Chris Sams | Actor
05.27.25
Dawn Cochran: Good morning, Chris! OK, so let's start off with having you tell me a little bit about yourself. Who are you? What do you do?
Chris Sams: Well, my name is Chris Sams. I currently live in Williamsville, NY. And I am a mailman for the United States Postal Service.
DC: And you're also an actor?
CS: Yes, I am.
DC: And do you also have a podcast? Did I see that? Or maybe it was video reels.
CS: I was trying to do TikTok reviews at one point and reels.
DC: That's what it was!
CS: Yeah, I originally was supposed to do a content project with another friend. But we never really got it off the ground yet. So I'm kind of working on revamping that at the moment... So we'll see where that goes.
DC: Alright, So what made you want to be an actor? And a Postal Service man?
CS: Well. I'll try to sum that up.
DC: You don't have to sum it up. We can go through the whole thing.
CS: Alrighty, well one of the reasons why I wanted to become an actor was when I was a kid, I always loved movies, but when you're a kid, you like all the fun fantasy films, the action films, all the fun stuff. But it wasn't till I was probably in middle school that I actually sat down and watched this movie called The Shawshank Redemption. And I never realized how great of a film it was at the time. I'm sitting there and I'm watching this movie and I'm just like. Why am I so... Intrigued by this? Why is this so good? and I'm just watching like this great film with this great cast, characters, and this really great script and wonderful music and cinematography. And I'm like I need more of this. So then I started watching other films. I started watching The Godfather, Jaws... I really started getting more into like the actual like aspect of film and trying to understand it. I was like this is what I wanna do. Like I actually would like to be an actor. I would love to be the guy that does these really great roles. And understanding characters and emotions and stuff like that. So by the time I got to high school, I actually decided to take a chance. I got involved with my local drama club and we started doing plays. We would only do like 2 productions per semester, and I believe the first one week I did with was The Crucible, where I played Francis Nurse. Then the following semester we ended up doing a musical, which I will never do again. I am not a fan of musicals. I'll say that right now, well, except for Wicked. I'll say that right now. Wicked is my favorite musical, but I'm not a fan of musicals. I'll just admit that right?
DC: Now that is a very common thing that I hear is that people don't like musicals. I fucking love musicals. However, with that being said, I have not seen Wicked and everyone tells me that I'm an asshole for that.
CS: Well, I would never call you an asshole for that. But I will say this... they just made a live action movie about it. Now I have not seen it, because I went to Shea’s to see it, and it was an amazing performance. It was an amazing show to see and. When I saw there was a movie coming. I was like, I don't know if I want to watch this, because I feel like it might tarnish but it.
DC: Right.
CS: But the actual production was so amazing, so I'm just kind of afraid it might be overhyped. And it might just ruin my vision of what I saw on stage. But to answer the question though, about how it became a mailman... My original goal after I graduated from college was I want to save up some money and I wanted to move out to LA and I wanted to try to do this acting thing like the way everybody does.
DC: Well, wait, hold on. So what did you major in in college?
CS: Well, I actually majored in Theatre Arts.
DC: Oh, OK. Oh, so you're like in it, in it, OK?
CS: Oh yeah, I'm in. I actually have a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts. So what ended up happening was, I needed to get a job. I was like “I gotta save up some money and then I gotta move out to LA and try to make this acting thing actually happen.” Well, that actually... didn't happen. Because I ended up getting a job that really sucked, and I kind of crashed and burned after getting fired.
DC: Oh boy!
CS: Yeah, I got really discouraged after that, because I was trying to get a job after job, to the point where I was just like “I want to survive right now. I just want to have money in my pocket. I wanna have a roof over my head and gas in my car and just be able to get from A to B.” So after struggling for a few years and having one job, to two jobs, even at one point almost having three jobs, I ended up deciding that I needed something that's stable. And I sadly, fell away from the acting scene because I was just like, “I don't know if this was for me. If I was meant to actually do this.” So I fell away from that. I just said to myself, “I need to find something stable.” And my folks reached out to me and they suggested I become a mailman. I said “I don't think I'm qualified for that.” And they laughed and said “Oh trust me, you're qualified.” So I took the test, I applied for the job, and I ended up getting the job and... I've basically been stuck with Post Office since 2017. And it's thankfully helping keep a roof over my head, and get me from A to B.
DC: Yeah, that is the hardest thing I think about being a... How do I word this without making us sound...? We're just average humans, right? We're not... There's no nepotism with us. We have to do everything on our own, and survival kind of comes first before the dreams, and that sucks.
CS: Correct, yes. Very, very true.
DC: When did you graduate college? Just so I have a frame of reference here for.
CS: I attended 2 colleges. I graduated from Erie Community College in 2010 and I graduated from Buffalo State College in 2013.
DC: Gotcha. OK. And then, OK, so since ‘17, you've been at the Post office. And then when did you get back into acting? Like what lit that passion again? It's probably just burning in the back of your mind forever, correct?
CS: Well, when I started working for the Post Office, I was just worried about making sure the bills were paid. Not that I was in a really bad situation or anything. But I just wanna make sure everything's taken care of. But then I remember I was just kind of like... “What I what do I actually want to do with my life?” I've said to myself, I don't wanna be a mailman forever. And I'm saying like, “What else could I do?” And my step-mom called me one day and we were talking, and she says “Let me ask you a question? Do you still love acting?” And my reply was “Of course, I love acting.” She says “Do you still love movies?” “Yeah, I love movies. Why are you asking?” She’s like “Would you like to get back into acting? Listen, your father, since he's retired, he and I went back to school. We got our Master’s degree. But he wants to do other things now. He wants to get into acting, so why don't you go see this guy and take his acting class and see how you feel about it.” So my step-mom gave me this person's information and I applied for the class. That man is Frank Rossi, by the way. And I took his beginner class and then I ended up moving to the regular class. I actually really did fall in love with Frank's method of teaching ,and the way he actually reinvigorated my heart and soul, with wanting to actually get back into acting. He was always giving me pointers about things. He helped me see a few things that I actually never did before. It was a really great experience, for the time that I was there. I'll always be grateful for him getting me back into that. I was really grateful for that is because I got to bond with my dad too. Him being with that class with me. Because... I'll admit this, I didn't always get along with my father. But my father helped me out when I was a lot younger, gave me a place to stay, and helped me get my life back on track. And you know, we would argue a lot, we wouldn't always agree on everything, and I love my dad very much. But in 2020, my father ended up passing away.
DC: Oh, I'm so sorry.
CS: That's OK. My father was a cancer survivor and that was the really shocking news that we got in 2017 . We were worried about that and my dad beat cancer and I was just like, my dad's in his frigging 70’s, and this man beat cancer. I'm like this guy, he's untouchable. He's on. He's unkillable. But then the pandemic started, and the world shut down. And then my dad ended up catching pneumonia and he ended up passing away in 2020 and. It was just really sad, that when I started going back to class at Frank Rossi's, that my dad wasn't going to be there. But I said I can’t give this up. My dad loved doing this as much as I did, and he got to do things that I didn't get to do yet. And I'm very grateful for that. I mean, my dad got to be in a commercial. My dad was in a movie that we shot in the summer of 2019. I only had a minor part. My dad had a major role in it. It was a White Demise directed by Daeil Kim from Xylograph Films. My dad was also an extra in A Quiet Place Part 2, that was filmed here in Western New York. And I'm just very grateful for that, that my father is now kind of etched in a little bit of history with film. And I get to actually go see my dad whenever I watch A Quiet Place Part 2, even though it's a minor part.
