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Your new movie A
Long Road to Tao - in a few words, what's it about, and what can
you tell us about your character in it?
The film is based on a true story about a surfer in the late 80s, who
is also a writer that is feeling uninspired and stuck. He is also missing
his best friend, who was a pro surfer that mysteriously disappeared a few
years back. His friend shows up unexpectedly and leaves all of his
surfboards behind before disappearing once again. He goes on a quest to
find him, and when he does, he discovers that he’s dying of AIDS (and
gay… which he never suspected). I won’t spoil it from there, but the
film takes you on a heart-wrenching journey of joy and loss and
friendship, all while the character I play (Lance) imparts Taoist and
Native wisdom that he has picked up on his travels.
Being an avid surfer yourself, in what way has this informed your take on your
character? It is hard to overstate how being a surfer
informed this role. Surfing is an obsession and a way of life that, once
you catch the bug, never leaves you. There is an inherent sense of seeking
in being a surfer. We are always observing the weather, the geography, and
underwater topography in search of that perfect wave on the perfect day
with the perfect company. Like Lance and most surfers, I live for the
“stoke”. So much so that I actually have the word “stoked”
tattooed on my wrist. Being stoked is a wholesome feeling of satisfaction
that comes after riding waves, or doing anything else that feeds your
soul. It goes beyond pleasure; for me, it’s what Joseph Campbell means
by "follow your bliss.” I think Lance and I share that core value.
Particularly as it relates to the ocean and water, it’s a theme all over
the film and something all surfers understand. You've lost about 30 pounds to play Lance,
right? So what kind of a challenge was that? I grew up
wrestling and competing in jiu-jitsu. So I was familiar with cutting
weight. So much so that I sort of swore I would never do it again.
However, when I was asked to take on the role of Lance, I knew right away
I needed to commit to it in order to honor Rick (the person Lance was
based on) and everyone else who has suffered and succumbed to AIDS. I felt
it was essential for the audience to understand the real-life choices
behind the story. I did it over a one-month period, and then had to keep
it off for the month we were shooting. It was basically just cutting back
more and more on food until I was basically eating a few eggs and a can of
sardines a day while I kept my metabolism up all the time with cardio and
hiking. I am not gonna lie - it was rough. Nose bleeds and light-headed
all the time and sometimes hard to focus on set. At night, I would sit and
look at restaurants on Instagram and salivate over all the meals I was
going to have when we wrapped. Ultimately, it was so worth it. I think it
really helped support the character work and vulnerability of Lance. Asides from
above-mentioned, what did you draw upon to bring your character to life,
and how much Jason Bernardo can we find in Lance?
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I never know quite how to answer that question because I find this
craft pretty mysterious in the way that it’s sort of all me… and at
the same time, it’s all Lance. I have lived a pretty colorful life as a
seeker with lots of wild experiences, so that certainly helped. But
ultimately, this story (to me) is about the love and brotherhood of these
two men. It was such a treat to discover that my co-star KC Deane worked
in a similar way that I do, so we had a really great journey building the
history of these friends. We pulled from the real story of writer/producer
Michael A. Allen, we pulled from our separate past experiences, and we
used our imagination to fill in a rich life and history for these two
characters. I guess the best way to describe how it feels to me is that
it’s all me, but it’s just a version of me that had a different life
and experiences. How did you get involved with the project in the first place, and what drew
you to it? It is actually a great story, because I got this
audition while I was living in a van on a surf safari down the Portugal
Coast. I was on the last few days of my trip and all the gear I had for
filming auditions was stolen from the van. For the first and only time in
my career, I sent an email to my manager explaining that I knew this role
was meant for me, but I wouldn’t be able to send in a quality audition
by the deadline and could we ask for more time. The unintended effect of
that was the casting team was pretty intrigued that I was sort of already
living this wandering surfer life of the character and they were happy to
give the extra time. I also have a personal, deep knowledge of Taoism and
improvised a bit of that perspective during the audition. I was told they
knew the moment they watched it that they had found their Lance. What
can you tell us about A
Long Road to Tao's director Alex Carig, and what was your
collaboration like? This story was really dear to Alex, as
it had a lot of symbolism that spoke to his own personal journey of the
death of his wife a few years back. We immediately connected on the
symbolism of water and the Taoist perspectives. It was also so great
working with him because he told me right off the bat the script was a
“blueprint”, and that we were going to be free to collaborate and
co-create in the moment with regards to dialogue, etc. It made the
environment very safe and inspiring, and a lot of what you see in the film
was not exactly in the script - but came from that collaborative spirit in
the moment. Do talk about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere° The shoot was very unique in the
sense that we worked with New Mexico State University and the entire crew
were students, with the exception of our amazing DP (Sherwin Lau), who was
also the film school professor. At first that came with some little
challenges, such as driving home the importance of continuity, etc. As the
shoot went on, it was such an inspiration to see the students step up and
become a really professional, well-oiled machine. They stuck up for each
other, held each other accountable and had such a high standard… all
with a very special camaraderie that you don’t always feel on sets. At
one point, I felt it would be helpful to have the tone on set be super
quiet and somber and not too jovial for a few of the days with the
heaviest scenes. The crew was so supportive and reverent toward the work
we were doing, even though it was Halloween, and I know they really wanted
to dress up and have fun. I cannot say enough about Sherwin’s leadership
and the attitude of the crew with regards to how far they were willing to
go to create the environment for this story to be told authentically. Any future projects you'd like to
share?
