Jamie Hector | From “The Wire” to Apple TV’s “Cape Fear” | Moving Mountains

00:00 Jamie Hector joins Story & Craft

00:00 Jamie Hector: Knowing that I was handpicked by Scorsese and Spielberg, right? Knowing that the directors were as well. That means that, you know, you're doing something right, kid.

00:13 Announcer: Welcome to Story and Craft. Now, here's your host, Marc Preston.

00:17 Marc Preston: Okay, here we go. Another episode of Story and Craft. Welcome back. My name is Marc.

00:23 Marc Preston: If this is your first time checking out the show, thank you very much. Uh, glad you're here. Uh, today, sitting down with the talented actor Jamie Hector. Uh, you might know him from, uh, shows like The Wire or Bosch. Right now he's in the new Martin Scorsese/Steven Spielberg project called Cape Fear on Apple TV, along with Javier Bardem and Amy Adams.

00:43 Marc Preston: A great project. Uh, really enjoyed sitting down with Jamie. Covered a lot of ground about his career, his philanthropy. Just a cool dude. Great vibe. Really enjoyed the sit-down. Uh, do me a favor if you would. Don't forget to follow Story and Craft. Just grab, uh, your podcast app, follow the show, leave a like, leave a review.

00:59 Marc Preston: Much appreciated. Uh, especially if you check it out on YouTube. Of course, we're not video, but we're on YouTube. A lot of folks checking it out there. If you are, make sure to follow. It is greatly appreciated. Also, everything you could possibly wanna know about Story and Craft, it is at storyandcraftpod.com.

01:17 Marc Preston: Past guests, past episodes, it's all right there. All right, so let's get after it. Today is Jamie Hector Day right here on Story and Craft.

01:27 Jamie Hector: Well, pleasure to meet you, Marc

01:29 Marc Preston: It is a pleasure, man. So w- where are you joining me from?

01:31 Jamie Hector: Oh, New York City, right here where the Knicks just won the chip.

01:35 Marc Preston: Uh, wait, that's a basketball team?

01:36 Marc Preston: No, I'm just kidding. I'm kidding.

01:39 Jamie Hector: I love it. I love it.

01:40 Marc Preston: I'm, I'm, I'm a, I'm a Mavericks guy, so you know, it's like I had the same feeling when the Texas Rangers won the World Series. Been waiting for them to do that forever and ever and ever, and they did. It's like elation, you know? Yeah. So did you go to the ga- or any of the games?

01:52 Jamie Hector: You know what? No, not the finals. I, I used to go to most of the games beforehand, but, um, up until the finals, but there's something about my son, my wife, and my daughter, and experiencing them together watching it at home that made me rush home every time the game was coming on. We couldn't miss it together.

02:12 Marc Preston: When- Isn't that the thing? It's not always that your experience, it's your experience enjoying it with other people, you know- Absolutely ... especially if it's a new thing for them. Absolutely. And I'm one of those weird people when it comes to football, I'd rather be home watching it. Uh, baseball, I actually enjoy going to baseball games, you know.

02:28 Marc Preston: Yeah. Eat a hot dog, drink a beer, and watch someone else work. I mean, it's kinda cool,

02:33 Jamie Hector: you know? Yeah. It's kinda

02:33 Marc Preston: cool. So, so are you originally a New York kid? Is that your, uh, is that where you emanate from?

02:38 Jamie Hector: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New

02:40 Marc Preston: York. Really cool. Don't mean to dive into the resume already, but I, I know as a big, big Anthony Bourdain fan, and I know his thing was The Wire.

02:47 Marc Preston: Mm-hmm. And, uh, it's one of those shows I haven't seen. There's a few of them out there that I'm like, "Okay." You know, like the way I watch things, I, I like, man, I'm in there, I'm, like, power watching a whole season in a short period of time, you know? Yeah. And The Wire is really deep, you know. It's something I'm really looking forward to checking out.