DC: You can still point him out. You can tell he's on screen that much?
CS: Yeah, I can point him out. I mean, you don't get to see his face. I mean, you do see his face for a brief 3 seconds, but you could see the back of his head for like 5 seconds at one point. But I see him like. Yep, that's my dad. I recognize the khakis and the jacket. That's my dad right there.
DC: That's so awesome.
CS: And that is awesome and I'm very proud of my dad. I was telling him that when he went for the auditions, I was like, I really, really want to be in A Quiet Place Part 2 with you dad, and he's like, I know, I know, but I was upset because I didn't make the auditions. I was stuck at work, but if...
DC: Yep, the full time job life.
CS: You have full time job life, but I'm just grateful that my dad got to be a part of that. I've just said to myself like, regardless of where I go in this acting world, I just gotta keep continuing to do it, and I gotta keep trying. No matter what the cost is.
DC: Man, that's... That's honestly beautiful, I don't know how many interviews I've done so far. You know, it's like a handful. But I don't think anything, I don't know if we've had a story like this yet. And that's... I'm really appreciative that you're talking to me today.
CS: Thank you. Thank you for having me on.
DC: Yeah, so 2020. Yeah, the world shut down. Were you in classes still? Because that got a little murky and you know.
CS: Oh, it got very murky. And what ended up happening was is, everyone had to shut down everything. Even Frank had to end up shutting down his classes. And I remember waiting from like 2020 to like 2021 almost to like 2022.
DC: Yes.
CS: That, like you know, nothing was happening. And I might mess up some of the dates and stuff like that. Because it's been a while, but.
DC: Oh, it's also. Yeah, it's a chaotic blur for me. I think I started taking Frank's class in 2021 or 2022. I'm honestly not sure either.
CS: Yeah. So. I remember he tried to actually start doing classes during the pandemic. Like we tried to do zoom calls and stuff like that and I don't think it ended up working out.
DC: Yeah.
CS: But I'm not sure why he stopped but it was OK. But when the world opened back up, we started going back to the classes and you know. It was a great time. It was a little hard for me to walk in there that first time, but it was great.
DC: Not be with your dad, yeah.
CS: Yeah, but it was great to see everybody. We just carried on the best we could. And there was a point where my depression kind of creeped up. And I kind of just took a break from Frank's class for a while. He reached out to me like we haven't seen you in a while... I was just dealing with some stuff and I just didn't want to bring that to class. And he had said "it is therapy, man. You know, you should always come back. If you wanna come back, you don't wanna come back. That's up to you. But you know you can always hear your story, man." I'm like, I appreciate that. So. So yeah it did get murky for a while and I was very dead set on continuing to do the classes. But then what? Do you know what happened? I don't know. I ended up getting a small role in the Cabrini project that came to Buffalo in 2023 or no 2022.
DC: So that's when I was in Frank's classes when he was casting for Cabrini. So that, yeah, that that makes sense then. OK, so you got a small role. A speaking role?
CS: No, no. I was actually an extra, but it was funny because like I was just a theater attendee.
DC: Oh, OK.
CS: But it's funny because I watched that movie only once, and I kept waiting for my part. And I'm just like, OK, this is what they did?? All right. Because the whole day we were there on set, they had a group of us sitting down in the theater seats. And they would say, OK, when we yell action, we want you guys to just to start applauding in the clapping... I'm like OK? So we did that, but then they moved us to one section, moved us to another, moved us to another section, moved us to another... Moved us all the way up into the balconies and stuff like that. And did all that stuff and I was just like, OK. So I guess they didn't want to get any other extras??? And then when I watched the movie, I see that my where my part is and I'm like they just digitally copied us like 100 times.
DC: Ohh, that's hilarious. So it's a small crowd, but it looks like the entire theaters full. Wow.
CS: Yeah. Yes it does. I'm just like...
DC: Movie magic. Movie. Magic.
CS: Movie magic. Gotta love it.
DC: What have you done since then? I know. I mean, that'll cover the past three years. Oh, my God, we're halfway through '25 already. Uh, yeah. What have you been doing?
CS: Well, like I said, it's not easy to get a lot of work when you're consistently working all the time like.
DC: Amen.
CS: But that's why. Yeah, Amen. But I will admit though, you really do have to be on your toes. Like when you get notices for auditions and requests. If you can come in and do things because I remember. Like when I finally got back into this. I'm just sitting there like, how do you do this? And I was on Facebook and there was like Buffalo Film Extras, and independent film makers, and stuff like that. I'm like, OK, I'll apply to this, this and that. Sometimes you don't hear from anybody. The most work I ended up getting after the pandemic, I will have to say this was actually one of my favorite projects. I ended up being a lead actor in a music video that was produced by Xylograph Films, and it was for a band. We were shooting a music video for the band, Fuzzy and the Rust Belts. Which was a country band that it was actually here in Western New York there.
DC: Oh, that's cool. I've never heard of them, Fuzzy and the Rust Belts. Country folk and rock'n'roll nice, yeah.
CS: Yeah. Yeah. Check them out sometime and look up long lost wind. We went out to... I thought it was Lewiston, but it was not Lewiston. But there was another town we went to here in Western New York and we went to the theater. This nice little independent owned theater, it had just a classic look to it. And we shot from 5:30 in the morning to about 1:00 in the afternoon. Maybe a little later than that, we were up so early and it was freezing cold. But the entire time I'm working with director Daeil Kim, and he's walking me through all the things he was like, OK? just come and do this. When you reach down, make sure you pick that up. And what I loved about it was, he would walk me through all the scenes and he would say when you crouch down and you pick up this bit of popcorn to sweep back up, I want you to look into the camera and just have this kind of look on your face... and he would sing the song to me. We shot the scene a few times and then there were scenes where we shot outside, where we had to make it look like the theater was closing. So they gave me the keys and we would run it a few times. I was sitting there holding a Bible in my hand. And it was 6:30 in the morning. And I was freezing my ass off. But it was worth it because I was having a lot of fun. Even though this was just a music video, I really liked Kim's method, because he's not just a director. He was the man holding the camera the entire time. He had like this rig on him and he would just go step by step by step by step by step. Throughout the entire way. And if you ever watch music video, this is the part where I was like really I where my stage fright kicked it because he wanted me to dance and he was like well. How do you want me to dance? He was like you've seen the Joker from 2019? I'm like, you want that he was. He was like, yeah, can you do what Joaquin Phoenix did? I'm like I could try.
DC: That's a, that's a crazy ask.
CS: Yeah. So we did that. We shot that scene like probably about... Three or four times, maybe more? And I was sitting there going like, oh, I hope I didn't suck at that because I don't dance. I'm not much of a dancer. That was a lot of fun and I just looked back on that. That was just a great project. I was really happy to work with Kim and Melanie Ann from Xylography Films. I miss them very much. They're out in LA right now doing the thing with Cannes right now for a film they just did. They were out in LA doing their thing. You know, working more with Hydrograph films and doing productions out there and stuff like that and very happy for them. I miss them very much. I hope they come back to Buffalo sometime, but after like the pandemic and everything and I know I repeat myself.
