PHOTO BY RYAN WEST
When was the moment that you knew that you wanted to be an actor?
Michael: “I truly knew when I was two years old or less that I wanted to perform. That seems ridiculous, but I vividly remember watching things like THE WIZARD OF OZ, STAR WARS, and INDIANA JONES and just knew I wanted take on those roles and tell stories like that. I wanted to help people escape and feel all those soaring emotions I felt as a kid watching movies and TV and reading books and playing video games.”
How did you get into producing? Did it come along with acting or did it come later?
Michael: “I studied cinema and television at USC while I was also getting a degree in theater. It sort of just comes with the package for me. Even when I was young, I’d write and produce and direct short films with my friends or for class. Back then it meant organizing six friends and filming in the CVS parking lot. Now it’s a little more complicated, but truly, at its heart – no matter what size project you’re doing or whether it’s on film or on stage – you sort of run into the same types of complications. There are just more people around, now. And the stakes you feel for your livelihood are greater.”
We can currently see you in the series "Dark/Web” on Amazon Prime. Can you tell us a little about the show and your character?
Michael: “DARK/WEB is an episode anthology series that is connected by one great mystery. The more you watch, the more you see that each individual story is connected to that bigger mystery. It’s sort of having your cake and eating it too in terms of anthology. You get your one-off weirdo genre social commentary segments, but there’s more of a payoff if you like to binge a series and get that sense of closure like a lot of audiences do nowadays.
On DARK/WEB, I play James. He’s sort of your typical older millennial in a lot of ways. He grew up without the internet and technology, and now he’s trying to catch up in this modern social media – always on – always connected – world that we live in. Like a lot of us, he grew up thinking he’d sort of take on the world and make a big difference, but the realities and circumstances of his life have brought him back to his hometown where he’s a substitute teacher at his old grade school. We liked the idea of taking characters you wouldn’t normally associate with a sci-fi thriller/adventure and tossing them into the mix! James is also a bit goofy, despite it all. I like him a lot.”
What’s your favorite memory from working on the set?
Michael: “You know, I like to think to matter how far I get or anyone gets when working in entertainment – there is just this special moment when you see words on a page that you’ve toiled over for months or even years, suddenly become a reality. It’s just such this surreal moment where for once second in the process you think “whoa! We did it! We’re doing it! This is real! And it kinda looks how I imagined it! And it could possibly exist forever now!” As someone who grew up fanatical about film and television, that is just such a cool cool COOL moment for me! And even when I’ve just shot a two-day short or something – not a movie or series or whatever – it gives me the same momentarily feeling of accomplishment.”
PHOTO BY RYAN WEST
When you aren’t acting, what can we find you doing?
Michael: “I don’t have too many hobbies. I love reading books and watching movies. Seeing friends and family – which includes my dogs, of course. Exercise, travel, and philanthropy are my other passions.”
Are there any other projects we can expect from you soon?
Michael: “I just finished a play here in LA and I’m writing a new feature. And I’m shooting a role in my friend Siobhan Fallon’s movie FRAT HAZE next month. I met Siobhan while filming ANOTHER HAPPY DAY. She also has a role in DARK/WEB, and she’s writing and starring in FRAT HAZE, so I’m grateful she’s letting me come play!”