Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Gaeta
Hi Adrian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey as an actor and writer can be summarized into three qualities. PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE and the ability to PIVOT. There have been numerous ups and downs throughout my career that have challenged me to seek resolutions to obstacles. I believe you either find the solution to a problem or the pain of it. Once you accept that obstacles are a part of life, you approach them with a sense of excitement because you know on the other side, are your goals and dreams. I was born in Sion, Switzerland and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I grew up in a culture priding itself on selflessness, tradition and a celebration of a diverse melting pot. The “Aloha Spirit”, which is that of love and community, is something that has stuck with me. I was bitten by the acting bug, when my high school drama teacher convinced me to be in the play, “Guys and Dolls”. I had played sports which amplified the importance of being a part of something greater than myself, but when I first stepped onto a stage, I never felt more alive. From there I attended the University of Washington and received a full acting scholarship. After graduation, I travelled the country as a professional theatre actor, until I moved to LA to pursue a career in film and TV. It just so happened; I arrived as Hollywood was entering a 100-day writers’ strike.
In order to talk about where I am in my career, I must start from a singular moment. It was when I joined the Bernard Hiller Acting & Success Studio and met a likeminded actor, Paul Elia. So often people seek to work with those already at the top, but I found you must find your family of artists to rise to the top with. Paul invited me to help manage a shoot for a short film directed by J.J. Abrams son Henry, who was eleven years old at the time. Months later Henry asked us to star in his next project and that’s where I met Dan Ringey, a director who offered to AD. As an artist, you must jump at opportunities, whether behind or in front of the camera, whether a stage reading or a short film, because you never really know who you’re going to meet. It was fulfilling to deliver a film for a young director with a dream. A humbling moment came when J.J. took a break from writing “Star Wars” to make sure we were all fed. The thing with great artists, they’re always willing to help, no matter their position in the industry. I have learned that coming to Hollywood with the mindset of, “What am I going to get” is never as valuable as, “What am I going to give”. The network I created from that experience would not be as one might expect with J.J. or Henry, but a friendship and advocacy with Paul and Dan, that would be built upon for years. A year later Paul and Dan were making a movie! It was starring Roger Guenveur Smith, Alexandra Paul, Chaz Bono and more. One of the leads was unable to move forward with the film, and that’s when I got the call. Dan, who was directing, remembered me and they offered my first lead in a feature film. I lost 33 pounds that month to achieve the transformation needed for the role. The time was limited, but you have to break past what you think you can do, to discover what you’re truly capable of. It was one of the most fulfilling artistic achievements of my career and it laid the groundwork for my unwavering commitment from there on out. The film was eventually screened at the WGA and sold to Gravitas Ventures. At the screening, actor/director Zack Ward was in the audience. He was filming his feature debut, starring Emily O’Brien, and was still in need of a leading man. He pulled me aside and offered me the part on the spot. The catch, it began filming in 3 days. Getting roles offered like this, especially early in your career is unheard of, and despite the time crunch, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse… I had to find a new approach to film prep and pivot, but these type of challenges became something I began to seek out. The film was a lesson in surrendering to uncertainty and trusting your director and other actors to guide you. The film did well and was voted a top 10 horror of 2016. In this business, you must have the courage to say “yes”, pivot to the opportunity and seize it. It had taken about 5 years to get that opportunity and things were looking up, but as you know, the path to success comes with many twists and turns.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Even though I found success with these two feature films and I now had two leading roles under my belt, opportunities weren’t pouring in. In fact, I didn’t audition at all that year or the year following. They say actors will go on hundreds of auditions before booking one. However, if I look back at the last 15 years, I’ve averaged about 4 auditions a year… Despite good performances, reviews and a good team, I wasn’t even getting in the room. I continued to reach out to agencies, managers, casting directors, producers. I hired PR, stylists, photographers, did all sorts of workshops, masterclasses, networking events. I even created a talent management company with a friend, where we would pitch each other for roles. And if we didn’t get an audition, we’d find the sides and send in 3 to 4 auditions a week. Many of those tapes were never seen, but it became our audition technique training. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, but for actors, it’s in the job description. No matter how many other avenues you seek, a large amount of time is spent waiting for others to get you a job. As I continued to hustle, I was fortunate to be cast again by Dan in two feature films and I worked with some of the biggest talent agencies, but there was always a caveat; my films weren’t successful enough, or I didn’t have enough credits, or was I just not the right type. There were just more “no’s”. Unfortunately, that is the default response to most exciting new talent or business ideas. But sometimes when we are so driven by one goal, we fail to see the opportunities around us, and it can create blinders. You can be so focused on searching for gold that you miss the person in your periphery offering you diamonds. So, it was time to pivot, but as I was about to, I was thrown a bit of a curve ball and in 2016 I almost died. I suffered from a blocked artery in my intestines which created an acute necrosis, and a good few feet were cut out before they stitched me back together. The good news, I was soon back to full strength with a newfound appreciation for time. Time is the most valuable currency, so make sure you make good use of it. With a new perspective, I got back to my next pivot which was teaching myself to write screenplays.