DC: No, you're fine.
CS: I tried to get some work. Like I tried to get Cabrini. There was a there was a supposedly a Netflix show that I was a part of. It's called The Chain, but I have yet to see it pop up on Netflix. I have no idea. I mean, maybe I was given false information about that, but.
DC: The Chain? Here let me look it up on IMDb while we're chit chatting here.
CS: Yeah. Frank hit me up. He was like, "Can you be here at this time and just dress business casual?"
I was like, yeah. And I end up going to downtown Buffalo.
DC: Oh, you know, I do remember that casting. Yeah, yeah, I saw some people in it. Everyone had to be business casual. I don't. I don't know why I didn't show up.
CS: It's alright. I mean it happens like sometimes we forget, you know. We can't make every casting call.
DC: Yes. Yeah. Let me see here pre-production, yeah. Interesting. You know, I'm going to check my e-mail anyway. Yes, I forgot all about that.
CS: Yeah. So. Yes. And I just find it crazy like there hasn't been any other word on that going on right now. Like I'm like, is that gonna happen? Because I'm a little curious, you know. But I mean it is what it is right now.
DC: Yeah, The Chain. Here it is, 2022.
CS: Really?
DC: The pilot episode of the Chain, so it must have just not got picked up.
CS: Ohh. Well darn.
DC: That's OK. I'm in a pilot episode too, and it didn't get picked up yet either. I went to Albuquerque, NM to film it.
CS: Nice.
DC: Yeah, that was super fun. Alright, OK, back to what we were talking about. The Chain didn't get picked up.
CS: I I haven't really been casted a lot, and I'm not really mad about that. I've looked back on it like, you're not always gonna get cast for everything. And I'm just grateful for the chance sometimes. If people even look at my resume and like, consider me for certain things.
DC: You know what? I have found that, not that I'm giving you advice or whatnot, but what I have found is that you really gotta find your groove with like a core group of film people here I feel like. Local is better than going to all these different casting calls. You had a role in Arcade Daze, right? What was your role in that?
CS: It was a strong dude. I was like a frat dude or something like that. Because I remember I was working with Austin, Eric, and Johnny Foster. We were just acting like a bunch of Bros and stuff like that.
DC: That is a wild group of yeah, you are all Bros! No just kidding. That's what I'm talking about. Like little stuff is more, I don't want to say feasible... I think you'll work more if you do local stuff versus like the bigger stuff.
CS: Oh, oh, I agree wholeheartedly. And that's why I like I'm always willing to take chances to work on different things. To do different stuff and that's why I'm very grateful for. Like ALC Studio, because I never imagined like where that was going to take me, as far as an actor goes. I've learned so much from that. That was an experience all on its own.
DC: I know I feel guilty. I haven't been there in a while. You talk about depression and not going to Frank's class. I'm right in there with ALC.
CS: No, it's. Hey, it's OK. There's a lot of people that haven't come back yet. Some people have their responsibilities. They got bills. They gotta take care of their mental health. I'm not going to shame anybody who doesn't come back. It’s not easy for people to come back sometimes, if you can come back, cool. If not OK, we'll see you in the future. It's all good.
DC: Aw, thanks for that. One of these days. So. Can you tell me about what you were doing with TikTok reviews, or do not want to dive into that?
CS: I mean, I will tell you. Well... I'll tell you a little bit. See, the thing with TikTok is you have to find your niche. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I have been through so many different things when it comes to social media. It was Facebook. And then all of a sudden, Instagram comes out, and then there's Snapchat. And then there's like, what was it, the Vine? Don't know if anybody remembers the Vine.
DC: Oh yeah.
CS: Yeah. And people were doing fun and dumb stuff on there. But then TikTok comes out. I'm like, what the hell is TikTok and apparently it's a social media app where everybody does pretty much whatever they want to do, like they will review food, they will do comic book reviews, they will explore abandoned houses, or explore vacation places like Airbnb’s and walking trails, and stuff like that. Or ASMR, which really affect.
DC: Oh god. ASMR is so weird to me. Uh, there's a whole twitch channel for ASMR.
CS: That was weird. I find people chewing on stuff weird.
DC: And there's some creepy shit on there.
CS: Ohh I don't doubt that not one bit. But. I saw a lot of people like they were just doing all of this really cool stuff like. Some people were doing 10 second reviews on movies or they were doing like 60 second non-spoiler reviews of new films that just came out. Or they were talking about like old school video games or nostalgia. And I was just like, “You know what? Why don't I just tinker around?” And my goal to do little reviews of films. My biggest addiction to film is horror. I love horror movies. I'm just a big horror movie buff and I was like “Why don't I just do that?” I remember that I did one review for Halloween Kills when it first came out. I went and saw the movie, and came back to my house and sat down, loaded up the app. I took the poster, I put it in the corner, and I wrote down some notes: who's the director was, the writer of the script, the major stars, the pros and cons. What were the things I did like about film? What did I dislike about the film? And at the time, TikTok only gave you certain options. You either had 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or 3 minutes. But now you have 10 minutes. So I remember trying to like keep up with that because it was like a 3 minute option. So I started “My name is Headless Ninja, and I'm here to bring your review for this movie.” I didn't get a lot, but I got enough people commenting on my stuff and I was just like, OK. Maybe this might be it? I wanted to try to do more of that, but once again work life got distracted and I'm just like, I need to lock this down on something. I was talking to Andrew, because he noticed I'm obsessed with this music group Insane Clown Posse.
DC: I think everybody is very familiar with ICP.
CS: Yeah, he was like, “Dude, you can do an ICP TikTok, like you should like review stuff!” He's like “We'll put you up with a chick, and you'll watch random music videos and you'll put your own opinion on it.” And I'm like, OK, and we were going to do that for like a content creation thing. But we never really got around to doing it because we started doing other things and looking into other projects, because now we're pitching ideas.
DC: Yeah.
CS: Like we're trying to work on stuff, and I actually ended up pitching an idea for a show. And I still have the idea in my head. I just want to put pen to paper at some point. Actually, jot down some episodes, because I actually came up with the idea for a TV show on the spot. I remember talking to a guy who actually worked for Nickelodeon Studios, I just can't remember his name at this at the moment. I pitched the show to him, and he liked the idea. I was like, oh, wow, that's the first time I've ever done that. So now I got one little bit of approval. I need to jot this down and maybe try to turn it into something.
DC: Absolutely. If you want to talk about it off the interview. I'll give you my opinion too. Not that I'm anyone of anyone, but you know I mean.
CS: I'll gladly tell you about it after the after the interview.
DC: OK. So the first thing is that I don't know if you have read my other interviews. But somehow. Almost every single time we start talking about horror movies. I don't know if that's a reflection on me, or the people I'm choosing. But I mean, I love horror too. We talked about horror movies with Richie Leyland, I talked about horror movies with Bill Murray. And it's just funny, every time. It just comes up and I'm like, yes, this is maybe what I wanna talk about, but it needs to be more broad than that. 2. So your online name is Headless Ninja. Is that what I heard? What does that mean?
CS: Yes. It was a nickname that I ended up coming up with at one point. And there's a song called Headless Boogie and I was listening to this song and I was watching... You ever seen Sleepy Hollow?
