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First of all, why don't you introduce yourself to those of us who don't already know you?
My name is Richard Ryan. I am an actor, producer, director, and writer in the
film industry. I am the founder of Ox Films. My most recent film is
Art of Deception. My most recent television appearance was on
the show Mafia Spies, released by Paramount Plus, where I play
former USA President John F. Kennedy. Family, health, fitness, and good
nutrition are very important to me. I am a humanitarian and an
environmentalist. I also paint and rap. I enjoy creating stories that have
substance and cover a variety of subjects and genres. I like including
elements of action because I have a strong admiration for martial arts and
athletics. I am originally from Sacramento, California, and I grew up in
El Dorado Hills, California. I moved to Los Angeles shortly after high
school, where I began my professional career in the film industry.
Any current or future projects
you'd like to share?
Currently, I am in the development stages of my fourth feature film
entitled Remington, a political action thriller. We are
gearing up to start pre-production in April 2024. I recently had several
auditions, so perhaps I might book one of those films or shows.
Other films that I have in development include an MMA movie, a movie similar to The
Fast and the Furious and American Graffiti. I also
have two comedies in the pipeline, one of which includes a storyline
involving Goldie Hawn. I recently had the pleasure to work with Kate
Hudson.
I have other scripts of all genres that have crossed my desk with great
stories from writers and producers, and several more scripts that I have
written that I am eager to get to as well. We'll see what pans out and
when. I am excited and inspired all the time to find out. The pieces fall
into place when the time is right.
What got you into the filmworld in
the first place, and did you receive any formal education on the subject?
I took my first theater and acting for the camera classes while in high
school and some in college shortly after I moved to Los Angeles. After
about six months of auditioning, working as a personal trainer, and doing
extra work, I decided to make my first short film in 2006. I bought a
computer, editing software, and a camera from Best Buy. I gathered friends
who were also actors and found locations, and then I shot my first short
film. It was unscripted. I edited the footage we shot and then released
it, starting my production company Ox Films
soon after.
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I then went on to my second short film, where I wrote the script, rented a
camera and equipment, found locations, put an ad on Craigslist to get a
crew, and hired actors from acting class or whom I met while doing extra
work. I created the schedule and shot list, and we shot the film in about
a week. I edited the project and then released it. After shooting my first
7 short films, I rented the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills and
promoted it, getting about 100 people to show up. It was a cool
experience.
After my third short film, I shot my first feature film called Fortune 500
Man, which can be seen on Tubi and Amazon Prime. I got into the film
world just by doing it and going through the process, learning as I went.
It was a very ambitious path that I chose, but I really feel that it chose
me. It wasn’t until 5 years later, after making my own films, that I
went to film school and took four classes at The Art Institute. I love
learning about films, acting, and everything about the business. I
actually really enjoy learning about people and life, no matter what the
subject is. The film industry is very suitable for me because movies
encompass life and people. You
seem to be equally comfortable in front of the camera as behind it - so
which side do you actually prefer? And are there any filmmaking jobs you
could actually do without?
I prefer being in front of the camera. I originally started making movies
so I could be in front of the camera more. While I enjoy producing,
directing, and writing, as well as going through the process, it requires
a lot of effort and time. There's also a great deal of responsibility,
pressure, and at times, life can feel out of balance. When you act in
projects where everything is already set, you can just focus on acting.
Hopefully, you're the type of actor who enjoys promoting the film you're
in, as that serves the whole project. It's super fun getting out there and
talking about it. It's an absolute breath of fresh air when I get chosen to be a part of someone
else's vision and can just focus on acting and preparing for my role.
Everything is set up, and I can pour all my experience, preparation, hard
work, tears, heartache, and joy into the role. Living in the moment under
the circumstances of the scene, reacting off of others, everything feels
so fresh and captured.
The moments get captured with the proper lighting, direction, different camera
angles, in the chosen location, with the proper wardrobe, hair, and makeup
looking a certain way, and with the dialogue being picked up by the audio
department. All the pieces are pulled together by the production team, and
when action is called, it's your moment where it all comes together. It
really is very magical and feels like an out-of-body experience at times.
The camaraderie, love, and passion, everyone being on the same page on
set, is electrifying. There is a particular understanding that exists in
the air. It is utopia.
As an actor, I have the opportunity to play many different characters from
all walks of life and backgrounds, in many different stories, with many
different talented, ambitious, amazing people. Every day, I am inspired to
put my best foot forward and be the best that I can be so I can do this as
much as possible. In return, I can help my family and community more and
have the freedom to do more.