We are all storytellers, and I was never comfortable with waiting for someone to tell me when I can work. But a great script can lead to a great film that employs hundreds of people. By no means is writing easy… I read every book and wrote many failed screenplays, but it became my film school. I also continued to attend acting classes and decided to pivot again by teaching acting. I had taken numerous masterclasses with my acting coach, Bernard Hiller, and was soon invited to be a guest coach. I coached all over the world- Italy, Spain, UK, and met incredible artists who eventually recommended me for European projects. A spontaneous road trip to Prague led to auditioning for two features. One starring Jesse Eisenberg and the other Michael Caine. So, I decided to stay in Europe for a while. Eventually, I signed with agents in London, Spain and Italy. Clint Eastwood became a household name with the great Sergio Leone, starring in spaghetti westerns shot in Italy. So, I thought to myself, “Maybe there was something to this”. Coaching internationally became invaluable. It was a place to network, to inspire other actors, and to be in classes and further evolve. When you learn to teach, you have to become an expert, and through that you become a better actor. It was there I met my writing partner, Matteo Petrelli, who at the time directed a short film which was in competition for the Oscar nomination. His approach to writing features was forced deadlines. A feature film done in two weeks, the max, a month. Often times as writers, we want to wait till we’re inspired. But sometimes you have to sit your butt in the chair and start writing. Only then will your muse see that you’re ready and deliver that inspiration.
Soon after, Matteo presented me with a story idea and off we went. Our first script “Hazen Price”, a movie about a 7-year-old boy on a mission to make a feature film, hoping his mother will see it and come home. This tenacious young man inevitably inspires and reminds Hollywood what it was like to be a kid with a dream, and that anything is possible. We had 10 days to write it in McKinney, Texas and if it was a great script the money would be delivered to film the following months. It was! We started filming in 2019. I had always wanted to live in NY and since auditions weren’t coming in LA, I decided to move to the Big Apple. We eventually began filming “Hazen Price” known as “Joyful” at the time, and it was exhilarating. Matteo was directing, Jamey Sheridan was starring with Tammy Blanchard, myself and many more including Oscar winners slated to make cameos. There was a break in the shoot schedule, so I decided to revisit a very important life goal, Broadway. I missed the theatre. The spontaneity, the energy, the transient nature of this live experience with no second takes. I started taking meetings; but as fate would have it, I met Kimberly Graham, who was casting a film. I had missed the first audition, but she invited me to the callback session days after. There were two roles available, one a few lines, another a few pages. I opted for the latter. Not much time to prep, but I started to embrace the freedom and spontaneity a limited time frame gave. I auditioned, and I was offered the part. Things in NY were looking up. The film “The Reunion”, eventually would screen at the SOHO International film festival and win best feature. It was now the beginning of 2020 and time to finish “Hazen Price”. Surprise, surprise… the world had other plans. COVID spread across the globe and the film stopped cold in its tracks. Hundreds of thousands of dollars invested, a great cast, and finally on a path to fulfilling a major milestone, scrapped.
