Faculty Spotlight: Jason Peck, Upper School Drama Teacher

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:

JASON PECK, UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA TEACHER

Q: Tell me about your acting/directing background. When did you first become passionate about film? A: I have been acting since I was 9 years old. My fondest memories growing up are of my dad taking me to the movie theater on the weekends. No matter how busy he got, he always had time for that.

I grew up in Los Angeles and, from a young age, took acting classes that revolved around film/TV scripts. My parents were bent on it being a hobby and not wanting to carpool me from audition to audition. Acting classes for young actors were usually filled with working young actors, so I was fortunate to act in classes with the likes of Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Fred Savage, Leonardo DiCaprio, and others. I caught the “acting bug,” and a love of film soon became a love of the stage. I love both mediums so much and, in the end, I am drawn to stories that move people, ask them to look inward, and examine the way they think and act.

Q: Most memorable

Hollywood moment? A: I have so many, but the one that

I think I learned the most from was when I was shooting a small role in an episode of the sitcom

The King of Queens. One of my scenes was with Kevin James and the late Jerry Stiller. Jerry Stiller, who played George Constanza’s father on Seinfeld, was positively hilarious but had tremendous stage fright. The King of Queens was a three-camera sitcom that was shot in front of a live studio audience. Jerry had the entire audience cleared, and we shot the scene without an audience, and a laugh track was added later. It was an eye-opening experience that showed that even the biggest of stars could still be challenged by the work. It was a great learning experience to remember to be protective of your work, and to not be afraid to ask for something when you feel like a situation might not allow you to be the best you can be. Jerry ended the shoot by saying to me as he left, “Keep it up. You’re funny, kid.”

Q: You’ve worked on some shows and with some people who are household names. Can you brag for a minute?

A: I have been incredibly lucky to work with some very talented people. I did a small short film with John C. Reilly, worked a lot with Jack Black in Tim Robbins’ theatre company before either was hugely famous, and have acted with Tony, Emmy, and

Academy Award-nominated actors like Toni Collette, Cameron

Diaz, Harry Hamlin, Bill Sadler,

Bruce Davison, Kathleen Quinlan,

Christina Applegate, Kevin James, and the late, great Jerry Stiller.

Q: Of what career achievements are you the most proud? A: In my career as a theatrical artist, I think I am most proud of my theatre company. I serve as co-artistic director of a professional summer theatre company in Connecticut (Thrown

Stone Theatre Company), which is dedicated to “new work.” As a high school theatre educator, three of my plays were named

“Best Play” in the state of

Connecticut during the past four years. As far as my screen work, I had the chance to be a recurring guest star on a show called

Roswell, where I played bumbling

Deputy Hanson. When you book a guest spot on television, you often feel like you are an actor crashing a party because there is usually a tightknit group of actors like a family. Serving as a recurring character let me develop that character over three seasons, and the writers began writing for me and what I brought to the role, which was fun.

Q: Who are your favorite writers/actors?

A: Favorite actors include Daniel

Day-Lewis, Ryan Gosling,

Denzel Washington, Christian

Bale, Robert De Niro, and Sam

Rockwell. My favorite writers include Will Eno, Bruce Norris,

Lucas Hnath, Josh Harmon, Molly

Smith Metzler, and Anna Moench.

Q: What drew you to Benjamin and

South Florida? In what ways do you hope to grow Benjamin’s arts program? A: I was drawn to The Benjamin

School because of the beautiful space, talented faculty, and open students. When I came out for my interview, there was a brief 15 minutes allotted for talking with the Drama Club, and that 15 minutes turned into nearly an hour. Our students’ openness, passion, and talent were so clearly evident. I knew that I’d be working with young artists who would be engaging collaborators with a hunger to make art. Beyond that, my in-laws live in Boca Raton,

Florida, and my wife never had the chance to live near her parents as an adult. We are so grateful that our children will now have some quality years with their grandparents. I received my MFA in acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory in Sarasota, Florida, so I am very enchanted by the Floridian way of life. Flip-flops and T-shirts are my uniform.

Q: What advice would you give to TBS students interested in pursuing TV and film careers — both on-screen and behind the scenes?

A: It is the cliche thing that was said to me, but it always bears repeating. Life as an artist is still not easy. It is a roller coaster ride of elusive employment, emotions, and always looking for the next job. I tell my students that you should not do it if you can see yourself doing something else.

That said, it is an extraordinary gift to share your soul with another human being, and if you have the disposition for it, it can be a riveting and inspiring path.

Q: What else should I be asking you that I’m missing? A: I have two kids who are attending the Lower School at Benjamin: Ilia, grade 5, and Holden, grade 3.

As my wife and I love to say, they are our best production to date.

Go Bucs!