03:03 Marc Preston: And the same people that did that did, uh, Treme, right? Down in New Orleans.

03:07 Jamie Hector: Same people that did that did Treme, did We Own This City. They did, um, Generation Kill. Yeah, you name it, man. 160 hours of television from David Simon.

03:16 Marc Preston: Speaking of Bourdain, I think he wrote everything that happened with the chef and the kitchens and that aspect of the show, he actually wrote that, so I thought that was kinda cool.

03:24 Marc Preston: But, uh- Mm-hmm ... but no, The Wire, man, that, that and Bosch are the two things that are on top of my list of to watch things.

03:32 Jamie Hector: You'll really enjoy it. Funny thing about Bourdain, 'cause you say you're a fan of Bourdain, yes?

03:36 Marc Preston: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's kind of a spirit animal, or was.

03:38 Anthony Bourdain's surprise interview with Michael K. Williams in Brooklyn

03:38 Jamie Hector: Oh, yeah. So one day, so Anthony Bourdain loved Michael K.

03:42 Jamie Hector: Williams, right? Rest in peace to both of them. And one day Michael K. was shooting, was being interviewed by Bourdain at Glorious in Crown Heights. And Mike came into Brooklyn, he said, "Jamie, are you here?" And I was like, "I'm actually filming right now with, um, on a feature film and I'm here in Brooklyn." So he said, um, "I wanna surprise Anthony, so he's gonna be interviewing me at the restaurant.

04:13 Jamie Hector: You mind just to, you mind just walking by and then coming in and sitting down and see his response?" And I did it. Came in, Anthony's face dropped. They put a microphone on me, and the interview began. It's on YouTube somewhere too. You'd probably enjoy it, get a kick out of that.

04:29 Marc Preston: Well, that was in Brooklyn, so I guess that was, uh...

04:32 Marc Preston: Now, they sh- wait, they shot The Wire in Baltimore, am I right?

04:35 Jamie Hector: That's right.

04:36 Marc Preston: I always catch up with stuff a few years after it comes out for whatever reason. I gotta keep up with everything that's new and, and also, you know, my kids, you know, when they're with me there was a limit to what I could watch 'cause you all- we'd all be watching TV together, you know?

04:48 Marc Preston: Oh,

04:48 Jamie Hector: I totally understand. That's not something you wanna share with the kids.

04:51 Marc Preston: You know, now they're 23, 21 and 20. So they're- Oh ... a little different age. We can kinda start exploring some different things. But, uh- Mm-hmm ... but yeah, man, go back to, you know, coming up in New York. Now, you grew up in Brooklyn, which is funny because Brooklyn's sort of like the place to be now.

05:04 Marc Preston: You know, isn't it? That's kind of the... more gentrified now. Is that kind of accurate?

05:07 Jamie Hector: Well, no, it, it was always the place to be. People are just figuring it out. You know, we tried to keep that secret to ourselves, but now, you know, everybody waking up to the f- "Oh, man, hold up a second. This is a quiet gem over here.

05:19 Jamie Hector: We love it over here." You know, it's outside of the city. You come here, you can relax. You have Prospect Park, you have Dumbo, you have all areas, um, East New York, um, Bensonhurst, Williamsburg, you name it. And it's being built out as well. But it was also always a quiet gem. Always loved Brooklyn. Well, what were,

05:39 Marc Preston: what were your folks doing when you were coming up?

05:41 Marc Preston: What kind of, what kind of gig did they have?

05:43 Jamie Hector: You know what? My mother, which is my folks.

05:47 Marc Preston: Oh, okay.

05:48 Jamie Hector: You know, she was, she worked in the, um, in the, in the nursing industry. And she was, she was basically just working to provide for us, to make life easy and possible for us. You know, um, especially in Brooklyn, especially Because she had to be gone for such a period of time, she was, she was not in the film industry, she was not in Hollywood, she was in the, the, the nursing industry.

06:18 Marc Preston: But you're a Gen X kid, right? So you were probably, like, doing the latchkey thing.

