Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Pafchek.
Hi Josh, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hey! Thanks for having me. I’m honored to be here. Well, I was a skater kid without direction, graduating high school, when I saw Fight Club, which changed how I viewed what a movie could be. Brad Pitt was the coolest, Ed Norton was incredible, and the twist at the end just blew my mind. Sitting there, taking it in on the couch of my parents’ house, is where my passion for filmmaking began.
I’m from a small town called Blandon, about an hour or so northwest of Philly, filled with beautiful farmland and slow-paced living so I grew up with the idea that a “good movie” was a blockbuster — those were the only ones that reached the theaters in the area. Luckily, my dad used to watch movies on TV like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Empire Strikes Back, and all the James Bonds, which I pawned off as “boring old movies” while secretly watching with awe — begging him to change the channel to something “cool and new.”
After graduation, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn’t good enough to be a pro skateboarder. Or snowboarder. Things I realized maybe a little too late. So I decided to Google, “How to be an actor” after realizing this could actually be something to work toward. A modeling and acting class called Barbizon Modeling and Acting seemed the most doable — it was only two hours away. I started taking classes there and won a small award for acting in our class. That little achievement propelled my drive to keep going.
That fall, I started at Bloomsburg University studying business… for all of two weeks. I switched to Theater Arts on a whim. That’s when I started taking real acting classes — with experienced teachers and students who already knew all the plays and had done the whole high school theater run. I felt very out of place.
One day, maybe halfway through the first semester, I was doing a scene from a play and completely forgot my lines for about 30 seconds in front of everyone. Terrifying. It hadn’t happened before. But when I finally looked at my scene partner and let go of everything else — and focused on the moment between us — the lines came back. The teacher and the class obviously knew I’d forgotten, but I stayed in it. And because I stayed present, the silence became interesting.
That’s when I understood what it really meant to be an actor. It wasn’t about doing it “correct.” There wasn’t a right or wrong — and for someone like me, a skater punk who didn’t like being told what to do and how to do it, that meant everything.
That summer, I did a showcase on a cruise ship (cool, right?) through Barbizon, where I met a lot of industry professionals — one of whom became my first manager in Los Angeles.
That fall, I transferred to Temple University with the ultimate goal of moving to LA to pursue acting seriously. Strangely, as I was heading back to my apartment one day, I saw a flyer that read, “Do you want to go to Los Angeles?” I took it as a sign. So the next semester, I got to LA through that program. I was 19.
I met some amazing creatives — most of whom sadly moved back to the East Coast after the spring semester. I stayed, crashing on my manager’s assistant’s floor for about six months while auditioning for anything and everything I could. I sold watches at Fossil in Universal CityWalk and got around by bike and bus to acting classes. (I didn’t have a car for the first three years in LA.)
I booked my first real acting gig in an independent film called Listen, a story about mental illness. That deepened my love for film — I felt like I was part of something greater than myself.
In the times I wasn’t booking work, I learned to write and direct with my friends — something I consider essential to my growth not just as an artist, but in understanding myself. That was major.
Since then, I’ve made many short films, sketches, and written a dozen or so feature films, all while pursuing a career as an actor in Los Angeles.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So smooth. I haven’t had any struggles……………
Honestly, pursuing art in this unchecked, capitalistic country is quite an endeavor for anyone — rich or poor — especially in a major city.
But to answer the question: after being in LA for 13 years now, the biggest struggle has been the lingering effects of watching my friends leave the pursuit of a career in this business — seeing them start families with the woman of their dreams and live a simple life near their loved ones. It makes you question whether this is a career worth continuing when there aren’t many signs telling you to persevere.
It becomes a struggle within yourself — a lingering question: Would I be happier doing something else?
That internal conflict — between doubt and belief — is what forces a certain kind of perseverance. Because if you answer that question honestly, and still feel called to continue, then that initial hope stays alive.
Believing in yourself is, in my opinion, the single most important quality for success — especially when facing that very question. It’s also the most difficult.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a filmmaker — actor first, then writer and director.
I’m most proud of the films I’ve been a part of, like Listen and the upcoming movie Honey Don’t! by Ethan Coen – which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and will hit theaters across the U.S. on August 22nd.
What sets me apart from others… hmmm. I have an insatiable drive to create anything and everything I’m passionate about — from photography to film to playing guitar. I want to do it all at the same time, which is mostly overwhelming… but I love it.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
You have a lot of power as an artist.
I was scared to call my agent in the beginning — I felt small in this big town. But the reality is, these “big wigs” need us to make their money. Finding the confidence to stand tall while handling the pressure of the industry is a really important skill.
It might take some time and experience before you truly feel it for yourself — but “fake it ‘til you make it” is a good starting point!
Also, be kind, even if you’re treated poorly. You never know what relationships you’ll build over time just by being a good person.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh.pafchek/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pafchek
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwtOjMRdHRfQ8qViTn2MIrA
Image Credits
John Carluccio
David Clayton Jackson