I have another lead role in a feature film called Murder
and Cocktails, which is now available on Amazon Prime and Apple
TV. Also, the wstern Elkhorn just premiered on INSPTV,
which is about Teddy Roosevelt’s time in the Badlands of the Dakotas. In
this production, I play a law man from Deadwood by the name of Deputy
Ward. I also just booked a role in an upcoming vertical streaming series
that I am not yet allowed to announce. What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject? I came
to the industry a little later in life that most do. I had several careers
in my 20s and 30s, most notably I was a successful realtor in La Jolla,
California for over a decade. However, I just always felt very unfulfilled
and like an artist without an art. I moved to LA on more of a feeling than
with any sort of concrete plan, but I just knew there was something here
for me. When I first moved, a lot of people would ask me if I was an
actor. I had this attitude that I was too old, and the one thing the world
needed less than another real estate agent in San Diego was another actor
in LA. After about a year of trying a lot of different classes and odd
jobs, I bumped into acting coach Guy Camilleri of RAW Acting Studios
in Venice Beach, and he invited me to audit an acting class. I knew within
the first five minutes that this was the thing I had been looking to do. I
knew it was a language I speak and that I had unknowingly been preparing
for it my entire life. Instantly, all of my careers and time feeling lost
made sense. From that point on, I just submerged myself in every class and
audit and book and Zoom I could find. I became and have remained obsessed
with the craft. I have learned from several other teachers, but still do
the bulk of my study with Guy at RAW. He really has an undeniable
gift for peeling away inhibitions and helping actors build truly authentic
characters. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to A
Long Road to Tao? Prior to A
Long Road to Tao, I had taken on many supporting roles in feature
films or leads in shorts, but this was my first lead in a feature film.
Again, I have to acknowledge Guy Camilleri because his guidance really
helped me understand how to build a deeper character with an arc that can
hold up to the breadth of a feature film. This was not something I started
working on when I booked the role. I had been building this depth in my
characters for a long time in class using a philosophy that I had used my
entire life in other careers which was: “dress for the job you want, not
the job you have.” So, although I had been booking smaller roles, when I
booked something this complex, it did not feel like it was the first time.
Before becoming an actor, you
have drifted through various careers - so do talk about some of your
previous jobs for a bit, and how do you feel have they informed you as an
actor?
