New York City is the global epicenter of the world. You move there, you can dance, you can, perhaps, make it.
Dreams are born, they are realized, and yes, they are destroyed. One’s wildest dreams are achieved, the craziest of nights are had, the most painful of tears are spilled, and the widest of smiles, the most guttural of laughs, are experienced. The highs and lows of New York City life, for a young person, all persons, really, are intensely, tragically beautiful. Navigating this murky terrain is made easier by a few things: money, obviously, helps a lot, focus and determination, critical components to a successful life here, but beyond all else, the friendships and bonds formed are of the utmost importance. In New York City, a good friendship can literally save a life. It can be the determining factor between a sleepless, hungry morning, a shelterless night, and a desire to completely throw in the towel, ending it all. The most epic of friendship relationships are forged in the concrete jungle of New York, simply due to the chaotic frequency everything operates at. University is an environment where many of the aforementioned friendships are forged in New York City
The top schools of New York City, Columbia, New York University, and The New School, lend to students plenty of opportunities to laugh, cry, lust, party, stress, fight, and make up. One of the last times in a young adult’s life where socialization is a promoted, encouraged norm, the memories of these specific friends linger far beyond graduation day. Not only is almost everyone one meets and befriends going to be incredibly talented, driven, and insanely beautiful, they will most likely also be incredibly memorable. After all, that certain something did drive them to New York City in the first place. I, too, have experienced this sentiment. Daily. I am lucky to have a friend, from University, with the name Josh Caras.
An extremely gifted young actor on the brink of major stardom, Caras’ ability to connect with a character, range of emotionality, innate reaction timing, and apparent ability to seamlessly fuse the physical with the psychological, are what position him as one of the most exciting young talents on the scene. As former schoolmates, I was very interested in hearing from him what it was like to balance his school life, with his professional one. I desired to know how he would describe his time as a student in downtown Manhattan at Eugene Lang College of The New School University, and how that influenced him, in terms of his life/knowledge/education/and frame of mind. “I really loved my time at Lang. I was already acting when I started there but I wanted to get an education. I studied history. I acted throughout my time there and I was kind of operating on two distinct planets. I had to take two semesters off for different projects. The logistics could be a bit tough but it allowed me to support myself. It’s super important to have some frame of reference that’s outside of the entertainment industry.” Given the fact that I know him as a New York City resident, I felt a need to inquire about his relationship with the other coast, Los Angeles. I ask him about where work usually takes him. “I’ve been to LA a handful of times but I’ve never lived there and haven’t really considered it. I’ve always been New York based but lately most of my longer-term work seems to be out of town. In the past few years, I’ve done two several months long stints in Canada (Calgary for Hell on Wheels and Montreal for The Glass Castle), and weeks on end in Chicago, Louisiana and Texas. It can be really cool to get air dropped into a random city, especially one you wouldn’t think to go to, and have weeks and weeks to get to know it. Hotel life can be hard though. It can get a little lonely.”
I asked Caras to introduce himself to our readers, and to describe himself, his career, and life. In an effort to truly understand him, I asked him to describe the things that motivate him to get up every morning and pursue his dream, and those that, peacefully, bring his eyes to a close each night. “My name is Josh Caras. I’m an actor living in New York. As cliché as it might sound, I really only aspire to be given the opportunity to do the job. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that the idea of reaching some kind of precipice where all of your aspirations are satisfied and you live happily ever after is a fallacy. This is a job defined by ups and downs and things always seem to work out differently than you expect. Progress in this industry has a way of relativizing super quickly and what two years ago was the epitome of everything you wanted, once attained, is quickly replaced by greener pastures. So I find it easier to just think about the task at hand. I want to play interesting and challenging parts and to make a living at it. And I’ve been pretty lucky in that regard.” The ups and downs, or the highs and lows, he speaks of, are things I would like to know more about. “The lows are when the work dries up and you’re just waiting for the phone to ring. It can be hard but there’s an ebb and flow to this job and every actor experiences that. The high for me is being on set, figuring out how a scene is going to work. I love the collaborative energy and how you have to problem solve with the clock ticking the whole time. It’s exciting every time.” And for all the gossipy-types, in regards to his personal life, no, he is not single. “I live with my significant other, Stefanny. We’ve been together for a very long time. We have a pretty quiet home life. And a dog. She works in immigration law. It’s nice to be with someone outside of the industry. It keeps things in perspective.”