DC: Absolutely.
CS: Yeah, I love that film.
DC: Also the book. Yeah, Washington Irving. There's a whole history with that. I will go off on a tangent hang on, Oh no. Well, yes, we'll keep going. Sorry.
CS: Yeah. So the song was talking about how all these dudes, they lost their heads and stuff like that. You know it's a play on like horrorcore style thing. I was listening to that song, and I'm watching the movie Sleepy Hollow, and I just came up with this. I've kept it for years because I thought like maybe I could turn this into a character or persona. And I just, I really like the idea that this old warrior that died in battle and he lost his head. But his body refused to die. Or I remember coming up with ideas like his head was stolen and he was on a revenge... I've had the nickname for so long. So it's just been stuck with me ever since.
DC: Which is fine. I mean it works. It sounds it's intriguing. You know, it's like, wait, what is that?
CS: Yeah, it's funny because my friends were calling me Headless, I'm like “What? Oh yeah? I forgot that's my nickname.”
DC: And then you said you were working on another project with one of your friends. Do you want to talk about that, or do you want to keep that under wraps still?
CS: I kind of would like to keep that under wraps for now.
DC: That sounds good. I understand that. I respect that.
CS: But I am trying to work on a script.
DC: Like writing one?
CS: Like writing one per say. But I need to go and get more research done on it, because it's not a historic film or anything, but I need to talk to like military experts and stuff because the film is basically going to be about a war that happens in the United States of America.
DC: Oh Dang.
CS: And yeah, and I know some people will say that sounds like Red Dawn, and I'm just like, it's not like Red Dawn. It's nothing like that. It's something completely different. It might have a bit of an influence. I have this idea for a character, and I wanna basically like push this character, because I based him a little off me, and I want him to be this guy who really didn't amount to much. But I want him to end up becoming this person that is just... he's thrust into this really crazy situation where he has to... um he’s not trying to become like a hero, but he has to realize that times have changed, and he has to wake up and realize that he has to start fighting. Actually, literally fighting for his life. To survive and try to protect people in the process. Just be the person he never thought he was. -- This idea has just been rolling around in my head. I know this is a good idea and I just need to get it pen to paper. I will. So yeah, that's the project I'm working on, and I will try to go into more details like somewhere down the road. But I just don't have like....
DC: The Full grasp on the on how it's gonna play out?
CS: Exactly because I still gotta set up the beginning, middle, end, and all that stuff.
DC: Yeah, yeah. No, I feel you. I have so many ideas floating around in my head and then when I go to sit down to try to like figure it out. It's it. It just doesn't happen. I get like writers block.
CS: Yeah, I feel you.
DC: I do have one short right now that I'm in the middle of outlining, in the horror genre. Haha yeah, but I don't want to talk about it because it's not fleshed out. I started the pen to paper, but I don't even have characters, I don't have like the you know. Act 1-2-3... like nothing. I just have an idea.
CS: Oh no, I totally get that. I mean, I'm sorry, I mean.
DC: No, you're fine.
CS: That was another thing, and I'll talk about this on here. One of the other script ideas I had, I've been playing back and forth. But the problem is I don't know how to set it up. That's my problem because I have an idea for a horror movie. But my problem is I don't know how to set it up. I'm just trying to figure out how I wanna do this, because I wanted to write a horror film about making Halloween terrifying again. Not like the 1978 film, which is like one of my favorite films of all time. I wanted to make like the actual holiday terrifying once again, like I wanted to bring like this idea that like. Like you've seen Trick Or Treat right? Yeah, I wanted to make something similar to that, but like crank it up to like 50. Yeah.
DC: OK so. Excuse me. Um. Have you? I'm trying to think of how to... There is an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's a Halloween episode...
CS: Classic.
DC: Where... Have you seen do you have? Do you watch that show? Have you seen that show?
CS: Yes, I did watch that show back in the day. I got addicted to that show because it was playing on reruns on FX and when I would come home from high School. I would watch one of those.
DC: Yeah, that's my favorite show in the world. But there's an episode where... it's on Halloween and whatever costume everyone is wearing, They actually turn into that character like they turn into that person. It's fucking insane. Ah, you got to watch it. It's a great Halloween episode. I wish it was a movie. Because they could, it could go so much further. You know what I mean?
CS: I totally agree.
DC: Like you could just have the most crazy story. Just imagine, I mean, you know everyone, well, I don't know what people dress up for as Halloween anymore because I feel like Halloween is a little different now after the pandemic.
CS: I mean, take your pick. It's like Chainsaw Man, attack on Titan. Shaun of the dead. Trying to think what was the big costume this past Halloween?
DC: I I don't even know. I don't even remember this past Halloween. What did I do this past Halloween? Like, that's so sad. Life gets real weird.
CS: Yeah it does.
DC: UM. You're OK now I'm going to have like. A midlife crisis because I don't remember what I did this Halloween.
CS: I gave out candy stuff but.
DC: You gave up candy on Halloween???
CS: I gave out candy.
DC: Oh, you gave out candy.
CS: You know the funny thing is, the house that I live in. I never get trick or treaters and I remember I was gonna go over, cause my stepmom called me. She's like, would you mind coming up and, you know the trick or treaters this year? I'm like, yeah, sure. And I'm sitting there. I'm getting ready in my house and all of a sudden I get a ring on the doorbell and I hear “trick or treat!” I grab whatever I had out of the closet and was like “Hey, here you go, little guy.”
DC: When I lived in Lovejoy, that was my favorite time. Was handing out candy to all the little kids because they always had, like, I don't know. The silliest little costumes, and they're always like stoked, you know?
CS: Oh yeah, it was great. It's always great when you see, like the kids enjoying the holiday and like dressing up as like their favorite character.
DC: There. Yeah. Yeah, a lot of Marvel, a lot of Marvel.
CS: Oh yeah, a lot of Marvel.
DC: Ah man. Oh, now I have to like plan this Halloween anyway. Alright, we are almost at 45 minutes. That's a pretty decent chunk of conversation. I'm not gonna lie. Is there anything...?
CS: I talk too much. Like all good.
DC: No, you're fine. Is there anything else that you do want to talk about? Anything you wanted me to ask? Any last words? Any anything?
CS: I guess all I can say is thank you for giving me the opportunity. I've never done an interview like this before, and it's actually like first interview ever. And I'm actually happy with the way it's come out so far, because I tend to word vomit and sometimes I just kind of talk where Im like “Ok stop talking.”
DC: No, you're good. I think it flowed very well.
CS: Yes. Thank you. Yes, but still thank you very much for giving me the chance to tell a bit of my story, and I just want to give a shout out to Buffalo Talent Management, shout out to ALC studios. Also shout out to Eye-Catching Events. Thank you to Erica for still employing me for doing murder mysteries and.
DC: Oh, you do murder mysteries. Why didn't we talk about that?
CS: Sorry, I'm sorry about that.
DC: No, it's OK. That's so cool. Now we know. I mean, it's still in the interview! So that's cool. I'll try to tag everyone so everyone gets mentioned. Oh, my God, that's awesome. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Happy Memorial Day.
CS: Happy Memorial Day. Do you have any plans?
DC: I don't. I'm just going to sleep until I have to be on set tonight for Punch Andy.
