You may recognize Jefferson White as Jimmy on Yellowstone. Now he takes on a new role in the short film as an Oscar-winning writer of a short film The writer. The 30-minute film premiered at the Austin Film Fest with White in attendance.
Before we get to our personal conversation, here’s a little about the film.
Um The writer
White plays an isolated writer dealing with the pressures of the film industry, his family and paying his debts. As he struggles with the pressures of a follow-up project, distractions and the looming presence of his late father, his ambitions and drive for success lose him. It’s also a story about learning what’s important and, more importantly, what’s not.
The film is full of faces you might recognize. In addition to White, his character’s wife is portrayed by Sara Paxton (Aquamarine, Sydney White). Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers, Tulsa King) plays the father, while Sherri Saum (The Fosters, Sunset Beach) portrays his agent. McDonough also performed Yellowstone. Texas native Kariana Karhu plays the daughter.
As a fourth-generation actor in the film industry, writer/director Austin Glasser explained that his script represents the darker side of what it takes to write a screenplay. Because of his experience in the industry, he felt he could tell this story in a way that an audience could relate to, whether they do this type of work or aspire to a different goal.
Why a short film? Glasser explained, “A short is a good starting point for anyone. It helps you identify what you need to take the next step and build from there.”
There were no major investors and Glasser financed most of the project himself. “It went well,” he said. “We have a great crew, a great cast and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”
Speaking of casting, we chatted with White ahead of the Austin Film Fest premiere.
We first asked how he got involved in this project. He has known Austin’s father, David Glasser, for a long time, as David is the CEO of 101 Studios Co., the hugely successful production company behind it Yellowstone,
When David approached White with his son’s script, the actor was immediately impressed with the script and said it really flew off the page.
We asked White if he would also like to take part in a short film. Here’s what he finds interesting about this type of project and process.
“Short stories are like short stories as opposed to novels. It’s a really interesting form with its own possibilities. It’s a very concentrated, focused form of storytelling. This short takes place all in one booth over several years and the short format allows you to really get to the core, the juicy stuff.” –Jefferson White
However, White is on screen the entire time, so you can really feel his character’s emotions and conflicts. He clearly gave this role his all and while the character may not have the success he once hoped for, White certainly succeeds. I look forward to seeing more “juicy” roles from him in the future.
