Acting started for Timothy J. Cox as an excuse to get out of class. When Timothy J. Cox was in the 8th Grade, there were auditions for the school musical being held during the school day, during Math class, so Timothy J. Cox decided to audition just to get out of class. Well, he went into the audition, with no desires or aspirations to be an actor, but the director must have seen something in him because he cast Timothy J. Cox in the lead role and well, 25 years later, he is still doing it.
Did you study acting
I knew I wanted to make acting my life when I was in high school where I did a lot of plays and musicals, but I would say that in those early days, I was more of a mimic than an actor. I borrowed, quite liberally, from TV and movies. I did a lot of impressions and I seemed to be interested more in getting laughs, in being a ham, which I was pretty good at, than being a serious actor. All of that changed when I saw Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses (that performance knocked me out) and when I got to college (Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio) where I really learned about craft and technique, which I sorely lacked. It takes a considerable amount of technique and discipline to be an actor and I learned all about that from a very tough teacher/director named Steve Rader. Steve was a man who didn’t sugarcoat anything. If you were doing something on stage that he did not like, he had no problem letting you know, often quite bluntly and profanely. It was jarring at first, of course, but I learned, after working with him for a couple of years that if he was hard on you, that meant that he saw something in you. The harder he was on me, the harder I worked.
What acting technique do you use
A great teacher/director, Stanley Harrison, turned me on to the acting techniques of Michael Chekhov, whose work is associated with the power of the imagination and that to create art, you must do so with a sense of ease. I got hooked on that and it’s what I use today.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
You never stop learning as an actor. With each role, each new experience, the actor grows. The actor is forever a student. I’ve been doing this for more than half my life and what makes it still so exciting for me is that on every film or production I’ve ever been involved with, I’ve learned something new. I feel that you always need to remain open to receive and listen, listen, listen. Listening is everything. When you do that, when you open yourself up and receive, every once in awhile, you might do something different than you’ve ever done. You might surprise or even scare yourself and that’s pretty exciting when that happens.
What acting books do you read
Of course, I read a lot of scripts, as well as books about actors, writers, directors, etc. I’m kind of a film/theatre history nerd. I think knowing about the history is important. As far as favorites, there are many, but the ones that come immediately to mind are Ben Gazzara’s excellent book about his experiences on stage and film, working with Lee Strasberg in the early years of The Actors Studio (In The Moment: My Life As An Actor), and Eli Wallach’s The Good, The Bad And Me: In My Anecdotage. Michael Caine’s: Acting In Film is educational and entertaining as well. Years ago, I read Michael Shurtleff’s ”bible for actors” Audition, which is a must for any actor. There’s an awesome book on actress Kim Stanley called Female Brando, which I highly recommend.
How do you keep fit as an actor
I read a lot. I also go to the theatre and to the movies regularly. It energizes me, keeps me hungry. I keep up to date on things going on in the industry as well. Of course, I audition, a lot. I put myself out there.
How do you prepare for a role
Well of course, when you’re cast in something there’s always that brief moment where you think, ”What have I gotten myself into?” As soon as I get over that I just immerse myself in the script and I’ll read it over and over and over and over again and then I memorize it cover to cover and know it as well as I can, especially if I’m doing a play. I like to come in very early with that script out of my hands. To me, the quicker you get that script out of your hands, the better, because when you do that, that’s when you can play and that’s when the real fun begins. Now, on a film set, you don’t usually have the luxury of a lot of rehearsal time or any for that matter and sometimes, dialogue is cut or changed; that’s when your training comes into play; your training, your instincts and your imagination.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
How the character looks is very important to me. How does the character dress? Do they wear glasses? Do they have facial hair? Do they have a certain hair color? Do they walk a certain way? All of that information is very, very important in the development of a character. When I have the exterior covered, I begin to work on the inside.
How do you stay fresh on set
It depends on the project, the role and the energy of the set. I usually like to keep it light and be open if there are changes. You must be open to everyone, especially your fellow actors. The more open you are, the more relaxed you are. Relaxation is everything.
Describe a memorable character you played
I’ve been very fortunate to have played a wide range of roles, on stage and in film, which have been challenging and fun, but the one that proved to be the most fun and challenging was the killer, Bob, in the acclaimed short film Simple Mind, which I did back in 2012 with writer, director Phil Newsom. At first, Bob looks like this every day guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but the further you get into the film, you see this sinister side. I’d never played a part like Bob and at first, I wasn’t sure how to approach him. I did some reading and watched a few documentaries on serial killers, especially Ted Bundy, in preparation, which helped immensely, but in the end, I just trusted the great script that Phil wrote and trusted him as a director. The part ended up being so much fun to play, the kind of role actors yearn to play and I’ll be forever grateful to Phil for the challenges the role provided.
Explain one creative choice you took on set
There are numerous specific examples, but in general, I like to play, so if I get an impulse in a scene, no matter how wrong or silly it seems, I follow that impulse. It might be something and if it isn’t – take two!
What do you want most from a director
Someone who trusts me; someone I can trust. Someone who guides me if I’m veering off the road a little. Someone who believes in play and playing.
What actors do you long to work with
Oh my God, I have such a long list of actors that I would love to work with, many of whom are no longer with us, like my idol Jack Lemmon and greats like Jason Robards and Katharine Hepburn, but as far as living actors, I would have to say someone like a Michael Caine or an Albert Finney or a Robert Duvall. See, I can’t narrow it down to just one actor. If I had to narrow it down to one, it would be Michael Caine.
Why
To me, Michael Caine is a consummate craftsman, a real actor’s actor. You want to talk about range, look at what this man has done and he’s still doing it.
What advice would you give to actors
If you want to be an actor, then get out there and do it and do everything you can. Do community theater. If your friend has a camera, make short films. Go to the theatre, watch classic movies. Read, read, read. Study, study, study. Listen, listen, listen.
Briefly write about your career
When I first moved to New York in 2001, all I ever wanted to be was a good supporting actor in the theatre, doing the classics and new plays and for those first few years, theatre was just about all I did, with an occasional film role thrown into the mix.
In about 2010 though, things changed when I appeared in three films back to back (the acclaimed films Socks and Cakes produced by Kimistra Films, Over Coffee, produced by Two-Five Films, and The Watchers, produced by Two Man Crew Productions). They were all wonderful experiences and for the first time I had the confidence to give film acting a real go. I finally felt at home in front of the camera. The fact that all three films were greatly received by critics and festivals (The Watchers was an Official Selection at the 2010 Big Apple Film Festival in NYC, while Socks and Cakes won a Golden Ace Award at the 2011 Las Vegas International Film Festival) was an added joy.
It was on Over Coffee, that I met a dear friend and collaborator in Sean Meehan, who wrote and directed the film. We really hit it off and since then he’s cast me in a number of his projects (The Beachcomber, You’re Not Safe Here, Mallas’, MA and most recently, Total Performance). Any time Sean has something brewing, I want to be a part of it. I still love the theatre and go back any chance I can.
I would like to think that with each film and theatre performance that I have given, I have brought something different to each role. That’s the challenge — to find roles that are unique. It’s been fun seeking those out and again, and I always say, I have been very lucky.
For me, work is work. Whether on stage or in a film, both are and will always be satisfying for me. Whether it’s walking onto a stage or onto a film set, I get those butterflies, but also a feeling of ”home”. Like, this is where I belong.