It was time to go back to LA, but the silver lining, I was invited to attend the Oscars. It was a remarkable experience, and I met many great artists I hoped to collaborate with, but I had to put a pin in that hope; it was lockdown. Luckily, Matteo had also come to LA, as we were already developing our next film. That’s the thing about Hollywood. You are always asked, “What’s next?” and you better have something ready. So, when everything shut down, we had nothing to do except write. We hoped as things improved we could start production on a different feature, one that could be shot with a small budget, in a documentary style. This meant a smaller crew and more mobility. We didn’t revisit “Hazen Price” because the movie demanded a bigger budget and a much more stable world environment. And by the time things opened up a bit more, we had a script. So, what next? Matteo went off to raise money and I got a call from Italian director, Francesco Appolloni, to finally shoot a film in Italy! I had met Francesco in a masterclass, and he was looking to make his film “Addio Al Nubilato” for Amazon. With no work in LA, it was time to pivot again. He asked me if I spoke Italian and I told him to give me a month and I would, so I learned the language, auditioned and was offered the role. Now the tricky part – getting on a plane. I was denied boarding because at the time the differentiation between essential work and essential workers was vast. I went home thinking it was over but then thought, “Let’s try again”. The next day I went back and luckily ran into the airline manager on a break. After about twenty minutes of discussing my situation, she was kind enough to book me on the next flight. I spent three months in Rome; filming, taking meetings and exploring a city which was closed to tourism. The Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Colosseum and all other historical sites were empty. It felt as if I had Rome all to myself. There were two productions filming there at the time, ours and Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible”. We had unprecedented access to beautiful locations and I had the privilege to work with amazing Italian talent. As the film finished, they were approaching another lockdown, and Matteo – during that time – got the funding for our next film, so it was time to come home.
Our next feature endeavor had a skeleton crew and a top tier team, we filmed in LA, Hawaii and NY. We finished the project, but ran into another roadblock; we didn’t receive the funds for postproduction as investors started to scale back due to COVID. So, I was back in LA with no job and two unfinished projects… Luckily, a few months later I received a call from Dan Ringey who got a job to 1st AD on Michael Keaton’s next film, “Knox Goes Away”. Dan was looking for an actor in particular to be Michael’s stand-in, someone who would know the scene, blocking, camera, work with cast and be able to do it as Michael would, so he could build the shots and watch rehearsals before stepping in to act. I had never had the desire to do stand-in work, but I said “yes”. It was an opportunity to work with a film icon and have a front row seat to his masterclass. After a week of filming Michael entrusted me more and eventually offered me a role in the movie. I was ecstatic that he wanted me a part of the cast. I got to act with him and the other incredible actors, including the great Al Pacino. This was the boost I needed and a career highlight to say the least. Soon after, as fate would have it, we would be in a writers’ and actors’ strike. So, you guessed it – time to pivot. My writing partner Matteo had acquired the rights to a biopic about one of the trailblazers who shaped and changed the fashion industry as we know it. He developed the story with fashion writer Veronica Franzoni, and one of our close Italian friends, producer Diego Panadisi, invested startup funds to begin writing. The catch – we had one month. So back to Italy I went with the hope that a production company would be interested once the strikes were over. When the strikes settled, many hoped Hollywood would fire up again, but it hadn’t. I was back to waiting. So, with no job in sight I called everyone I could. I eventually reached Brian Nolan, whom I had done a movie with and as luck would have it, was producing a film with Netflix. Now, he only had stand-in work available, but I jumped at the chance to just be back on set. While filming, I was asked to work as a background actor, and after years of working in film, it was a tough step back. But I reminded myself of the luxury it was to just be on set, and to say “yes”, support the project and simply let go. After a week they wrote me into the film and cast me. It was another blessing, in a series of fortunate events. And as I recall many of the struggles and bumps in the road, I smile, because I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. Being an artist is not a choice, you do it because it’s who you are.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
