Jason Croot
Actor, Filmmaker
United Kingdom
networking.studentfilmmakers.com/magicactor11

GETTING STARTED:
I found my love for acting on a TV dating show, this may sound bizarre but true. I believe right from an early age I wanted to be on stage but never really achieved that through lack of confidence. Okay there was the school plays at Christmas but that is far as I got. I always remember walking past the stage at my grammar school every time I went to class and the stage was leaping out at me but nothing ever prevailed. Ten years later I appeared on a TV dating show called Blind Date where three guys try to woo one girl. Fifteen million viewers, I never have felt a sensation as much as this before. I turned my charms into beloved comedy and told the nation {UK} I was a train spotter. Obviously I never got the girl but better still I found my niche. I went on to start college moving on to university and then attended drama school.

UNIQUE EXPERIENCES WORKING ON THE SET:
I love film sets and since moving into filmmaking I can appreciate the beauty of everything unfolding. To pick a few experiences that stand out, let’s see. As an actor my most memorable and favorite are a subway advert where I played a giant olive dressed up in prosthetics. I alongside two other olives had to make our escape in a gondolier after stealing a sandwich. The gondolier was motorized and I was at the front standing up holding a flag in rehearsals. I was holding the flag in one hand and a pole on the boat to secure my balance in the other, however, the director did not like this so I had to stop holding the pole. This was a very difficult situation, as if I fell in the water I was told I would be drowning for 10 seconds until the frogmen rescued me. The same frogmen were told to go back 50 feet as they were in the cameras view. I was very nervous but managed to stay out of the water. Another memorable experience was my role as an hit man in a TV series called The Fixer. I had to use an AK47 which was firing rubber bullets. This was a great role. I loved the director and the scene came out pretty well. Finally, I will pick one from my student days. I was improvising on stage at University and I was playing a mafia guy in the scene. I broke into a house and terrorized a guy played by another actor. I got so much into the role the other actor got scared for real. The teachers stopped the performance worried I was going to kill him. That always sticks in my mind. I have hundreds more stories.

CURRENT PROJECTS :
As an actor I have a few in the pipeline. “The Secret of Botticelli,” (www.imdb.com/title/tt2378720) a 15th century historical thriller set in Italy. I was approached by the director Lorenzo Raveggi and after finding out more, I was honored to take on the role of Lorenzo Il Magnifico. We are filming on location in 2013. I will be getting the character down beforehand and working closely with the director. I have a few possible roles but always looking for more. As a filmmaker, I have four films in post production. “Meeting Place” is my next film out. (www.imdb.com/name/nm2907429)

ACTING TIPS:
I would say at castings remember you’ve been called there because they like your reel or image and the casting director has a problem – they need to fill the role you’re going for. You {the actor} are the solution to that problem. Next I’d say, it’s a really tough industry and you will get knocked all the time. Don’t take it personally. There are millions of people who have felt or who are feeling the same as you. Get back up and keep fighting. Finally I would say, help others. If you know of a casting or a film part that might fit someone you know, email them. Tell them about it. Don’t be concerned if more people know. You might not get the part. Helping others is a must.

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