We are excited over here at Junior’s Cave to present to our readers one of the most amazing and talented Indie actors currently out in the entertainment industry. Charles Baker dives into each role with a level of intensity that makes him so fun to watch on film. It is his passion for storytelling and make-believe that with any role he plays the actor conquers. In this spotlight with the actor, Baker reveals why acting is what he feels he is meant to do. Here is the online conversation for your reading enjoyment.
Isaac: While growing up, did you always wanted to be an actor and if so name some of the earlier acting projects you were involved in such as school plays etc.?
Charles: Actually, I started as a gymnast. I was fortunate enough to study with Coach Béla Károlyi when I was 8 years old, but wasn't able to continue because we couldn't afford it. I then moved on to music. I played violin, trumpet, drums, and piano at different times throughout my primary education. In 8th grade, I discovered Choir and Musical Theatre. My first school musical was "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"...I played "Clarence the Jester". Then when I was a freshman, in Carlisle, PA, I was in the chorus for "ANNIE". I think that was the first time I really had to audition for a role. I sang "Edelweiss" from "The Sound of Music"...it was awkward. I stayed with music throughout HS; I started taking Tap, Jazz, and Ballet classes my sophomore year, and started teaching myself to play guitar at 18.
When I finally got to college, I was pretty sure I was destined to be a music teacher. I was studying at a Community College in Fort Worth, TX, on a vocal scholarship, when one of the music directors asked me to audition for a play he was directing, called "Whose Life is it Anyway?". I was reluctant at first. I remember thinking that a show without singing and dancing would be boring, but I did it anyway and instantly fell in love with it. I transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington, and changed to a double major; Music Education and Theatre.
Ultimately, I never finished college, due to family issues, but I managed to book my first "professional" job at STAGE WEST in Fort Worth. I was "Clitandre" in THE MISANTHROPE". That role helped get me noticed by some other theatre directors in the area, which led to more roles and a title of Co-Producer for a local "Bistro-theatre" troupe called SCENESHOP. I eventually ended up at THE HIP POCKET THEATRE in Fort Worth, where I was fortunate enough to learn from the incredibly talented Johnny Simons.
After six years of studying with him, he recommended me to Ballet Concerto, a great ballet school, who offered me a "Guest Artist" role as "The Grinch" in their Ballet version of the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas". Things sort of snowballed from there. I got signed with my agent, Linda McAlister, and managed to book my first role on a "Walker Texas Ranger" Movie of the Week three years later.
The rest is IMDB history....
Isaac: What would you consider to be your biggest selling point?
Charles: I've been told that it's my eyes...but I've always assumed that it's really that I work cheap.
Isaac: What has been your favorite character that you have portrayed and why?
Charles: In Fright Flick (just released on DVD), I play a drag queen named Chase. I had a blast with that role because of how much of a stretch it was for me. Playing "Skinny Pete" in Breaking Bad is also pretty awesome for the same reason; despite what a lot of people think, I'm nothing like him.
Isaac: What kind of roles do you prefer?
Charles: Character roles; the more unique or unusual, the better.
Isaac: Do you think that the fact you traveled to many places while growing up has helped you with your portrayal of different characters in your career?
Charles: Absolutely. As a military brat, we’d move once or twice a year. Every new place had different styles, dialects, and colloquialisms; and I was determined to fit in as fast as possible. But at the same time, I learned that standing out, a little bit, sometimes could be a positive thing, so I wouldn't just try to "fit in", I would try to "fit in" in a way that made me stand out in that particular new environment. It was a delicate balance.
Isaac: You actually started off your acting career on stage. What is the best part about performing in front of a live audience?
Charles: The energy. A live audience gives you a vibe, right away, that you can feed off of. If you feel them slipping, you can amp up your performance to bring them back in. If you've got them in stitches, you feel like you are on top of the world. It's awesome. There's a sort of power in that.
Isaac: What is the one aspect that you enjoy about working in films?
Charles: Just one? Honestly, the fact that I get to work with some of my favorite actors- people that I've seen on big and small screens for years before I even thought I'd have a chance to work in this business- that is probably the best part of film for me.
Isaac: You are also getting your start as a director. What is it about directing that you are most interested in and why?
Charles: I think it's the natural progression for a lot of actors. At some point, while you're acting, you realize that you have something to contribute that’s more than just doing what you're told to do and say, you realize that the only way to have a say in the bigger picture is by taking that next step.
Isaac: What has been some of the negative aspects about the entertainment industry you have experienced that you would like to warn others about?
Charles: If you can call it negative, it would be the amount of waiting you have to do for everything. Wait for the right roles to come, wait for the audition, waiting to hear if you got the part, waiting for the shoot date to come, waiting in your trailer for your scene to start, waiting for the release date, and so on. I had to develop patience comparable to that of a Saint to keep from bouncing off the walls in anticipation for just about everything I do in this business.
Isaac: You have a fantastic website. How has having an official website helped you professionally?
Charles: Thank you. My son, David, designed and maintains that site for me. He's a Sophomore at Texas Wesleyan University, and he's awesome. Offhand, I can only think of a couple of instances where my site has helped professionally, at least blatantly; I have my demo reel available on it and I've been told by one casting director that I was booked on a role because of my reel. Apparently, my audition didn't convince the producers and directors so the CD sent them a link to my site and asked them to watch my reel, I got the part the next day.
Isaac: Let’s focus on some of your new projects coming up. Elaborate on some of these projects and what can we look forward from you in 2011.
Charles: I am really excited about some of the stuff I have coming up. First and foremost; Season 4 of Breaking Bad! I love the role I get to play on that show (Skinny Pete) and to have the chance to work with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul (et. al) is just fantastic. Another major project I'm really excited about is Terrence Malick's Untitled Project with Ben Affleck.
I'm not at liberty to discuss the project, but suffice it to say it's one of my bigger roles in a film, and completely different than any character I've ever played. Other projects that are coming include: NBC's "Chase", a lifetime pilot called "Meet Jane" with Ricky Shroder, and I'm hoping to produce and star in a project called, MORTALITY, written by an incredible writer named Lindsay Scarbrough.
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I deeply appreciate what your online magazine is doing and I wish you the best in your endeavors.