06:23 Jamie Hector: You know what? I wasn't doing the latchkey thing, um, only because I had older siblings. I'm the youngest of seven. Okay.

06:29 Marc Preston: Okay.

06:29 Jamie Hector: And, yeah, so I had my, uh, my, my, my older sisters and brothers to really look out for me. So fortunately, um, they were there making sure that I, I, I got into the house and somebody was there to actually look over us.

06:46 Marc Preston: You were the youngest of seven. Like, were you able to get away with everything or nothing at all?

06:51 Jamie Hector: Everything.

06:52 Marc Preston: Every-

06:54 Jamie Hector: Everything, but to... But, but it's observation, right? So while I'm getting away with everything, I'm learning, uh, as well, hopefully, um, a great example is being set for me, which it was. So, but I'm getting away with everything by, by...

07:07 Jamie Hector: Well, you know what? I wouldn't say everything, because I'm... S- seriously, it's... My brother's a year and a month older than me, and an incident took place on the block that we grew up on where friends of ours put a firecracker inside of a six-foot, eight-foot speaker. Unbeknownst to us, it was not in the trash, it was just outside.

07:33 Learning tough lessons from a neighborhood firecracker incident

07:33 Jamie Hector: So he sparked the firecracker, the speaker catches on fire, right? Now, this is our neighbor. My brother just happens to be outside with him I'm on the stoop and upstairs, because we were told not to go outside at the time. My mother comes down the block and she's like, "What's going on?" And they're like, "Your son was involved with..."

07:53 Jamie Hector: My brother was involved with this, um, speaker getting put on fire. She said, "Not my son, he's not supposed to be outside." "Well, he was." Okay, fast-forward, we come into the house, and I'm laughing at my brother 'cause he's about to get punished. But I didn't know that both of us are gonna get punished. Right?

08:14 Jamie Hector: Because you're gonna understand that what he did is a reflection on you, and you're not gonna do what he did, thinking that you're gonna get away with it. He went outside, you should have been in... I was like, "This is crazy. What, what, what kind of world are we living in where he's getting punished, I'm getting punished for something that he did that I didn't do?"

08:33 Jamie Hector: So yeah. So, you know, I learned by example, and I learned by watching. So did,

08:38 Marc Preston: did that make your family tighter? Because y'all were sort of like, the, the expectation was y'all would be mindful of each other and what you're up to, or-

08:46 Jamie Hector: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's the case, right? We look out for each other, we support each other, and be mindful.

08:51 Jamie Hector: Um- Mm ... and don't keep your mouth shut if somebody's doing something that's left. If he's doing something wrong, make sure you open your mouth and tell him, "No. Nah. Nah, I'm not gonna get caught up in this situation with you, so you can't do

09:02 Marc Preston: it." So what, what did your, what did your siblings end up, uh... Did any of them end up in, doing the creative thing like you, or did they kind of go a different direction?

09:10 How his late sister Lisa became his creative North Star

09:10 Jamie Hector: No. Well, the closest sibling that ended up doing, involved in the creative process was my sister Lisa, which passed away. Um, she was six years older than me, and she was the one that introduced me to fashion. She's the one that introduced me to music. She's the one that introduced me to film. You name it, and she was my North Star when it came down to the creative process and the vulnerability and the love for it, you know?

09:38 Jamie Hector: Um- But yeah, she passed away, so she's the closest one that was involved in any area of this creative collaboration that we call art.

09:48 Marc Preston: Yeah, there was a lot of music happening in your neck of the woods back in, you know, like, late '80s, early '90s, you know, with, or like with... There was, like, a lot happening back then, right?

09:57 Jamie Hector: Absolutely. I mean, she introduced me to... Well, everybody knew Michael Jackson, but I mean, El DeBarge, Al B. Sure!, um, Lionel Richie. When it came to hip hop, I transitioned that to myself. My other sister introduced me into gospel. But all the beautiful music, the '90s was the era, you know, that we, we, we truly loved, and she introduced me to a great part of that.

