Today we’d like to introduce you to Clay von Carlowitz
Hi Clay , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I always dreamed of becoming an actor. Playing pretend, creating other realities that let me disappear from my circumstances, telling the truth behind a mask…all these things felt authentic to me as the sensitive little chameleon that I was. Anyway, given that I was raised in the Midwest with zero ties to the industry, it was up to me to connect the dots. That meant latching onto people like Jim Carrey, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman. Anybody who had the urge to build something that could reach the masses and actually made it happen was someone whose story I wanted to study, memorize and cross-reference. The undercurrent here for me was an intersection of an affinity for horror as well as comedy, and those two things ended up leading me down winding roads which led me to where I am today: a successful indie actor/filmmaker with some genre cred but enough of an abstract, eccentric quality to bridge into other avenues involving truer-to-life dramatic material. When I look back, I see and appreciate my efforts to subtly communicate who I am and what I’m about by taking what I’ve been through and funneling it into stories which first and foremost entertain, but hopefully scratch at something beneath the surface.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I was younger, I had ideas of what success would look like, but as I carried on, I found myself revising those ideas slightly, because as much as I wanted to be the people who inspired me, I had to come to terms with who I was and why I had to figure out how to do it my way. Willem Dafoe once reflected on his realization that as an actor/creator, you have to have some kind of plan to start, but then the real path takes shape, and you go from there. My struggles largely stem from normal things like learning industry standards, getting seen by the right people, overcoming self-doubt, etc. More specifically, regarding my efforts as an indie actor/filmmaker, I’ve met some opposition to getting projects off the ground. Budget is often an obstacle, and sometimes I’ve felt that the industry and audiences in general still don’t know truly who I am or what I’m capable of. Searching for the right vehicles that showcase my abilities might take a lot of time and effort, but in the long run, it’s forced me to develop a wider variety of skills, and to never rely too much on one thing to be the answer.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’d like to think I’m a pretty good actor, with a fair amount of versatility, a mixture of emotional honesty, malevolence, physicality and a broad sense of comedy. While theatre is essential to my background, film is my passion. I’m known for my roles as dimwitted boyfriend Eugene in RETURN TO NUKE ‘EM HIGH, bighearted bestie Malcolm in HERE COMES YOUR MAN and cool but elusive older brother Maverick in CANNIBAL MUKBANG. As a writer-director, I lean toward exploring the darkness we cover up in an effort to live picture-perfect lives, and I am fascinated by themes of brotherhood, rebelling against society and confronting the past. I’m most proud of the scripts I’ve yet to turn into movies, but as far as what I’ve actually made, I love that I got to collaborate with my talented wife, fellow actor/filmmaker Asta Paredes, on the short film THE SHADOW SCARF, which we made from my own script at a bar in New York called Videology. Even with limited means, I managed to write, act in and direct a movie that dealt with some of the themes I gravitate towards as a storyteller. I had made a feature film in college, but this was me working with other professionals, being forced to up my game. Since then, I’ve been hard at work getting other stuff off the ground, and I believe I’m arriving at a point where I can again reach new heights, because I’ve been constantly working on indie film all the way through, and I’ve developed a confidence and respect for the craft I might not have otherwise.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
A little unsolicited advice: be adventurous. You’ll find yourself in good company, and down the line, you’ll be living an exciting, unpredictable life, in the company of others who’ve learned what it takes to survive without the comfort of the familiar.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clayvoncarlowitz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clayvoncarlowitz?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
- Twitter: https://x.com/clayvonc?lang=en
Image Credits
Glass Eye Pix
Asta Paredes
Andreas Branch Photography
