Jake Lockett is an actor and film director. His short film “A Rush of Peace” won the Best Screenplay award at the 2023 Prague Independent Film Festival. In this interview Jake tells us about his career in Hollywood, his engineering background, love for music and his activity as an independent filmmaker. Interview was taken on October 15 2023.
Jake: It’s exciting, we’re super happy, super grateful and honored to have won Best Screenplay for the short. “A Rush of Peace” got brought to me by Hayward (M Hayward Scott), the guy who is the lead actor. It’s kind of a story that was built off his own life; he had some addiction issues earlier and he wrote a longer teleplay, and then we took it and made it into this film. We rewrote it, kind of condensed it into what we thought were the main objectives. The main thing that we were trying to get across is it’s about addiction. The story itself is a vengeance of an out-of-control type that is an allegory for people who just cannot get rid of the thing that they are. They are connected to the thing that they need, that they feel like they need their addiction. The quote at the beginning from Carl Jung gives you a great idea of what the film is about and where our heart is in it, because at the beginning it says, addiction is bad, whether it’s narcotics, alcohol or ideology or idealism. (“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.”)
For me, that really resonates and that’s what this film is about. It’s an allegory about addiction told through the story of this guy who is bent on vengeance for this atrocious act of someone killing his family, and that person ends up being his best friend, or who he thought was his best friend. And then as a subplot storyline, the idea of connection, that’s what really allows us to get through to people. You never know what someone is going through until you really try to sit down and connect with them. That’s what we try to show that even in the midst of darkest hours, when you connect to people, you give them an opportunity to see the light. Even if they don’t take it and they have to find their rock bottom, there is light in there if you’re willing to show it to them.
Diana: And how did you first meet Hayward?
Jake: Hayward and I used to be in acting class together, and I had directed him with some auditions, and he really liked what I had done in those and he asked me to direct this. This is my directorial debut and it’s been a learning experience. It’s been an awesome journey. I realized things that I don’t want to be a part of. I’m not great at producing when you put a film like this together, but what I really enjoyed was getting to work with Hayward. He was open when we went to rewrite the script, he was open to all sorts of ideas, and we really think we found something special.
Diana: And did he work as a screenwriter before or was it his first project?
Jake: He’s written before, he’s done more plays than screenplays.
Diana: And what were the big challenges when making this film?
Jake: I think most of it was on the pre-production side, just getting everything together. Ray Wongchinda was our DP – he really saved me from how to prepare for the project to making sure that I had my vision set and that came with a lot of pre-production, just getting everything lined up. Our 1st AD Nadia Sarmova was amazing. She came in and saved us as well. If she hadn’t come in there and given me an organization that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, I don’t think we would have finished it. Those are like blanket ones, because those two people really allowed me to be a director. Literally the night before we were supposed to shoot (because these were both night shoots) the woman whose baby we were going to use pulled out, and so we had to find a baby in 18 hours. I went to sleep at four in the morning, woke up, went downtown to have lunch, and there was a family with a baby at this little cafe on a golf course. And we walked up to him and said, what are the chances you would want your daughter to be in a movie? And they couldn’t, the little girl ended up having a fever that night. But the woman who was the mother, her brother had a baby and they drove like an hour and a half and made it for our start time. And we shot them out first off and found a baby. It probably was in a three-hour window. We went from having no baby to having a baby to filming the baby. It made for an amazingly powerful piece when he feels like there’s no way out. Then there’s this little baby, this idea of rebirth that comes through this screaming baby who just wants to be loved. That’s really the heart of who this man is, he just wanted to be loved again, which I think is a lot of addiction. You’re trying to find a light, this thing that will make you feel what you need to feel. And a lot of times, love can be that answer.
Diana: And what movies did inspire you when making this picture?
Jake: We looked at “No Country for Old Men” just as far as cinematic. That’s a different type of movie, but there’s some themes there that we felt on how to tell a story that are really powerful. Another one was “Memento”, just the mental aspect of it, when he’s in the house at the end, there’s a ton of psychological trauma that’s being exerted on him, even as he’s the person in the act of taking the vengeance. Just the idea of how long he’s been waiting on this? Those are two that really jump to mind in this moment.
Diana: And how did you decide to become an actor?