One of my most memorable moments was acting with Al Pacino while being directed by Michael Keaton. We did the scene, improvised and played with different variations. Both Michael and Al were very complementary and that was a game changer for me. There are times where you start to feel crazy for pursuing this dream, but to be accepted by two acting greats confirmed I was on the right path. They say creating a career is a marathon, not a sprint, but sometimes it feels like I’ve been sprinting a marathon for 15 years. As I reflect, I realize the pattern I find in my career. The importance of humility, giving without expectation, and being a part of a community. A theology that started as a kid in Hawaii continuing to weave its way though life’s adventures and success. So, here I am, summing up a 15 year long journey – stemming from that one class, that one friend, that one short film, that one director. It’s funny when I look at the films I have written; they all seem to tell a story of an underdog fighting for a chance to create global impact in culture and society through art. So, that is what I will keep striving to do. As an actor, well, I’ve always had a desire to achieve extreme transformations. To reach a level of authenticity where you disappear into a different version of yourself and access a level of truth you were not previously aware. Unconsciously living, reacting and making decisions as that character going through that journey. I believe in creating emotionally complex and vulnerable performances. My hope is to see more leading men that can be strong and commanding, yet vulnerable and compassionate. You cannot play a masterpiece on a piano using only ten keys, you must use the entire spectrum of notes, as in life. And when men see more vulnerable parts of themselves in cinema, they will encourage them in their relationships, friendships and partnerships. Actors such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Christian Bale, Denzel Washington, Joaquin Phoenix, Al Pacino, Sidney Poitier, John Cazale and Marlon Brando embody those qualities, and I strive to accomplish that in the characters I create and portray… Now this conversation is not simply intended to highlight accomplishments, but to give insight to the constant challenges, obstacles and the continuous need to pivot. I hope that this may inspire artists to keep going or to discover new creative ways to approach their dream. I also hope to inspire those who have already had incredible success to continue to seek out more undiscovered talent. To guide the next generation; to send the elevator back down and if that’s broken, help them up the stairs. Often it is believed that the unknown talent or project is not the financially viable choice, but the right actor, the right project – will always be the right choice. Year after year, we somehow act surprised when those are the films and actors that steal our hearts during award season. Yes, put the actors in place needed to finance a film, but then reach out to the ones fighting for a shot, the ones starving for a chance to change the landscape of our industry… So, as they say,“What’s next?” Well, we just acquired finishing funds to complete our docu-style film by the end of the year. We are having discussions with companies to redevelop “Hazen Price”. And as for the biopic? The Banijay Group jumped on board to produce as an international coproduction and is in talks with one of the major studios. But where to pivot now? Well, that is the mystery… but I’ve learned to embrace it because any great adventure lives in that uncertainty. What I know is, I hope to continue to work with the artistic family I have created and with the artists that I’ve always looked up to. Whom through their films inspired me to dream, love and to live an exciting adventure. The directors like Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ridley Scott, Alejandro Iñárritu and Christopher Nolan, to name a few. The possibilities are endless when you believe them to be. Remember, you are never unemployed, you’re simply preparing for your next role. Luck is where opportunity meets talent and preparation. It can strike at any time, so be ready. You may take a few steps backward, but it’s just giving you the momentum you need to leap.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Los Angeles has been a different school of learning. It is a beautiful city of unlimited possibility, but it is easy to become irrelevant. Becoming a successful actor here is not just about talent or art, but the ability to launch a corporation – the corporation being you. I equate pursuing acting in LA to being a professional boxer, but your always in fight camp training for the championship match. And you never know when it’s going to come, but when it happens and you knock out your opponent, they may just give him the belt instead simply because they believe his energy was more suited to be champion at that time… It’s a heck of a thing. You can’t control timing… But what you can control is becoming a greater version of yourself and the opportunities to do that here, are everywhere. Maybe it has taken me time because I had to become the person I needed to be, to achieve the success I’ve always wanted. Harrison Ford’s career broke out at 36, Gene Hackman 42, and Samuel Jackson at 45. I mean, what would the cinematic landscape be without those artists? You have two choices; you can either give up or keep going. There is pain either way. But if you keep going, you may just achieve your dream in the process. Imagine if one of those actors gave up just before their break? Do not rob the world of the next great artist, business, or brand. PERSIST, PRESERVER, PIVOT and have the courage to believe in yourself.
Contact Info:
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/JVdfsKbTN9g
- IMDb: Adrian Gaeta – IMDb
- Instagram: @adriangaeta_
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Adrian Grand Photography.
Additional photos:
– OG Photography.
– Still from “Knox Goes Away”. From left to right: Adrian Gaeta, Trevor Matthews.
– Still from “Dirty”.
– Adrian Grand Photography.
– “Knox Goes Away” Premiere. Photo Credit: IMAGO / Newscom / AdMedia
– Still from “Dirty”. From left to right: Neil Kinsella, Dan Ringey, Adrian Gaeta
– Paul Elia Comedy Special. From left to right: Adrian Gaeta, Paul Elia, Dan Ringey.