Oh my, I have done A LOT of things. I’ve been nightclub manager,
ranch hand, fine-dining sommelier, hotel food and beverage manager and an
ocean front realtor. I’ve bought over fifty homes at foreclosure
auctions and flipped them by pooling investor funds. I’ve managed
musicians and toured with bands for a while. I was a legal cannabis
salesman and founded a bone broth delivery service. I came really close to
launching my own healthy fast-casual soup franchise. I even sold lifetime
stucco siding door to door in Compton when I first moved to LA. I
currently still do work part-time as a life and relationship coach and
teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. There are countless ways these experiences help
me as an actor. I mean, for one thing, I just learned to be a chameleon. I
have met and become close with so many different types of people in all of
that. I think it makes it easy for me understand someone else’s
perspective. In some ways, the fine-dining waiter is really great
training. You learn that some tables want an order taker and some tables
want a best friend for the night. Learning how to size people up quickly
and play the role they want all while memorizing specials and ingredients
and making them sound delicious. A lot of that translates. While working
as a coach, it really makes you a good listener. That is so important as
an actor. Lastly, I would say being a practitioner of martial arts my
entire life really helps too. There are so many similarities in how to use
repetition and obsessive attention to little specific details to master
anything. I’d say being a sommelier really helped to build that
neuropathway as well. How would you describe yourself as an actor, and
some of your techniques to bring your characters to life? I
feel like acting has mirrored martial arts in the respect that there used
to be this old argument about what techniques work best. Everyone used to
side with either Strasberg or Adler or Meisner just like people used to
say the best martial art was kung fu or kickboxing or jiu jitsu. The
emergence of MMA has allowed us to see that they all have value and all
have weaknesses. Acting is no different. I think you try everything, use
what works and throw out what doesn’t. I am not really interested in
categorizing myself as any particular type of actor as much as I am
interested in starting over every time and staying curious and
explorative. I mean even the term “method”, which people often throw
around, is used with different definitions. If you study its history, you
might find it has very different origins than the common assumption that
it means staying in character all the time. For this film, there were
parts of the character that were just too hard to slip in and out of, such
as the physicality of his symptoms, so it was just easier to stay in that
while on set. That is an example of using part of that technique, but not
literally staying fully in character all the time. Now, I certainly
don’t do that all the time. I think if there is anything that I can say
that is consistent about my process, it is that I trust my instincts and
my subconscious. I trust the back story and personalizations I make enough
to forget them and see what happens. At the end of the day, you have to
let go of all of it and just trust the work you’ve done and surrender to
your impulses. Actors (and indeed actresses) who inspire you? Wow… so many. I
mean of course I love all the usual suspects… Brando, De Niro, Pacino,
Streep, Faye Dunaway, Denzel Washington and Daniel Day Lewis. I also
really love the work of Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Penelope Cruz,
Ed Norton, Javier Bardem, Sean Penn, Zendaya… I mean, my gosh, the list
just goes on and on. I really feel weird even naming these names because
it feels like I am leaving so many out that I admire so deeply. Your favourite
movies?
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Nothing has seemed to be able to knock Godfather off top seat of
best movie of all time, and always right behind that is Pulp Fiction.
Probably next would be my least “front-runner” favorite which is 25th
Hour by Spike Lee… I really love that film so much. I watch all
three of those at least once a year and I’m always amazed at how
excellent and timeless they all are. Recently, The
Joker and A Star is Born are up there. I am fascinated by a
French film by Julia Ducournau called Titane
that won the Palm d’Or at Cannes a few years back. I just think
it is so creative and genre bending and different than anything I have
ever seen. I really enjoyed Poor
Things by Yorgos Lanthimos last year.
... and of course, films you really deplore?
Deplore is a strong word. I try not to hate too hard on anyone brave
enough to make art, but… I am just not into these superhero formula
films that have been everywhere these last few years. The few I have seen
just seemed to push some simple good guy/bad guy narrative supported by
extreme violence and killing without any connection to the value of life.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against violence in film, but it just
seems so trivial and one dimensionally righteous in these films. Between
the CGI, the cheesy oneliners, and the predictable outcomes; I just have
no desire. I have not seen, and won’t see, most of them. I suppose my
other pet-peeve is the quest to make money off of remaking old classics
that never live up to the original. It just feels lazy to me and in some
ways cheapens the classics. Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Just that I feel it’s a very exciting time to be a creator. I know
the industry is being shaken up and it’s a very scary and unknown time.
But out of this will come innovation and new ways of sharing our voices. I
think the days of the mega-stars might be dwindling, but that may also
open the door to more opportunities to create without as much control from
the gatekeepers. Perhaps there will be an environment where less people
ascend to the type of fame that has proven to be often unhealthy and more
people will be able to live a comfortable life as an artist telling
stories that move and entertain people. Maybe there will be more freedom
to take risks that strike new chords with audiences instead to contriving
a thing to cater to what has worked in the past. I am excited to expand my
work into writing, producing and directing as well as acting as we move
through these transitions.
To learn more about Jason Bernardo, go to https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9180361/
Thanks for the interview!
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