We were lucky to catch up with J. Teddy Garces recently and have shared our conversation below.
J. Teddy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
It’s happening right now. Im producing my passion project, “The Beautiful Brain of Billy Bendecido”. It’s a story Ive had for over 20 years. An artist (canvas painter) suffers a traumatic brush with the law and immediately begins to deal with disturbing hallucinations.
I co-wrote this script with Hisonni Mustafa who will direct the film as well. Despite the fact that at its core, the story of Billy Bendecido is still that of an artist struggling with his mental health, the version we have today looks a bit different than it did when I came up with it. Together, Hisonni and me have grown it into a more layered story.
It’s meaningful to me because telling a story about the healing power of art is a special thing. Also, as an Afro-Latino man who co-wrote the script and is playing the title character, I’m ushering the audience into a fresh point of view. The opportunity to play this type of character was not arriving for me- so I created the opportunity myself.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started in the entertainment industry as a professional dancer. I made the transition to acting when I felt that my time as a dancer would probably begin getting limited. I said to myself “you know, your lower back and your feet aren’t going to be able to take this too much longer”. Shortly after, I searched for reputable schools to train at and enrolled at HB studios in NYC. After being at HB for some time, I enrolled at The School For Film and Television (SFT) where I spent the next 2 years. I would buy backstage magazine and answer every audition or casting call they had. I also bought a magazine called the ross repots religiously and mailed my headshots to everyone I could. I remember I would go down to all the film schools in NY and put my business card (which had a mini headshot & phone number on it) on the bulletin boards for all the film students to have access to. That was fun.
One day at SFT I heard there was an agent coming to meet actors so I signed up and prepared a monologue. That agent called me the next day. In no time, I was repped by that agent. I was lucky, It was BLOC talent and they’d just opened their theatrical department. About one week later they sent me out for a co-star on LAW & ORDER Criminal intent. I remember it was my very first network audition. I went down to the Chelsea Piers where the auditions were being held, I signed in, walked in the room, said my line and walked out. I left feeling nothing of it. I was down the street on the way in to the train station when I got a call from my agent that they wanted to book me but on a different role. It was literally that fast.
Being an actor is something you do because you love it. You need it. When people who are responsible for hiring you get to know you well enough, they begin to place you in a position to win. Often times that means “type casting” you. Thats ok! Remember, you’re doing it because you love it. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know some really great people who have championed for me. That means the auditions they offer me are often for cops, detectives and other law / authority figures. Ive played a lot of these roles. Variety is a good thing but consistency is better. I’ll never get tired of playing cops or detectives. As long as the people who are doing the hiring see me as the answer to their problem, Im always going to see it as a blessing.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are plenty of rewards to being a creative. For me, it’s a combination of both the privilege to share this remarkable thing that compels someone to feel something and the obligation to continue growing as a human being. The reward lives between the two.
I’m someone who values the process sometimes even more than the result. So much of what I love is in the training and the preparation. That’s the process and a lot of my personal growth happens during the process; that time when I’m training or studying. So to me, one thing feeds the next. My preparation as an actor can only be as impactful as the truth i’m willing to find out about myself. I can only grow if I tell myself the truth. Sometimes it’s ugly and unpleasant, but on the other side of it theres something really beautiful. You find answers. You come face to face with who you really are. You learn to love and be loved. You learn to be honest even when its hard. In the end, you come out a better human being and subsequently a better actor with more to offer the craft and world.
The obligation you made to yourself to grow, has now afforded you the privilege of sharing your humanity as an artist and a person.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Giving kids the exposure and encouragement to explore art in its many different ways, is in my opinion a great way to help. Often times creativity is hampered and repressed by adults who don’t fully comprehend the benefits of offering a child the opportunity to create.
Raising awareness and facilitating access to different art programs in low income neighborhoods is also a way to build and sustain a thriving creative and artistic environment.
I was raised in Washington Heights, a neighborhood uptown comprised of Dominican immigrants who barely spoke English as a second language. Art is the ultimate form of communication and Dominicans are some of the most creative people I know. So, there was plenty of creativity in my neighborhood but there weren’t enough art programs. I know that as a kid I could have had more exposure. Knowing that now, I think the best way to support the arts is by creating more access for young people.
Contact Info:
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