Joseph Stam
Joseph Stam has been acting since the age of 11 when he was involved with Barter Youth Academy. From that beginning on the Barter stage, he has moved to film.
“I had the opportunity to play Peter Pan with Barter Youth Academy. The first time I can really remember having a want or need to act is when I was watching a person playing Jack in‘Into The Woods.’ I saw the effect he had on everyone in the theater, and I knew I wanted that, to be able to have that effect. I have continued to do theater with Barter Youth Academy ever since then.
“’Cross Purposes’ (made by Barter actor David Alford) was my first step into the film industry. The transition from theater to film wasn’t terribly hard for me because you use a lot of the same methods and tools for stage that you do in film. The difference is the close and intimate way the camera interacts. Everything looks different, and you have to be so much more real than on stage. There has to be so much more going on in your head that you don’t always let the audience know, but give them hints, or you let them know without words.
“Performing for the stage and film is different. Stage you get instant feedback from the audience. You also get energy from them, and the story changes with each audience. That’s the magic of live theater. For film you are shooting out of order, and there is no one clapping, laughing or crying from an audience. But once you see it on the big screen and you see people’s reactions and get their feedback, that is the most rewarding feeling. And it’s always there, it doesn’t end in a moment like theater. That’s the magic of film,” he says.
“Cross Purposes” was Joseph’s first foray into film; his latest is “Found.” In “Found,” he plays a boy, Finch, who grows up on a mountain far from society with his Gran. He lives an old-fashioned life with no technology. When his Gran dies, he is thrown into the modern world.
“Getting into the headspace of someone who has never seen a phone or running water was difficult at first. I found that journaling as ifI were Jamie in ‘Cross Purposes’ helped me understand my character, so I tried to journal Finch’s thoughts as well. Thatwasn’t enough though, so I went out and lived as Finch for a while to really understand how he lived from day to day. It’s really a whole other world. It helped me understand, because when I came back, I honestly felt a little bit like Finch and noticed how strange we are today. It was good for the film, and as a person to slow down and really appreciate the present. ‘Found’ has grown into something I never thought possible. I am so proud of it already,” Joseph says.
He draws inspiration from actors such as David Alford and others in “Found.” He also learns from actors such as Christian Bale, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Jake Gyllenhaal and Leonardo DiCaprio. Joseph hopes to write and direct. For those roles, he relies on inspiration from Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin and others.
He worked with David Alford on a feature screenplay that was selected for the Florida International film festival and wrote a small part of the script for “Found.”
“I am working on a few solo scripts of my own. I am very interested in directing, but I will always love acting, and I plan on continuing down that path. Acting is really just like all storytelling.You have a message to convey, and you want to bring your audience along.It really is a team effort. There is so much happening that you never see, but actors are really a small part in a huge process to getting a film made.In the end, your performance depends on the director. He shapes and forms it in the way he wants it. That is why I am so honored and thankful to work with David Alford for my first two films. I fully trust his shaping of stories, so I can completely trust his direction and shaping of my character in it.
“I try not to confine myself to one style of film or theater. I love dramas, comedies, musicals and I would love to be a part of a thriller and/or action adventure. As long as it’s a true, honest, well -written story that takes you somewhere you haven’t been or a place that you have from a different perspective, if it has something of value to offer,I’m in,” Joseph says.
Joseph is 17 and is homeschooled. His parents are Terry and Monique Stam of Abingdon, Virginia.