In an effort to delve deeper into his mindset, I asked him to get “actor-ey” with me for a moment. I pose to him, “what, for you, defines “good acting?” Did you train? Is a brilliant actor born talented, or is it learned? And can one lose their skills, if naturally inclined, when the art of it is neglected?” to which, he replied, “I didn’t train really. I’ve taken some classes here and there but nothing formal. Sometimes I wish I had. It’s such a ephemeral thing to tap into that a little objective feedback to draw from would be comforting I imagine. But I certainly don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. And at times I think that one could get confused or overthink something if they have too many voices in their heads. To me, good acting is instinctual. A lot of emphasis is put on transformations in performances. To my taste, that’s cool, but it’s not what moves me. Performances I find moving are usually pretty quiet.” Caras’ response to this question resonated with me. It causes me to wonder about the outside distractions and external influences of a life in Hollywood. I question, if he has a good team of people around him, and what they bring to his professional life? His response confirms that he does. “I do. I’m very lucky in that regard. It’s important to me that I work with people that get me and they really do. They understand my taste and are supportive if I don’t like something or want to take time off. But they can be really tough when they need to be.”
Working steadily since 2006, Caras has raked up an impressive list of credits. Army Wives, Boardwalk Empire, Veep, APB, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hell on Wheels, and The Punisher are Caras’ television credits. Filmwise, he has appeared in such films as: Jackrabbit, The Melancholy Fantastic, Assassination of a High School President, and Pitching Tents. Last year, he starred alongside Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, and Woody Harrelson in The Glass Castle. I asked him to tell me about the experience on the hit Gil Netter Productions film.
“That was a great shoot. One of the all time, most fun times I’ve had. It was summer in Montreal, there were a million kids running around and everyone hung out all of the time. Destin Cretton, the director fostered this really relaxed, loving environment and it just permeated it’s way through the whole cast and crew.”
And coming up next? A Netflix project alongside Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson called The Highwaymen. I asked him to tell me about the project, and when we can expect to “Netflix and chill” with him. “The release date hasn’t been announced yet, but the movie is called ‘The Highwaymen.’ It’s a period piece about the two guys who hunted down Bonnie and Clyde. They’re played by Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson and the movie was written and directed by John Lee Hancock (who wrote/directed The Blind Side, among many others). I play a really fun, scummy character. We shot in Louisiana. It was a huge production with elaborate action sequences with a ton of extras and horses and beautiful sets and period costumes. It was a blast.”
Having worked with such incredible individuals within his profession, I’d be remiss to not inquire about those experiences. I ask him, “Have there been particular co-stars that you have experienced particularly great times with? Share some stories with our readers today. Has anyone gifted you with some knowledge or special advice?” To which, he responds, “The actors that I really admire are the ones that really want to be there and seem to really revel in every chance to do the job and love it. I’ve been really lucky to work with a lot of people like that. More than actually spoken advice, I’ve learned the most from watching really experienced people. When I was super young, I was lucky enough to have a part in a movie with the great actor Scott Wilson and I remember there was one moment on set that was completely revelatory in terms of what was possible to bring to a scene. It was a dinner scene and the written dialogue was a simple toast, thanking us for coming. I didn’t see much potential or need for subtext. The written words were basically, ‘Hey guys, working with you this year has been great,’ but he infused it with so much meaning and emotion (without being at all hammy) that it shocked me. It took me completely by surprise. It was really powerful and made me say ‘shit, this thing can be anything I want it to be.’ It made me want to work hard. I’ve gotten to work with a lot of actors like that. Christopher Heyerdahl, Reed Birney, Naomi Watts: these are people who after years of work, still are bringing their best effort every day because they love it. It’s a fun job after all.”
Considering his ever-growing list of credits, I was curious to know how it all began in the first place. How he got started initially with his acting career. “I started young but not at the behest of stagey parents or anything. It was something that fell into my lap at various points. I took an after school acting class in elementary school, it was sort of theater games and little skits with the woman who ran the community theater in the town I grew up in. After the class, she asked me to audition for an upcoming summer stock production of ‘On Golden Pond.’ So the summer before seventh grade I spent the summer in an old theater with a bunch of old time New York theater actors. It was really fun but it never occurred to me that acting was a job people actually did. I wanted to be an archaeologist. A couple of years later, I signed up impromptu for an acting class at an arts camp I went to called WPI. After the class, the teacher, Malachi Weir, asked me if I wanted to meet his managers in New York. I really enjoyed the work but again it never crossed my mind that this could be a career. Plus I was fifteen, so I wasn’t thinking about any kind of career. But I met them and started auditioning and retroactively found it to be something like a calling.” It’s always fascinating to bear witness to the arc of one’s journey. The calling Caras speaks of is one which every human has to experience for themselves on their own path. And Josh, we are all certainly glad you picked up and answered yours.
The life of an actor can be one of great fulfillment, but also, great challenges. As evidenced by Josh Caras’ words, the highs and lows are all too real. This artistic expression is one without any guarantees or promises. One of consistent rejection and judgement. For most, there is a lot of struggle involved. But when timing, luck, and determination collide, there is a immense beauty to be found. The telling of stories regarding the human condition is an artistic act of service to the world. Josh Caras, I thank you for the ones you share with us.
– Mo Shé