CS: Oh cool! Alrighty then. Thank you! Bye!
Chris Sams: Well, my name is Chris Sams. I currently live in Williamsville, NY. And I am a mailman for the United States Postal Service.
DC: And you're also an actor?
CS: Yes, I am.
DC: And do you also have a podcast? Did I see that? Or maybe it was video reels.
CS: I was trying to do TikTok reviews at one point and reels.
DC: That's what it was!
CS: Yeah, I originally was supposed to do a content project with another friend. But we never really got it off the ground yet. So I'm kind of working on revamping that at the moment... So we'll see where that goes.
DC: Alright, So what made you want to be an actor? And a Postal Service man?
CS: Well. I'll try to sum that up.
DC: You don't have to sum it up. We can go through the whole thing.
CS: Alrighty, well one of the reasons why I wanted to become an actor was when I was a kid, I always loved movies, but when you're a kid, you like all the fun fantasy films, the action films, all the fun stuff. But it wasn't till I was probably in middle school that I actually sat down and watched this movie called The Shawshank Redemption. And I never realized how great of a film it was at the time. I'm sitting there and I'm watching this movie and I'm just like. Why am I so... Intrigued by this? Why is this so good? and I'm just watching like this great film with this great cast, characters, and this really great script and wonderful music and cinematography. And I'm like I need more of this. So then I started watching other films. I started watching The Godfather, Jaws... I really started getting more into like the actual like aspect of film and trying to understand it. I was like this is what I wanna do. Like I actually would like to be an actor. I would love to be the guy that does these really great roles. And understanding characters and emotions and stuff like that. So by the time I got to high school, I actually decided to take a chance. I got involved with my local drama club and we started doing plays. We would only do like 2 productions per semester, and I believe the first one week I did with was The Crucible, where I played Francis Nurse. Then the following semester we ended up doing a musical, which I will never do again. I am not a fan of musicals. I'll say that right now, well, except for Wicked. I'll say that right now. Wicked is my favorite musical, but I'm not a fan of musicals. I'll just admit that right?
DC: Now that is a very common thing that I hear is that people don't like musicals. I fucking love musicals. However, with that being said, I have not seen Wicked and everyone tells me that I'm an asshole for that.
CS: Well, I would never call you an asshole for that. But I will say this... they just made a live action movie about it. Now I have not seen it, because I went to Shea’s to see it, and it was an amazing performance. It was an amazing show to see and. When I saw there was a movie coming. I was like, I don't know if I want to watch this, because I feel like it might tarnish but it.
DC: Right.
CS: But the actual production was so amazing, so I'm just kind of afraid it might be overhyped. And it might just ruin my vision of what I saw on stage. But to answer the question though, about how it became a mailman... My original goal after I graduated from college was I want to save up some money and I wanted to move out to LA and I wanted to try to do this acting thing like the way everybody does.
DC: Well, wait, hold on. So what did you major in in college?
CS: Well, I actually majored in Theatre Arts.
DC: Oh, OK. Oh, so you're like in it, in it, OK?
CS: Oh yeah, I'm in. I actually have a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts. So what ended up happening was, I needed to get a job. I was like “I gotta save up some money and then I gotta move out to LA and try to make this acting thing actually happen.” Well, that actually... didn't happen. Because I ended up getting a job that really sucked, and I kind of crashed and burned after getting fired.
DC: Oh boy!
CS: Yeah, I got really discouraged after that, because I was trying to get a job after job, to the point where I was just like “I want to survive right now. I just want to have money in my pocket. I wanna have a roof over my head and gas in my car and just be able to get from A to B.” So after struggling for a few years and having one job, to two jobs, even at one point almost having three jobs, I ended up deciding that I needed something that's stable. And I sadly, fell away from the acting scene because I was just like, “I don't know if this was for me. If I was meant to actually do this.” So I fell away from that. I just said to myself, “I need to find something stable.” And my folks reached out to me and they suggested I become a mailman. I said “I don't think I'm qualified for that.” And they laughed and said “Oh trust me, you're qualified.” So I took the test, I applied for the job, and I ended up getting the job and... I've basically been stuck with Post Office since 2017. And it's thankfully helping keep a roof over my head, and get me from A to B.
DC: Yeah, that is the hardest thing I think about being a... How do I word this without making us sound...? We're just average humans, right? We're not... There's no nepotism with us. We have to do everything on our own, and survival kind of comes first before the dreams, and that sucks.
CS: Correct, yes. Very, very true.
DC: When did you graduate college? Just so I have a frame of reference here for.
CS: I attended 2 colleges. I graduated from Erie Community College in 2010 and I graduated from Buffalo State College in 2013.
DC: Gotcha. OK. And then, OK, so since ‘17, you've been at the Post office. And then when did you get back into acting? Like what lit that passion again? It's probably just burning in the back of your mind forever, correct?
CS: Well, when I started working for the Post Office, I was just worried about making sure the bills were paid. Not that I was in a really bad situation or anything. But I just wanna make sure everything's taken care of. But then I remember I was just kind of like... “What I what do I actually want to do with my life?” I've said to myself, I don't wanna be a mailman forever. And I'm saying like, “What else could I do?” And my step-mom called me one day and we were talking, and she says “Let me ask you a question? Do you still love acting?” And my reply was “Of course, I love acting.” She says “Do you still love movies?” “Yeah, I love movies. Why are you asking?” She’s like “Would you like to get back into acting? Listen, your father, since he's retired, he and I went back to school. We got our Master’s degree. But he wants to do other things now. He wants to get into acting, so why don't you go see this guy and take his acting class and see how you feel about it.” So my step-mom gave me this person's information and I applied for the class. That man is Frank Rossi, by the way. And I took his beginner class and then I ended up moving to the regular class. I actually really did fall in love with Frank's method of teaching ,and the way he actually reinvigorated my heart and soul, with wanting to actually get back into acting. He was always giving me pointers about things. He helped me see a few things that I actually never did before. It was a really great experience, for the time that I was there. I'll always be grateful for him getting me back into that. I was really grateful for that is because I got to bond with my dad too. Him being with that class with me. Because... I'll admit this, I didn't always get along with my father. But my father helped me out when I was a lot younger, gave me a place to stay, and helped me get my life back on track. And you know, we would argue a lot, we wouldn't always agree on everything, and I love my dad very much. But in 2020, my father ended up passing away.
DC: Oh, I'm so sorry.
CS: That's OK. My father was a cancer survivor and that was the really shocking news that we got in 2017 . We were worried about that and my dad beat cancer and I was just like, my dad's in his frigging 70’s, and this man beat cancer. I'm like this guy, he's untouchable. He's on. He's unkillable. But then the pandemic started, and the world shut down. And then my dad ended up catching pneumonia and he ended up passing away in 2020 and. It was just really sad, that when I started going back to class at Frank Rossi's, that my dad wasn't going to be there. But I said I can’t give this up. My dad loved doing this as much as I did, and he got to do things that I didn't get to do yet. And I'm very grateful for that. I mean, my dad got to be in a commercial. My dad was in a movie that we shot in the summer of 2019. I only had a minor part. My dad had a major role in it. It was a White Demise directed by Daeil Kim from Xylograph Films. My dad was also an extra in A Quiet Place Part 2, that was filmed here in Western New York. And I'm just very grateful for that, that my father is now kind of etched in a little bit of history with film. And I get to actually go see my dad whenever I watch A Quiet Place Part 2, even though it's a minor part.
