to college and study marketing but I struggled to pay rent, tuition etc. and dropped out of CSULB. I also wasn’t getting a whole lot from the teachers over there. Meanwhile I kept shooting and made films. After saving for a few years I moved up to Westwood and started going back to college, studying acting, directing and film, which is where I am today.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I see myself acting and directing full features with a team of creatives who have a similar vision for storytelling as myself. I especially love docu-dramas similar to Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, and Wolf of Wall Street. Some of my other favorite directors include Andrei Tarkovsky, Orson Wells & Quentin Tarantino. I’m inspired by stories that have elements of sincerity and grit.
I also hope to have two feature films that reach Cannes, SXSW, Tribeca and Sundance Film festival.
How do you feel the industry is changing and how do you feel it benefits you?
I feel that audiences are indulging in documentaries and docu-drama type films.
I think the industry as a whole is shifting to a streaming dominant platform much like music has.
It’s a huge benefit for smaller independent filmmakers like myself, who don’t have access to huge budgets. The barrier to entry is lower than before, and younger people like myself with new visions are able to share their voice. I think audiences also want to feel like they’re watching something with a bigger purpose and meaning, so good narratives bringing awareness to new ideas or social issues will do well in the marketplace. That’s what we are trying to do with “The Blood Poet.“