10:21 Jamie Hector: What's, what's, what's my guy? I was listening to him the other day. Um, oh my gosh. It was gonna come to me. But yeah.

10:27 Marc Preston: That early '90s era, that was like, yeah, Johnny Gill, Keith Sweat, the, uh- Mm-hmm. What, what was that so- what was that song came... The very first radio sta- I was 17 years old, the first radio station I ever went on the air at, it was, uh, in Dallas.

10:40 Marc Preston: It was wild because there was that song, uh, In the Garden, Quincy Jones produced it. Oh, I love that song. Yeah. You know that song? Yeah. I heard it on the radio the other day. I was like, "Oh, that was immediate flashback," 'cause that was... That ended up on at least one or two mixtapes that I handed out to a young lady here and there, so.

10:54 Marc Preston: I

10:55 Jamie Hector: mean, you know, the thing about music, right? It reminds you where you were. It reminds you what you was doing. It's like I, I wrote a script called In Plain Sight, for example. It takes place in the 1960s, which allows the opportunity for us to introduce so much music that'll be nostalgic to so many people, because we understand the marriage of music and film.

11:16 Jamie Hector: Um, it's about deep theft, right? And the marriage of music and film just reminds people where they were, what they were doing at the time. Oh, yeah. Who they were with and, yeah. Who they were with. So when you say Quincy Jones, "In the garden," I think about my sister immediately, 'cause she introduced me to, you know, Quincy Jones and his music.

11:41 Jamie Hector: She had the 45s and she had the, the, the, the, um, the album.

11:46 Marc Preston: Oh, so y'all were doing the needle drop. Y'all weren't doing CD or cassette. Oh, okay. Good, good. Well,

11:50 Jamie Hector: I, I moved into CD and cassette, but she had the needle drops. She had, and we still have them as well. So, um, yeah, it was... Yeah, it just reminds you and it just takes you there.

12:00 Marc Preston: Yeah, the, the way Barry White starts that thing off, it's like- ... how many babies, how many babies are around because of that guy, you

12:09 Jamie Hector: know?

12:16 Marc Preston: Was music ever a thing for you? Was that ever something you, like high school, did you get into like the band or were you just into music creating any of your own?

12:24 Jamie Hector: Absolutely. So in elementary school and middle school, up until today I still have it, I played the tenor saxophone. I have the alto sax at home.

12:32 Jamie Hector: Um, in regards to writing music and creating poetic rhythm hip hop, I was knee-deep into that, just writing reflections of my life experience with my partners. Um, reflecting on things that happened, things that are happening, and things that we, we envisioned and tried to prophesy was going to happen. Um, it was a love because- I relate that to what Jalen Brunson and the Knicks were able to do.

13:07 Waking up at 6 AM to write hip hop with childhood friends

13:07 Jamie Hector: It's like we would wake up at 6:00 every morning, get on the phone and just write together. There wasn't FaceTime or anything like that. It was just-

13:18 Marc Preston: Yeah ... on

13:19 Jamie Hector: a speaker and put on a track- Were these

13:20 Marc Preston: guys you went to high sc- that went to high school with? Or were these guys in your neighborhood? Or who were you, uh, who

13:25 Jamie Hector: were you doing this

13:25 Marc Preston: with?

13:26 Jamie Hector: From elementary school. Oh, okay. Second grade on up. Uh, and it was, it was an, a wonderful, wonderful experience because that same energy is the same energy I transitioned into writing now, right? Because now it's like I mentioned In Plain Sight, another project that I just directed, I co-wrote called Enough, and other projects that we're pitching out in the marketplace with the same level of energy that we decided, that I used when creating music and going to studios and listening to different tracks and watching them sample different beats and white labeling situa- It was just a wonderful time in the '90s.

14:09 Jamie Hector: That same- Mm-hmm ... discipline is what I moved on into the film industry with.