DC: You can still point him out. You can tell he's on screen that much?
CS: Yeah, I can point him out. I mean, you don't get to see his face. I mean, you do see his face for a brief 3 seconds, but you could see the back of his head for like 5 seconds at one point. But I see him like. Yep, that's my dad. I recognize the khakis and the jacket. That's my dad right there.
DC: That's so awesome.
CS: And that is awesome and I'm very proud of my dad. I was telling him that when he went for the auditions, I was like, I really, really want to be in A Quiet Place Part 2 with you dad, and he's like, I know, I know, but I was upset because I didn't make the auditions. I was stuck at work, but if...
DC: Yep, the full time job life.
CS: You have full time job life, but I'm just grateful that my dad got to be a part of that. I've just said to myself like, regardless of where I go in this acting world, I just gotta keep continuing to do it, and I gotta keep trying. No matter what the cost is.
DC: Man, that's... That's honestly beautiful, I don't know how many interviews I've done so far. You know, it's like a handful. But I don't think anything, I don't know if we've had a story like this yet. And that's... I'm really appreciative that you're talking to me today.
CS: Thank you. Thank you for having me on.
DC: Yeah, so 2020. Yeah, the world shut down. Were you in classes still? Because that got a little murky and you know.
CS: Oh, it got very murky. And what ended up happening was is, everyone had to shut down everything. Even Frank had to end up shutting down his classes. And I remember waiting from like 2020 to like 2021 almost to like 2022.
DC: Yes.
CS: That, like you know, nothing was happening. And I might mess up some of the dates and stuff like that. Because it's been a while, but.
DC: Oh, it's also. Yeah, it's a chaotic blur for me. I think I started taking Frank's class in 2021 or 2022. I'm honestly not sure either.
CS: Yeah. So. I remember he tried to actually start doing classes during the pandemic. Like we tried to do zoom calls and stuff like that and I don't think it ended up working out.
DC: Yeah.
CS: But I'm not sure why he stopped but it was OK. But when the world opened back up, we started going back to the classes and you know. It was a great time. It was a little hard for me to walk in there that first time, but it was great.
DC: Not be with your dad, yeah.
CS: Yeah, but it was great to see everybody. We just carried on the best we could. And there was a point where my depression kind of creeped up. And I kind of just took a break from Frank's class for a while. He reached out to me like we haven't seen you in a while... I was just dealing with some stuff and I just didn't want to bring that to class. And he had said "it is therapy, man. You know, you should always come back. If you wanna come back, you don't wanna come back. That's up to you. But you know you can always hear your story, man." I'm like, I appreciate that. So. So yeah it did get murky for a while and I was very dead set on continuing to do the classes. But then what? Do you know what happened? I don't know. I ended up getting a small role in the Cabrini project that came to Buffalo in 2023 or no 2022.
DC: So that's when I was in Frank's classes when he was casting for Cabrini. So that, yeah, that that makes sense then. OK, so you got a small role. A speaking role?
CS: No, no. I was actually an extra, but it was funny because like I was just a theater attendee.
DC: Oh, OK.
CS: But it's funny because I watched that movie only once, and I kept waiting for my part. And I'm just like, OK, this is what they did?? All right. Because the whole day we were there on set, they had a group of us sitting down in the theater seats. And they would say, OK, when we yell action, we want you guys to just to start applauding in the clapping... I'm like OK? So we did that, but then they moved us to one section, moved us to another, moved us to another section, moved us to another... Moved us all the way up into the balconies and stuff like that. And did all that stuff and I was just like, OK. So I guess they didn't want to get any other extras??? And then when I watched the movie, I see that my where my part is and I'm like they just digitally copied us like 100 times.
DC: Ohh, that's hilarious. So it's a small crowd, but it looks like the entire theaters full. Wow.
CS: Yeah. Yes it does. I'm just like...
DC: Movie magic. Movie. Magic.
CS: Movie magic. Gotta love it.
DC: What have you done since then? I know. I mean, that'll cover the past three years. Oh, my God, we're halfway through '25 already. Uh, yeah. What have you been doing?
CS: Well, like I said, it's not easy to get a lot of work when you're consistently working all the time like.
DC: Amen.
CS: But that's why. Yeah, Amen. But I will admit though, you really do have to be on your toes. Like when you get notices for auditions and requests. If you can come in and do things because I remember. Like when I finally got back into this. I'm just sitting there like, how do you do this? And I was on Facebook and there was like Buffalo Film Extras, and independent film makers, and stuff like that. I'm like, OK, I'll apply to this, this and that. Sometimes you don't hear from anybody. The most work I ended up getting after the pandemic, I will have to say this was actually one of my favorite projects. I ended up being a lead actor in a music video that was produced by Xylograph Films, and it was for a band. We were shooting a music video for the band, Fuzzy and the Rust Belts. Which was a country band that it was actually here in Western New York there.
DC: Oh, that's cool. I've never heard of them, Fuzzy and the Rust Belts. Country folk and rock'n'roll nice, yeah.
CS: Yeah. Yeah. Check them out sometime and look up long lost wind. We went out to... I thought it was Lewiston, but it was not Lewiston. But there was another town we went to here in Western New York and we went to the theater. This nice little independent owned theater, it had just a classic look to it. And we shot from 5:30 in the morning to about 1:00 in the afternoon. Maybe a little later than that, we were up so early and it was freezing cold. But the entire time I'm working with director Daeil Kim, and he's walking me through all the things he was like, OK? just come and do this. When you reach down, make sure you pick that up. And what I loved about it was, he would walk me through all the scenes and he would say when you crouch down and you pick up this bit of popcorn to sweep back up, I want you to look into the camera and just have this kind of look on your face... and he would sing the song to me. We shot the scene a few times and then there were scenes where we shot outside, where we had to make it look like the theater was closing. So they gave me the keys and we would run it a few times. I was sitting there holding a Bible in my hand. And it was 6:30 in the morning. And I was freezing my ass off. But it was worth it because I was having a lot of fun. Even though this was just a music video, I really liked Kim's method, because he's not just a director. He was the man holding the camera the entire time. He had like this rig on him and he would just go step by step by step by step by step. Throughout the entire way. And if you ever watch music video, this is the part where I was like really I where my stage fright kicked it because he wanted me to dance and he was like well. How do you want me to dance? He was like you've seen the Joker from 2019? I'm like, you want that he was. He was like, yeah, can you do what Joaquin Phoenix did? I'm like I could try.
DC: That's a, that's a crazy ask.
CS: Yeah. So we did that. We shot that scene like probably about... Three or four times, maybe more? And I was sitting there going like, oh, I hope I didn't suck at that because I don't dance. I'm not much of a dancer. That was a lot of fun and I just looked back on that. That was just a great project. I was really happy to work with Kim and Melanie Ann from Xylography Films. I miss them very much. They're out in LA right now doing the thing with Cannes right now for a film they just did. They were out in LA doing their thing. You know, working more with Hydrograph films and doing productions out there and stuff like that and very happy for them. I miss them very much. I hope they come back to Buffalo sometime, but after like the pandemic and everything and I know I repeat myself.
