An Interview with Actor Timothy J. Cox
Timothy J. Cox is a veteran actor. With over 130 credits to his name as well as being a regular on the stage including the critically acclaimed Off-Off Broadway revival of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. We last caught up with Tim back in March 2016 so we thought a catch up was long overdue. We met up with Tim and discussed some his most recent projects and his acting career over a coffee.
Hi Tim, I hope you are well and staying safe in these uncertain times?
Hi Graham. It’s always such a pleasure to chat with you. My family and I are doing very well. In mid April, we moved from New York City to Bellbrook, Ohio to start a new life and so far, it’s been great. Ohio is very different from New York, but in life, sometimes, you need a change. Change is good. Change is important.
Have you been keeping busy?
I have been reading a lot of play scripts lately. I’ve been reading them on my own and I have read several plays, via zoom, with friends from all over the country. Of course it isn’t the same as being in a theater or on a film set, but doing these readings has created a wonderful sense of community. We need that during this time. It’s also been very therapeutic.
Do you still get the same kick out of acting and performing?
Absolutely. This work is still fun and adventurous. It can be painful as well; there are places, dark places we, as actors, have to go to sometimes. You truly give your life to this work. If you give your life to it, hopefully, you’ll discover a lot about yourself along the way. That’s how I’ve always approached it. I consider myself a student at this whole thing, so each time I step onto a film set or on to a stage, it’s like going to school. I get to play and pretend, step inside someone else’s shoes and walk around for a little while. I still get fulfillment from that.
Do you feel you are critical of your work?
Yes, very much. I think all actors are critical of their own work. Gene Hackman said something really interesting about film acting. He said that you never buy the whole performance; you buy bits and pieces, but never the whole thing. I agree with that wholeheartedly. I think every actor wishes that they had one more rehearsal, one more take, etc.
Wise words indeed
You never stop learning in this work. There’s always something else to discover. You can always dig a little deeper, do a little bit more investigation. That’s where the mystery lies in this whole thing. It’s tough and it should be tough, but it’s also a lot of fun, if you let it be fun.
Do you like to go back and watch the finished film once it has been completed?
I’ll go back to the old ones from time to time and watch them. I try not to watch them as an actor because I’m too critical of my own work. I try to watch them as an audience member. I like to be swept away with the story and the characters.
You have been in some pretty memorable films so you have plenty to choose from.
I have been very lucky. I have had a chance to be a part of many wonderful films. I try to be diverse in the types of film projects that I get involved in. I try to do projects that challenge me emotionally, mentally, physically.
Have you had any memorable shoots? Any funny anecdotes from your shoots?
No anecdotes come to mind, but I will say that I have walked away from every film set much, much wiser and with the utmost respect for every person who I have worked with, from my fellow actors, to directors and especially to the crew. It truly is a collaborative art.
We agree, everyone has to play their part to make the production successful.
Again, it’s that sense of community. That ensemble. I feel that sense of community every time I step onto a film set or into a theater.
Is there any actors that you look up to or who has inspired or guided your career?
That’s a pretty long list, but I would have to say that the single greatest influence on my work as an actor is Jack Lemmon. His characters were and are still so familiar on the screen; the “Everyman” that audiences could relate to. His struggles have been our struggles, His pain has been our pain. His characters were always genuinely decent human beings. Sure, they would stumble and fall, like we all do, but we the audience, walk away a little wiser from getting to spend time with his characters.
What is your favourite project you have worked on?
Oh wow. It’s impossible to narrow it down to just one. Again, I have been very lucky to have been involved with several great films.
You are lucky. We know there are quite a few that spring to mind that we thoroughly enjoyed!
We recently watched Camera Test Subject and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you very much. That was a fun one. Sean (Meehan) and I didn’t set out to make a movie. We really were just doing a camera test and it turned out so well that I begged Sean to release it as a short film.
Was it all shot in one night?
Yes. We filmed it over just a few hours in and around lower Manhattan and in my former neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens.
That is impressive!
Sean works fast. He knows what he wants and he goes in, gets it and he moves on.
How did you find filming on the streets of New York?
It’s always been exciting to work around the streets of New York. The city plays such an integral role in the film; in many films. It’s like another character.
There is nothing quite like New York. It is so busy all the time.
It is. I miss my city. I had 19 wonderful years there and made a lot of memories. I met and married the love of my life there, my wife Jamie. Our son Spencer was born there. New York will always have a special place in my heart and it will rise again. Every city is going to rise again.
Did you get any strange looks while filming in busy streets?
We didn’t get a single look. Films have been made all the time in the city and New Yorkers are always on the go, doing their own thing.
It was another collaboration with Sean Meehan. What is it that attracts you to his projects?
I’m happiest when I am working with Sean, because it doesn’t feel like work. Sean has such energy and enthusiasm and that energy and enthusiasm rubs off on you and the ideas just flow. We work really well together and have the same sensibilities about film. I respect the heck out of him and trust his judgement and guidance. We laugh a lot too and that keeps things relaxed and cool.
I think that chemistry certainly flows onto the camera.
I have to credit Sean for that. He has such a way of putting an actor at ease, with his warmth and good humor that all you want to do is deliver your best when you’re with him.
What is your favourite collaboration with him?
Man, it’s difficult to narrow it down to just one as I am extremely proud of all of our collaborations. Each one has been fun and challenging. We’ve worked together like five or six times over the last 10 years and I feel that I have grown so much as an actor from my experiences working with Sean.
We think Camera Test Subject must be up there as one of the best in our opinion! We loved it!
Thank you very much. I’m very proud of it.