14:13 Marc Preston: Because in the '90s I remember still editing reel-to-reel tape with a razor blade . You know, that was- ... that was going all the way back then, you know? Yeah. Um, when digital came along, man, uh, you know, that, that changed the game completely, you know?

14:25 Marc Preston: But, uh, so when did the, when did the bug bite when it came to acting? Was it, was it on stage or d- were you like, "Man, I wanna do something on camera"? What, what, what was the genesis of that?

14:36 Discovering his true calling at a local community theater

14:36 Jamie Hector: Friend of mine's int- it's, it's, it's, it was a, it was a three-prong, right? A friend of mine's introduces me to a theater company, community theater company called Tomorrow's Future Theater Company.

14:44 Jamie Hector: I go down there. As soon as I walk into the room, Marc, just like that. It's as if the needle dropped. I knew this is the world that I belonged in. That was one step. The next step I was- So

14:57 Marc Preston: what, now what, now what did it for you? Was it like you saw people around like, "Okay, this is my tribe," or was it just the process?

15:03 Marc Preston: What was it that, that resonated with you?

15:05 Jamie Hector: As soon as I walked in, I saw a guy on stage doing a scene, and then saw a group to the right preparing a dance sequence, and then it was fellow actors, young actors sitting in the audience Just small community of them and, or some observing and some just brainstorming building.

15:26 Jamie Hector: It was like walking into Fame. If you remember Fame- Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ... opening scene where you see all of the artists, the dancers are their own tribe. They move a certain way. The vocalists operate a certain way, the actors as well. Now imagine all of that together, and then you walk in, and for some apparent reason, a moment just went silent, and it was right there I said, "Okay, this is where I belong.

15:51 Jamie Hector: This is my tribe. This is the place that will allow you to be vulnerable. You can dance. You can..." And that was the first place that I was trained also just by watching how to take time with your words.

16:04 Marc Preston: Now how old were you about this time? I

16:06 Jamie Hector: was 16, 17.

16:07 Marc Preston: Did you come back to your sister and go, "Hey, check out what I just experienced"?

16:10 Marc Preston: You know, did... 'Cause she was the one who was in the arts. Was she- Yeah ... were, was that the first person you went to to tell her about it?

16:16 Jamie Hector: No, no, no. It was kind of private at the time, but because she saw that I was interested, and then a gentleman named Moe Maurice said to me, "There's an audition, but you're too young.

16:29 Jamie Hector: You're gonna need some- somebody older than you to bring you." And I just mentioned it to her and she said, "Oh, I'll take you." But she didn't know that my interest was really into it. Like I was really trying... I wasn't even fully dedicated. I didn't know what I was doing at the time, right? 'Cause then fast-forward, I go to college and I'm sitting in chemistry class and I'm like, "Okay, this this is not where I belong.

16:55 Ditching college chemistry to pursue an acting career

16:55 Jamie Hector: There's, there's a disconnect. Like, I can do this, but this brings me no joy, absolutely none.

17:02 Marc Preston: I had the had the same feeling with chemistry. I'm like, "I can understand, tell me the kind of the basics. Let me understand where chemistry factors into life," you know? But- Yeah ... doing all the math and all that stuff is like, I know I'm not gonna use this, you know?

17:14 Marc Preston: So, you know, I, I will say if it wasn't for math and chemistry, I would've had a much higher GPA, I'll say that. Uh, so, so this was a program that wasn't con- was it, I, I, I'm sorry, was it connected to your school or was this something kinda like, uh, that was a program outside the school?

17:28 Jamie Hector: It was a program outside of school.

17:29 Jamie Hector: It's, it's really the springboard to the program that I've created to provide free theater arts programs for youth. It was a program that was open to the community, and I was, I just so happened to have a friend that was involved with it, and he said, "Come visit," and I came. And it was a free of charge program that trained you and allowed you to pro- pro- pro- present original works, which changed my life totally.