Jake: I was an aerospace engineer, I worked for Boeing, I got a degree and all of that. I performed in high school a little bit, I was in a play called the “The Importance of Being Earnest”, played, Reverend Chasuble, and that was the last time I thought I would act. Then I got out of college, and I started working in the world of engineering. While it was cool and I was super grateful for the time that I had there, I just wasn’t excited about that life, so I started performing again. First it was with music, and that led me to the acting side of things. When I was up in Seattle working, I booked a thing that introduced me to some people and the next thing you know I was moving to LA and going at it 100%. It’s a ten-year journey. Nothing’s overnight. It’s been a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice. It’s been great.
Diana: How’s it going with the actor strike in Hollywood right now?
Jake: I think we’re close; the writers have come to a deal and the actors are on the verge. Right now there’s been a bit of a pause due to the AMPTP stepping away. But I’m hopeful that we’re going to find a middle ground that we can all agree on, and hopefully sooner than later, I’m ready to go back to work.
Diana: So nothing is getting filmed right now?
Jake: Actually, yeah, there is some filming going on right now, but it’s only if you have a SAG waiver. So, if a studio or a production company has a waiver from SAG saying, hey, once everything gets settled, we’ll agree to any terms that you want to all agree on. We’d like to just get back to work. SAG will give them a waiver. Actually I just did a movie in Utah, and yeah, it can be done. It’s just that they’re few and far between because there’s so much connectivity when it comes to the production side of things and producers and studios that the bigger things are on pause right now.
Diana: And what is your experience with working on television as an actor and in independent productions? What is the main difference?
Jake: It varies some when it goes from low budget to full budget films to television. The biggest thing is the experience level, you find yourself on a television show and it is like a well-oiled machine, everything is done for you. You walk up, you do one rehearsal and then you do the scene. It doesn’t take a long time. Whereas on a film, depending on the time you have, there can be a lot more rehearsals, a lot more preparation for the actors. It can be just as well oiled, but especially on lower budget things, there’s a lot of people wearing a lot of hats. It can be a little more difficult. As an actor you have to be able to keep your focus, because a lot of times there’s a lot of things going on that can pull you out. My biggest thing is on TV so far there’s plenty of opportunity for you to just step away and do your job.
You’re not distracted by work or the lack of something, or someone having a problem that you’re trying to figure out. They keep you very isolated in a good way so that you can prepare. Whereas on films, especially low budget ones, sometimes it feels like you’re in the midst of all of it. On any film it’s a bit like controlled chaos because everyone’s trying to make everything happen, whether it’s a full budget or a low budget. These are the big differences. You feel like you’re in the midst of it more on a film, which is not a bad thing. We all have a lot of heart in them, we all want to make an amazing thing. You get connected, you get invested, as you should. That can be daunting, and it can be a thing that’s hard to set aside when it’s time for the cameras to roll. That’s a part of the practice is being able to get present and just be there in the scene.
Diana: Right now you act on “Chicago Fire” and are there any special stories behind the scenes?
Jake: I can’t talk too much about it still, given the actors strike. But what I love about the people I met on that show is that everyone is a team. I couldn’t have asked for a better show to be a part of, the cast, the crew is amazing, writers are amazing, producers are great, I couldn’t ask for a better group of people. When you walk on to some projects, you’re great when you’re there and then you walk away. But this group of people… and that doesn’t mean anything bad on anyone it just means people have lives. But one of the beauties of being on location is that you really invest in those people around you, and it shows in the show. They have become some of my closest friends and I think that’s a pretty unique thing. It’s a pretty special thing. I’m really excited to get back and see everyone.
Diana: And do you have any special projects which you are planning as a director, and do you want to cast yourself in your movies later on?
Jake: I do have some things I’m in the development on, but they’re in very early stages. I have a film about a big golfer as I grew up golfing. At a very young age my grandfather got me golfing. I have a film that I want to make, I want to tell the story of Ben Hogan. There’s never been a really good movie about him. He’s one of the greatest golfers ever. And he grew up near where I grew up, in Texas. I’d love to tell his story. There’s a span of his life where he was in a car accident and him and his wife almost died. He leaned over to save his wife and did, but also took a brunt of a of a bus hitting them head on and I’m going to tell the story of that and him coming back and winning three major championships afterwards. A really amazing comeback story. And there’s also a Western that I’m a big fan of. It’s a book series from an author named Louis L’Amour about a character who’s the guy who doesn’t want to do all the bad stuff but ends up having to do it because no one else will step up and do the right thing.
