Even though acting has taken a backseat to my directing ambitions over the years, I still enjoy doing a role now and again. It’s like a mini vacation for me at this point. I show up, know my lines, hit my mark, do my thing, get paid, am done.  So simple. How refreshing!

As opposed to directing which has been all about non stop hustle, meetings, e-mails, phone calls, reach finish line, it collapses, rinse, repeat – keep charging.  I thank the Lord every day that he gave me a backbone of steel and the inability to quit. Yes, we are still pushing my next film (I am well surrounded team wise) – we’ll get her done! But that’s another blog post down the road 🙂

Where was I? Ah yes; acting. Hence when action star, ex Mr. Universe and a much better Producer than he probably gives himself credit for Alexander Nevsky offered me a role in the talented Joe Cornet’s action / western Assault on Rio Bravo during the pandemic; I jumped at the chance. Sure I had to escape S.S. Canada first, and with their severe and ludicrous restrictions at the time, it was no small feat, but hey, I got their poison vaccine, got a q-tip jammed up my skull, bullshitted where I had to and I pulled it off.

And after countless months in isolation, with sanity being tested daily – being on a film set, a Western no less (one of my favorite subgenres), was the ideal way for me to return to reality. In the film I play Samuel the drunken and shifty undertaker (yeah, I stretched on this one lol) and as opposed to my usual typecast (cop, soldier, badass); I got to take on a more comical character here and had lots of fun with it. Joe let me improvise (which I love to do, but not all directors appreciate it) and I found my groove.

And when I wasn’t shooting; I was still having fun! Watching Joe do his magic, Alex mowing down baddies “Old West Commando” style, my man Matthias Hues (who plays the villain) do his economic/charismatic thing, rapping with the lovely Leslie Carleton, clocking martial artist Oliver Gruner own it and witnessing fight choreographer Art Camacho perform his art on the intricate action scenes and so forth. I was soaking it all in and loving every second of it! THIS IS WHERE I BELONG! Although we are now in June, I can now say with a straight face that my 2021 has officially just begun.

A big thank you to Joe and Alex for having me on their show! I couldn’t have a picked a better experience to take on after escaping Canuck prison. I have a serious Western bug now – gotta do more! Assault on Rio Bravo is presently in Post Production – look out for it!

Much love and God Bless! JF

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