Got any more shorts lined up with Meehan you can tell us about?
We don’t have anything in the works at the moment, but hopefully that will change after the pandemic ends.
We also had the pleasure of watching The Jungle of Accounting, how was it to film?
That was a joyous experience. Chase (Pearson) was great to work with. He created such a warm and relaxed set where the actors could play and have fun. The role of Charles was a blast to play; a genuinely decent man. A bit clueless, yes, but a genuinely decent man.
It was certainly fun to watch.
Chase is a lot like Sean. He’s very smart, knows what he wants, but he gives his actors freedom to play. He kept the set nice and loose which I deeply appreciated. I hope to work with him again.
Did you get to see a final cut of the film once it is complete?
Yes I did and I enjoyed it immensely. It really is an excellent film and everyone involved with it scored their points big time. It was fun to make and a joy a watch. I’m so proud to be a part of it and I’m delighted with the reactions that the film has received so far.
Is there a role you would have loved to have played?
Well, my feeling has always been that the next great role is always around the corner.
Keep a look out for it.
Exactly. That’s part of the journey of an actor. We are always on the hunt for a challenge. Actors want and should want roles that test them. These days, if a role scares me, I am all in.
We have just finished watching Doll It Up, how was it working with inflatable dolls?
It was a little strange, especially during my brief intimate scenes with the doll. You know, I’ve been an actor for more than half my life and that was the first kind of intimate scene, of that nature, that I have ever performed in and of course it had to be with an inflatable doll. I will say that I was very happy when that scene was finished. Those kinds of scenes are not fun to do. I treated it like ripping off a Band-Aid. I just wanted to get it over with as quick as possible.
It was a first for us, but what a great topic for a film. A great opportunity for some comedy.
Yalan (Hu) and I discussed, at length, the tone for the film. I thought it was important that we strike the right tone, because with a film like this, it can easily go into something sophomoric which neither of us wanted. I think the humor in the film comes from the audiences’ relatability to Gunther. We have all felt loneliness and the pain that comes with that and everyone deals with it in different ways. In Gunther’s case, it’s very difficult for him to communicate his thoughts and feelings with a live person, so he has created this imaginary world where he’s able to communicate, but it’s with an inflatable doll, who is not able to respond back to him. He remains in control, doesn’t have to deal with the tough discussions that happen in relationships all the time. If he gets bored or annoyed, he can throw the doll away and get a new one. That’s what drew me to the character into the project. I really felt for this guy.
What is the mental process in tackling a short like this? Is your process the same for the part?
The key to the success of that film was in playing it as straight as possible. The preparation is the same for every project I work on. I read the script over and over and over again and I learn it cover to cover. I make notes on the character; map out their intentions and objectives. And I ask questions. What does the character want? What are they fighting for? This information often changes as you are working on a character. It’s all about laying the ground work. I try to prepare myself as much as possible. Preparation is always key. The more prepared I am, the more relaxed I am and the more relaxed you are as an actor, the more open and available you are for things that happen in the moment in a scene, as things always change when you are on set. An actor needs to be open and available. When you are open and available, you feel a freedom to play around with things when you are on the set, especially when you are working with your fellow actors. And when you play, those little bits of inspiration often pop up in a scene or “happy accidents” as Peter Sellers used to call them. You get into a zone and when you get into that zone, you feel a rhythm, a music. It’s a beautiful feeling, when it works. You feel like you can do anything. And yes, I can feel it when it doesn’t work. I can feel it when I’m pushing too much or ”acting” too much. That’s when I’m thankful for another take.
Is that the most unusual role you have ever took on?
Gunther was probably the most complex character that I have played recently. On paper, he is a man who is in a ”marriage” with a blow up doll, but at it’s core, he is a man looking for love and companionship. He has so much love to give, but he’s immersed himself so fully into this fantasy world that, sadly, he’s blocked himself off from any real human interaction and my heart went out to him when I read the script. He’s afraid that if he puts his heart out into the world, it’s going to get stomped on so he stays in the fantasy world, where he thinks it’s safe, but it isn’t. I had such compassion for the man. That film was never a comedy for me.
That is a really interesting way of looking at the character. I suppose as the audience we never look as deeply into the character as you do as an actor.
I think it depends on the film and the characters.
Do you have any ambitions left to fulfill in terms of your acting career?
There are great roles that I would love to do in the theater. When I’m the right age, I’d love to climb the Willy Loman and ”Death Of A Salesman” mountain or the James Tyrone and ”Long Day’s Journey Into Night” mountain. My only real ambition has always been to just be a working actor. To go to a rehearsal room, a theatre or a film set, that’s heaven. I can’t wait to get back to work.
Hopefully it won’t be too much longer until things start to return to normal.
It’s difficult to say right now. For me, my focus is my family. We are healthy and safe thankfully. When the time is right, I welcome the opportunity to get back on a stage or a film set, as I have a lot more stories to tell.
Is there any roles you have turned down that you regret?
No real regrets. It’s all been a learning experience.
Anything you are working on at the minute that you can tell us about?
I am in the process of starting work on the film The Auction from writer / director Jordan Hidalgo. I’ll be playing a football coach and the film will examine the dark underbelly of the world of college football. It’s really well-written and the role of the coach will be fun to play.
That sounds interesting. We look forward to finding out more about that in the future.
Have you got anything in the can we can look forward to?
I have two film projects that are still in production, but with COVID-19, it is uncertain when those projects will be completed.
Fingers crossed they get finished soon.
It has been great catching up with you Tim. Thanks for taking the time out to chat to us.
Thank you so much, Graham