Jake: So he has to be a gunfighter. It’s a story about when people step in and try to be tyrants. And a country where in the late 1800s, there wasn’t a lot of law west of Texas, and that’s where he was living. And he helps people, even if it’s not what he wants to do. He will go in and put himself in harm’s way and saves a lot of people. He does the right thing in a world where a lot of people will do the selfish thing. That book series is excellent. It’s one of those things that I’ve always wanted to do – a Western. It’s a dream of mine. I grew up watching Westerns and would love to do a period piece set in the late 1800s until this guy’s story.
Diana: And what is your favorite Western?
Jake: “Unforgiven” is amazing, “Tombstone” is amazing. Would have to say “Lonesome Dove”. I remember watching that as a kid growing up and it was just so affecting. Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones. They’re so good in it. I would love to do something in the in the realm of that would be amazing. And to go back to your other question, those are things I would like to have parts in, as a director for sure. I wouldn’t want to direct every episode of the series even if that ends up happening and I might not even direct the film about Ben Hogan, but I would love to be the actor in both of them. If I ended up directing it, my 1st AD would have to be someone who’s an excellent director because I would rely heavily on them. I’m a big team guy. I think community and tribe are super important. And if you don’t have that, you’re kind of alone, you’re isolated, and that’s never a good place to be, in my opinion. And I look forward to having a good group of people around me to help direct in those moments.
Diana: So what are your plans right now? Are you acting or directing anything right now or not?
Jake: No, not directing anything. I just finished the film that had the waiver. But at this moment, I’m not directing or acting in anything. Hopefully we’re going to be back to work soon. That’s what I’m hoping. So right now, I’m going to continue to pre-development or the development of those two projects. While I enjoy the time off and kind of lean into that, those projects don’t get done on their own. Whenever a lull comes with work, I want to have something that’s prepared so that I can really just keep moving.
Diana: And you live in Los Angeles full time?
Jake: If we’re shooting, then I’m in Chicago. But if I’m not, then I’m here in Los Angeles.
Diana: And what else? What kind of hobbies do you do?
Jake: I play a lot of golf, I’m a big golfer. It’s been in my blood for a long time. But think something that I’ve really committed myself to is martial arts, I trained a Filipino martial art called Sayoc Kali. It’s an edge weapon system and I’ve met my closest friends in it, people that I trust with my life. I’m super grateful for it. I do it every day that I can and I train a couple of times a week. It’s been a huge influence on me.
Diana: Do you keep in contact with other filmmakers, film directors, actors?
Jake: I have a pretty broad swath of people that I stay in contact with. People that I connect to, when you’re on a movie or a TV show, if you have the pleasure of having time (which you generally don’t), you can sit down and talk to people and get to know them. I’ve gotten to know some amazing directors and DP’s, producers, everyone is such an integral part of a movie. The art team, the props team, it’s crazy the amount of work that goes into pulling off one episode of or an act of a movie, it’s unbelievable. I don’t think everyone understands the amount of people it takes. But I definitely keep in contact with them. I love directors, I really love chatting with them. They have such a universal vision for projects, they see things from macro all the way into micro really easily, which isn’t always an easy thing to do. I really appreciate them for that. I have people I went to college with that are now really doing well as directors. A buddy of mine named Greg Kwedar, is doing some amazing things. He just did “Sing Sing”, a movie about the prison Sing Sing in upstate New York where they had a program where inmates would do and perform in plays. Him and his producing partner, Clint (Clint Bentley) have done some really amazing work. I was in a film with Gabriel Luna (made by director Greg Kwedar), called “Transpecos”, that did really well in film festivals. It’s about Border Patrol agents here in the US. I love talking to directors, the more directors I know, the better. I feel like they just have such an amazing vision – they’re always thinking in this grand way.
Diana: It’s always special for me to hear other perspectives because if you’re just working on your own projects, you can get stuck in this bubble.
Jake: I agree. I think that’s one of the beauties of having a community when it comes to people who inspire you if you have that, not everyone has that luxury but when you get to not only work but create relationships with those people. Having someone inspire you to think outside of your current echo chamber, your current box is so important. The martial art I do, we have a lot of film industry people that are very successful, and to get to talk to those people who’ve done more than me, who’ve seen more than me. Those people, really allow you to grow. If you don’t have them to push your window you’re very small, you end up being very small with your vision. It’s important to have those conversations and to have people who, who you feel can educate you in a way that opens up the door to grow.
