I once read that Jaws was a shot in the dark for you. Just like Blair Witch was for me.
Just like this website is.
Isn’t that why we do what we do? To see where that shot lands?
My name is Mike Williams and I’ll start by thanking you for coming to this site, and for reading on.
As the story in Newsweek Magazine goes (and as told to me) Daniel Myrick, co-director of Blair, once visited with you on the set of Minority Report. Dan recalls being ecstatic about the opportunity just to be on your set and watch you work. He never dreamed that you would actually approach him and strike up a conversation. He called me that very night.
“Mike, I just wanted to call and let you know that I met Steven Spielberg today.”
“Really?” I replied, “that’s amazing, I’m so happy for you man!”
“Yeah, it turns out he really enjoyed Blair,” Dan said.
“That is so cool, Dan. You must be so pumped!”
“Oh, it was amazing. But I wanted to call and tell you that he asked about you, Mike. Out of the three of you he asked me specifically what you were up to. He said you were a good actor and that you stood out.”
Wow. That was something for me to hear.
As it turns out, Dan had called me only hours after I had found out that a film that I was set to depart for, "The Hunters," had been cancelled. I had plane tickets for the shoot in Germany and all. I was devastated. It was the first role I had won in two of the most trying years of my life. “The Blair Witch Project” had put me in the limelight before I was mature enough to handle it. It was a roller coaster ride which, at the time, had far more downs than ups. “The Hunters” being cancelled was seemingly the last swoop down that I could handle.
Dan's phone call kept me going on a day where I was ready to pack it in. I think of that story often and have thought about contacting you ever since. I just haven’t really been ready to do so until now. The way I saw it was, if I had contacted you then, I would just have been another unemployed actor looking for a job. Another actor who wasn’t ready to play with the big boys yet.
After bouncing from big management to small agencies around LA for a couple of years, with a couple of guest spots on television and still wondering why Blair Witch turned me into a reality television star, my wife and I decided to move back to NY, our home town.
That’s when my life, and my mind, really changed. We had our daughter in 2003 and suddenly everything that had so much meaning before her birth didn’t mean squat to me anymore. I was able to prioritize, to put something before myself and my dreams. It was and continues to be a great lesson. Now we have a two year old son and I have really settled into the idea of being a father and husband first and an actor second.
It is no coincidence to me that my career has now started to open up a bit. In fact, I have built up a bit of a resume. Not a large one, mind you, but one that I am extremely proud of. One in which the work speaks for itself. One that, combined with my life’s experience, has readied me for a crack at the big boys.
Besides The Blair Witch Project, which in retrospect was an immense blessing on all counts, I am in a film called
Altered which Universal released last year. I have a supporting role in The Objective, a film that we shot on location in Morocco, which is currently playing at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. “Altered” was directed by Ed Sanchez and “The Objective” was directed by Dan Myrick who made that uplifting phone call. I consider myself blessed to have been able to work with both co-directors of “Blair” on their sophomore projects.
In addition to these, I play the title role in an indy pic called Tom and Marlo which was shot in Orlando, Florida and is presently in post. It's a film with a tremendous indy spirit and a tiny indy budget and I am very proud of the work that I did on it. I am hoping that it will find an audience and open a few doors for me.
All of these roles are extremely different and I would be thrilled if you'd have a look at them through the clip links above.
My wife and I are starting a theatre company here in NY as well. It's called the Big Blue Door Theatre Company and we are hoping to bring prevalent and exciting theatre to the area.
Lastly, I am currently working with Ed Sanchez on bringing my script, "At Last to Wade the River," to the screen; a passion piece of mine that I have been toiling over for years.
In close, it would mean a tremendous amount to me if you would consider me for any of your future projects. You have been an idol of mine since you and Bob Zemeckis brought the world “Back to the Future,” which, as a ten year old, I saw in the theatre seven times.
I hope that this shot lands on your desk.
...and ends with a handshake.
Thank you so much for your time and best wishes to you on all of your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Mike C. Williams
914-255-3552
mike@dearmrspielberg.com
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