Do talk about your very early
filmwork, in whatever position, for a bit!
When I started making films in Los Angeles, it was very exciting and
liberating. It felt like I was onto something big, and it felt very
natural to create, explore, and have this adventure of making movies.
Since as long as I could remember, I was always creating. It's something
that I need to do. Making movies felt natural because I always enjoyed
performing, having a vision, and then being creative and disciplined
enough to work towards my vision. It was always a nice challenge to take
an idea and come up with a way to translate that idea into images,
dialogue, and determine the locations, characters, and creative shots I
could use to best execute my idea.
I enjoyed breaking down the script and figuring out what props I needed to
gather, as well as scheduling, budgeting, and deciding on the music, sound
design, and lighting to use to help set the mood. I really enjoyed picking
up the equipment that we needed for the shoot, after figuring out based on
the scene what equipment was needed. I learned a lot of technical aspects
during that process. Editing was very challenging at times and very
technical as well, but developing more of an understanding and getting
better at it gave me a sense of power that I can make anything I want.
I really enjoyed being in acting class and playing out different scenes,
learning new methods, and finding out what I am truly capable of. I loved
accumulating experience and exposure, whether it be in class or on set.
Seeing other actors perform scenes taught me a lot. My first great acting
teacher was Aaron Speiser. I learned the importance of truly living in the
moment in life so I could do it easily during a scene, and how important
it is to accumulate life experience so you can apply it to your work as an
actor. I learned a whole lot more as well from Aaron, for which I am very grateful.
I think the movie that was your breakthrough was Art
of Deception, a film you wrote the story for, starred in, produced
and directed - so what can you tell us about that movie for a bit, and how
it came about?
I learned a huge amount while filming Art
of Deception and during post-production. Art
of Deception is an action conspiracy thriller with a love story. I play a scientist who discovers
that the CIA is creating a deadly virus to take over the world. I am
ultimately left with the choice to save the world or the life of my own
wife after the CIA kidnaps and interrogates her. Of all the films that I
worked on, Art
of Deception is the film that I learned the
most from and was the most impactful. It was the biggest-budget film that
I produced, so there were a lot more variables and people involved, and
more was on the line. I faced severe challenges during the making of Art
of Deception that I had to work through, and I had to
acquire new knowledge about aspects of the filmmaking process, life, and
people. Now, today, I know a lot more and am able to apply that knowledge
to everyday life and towards my next films.
Art
of Deception was also the film that I knew would be the one to
catapult my other films as well. I figured once Art
of Deception becomes successful, people will want to see my other
films. And the success of all my films will open up new doors and
opportunities for me as an actor and producer. Art
of Deception was incredibly fun to make, and everyone involved played
their part with commitment to the film. As a team, we completed the movie,
and now we are trying to bring more exposure to it every day. We shot some
of the film in my hometown in El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Sacramento,
and in South Lake Tahoe. It was very cool that my family was able to be a
part of the filming, and the people in my hometown were able to witness
the filming and be a part of it as well. We did shoot the film
predominantly throughout Los Angeles, though, and that was great because
Los Angeles has a lot of wonderful locations to film.
Jackie Nova, lead actress and producer, and I were hanging out poolside on one
hot summer night, kicking our feet in the water, talking about movies. It
was at that time when we said we should make a movie. Then, from that
moment, we got to work. We completed the script based on my treatment, and
then we went through the process. It really has been an incredible ride
creating Art
of Deception. Jackie and I started by doing all
the initial pre-production work. Then, from there, we planned on filming
one weekend a month, so we would prepare specifically for that one weekend
of filming for about two to three weeks. After we filmed during the
weekend, I would take a week to edit what we shot, then we would plan for
two to three weeks again for the next weekend shoot, and we repeated that
process for about two years. Then we had our principal photography
completed as well as a rough edit. We then scheduled and shot reshoots and
pickup shots, and then had to fundraise again for the completion of
post-production, which included sound work, visual effects, color
grading/correction, which at times was a very daunting task. We found our
composer in Italy and several visual effects artists throughout Egypt,
India, and other parts of the world. I learned so much, including the
workflow and supervising the whole post-production phase. I learned so
much on Art
of Deception that now I really know how to develop
and plan a film from scratch all the way through the post-production,
marketing and distribution phase at the very beginning to ensure that the
whole production experience is smooth and successful. I am grateful to
everyone who participated in the making of Art
of Deception. I am inspired every day to make Art
of Deception a hit so everyone on the team could be very proud, and we can all win big. I hope
you watch the movie and enjoy it.