Diana: Are you recording any new music?
Jake: I’ve been doing some music here lately, but it’s more just for my own. I’m just enjoying performing. I’ll go and perform at different open mics, there’s also some charities that are going on, so I’ll perform at those, I’m doing one here in Chicago soon.
Diana: I personally enjoy composing film scores. So for me it’s exciting because I like to connect the music with the image.
Jake: I think the score is such an important part of film. We had on our film a grad student from USC, Jake Boring, who did our music and man, I thought he did an amazing job. While a film is amazing in and of itself, I think the music allows it to connect on a deeper level because I don’t feel like sometimes you’re not even aware of the music. I think that’s some of the best scores where the music is just like hitting you on a subconscious level while you’re watching and listening to these people deal with the relationship that they’re dealing with in that moment, and the music just elevates it, it gives you this like undertone. Because no matter what, whenever you feel that music, when a certain key is hit, when a certain note is wrong, there is an amazing amount of connectedness gets brought to it, there’s a reason music hits us a certain way, there’s a reason a minor does a certain thing to us, whereas a major does a different thing, it makes you happy. Being able to manipulate those sounds to help tell the story, to help take people on a ride, it’s important, it’s powerful. It’s the nuance of the art of making scores. People that make scores are just so impressive so kudos to you for making your own scores because I think it’s not easy to tell a story with sound or to enhance a story with sound, and to be able to do it in a way that is, tonally correct and, and allows for the tempo of the film to be, just elevated. It’s powerful. Can you imagine watching Christopher Nolan’s films without a score or “Schindler’s List” without a score, or “Avatar” without a score? That music, the sound, it’s such a visceral element of this medium.
Diana: I must say “A Rush of Peace” is a very powerful film.
Jake: Thank you so much. It’s nice to hear that. I feel like it could put people off, like, it’s not. It doesn’t hide from the ugly. It doesn’t hide from the fact that the bottom is not pretty for people when it comes to addiction, whether it’s alcohol, drugs, narcotics or food, or idealism, theology, all that stuff. When you’re in one thing without the ability to discuss others, or in the midst of an addiction to a narcotic or to alcohol and can’t talk to someone like it’s dirty. It’s a tough thing, it’s why it kills people. I really am glad that people are resonating with it.
Everyone in that film. Jack, Melissa, David… Melissa was the wife, such troopers, I can’t say enough thanks to all the actors and the people in in the film. Elena who played the waitress is just an amazing actress. Just so good. Really, connected person in life and in on film and brought so much to it. The people that brought their babies to be in this thing in the middle of the night, like all these, these crazy situations that films end up putting you in. Melissa, bringing everything she did to that part. She brought the gravity, you felt everything, her love for her child, her kind of disdain for this man who has become her husband. Jack was like two different people in that scene. He was this person who was earnestly worried about his family and trying to connect to the student as soon as, like down, he became the guy who we realized was willing to kill someone who he called his best friend’s family for a job.
David brought everything he needed to, he was earnest, he was there with us, he was present. I can’t say enough thanks to my actors, to Nadia, to the guy who was running the lights. We had two guys to grip, we had a guy come with all of his own lights and one grip, and they lit every scene of that movie. It was only a few scenes, but they did an amazing job. They were running lights from an iPad. It was beautiful, if it wasn’t for them… Chad was amazing, he was our light guy, he brought his whole band out there, did everything. Him and Ray Wongchinda the DP, can’t say enough thanks to all those people, Nadia Sarmova, all the PA’s. I’m sure I’m forgetting names, but, couldn’t say enough… Thanks.
Diana: What camera was used for the film?
Jake: We had a Arri Alexa, Ray had that, or had a connection to get that and we used Zeiss lenses. The blacks of Alexa are so strong. I think it really helped tell the story, especially in the darkness of it.
Thank you guys again for all the for you know, we’re super grateful for the award. So appreciative to the Prague Independent Film Festival for allowing us to be a part of your film festival. For the love that you guys have shown the film, for the resonance and with all of you. Really, super appreciative of the award and the recognition.
Diana: Thank you Jake and hope to see more of your films in the future.
Jake: Thank you Diana. Same to you.
