When I commenced this journey as an interviewer, there were a few people with whom I connected that had to wait quite a while for their opportunity to be featured due to the volume of interview opportunities that were consistently pitched my way. Michael James Regan happens to be one of those remarkable individuals, and I cannot thank him enough for his graciousness and kindness as he anticipated his moment. After far too long, I am delighted to finally highlight this versatile, gifted actor and filmmaker!

Photo by LV Imagery

RH: Why did you decide to become an actor?

MJR: Oh, that’s one of those questions where I think there’s those moments in your life that triggered what you want to be. As I was growing up, I was always a performer. I danced, I did improv, I sang, I kind of did everything a performer would do. I liked to perform, and acting was the thing I gravitated to the most. I danced for years while acting. When I first started acting, it was probably at summer camps, maybe around the age of eight or so. When I was around thirteen or fourteen, that’s when it kind of hit me that this was what I wanted to do. I had been exposed to the theater world at this point, and that is really the backbone of acting. I think everybody starts with theater. Around the age of sixteen, I went out to Paris and took a two-month intensive course.  That’s what made me realize that this was something I really wanted to do. It was obvious to me that I really wanted to perform.

When I was seventeen, I went to Los Angeles for another course–I guess that was the next summer. And after that, it was pretty clear that my career was going to be in the entertainment industry. I’ve always been a bit of an old soul, mature for my age and ahead of my years. I mean, when I was fifteen, I felt twenty. And when I was twenty, I felt thirty. When I was growing up, I watched a lot of films. I had aspired, not to be these people because I knew they were just people playing these roles, but I wanted to be an actor like they were. When you watch a good film, it affects you in a good way, and that’s what I wanted to be able to do too. It just connected with me when I watched a brilliant actor do their thing. I really believe that everyone is born to do one thing very well, and for me, I am happy it was acting. It was something that just came very natural for me.

I think over the years, you test yourself. And what I mean by that is you put yourself in challenging positions and you see what comes out of it and what you’re able to deliver as a person. From the age of eighteen when I started acting and auditioning, I sometimes found myself asking myself if this was what I really wanted to do. Did I just think I was good, or was I actually good? You need to be a realist in this industry and you need to understand this is no joke. It’s a business. And over the past few years, I have really come to understand that because of my producing side, but that’s a further conversation for another time. Also, my mom was a huge supporter of what we wanted to do in life. She told us that we should do what we really wanted to do in life, not just what made money. Now, obviously, she wanted us to be self-sufficient and to be able to live comfortably. And theater was not sustainable for me over the course of my life.

I was drawn to film; it’s just where my heart went. I also believe this was the path of my life, my destiny, if you will. I was always going to be in film in many capacities. And I have. I’ve directed, written, produced–I’ve done a lot in film besides just acting. And I truly love film. It’s more than just being in front of a camera. I love to perform, and there just happens to be a camera there. It makes no difference to me if the camera is there or not. When you come in and really want to pursue acting, there’s so much more to this career than a lot of people realize. You might be struggling your entire life and waiting for your big break, and you have to be prepared to deal with that.

As an actor, are there a couple of roles that really stand out to you in your career so far?

Photo by USA Network © 2014 USA Network Media, LLC

I have acted in some great stuff, but there are roles that I have enjoyed more than others. Ironically, I think the roles I have enjoyed the most are some of the ones that are maybe lesser known works. I always love roles that challenge me. A lot of the roles you get when you are just starting out as an actor are not challenging. They’re often basic and simple, and maybe you can’t do a lot with them. But that’s where everyone starts.

The roles I have really enjoyed thus far have probably been my own work, and I feel that will continue on into the future. My first project, which is called Backlash, I think that was my most challenging role up to that point. I pushed myself to the brink, and I wanted to create something that people might not expect me to do. I wanted it to be something different.

Lots of times, the roles you are playing are fine, but they aren’t too challenging. And it’s not a problem with the industry at all. You’re just building your career, and that’s where you start. The roles I create for myself are more tailored to me and therefore, more complex. After all, I’ve built them for myself. Ironically, moving my career in this way by doing my own works has created more opportunities for me in the acting world.  My works started to get my name out there, and I really believe it’s the moment that people started to recognize me. People started to notice my tireless hustle, drive, and ambition. Also, I made it a point, regardless of what role or position, to always put one hundred percent into everything I do. The best part about this is that I like to be creative every day, Creating my own content allowed me to be creative every day, so on the days I’m not acting, I’m at least working forward in my career. Everything I do is go big or go home.

Backlash

I am cautious of the fact as actors in this day and age that we need to market ourselves in some fashion, but in the end, I utilize my hard work and passion to do the talking for me. They see me getting out and financing my productions and doing everything that needs to be done to get my productions together. And hopefully working with them and making those connections will lead to bigger roles in the future. So while I can’t give you a specific role from a specific show, I do know that the roles that I create that are more challenging for me; those are my favorite roles.

