Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bill Oberst Jr. . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bill, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I find redemption stories the most meaningful. We all crave some sort of redemption, if only from the tyranny of ourselves. On film, the strongest redemption story I’ve been a part of is writer/director Chris Eska’s movie, THE RETRIEVAL. The plot is replete with chances to be a better human being – chances both missed and taken – but the filming was itself redemptive for me. I was on a roll at the time; doing an average of 10 movie and tv appearances a year; and was quite full of myself, on the dangerous edge of becoming a “difficult” actor. In rural Texas, in weather alternately blistering and frozen, this director broke me, in the best possible way. I had by then developed a bag of camera tricks – expressions and movements I knew from experience worked for what I then called my “brand.” Chris wanted something from me which is quite frightening to a stylized camera actor: stillness. He wanted naked truth. It was hard as hell to trust him, and up until the premiere I was certain that he had been wrong. But sitting with that first audience for the movie in a darkened theater, I knew that I had been in the wrong all along, and for a very long time. I never forgot the lesson of stillness which Chris taught me. It changed me as an actor (on camera and even onstage; it colors the style of my new solo show about Satan, ADVERSARY (https://AdversaryShow.com) Eventually, I think, it changed me as a human being.
Bill, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m a guy with a face only a mother could love (and she does) so as a film & tv actor, I play the baddies. It’s fun when the writing is good, and a fun challenge when the writing is bad. As a stage actor I delight in bringing literature to life, the older the better. The thrill of connecting an audience member with a passage from the deep past which suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, illuminates their life, is the reason I tour to small places in small shows, usually performing solo. My official sites are (screen) https://BillOberst.com and (stage) https://AdversaryShow.com.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Teach the children poems. Teach them stories. Teach them wild metaphors! A large part of what it means to be a human being is to be a part of other human beings, and the arts are nothing but the cries (in the dark and, sometimes, from the edge of abyss) of others who share our home and our eventual destination. The arts teach us that there is no “other” and that all things are in common. That’s where, and only where, contenment lies. We’ve got to start putting these ideas – these sacred truths, I’d say – at the top of the heap, not the bottom. It starts with the children.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Serving others. Doesn’t that sound absurd? And yet, it’s true: an artist is just a servant. At our best (and Lord knows we’re not always there) we serve truth, strained through the sieve of our souls, to an audience whose appetite we may have completely misjudged. We hope they will at least nibble before pushing away from the table. Then back to the kitchen we go. You know that old joke about the actor arriving in heaven and St. Peter saying “You’re late. The dressing room is around back, just past the dumpsters. And make it quick.” Well. That’s the creative’s life. The reward is in knowing what you are. And what you’re not.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://AdversaryShow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billoberstjr/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/actorbilloberstjr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/billoberstjr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/billoberstjr
- Podcast: https://bill-oberst-jr-gothic-goodnight.captivate.fm/
- Merch: https://bill-oberst-jr-official-horror-merch.myshopify.com/
- Clips: https://billoberst.com
Image Credits
Anne deHaas Jim Cushinery