Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 37

While riding the train, actor Stephen Plunkett secretly
steals a selfie with an ad for “The Mend,” a film he
costarred in with Josh Turner.

John Benjamin Hickey, Patrick Breen, Stephen Plunkett and
Alex Hurt at the opening of “Dada Wolf, Papa Hot” that
recently played at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York.

DISD: We always hear that actors face lots
auditions with a fair amount of rejection, true? If
so, how do you stay positive?
SP: Not a fair amount of rejection, LOTS of
rejection. A whole $#@!- load of rejection. My
experience has been that most actors book like
five percent of the auditions they go in for. How
do you stay positive? You just do, I guess. It’s hard
sometimes. The best advice I could give someone
would be stay focused on your big-picture goals
and just control the things you can control.

Laughing,” in the festival was an honor. Sundance
is a circus. So many people, but you get to walk
around in the snow and act like a movie star for a
week. Not bad.

DISD: Tell us about your work as an associate artist
with The Civilians, how has it impacted your career?
SP: Well, I got my equity card (Actor’s Equity is the
stage actors’ union: getting one is an important
first step in being a professional actor in New York)
doing “Gone Missing” and then immediately after
that I developed and performed in “This Beautiful
City,” another Civilians show that was very well
received, and performed in New York. I suppose I
established myself somewhat in New York with my
Civilians work.
DISD: Did you get to meet Robert Redford at
Sundance, and what was it like having a film in
the festival?
SP: I workshopped another film at a thing called
The Sundance Director’s Lab. It takes place every
summer. He was there. He worked with us on
our movie. It was pretty cool. You just listen, and
you’re like, “Yes, whatever you say, Mr. Robert
Redford.”  Having our movie “Rolling on the Floor

DISD: Can you tell us about a project you are
working on now?
SP: I’m preparing for a movie shooting this fall
in Wisconsin called “Back at the Staircase.” The
latter is the story of a dysfunctional family stuck on
a trip together. I would also encourage everyone
to check out a movie I did called “The Mend.”
It’s on Netflix, Amazon and iTunes now. It’s a dark
little comedy. It’s probably the thing I’m proudest
of at this point.

DISD: How often do you come to Denton? Do you
have a favorite spot or a “must have” when you
come home?
SP: I usually make it once or twice a year. The
must have is Mexican food. Mexican food. Lots of
Mexican food.
DISD: Living in New York, what is something that
you miss about Texas?
SP: The big sky.
DISD: Any advice for our graduates?
SP: Find out what makes you happy and figure
out how to do it all the time.

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