Recall
© 2018 Backlash Pictures. All rights reserved.

Now, sometimes people will message me and ask how I am able to work with some of the people I do. I have some very established producers on board with my projects, and I always tell them the truth. I worked my tail off to get them, and I just didn’t sit by the phone waiting for a call that I booked something. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with going to audition, but all too often, that mentality does not push your career forward. In fact, I believe that going to set and having the experience of working on set is far more valuable than class experience. I regularly encourage people to make their own content and make a short film or whatever. Do those things that keep you moving forward because your career doesn’t wait for you. You have to move it yourself. If you want a serious career and you want to be taken seriously, you need to challenge yourself and get out there and make things happen. I always say that no door is going to open for you. You have to create the door and knock it down. I am grateful that my name has started becoming one who is gung-ho in this industry. It’s not been easy and I still have a long journey. But I strongly believe that kind of mentality is key to having a career in this industry.

What are your current works and upcoming works that you would like to mention?

Well, there is my film called Recall. This movie was a journey. I wore so many hats. I produced, wrote, directed, starred in, and edited it. I was fortunate to have so much support behind the project, considering the project literally had no budget. But I am super impressed with what it turned out to be and as of July 3rd, 2018, it was released in the U.S on VOD/Digital HD and soon to be Canada/Worldwide and China.

Since Recall, I have produced my second feature, Robbery (currently in post) and am working on a third feature, the drama, Who You Know, and my personal passion project, the high-octane thriller Under Duress.

Remnant
Photo by Joel Levy Photography © 2018 Backlash Pictures. All rights reserved.

behind-the-scenes
Dreams

Oh, and I’ve also just finished producing two really cool proofs-of-concept, The Remnant and Dreams. Both projects were well-written and had a phenomenal cast and crew.

Going back to Backlash for a moment, that was your first short, correct?

Yes. It was a time in my life that I realized I needed to create something. I created this short and when I started, it was supposed to be small, like a little five-minute thing. But because of the way I work, it tends to get bigger. Since it was my first film, there are tons of flaws, but no one seemed to care about the flaws. They really enjoyed the film. I was very proud of that. My role was very challenging since the film dealt with autism. Fortunately, I got a lot of positive feedback saying how I did a great job representing autism in a respectful way. What I felt this film did for me was show myself that not only was I capable as an actor, but it opened my mind to how much more I could offer creatively and in so many different capacities. It was the first time I produced something and the first time I wrote something. And I used to tell myself I couldn’t write, haha. And here we are, years later. I am so grateful for the experience of Backlash because it gave me so much confidence to move forward in my career and I strongly consider this a turning point in my life. Hence, my production companies name, Backlash Pictures. So I never forget where it all started.

From the set of Christmas At Angel Falls

I notice a Hallmark movie in your list of credits. Please tell us about working on Christmas In Angel Falls. 

Working on Christmas in Angel Falls was an absolute pleasure. What a fabulous cast and crew and the atmosphere was lovely, especially with the fact we were shooting a winter film in the summer. Although I only had a small role, I was fortunate to work with Rachel Boston and Beau Bridges – who were both absolute gems. Great energy all around on this set. We also got lucky as Jerry O’Connell (who was shooting Carter in North Bay) had the night off and came to join us on set.

Please give any advice that you would like to aspiring filmmakers.

Create your own opportunities and never sit around. I can’t stress that enough. Believe in your abilities and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Your hard work will pay off and people will recognize your efforts.

The trait I most admire about Michael (aside from his obvious talent) is his consistent commitment to making things happen as opposed to letting the chips fall where they may. In this industry, and especially in the subset of independent film, savvy artists are fully cognizant of the fact that most opportunities do not just fall out of the sky; it is up to the individuals themselves to essentially make their dreams come true. While there are other factors that figure into a successful career, Michael seems to have learned and applied the most important one and coupled that with extraordinary patience. Whenever I read stories of film projects like those with which Michael has been involved, I am absolutely amazed at the stamina and fortitude that is required to bring these projects to fruition. All too often, filmmaking and acting are fraught with misconceptions that surround the falsehood which implies that making one’s living as an artist is “easy,” and anyone could do it. Michael shatters that delusion and hurls the residual fragments into oblivion as he has demonstrated his personal integrity and eagerness to bring something authentic and meaningful to the indie film world, and I applaud his sustained perseverance. As Michael continues his pursuits, I would invite everyone to check out all of his links below and consider following him where applicable. While he is not necessarily a household name within the entertainment world as a whole, Michael has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is thoroughly qualified in practically every aspect of filmmaking, and he refuses to rest until he has accomplished every dream and goal within his heart and mind. And with the sort of resilience and determination Michael has demonstrated thus far, something tells me that he will ultimately succeed!

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