DC: No, you're fine.
CS: I tried to get some work. Like I tried to get Cabrini. There was a there was a supposedly a Netflix show that I was a part of. It's called The Chain, but I have yet to see it pop up on Netflix. I have no idea. I mean, maybe I was given false information about that, but.
DC: The Chain? Here let me look it up on IMDb while we're chit chatting here.
CS: Yeah. Frank hit me up. He was like, "Can you be here at this time and just dress business casual?"
I was like, yeah. And I end up going to downtown Buffalo.
DC: Oh, you know, I do remember that casting. Yeah, yeah, I saw some people in it. Everyone had to be business casual. I don't. I don't know why I didn't show up.
CS: It's alright. I mean it happens like sometimes we forget, you know. We can't make every casting call.
DC: Yes. Yeah. Let me see here pre-production, yeah. Interesting. You know, I'm going to check my e-mail anyway. Yes, I forgot all about that.
CS: Yeah. So. Yes. And I just find it crazy like there hasn't been any other word on that going on right now. Like I'm like, is that gonna happen? Because I'm a little curious, you know. But I mean it is what it is right now.
DC: Yeah, The Chain. Here it is, 2022.
CS: Really?
DC: The pilot episode of the Chain, so it must have just not got picked up.
CS: Ohh. Well darn.
DC: That's OK. I'm in a pilot episode too, and it didn't get picked up yet either. I went to Albuquerque, NM to film it.
CS: Nice.
DC: Yeah, that was super fun. Alright, OK, back to what we were talking about. The Chain didn't get picked up.
CS: I I haven't really been casted a lot, and I'm not really mad about that. I've looked back on it like, you're not always gonna get cast for everything. And I'm just grateful for the chance sometimes. If people even look at my resume and like, consider me for certain things.
DC: You know what? I have found that, not that I'm giving you advice or whatnot, but what I have found is that you really gotta find your groove with like a core group of film people here I feel like. Local is better than going to all these different casting calls. You had a role in Arcade Daze, right? What was your role in that?
CS: It was a strong dude. I was like a frat dude or something like that. Because I remember I was working with Austin, Eric, and Johnny Foster. We were just acting like a bunch of Bros and stuff like that.
DC: That is a wild group of yeah, you are all Bros! No just kidding. That's what I'm talking about. Like little stuff is more, I don't want to say feasible... I think you'll work more if you do local stuff versus like the bigger stuff.
CS: Oh, oh, I agree wholeheartedly. And that's why I like I'm always willing to take chances to work on different things. To do different stuff and that's why I'm very grateful for. Like ALC Studio, because I never imagined like where that was going to take me, as far as an actor goes. I've learned so much from that. That was an experience all on its own.
DC: I know I feel guilty. I haven't been there in a while. You talk about depression and not going to Frank's class. I'm right in there with ALC.
CS: No, it's. Hey, it's OK. There's a lot of people that haven't come back yet. Some people have their responsibilities. They got bills. They gotta take care of their mental health. I'm not going to shame anybody who doesn't come back. It’s not easy for people to come back sometimes, if you can come back, cool. If not OK, we'll see you in the future. It's all good.
DC: Aw, thanks for that. One of these days. So. Can you tell me about what you were doing with TikTok reviews, or do not want to dive into that?
CS: I mean, I will tell you. Well... I'll tell you a little bit. See, the thing with TikTok is you have to find your niche. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I have been through so many different things when it comes to social media. It was Facebook. And then all of a sudden, Instagram comes out, and then there's Snapchat. And then there's like, what was it, the Vine? Don't know if anybody remembers the Vine.
DC: Oh yeah.
CS: Yeah. And people were doing fun and dumb stuff on there. But then TikTok comes out. I'm like, what the hell is TikTok and apparently it's a social media app where everybody does pretty much whatever they want to do, like they will review food, they will do comic book reviews, they will explore abandoned houses, or explore vacation places like Airbnb’s and walking trails, and stuff like that. Or ASMR, which really affect.
DC: Oh god. ASMR is so weird to me. Uh, there's a whole twitch channel for ASMR.
CS: That was weird. I find people chewing on stuff weird.
DC: And there's some creepy shit on there.
CS: Ohh I don't doubt that not one bit. But. I saw a lot of people like they were just doing all of this really cool stuff like. Some people were doing 10 second reviews on movies or they were doing like 60 second non-spoiler reviews of new films that just came out. Or they were talking about like old school video games or nostalgia. And I was just like, “You know what? Why don't I just tinker around?” And my goal to do little reviews of films. My biggest addiction to film is horror. I love horror movies. I'm just a big horror movie buff and I was like “Why don't I just do that?” I remember that I did one review for Halloween Kills when it first came out. I went and saw the movie, and came back to my house and sat down, loaded up the app. I took the poster, I put it in the corner, and I wrote down some notes: who's the director was, the writer of the script, the major stars, the pros and cons. What were the things I did like about film? What did I dislike about the film? And at the time, TikTok only gave you certain options. You either had 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or 3 minutes. But now you have 10 minutes. So I remember trying to like keep up with that because it was like a 3 minute option. So I started “My name is Headless Ninja, and I'm here to bring your review for this movie.” I didn't get a lot, but I got enough people commenting on my stuff and I was just like, OK. Maybe this might be it? I wanted to try to do more of that, but once again work life got distracted and I'm just like, I need to lock this down on something. I was talking to Andrew, because he noticed I'm obsessed with this music group Insane Clown Posse.
DC: I think everybody is very familiar with ICP.
CS: Yeah, he was like, “Dude, you can do an ICP TikTok, like you should like review stuff!” He's like “We'll put you up with a chick, and you'll watch random music videos and you'll put your own opinion on it.” And I'm like, OK, and we were going to do that for like a content creation thing. But we never really got around to doing it because we started doing other things and looking into other projects, because now we're pitching ideas.
DC: Yeah.
CS: Like we're trying to work on stuff, and I actually ended up pitching an idea for a show. And I still have the idea in my head. I just want to put pen to paper at some point. Actually, jot down some episodes, because I actually came up with the idea for a TV show on the spot. I remember talking to a guy who actually worked for Nickelodeon Studios, I just can't remember his name at this at the moment. I pitched the show to him, and he liked the idea. I was like, oh, wow, that's the first time I've ever done that. So now I got one little bit of approval. I need to jot this down and maybe try to turn it into something.
DC: Absolutely. If you want to talk about it off the interview. I'll give you my opinion too. Not that I'm anyone of anyone, but you know I mean.
CS: I'll gladly tell you about it after the after the interview.
DC: OK. So the first thing is that I don't know if you have read my other interviews. But somehow. Almost every single time we start talking about horror movies. I don't know if that's a reflection on me, or the people I'm choosing. But I mean, I love horror too. We talked about horror movies with Richie Leyland, I talked about horror movies with Bill Murray. And it's just funny, every time. It just comes up and I'm like, yes, this is maybe what I wanna talk about, but it needs to be more broad than that. 2. So your online name is Headless Ninja. Is that what I heard? What does that mean?
CS: Yes. It was a nickname that I ended up coming up with at one point. And there's a song called Headless Boogie and I was listening to this song and I was watching... You ever seen Sleepy Hollow?
DC: Absolutely.
