A few weeks after our conversation at Craig Ranch Park, Tarrell sent me the script for A Night At My Cousin’s House, giving me my first opportunity to see the story and, more importantly, meet the character I could potentially bring to life.
I opened the script and met Brandon.
As I read, I realized I couldn’t just focus on his dialogue. I needed to understand who Brandon was. How would he feel walking into an unfamiliar environment? Who would he trust? What would make him uncomfortable? How would he react when things didn’t go the way he expected?
Those questions became part of my preparation.
One thing I’ve learned through acting is that knowing your lines isn’t the same as knowing your character. You have to understand the person behind the words and give the audience a reason to believe they’re watching someone actually experience the story.
That’s what I wanted with Brandon.
I wanted the audience to see the night through his perspective—to experience his curiosity, caution, and reactions as everything around him unfolds. The more I studied him, the more I realized that bringing Brandon to life wasn’t about pretending to be someone else. It was about finding the parts of him I could understand and building from there.
What started as a conversation at Craig Ranch Park had now become an actual opportunity. I had the script, I understood Brandon, and now I had to prove I could bring him to life.