Any other films of yours you'd like to talk about?
I encourage you to watch my first two feature films, Fortune 500
Man and Natural Demise, as well as my other seventeen
short films. Also, check out the behind-the-scenes making-of documentary
of Art
of Deception, as well as the two red carpet premieres
at Sony (Culver City) and Landmark Regent Movie Theater (Westwood), all
found on my website at www.oxfilms.us.
Thank you very much in advance for your support, and enjoy the show. What can you tell us about your production
company Ox Films,
and the philosophy behind it?
I officially formed Ox Films
in 2008. The ox to me symbolizes an animal
that is not only physically strong and able to carry a lot of weight but
also mentally strong because the ox keeps going and going and going, and
goes the distance. That's what I do, and I bring people on board who have
a similar mentality. How would you describe
yourself as an actor, and how as a director?
As an actor, I have a very wide range and am very versatile in the roles I
can play and the action I can portray on screen. I enjoy the process and
preparation phase, as well as being on set and really living in the moment
as the character, under the circumstances of the scenes and story, with
those who I share the scenes with. I have an extremely strong work ethic
and am very dedicated and passionate about the craft. I give it my all.
As a director, I am very passionate and have a strong work ethic as well. I
enjoy all phases of filmmaking—the development phase, pre-production,
shooting, post-production, and marketing and distribution. I love the
whole process of bringing all the pieces together to make it work so the
experience and process are very smooth and enhance the story and final
result. I really enjoy working with people in all departments and taking
the time to plan it out properly with a specific budget, schedule, shot
lists, storyboards, and making sure the right people with good attitudes,
gratitude, commitment, and passion about their job are hired. This will
ensure the process can be an incredible experience that translates into a
successful and amazing movie. Challenges will arise, but with the proper
team, anything can be worked out for the best.
Creating opportunities, learning along the way, and meeting new people in an
endeavor such as directing and producing a movie is a very magical and
incredible experience. I am forever humbled, focused, and grateful for the
opportunity to do it as much as I can.
Filmmakers, actors, whoever else who inspire you?
I have been influenced by many actors and filmmakers. Just to name a few:
Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, David Fincher, Cillian Murphy, Daniel
Day Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Vin Diesel, Edward Norton, Robert
DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Sean Penn. I am grateful to many people who have
helped me along the way, and that is very inspiring to me because I always
want to return the favor and make their efforts towards me pay off in a
way that will benefit them. I am also grateful to people who admire my work and are inspired by my work
or words because I really enjoy inspiring people to go for their dreams
and be the best version of themselves. I am grateful to my Mom and Dad,
Grandma and Grandpa for being true leaders and visionaries, and to my
whole family, Jackie Nova, Aaron Speiser, Patrick Giraudi, and all those
who have believed in me and helped me along the way. They are a few people
that I have learned a lot from and who have helped me to be the best
version that I can be as a person and with my work. I am forever grateful
to them. It brings me great inspiration to give back.
I am definitely grateful to myself as well because I have always believed in
myself and I keep growing as a person and never give up on my goals. Your favourite
movies? My favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, No Country for Old
Men, Caddyshack and Blues Brothers. I also have to mention my favorite TV shows.
They are Peaky Blinders, Shameless and Ray
Donovan. ... and of course, films you really deplore?
I appreciate all films. I can’t say there is one film that I
disapprove of. Your website, social media, whatever else?
Website: www.oxfilms.us
Instagram handles: @RichardRyan7, @ArtOfDeceptionTheMovie, and @OxFilmsEntertainment
Twitter: @OxFilmsENT
LinkedIn: OxFilmsEntertainment
TikTok: OxFilmsEntertainment
Facebook: Richard Joseph Ryan
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
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I would encourage others to challenge themselves to always have a good
attitude, gratitude, and to be kind to themselves and others. Have respect
and honor for your family, friends, and community, as well as the planet
you live on. Have positive goals that will keep you focused and stay
committed and on track, as it will give you a clearer direction. Challenge
yourself to be the best version of yourself every day and lead by example
because others are definitely observing you. If they see you do good
things, it will encourage them to do good things as well.
We are all people, and sometimes we need a positive role model to look up to.
You will give them a sense of hope and encouragement. Sometimes you might
not even know that you are a role model for someone else, so strive to be
a positive and good role model for others. Always have a strong work
ethic, be ambitious, courageous, and always live your truth with respect
and dignity. This is your life. Just go for it.
Thanks for the interview!
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