CS: Yeah, I love that film.
DC: Also the book. Yeah, Washington Irving. There's a whole history with that. I will go off on a tangent hang on, Oh no. Well, yes, we'll keep going. Sorry.
CS: Yeah. So the song was talking about how all these dudes, they lost their heads and stuff like that. You know it's a play on like horrorcore style thing. I was listening to that song, and I'm watching the movie Sleepy Hollow, and I just came up with this. I've kept it for years because I thought like maybe I could turn this into a character or persona. And I just, I really like the idea that this old warrior that died in battle and he lost his head. But his body refused to die. Or I remember coming up with ideas like his head was stolen and he was on a revenge... I've had the nickname for so long. So it's just been stuck with me ever since.
DC: Which is fine. I mean it works. It sounds it's intriguing. You know, it's like, wait, what is that?
CS: Yeah, it's funny because my friends were calling me Headless, I'm like “What? Oh yeah? I forgot that's my nickname.”
DC: And then you said you were working on another project with one of your friends. Do you want to talk about that, or do you want to keep that under wraps still?
CS: I kind of would like to keep that under wraps for now.
DC: That sounds good. I understand that. I respect that.
CS: But I am trying to work on a script.
DC: Like writing one?
CS: Like writing one per say. But I need to go and get more research done on it, because it's not a historic film or anything, but I need to talk to like military experts and stuff because the film is basically going to be about a war that happens in the United States of America.
DC: Oh Dang.
CS: And yeah, and I know some people will say that sounds like Red Dawn, and I'm just like, it's not like Red Dawn. It's nothing like that. It's something completely different. It might have a bit of an influence. I have this idea for a character, and I wanna basically like push this character, because I based him a little off me, and I want him to be this guy who really didn't amount to much. But I want him to end up becoming this person that is just... he's thrust into this really crazy situation where he has to... um he’s not trying to become like a hero, but he has to realize that times have changed, and he has to wake up and realize that he has to start fighting. Actually, literally fighting for his life. To survive and try to protect people in the process. Just be the person he never thought he was. -- This idea has just been rolling around in my head. I know this is a good idea and I just need to get it pen to paper. I will. So yeah, that's the project I'm working on, and I will try to go into more details like somewhere down the road. But I just don't have like....
DC: The Full grasp on the on how it's gonna play out?
CS: Exactly because I still gotta set up the beginning, middle, end, and all that stuff.
DC: Yeah, yeah. No, I feel you. I have so many ideas floating around in my head and then when I go to sit down to try to like figure it out. It's it. It just doesn't happen. I get like writers block.
CS: Yeah, I feel you.
DC: I do have one short right now that I'm in the middle of outlining, in the horror genre. Haha yeah, but I don't want to talk about it because it's not fleshed out. I started the pen to paper, but I don't even have characters, I don't have like the you know. Act 1-2-3... like nothing. I just have an idea.
CS: Oh no, I totally get that. I mean, I'm sorry, I mean.
DC: No, you're fine.
CS: That was another thing, and I'll talk about this on here. One of the other script ideas I had, I've been playing back and forth. But the problem is I don't know how to set it up. That's my problem because I have an idea for a horror movie. But my problem is I don't know how to set it up. I'm just trying to figure out how I wanna do this, because I wanted to write a horror film about making Halloween terrifying again. Not like the 1978 film, which is like one of my favorite films of all time. I wanted to make like the actual holiday terrifying once again, like I wanted to bring like this idea that like. Like you've seen Trick Or Treat right? Yeah, I wanted to make something similar to that, but like crank it up to like 50. Yeah.
DC: OK so. Excuse me. Um. Have you? I'm trying to think of how to... There is an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's a Halloween episode...
CS: Classic.
DC: Where... Have you seen do you have? Do you watch that show? Have you seen that show?
CS: Yes, I did watch that show back in the day. I got addicted to that show because it was playing on reruns on FX and when I would come home from high School. I would watch one of those.
DC: Yeah, that's my favorite show in the world. But there's an episode where... it's on Halloween and whatever costume everyone is wearing, They actually turn into that character like they turn into that person. It's fucking insane. Ah, you got to watch it. It's a great Halloween episode. I wish it was a movie. Because they could, it could go so much further. You know what I mean?
CS: I totally agree.
DC: Like you could just have the most crazy story. Just imagine, I mean, you know everyone, well, I don't know what people dress up for as Halloween anymore because I feel like Halloween is a little different now after the pandemic.
CS: I mean, take your pick. It's like Chainsaw Man, attack on Titan. Shaun of the dead. Trying to think what was the big costume this past Halloween?
DC: I I don't even know. I don't even remember this past Halloween. What did I do this past Halloween? Like, that's so sad. Life gets real weird.
CS: Yeah it does.
DC: UM. You're OK now I'm going to have like. A midlife crisis because I don't remember what I did this Halloween.
CS: I gave out candy stuff but.
DC: You gave up candy on Halloween???
CS: I gave out candy.
DC: Oh, you gave out candy.
CS: You know the funny thing is, the house that I live in. I never get trick or treaters and I remember I was gonna go over, cause my stepmom called me. She's like, would you mind coming up and, you know the trick or treaters this year? I'm like, yeah, sure. And I'm sitting there. I'm getting ready in my house and all of a sudden I get a ring on the doorbell and I hear “trick or treat!” I grab whatever I had out of the closet and was like “Hey, here you go, little guy.”
DC: When I lived in Lovejoy, that was my favorite time. Was handing out candy to all the little kids because they always had, like, I don't know. The silliest little costumes, and they're always like stoked, you know?
CS: Oh yeah, it was great. It's always great when you see, like the kids enjoying the holiday and like dressing up as like their favorite character.
DC: There. Yeah. Yeah, a lot of Marvel, a lot of Marvel.
CS: Oh yeah, a lot of Marvel.
DC: Ah man. Oh, now I have to like plan this Halloween anyway. Alright, we are almost at 45 minutes. That's a pretty decent chunk of conversation. I'm not gonna lie. Is there anything...?
CS: I talk too much. Like all good.
DC: No, you're fine. Is there anything else that you do want to talk about? Anything you wanted me to ask? Any last words? Any anything?
CS: I guess all I can say is thank you for giving me the opportunity. I've never done an interview like this before, and it's actually like first interview ever. And I'm actually happy with the way it's come out so far, because I tend to word vomit and sometimes I just kind of talk where Im like “Ok stop talking.”
DC: No, you're good. I think it flowed very well.
CS: Yes. Thank you. Yes, but still thank you very much for giving me the chance to tell a bit of my story, and I just want to give a shout out to Buffalo Talent Management, shout out to ALC studios. Also shout out to Eye-Catching Events. Thank you to Erica for still employing me for doing murder mysteries and.
DC: Oh, you do murder mysteries. Why didn't we talk about that?
CS: Sorry, I'm sorry about that.
DC: No, it's OK. That's so cool. Now we know. I mean, it's still in the interview! So that's cool. I'll try to tag everyone so everyone gets mentioned. Oh, my God, that's awesome. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Happy Memorial Day.
CS: Happy Memorial Day. Do you have any plans?
DC: I don't. I'm just going to sleep until I have to be on set tonight for Punch Andy.
CS: Oh cool! Alrighty then. Thank you! Bye!