17:59 Jamie Hector: So

17:59 Marc Preston: you're coming in there, you, you started off in this program, and you're starting to already write and create and, and, and build stories on your own, right?

18:07 Jamie Hector: No, not at that point. Not at that point.

18:08 Marc Preston: Oh, you're talking about this program, the program you're involved in, you're doing that you say.

18:12 Jamie Hector: The program that the- Yeah

18:13 Jamie Hector: the program that I've created now, yes. The program that I was, I started in? No. I came in there as a dancer. I love to move my feet. I was trying to emulate EPMD's dancer named Fendi in Skoob and Scrap that was a part of Big Daddy Kane, his dance group, and I loved them so... And when I came in, I was introduced to acting.

18:33 Jamie Hector: Oh, you get a chance to tell stories, so of course I began to pursue it outside of there as well.

18:37 Marc Preston: Now, is this a program you st- you started for kids, or is this something you'd kinda took the reins of and kinda built it up a little bit?

18:43 Founding Moving Mountains to empower the next generation of actors

18:43 Jamie Hector: No, it started for kids. It's called Moving Mountains.

18:46 Marc Preston: How many kids y'all got going on in the program at any given time?

18:50 Jamie Hector: We served over 5,000. It's going on 20 years next year. Wow. And right now we're servicing over 300.

18:57 Marc Preston: So this is in Brooklyn?

18:59 Jamie Hector: In Brooklyn.

19:00 Marc Preston: Very cool. Very cool. So, so do you come in there and teach ever? Uh, do, do you have any, you know, as far as you come in there and mentor kids, do you do it yourself or do you got people who are working in the program that do that?

19:11 Jamie Hector: Well, here's the beauty of life. When, when I started it, first 10 years It was me teaching the classes. Fast-forward, because we figured out we need a team to actually keep this thing going, the alumni, now they go and train in conservatory, they come back, and we hire them as staff. Went off to conservatory, 36, 38 SAG members now, leading TV shows, and Wu-Tang's- Man, that's

19:37 Marc Preston: gotta be really rewarding to know that you started something as mentorship and that sparked something and it took off.

19:43 Marc Preston: That's gotta be really cool for you.

19:46 Jamie Hector: Oh, it's really cool. It's, it's really cool for them. It's really cool for the community. It's, it's, it's... I'm, I'm grateful to have, to, to actually have been given the platform that I have, was given to provide this service as well. I see how important it is. And, you know, it's, it's a blessing.

20:02 Jamie Hector: I'm grateful for that.

20:03 Marc Preston: When you were getting going, uh, you know, after school, like, what was the... W- did you kinda continue with the training? Did you do something more formal? Or, like, what was the arc of, uh, your training experience?

20:13 Jamie Hector: When I realized this is what I really wanted to do I went to college, um, and I said to a teacher that taught a class called Contemporary Black Man, I said, "Would you mind being my mentor?"

20:29 Committing to his craft at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute

20:29 Jamie Hector: He said, "What do you wanna do?" I said, "I wanna act." He said, "Let me introduce you to someone." Introduced me to this gentleman that's working with him that w- that grew up through the industry with Denzel, Wesley Snipes. Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, um, Samuel L. Jackson, and Morgan Freeman. And he said to me, "If you really wanna train in acting, there are some institutions that you might wanna consider."

20:54 Jamie Hector: And I said, "Where?" He said, "Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, William Esper, Stella Adler." Um, I said, "Oh." I said, "Okay." Then I went and I checked all of them out, and I landed at Strasberg for four years. I s- and then I went back and I wanted to experience Esper as well, so I did that for, for a little

21:13 Marc Preston: bit. You said you went to college.

21:14 Marc Preston: Did you leave college t- and focus on that, or were you kinda doing both at the same time?

21:19 Jamie Hector: I committed to Strasberg- Mm-hmm ... but I was also finishing taking less credits in college, 'cause I, I just switched the balance now. Instead of taking 12, I started taking less, focused all of my attention in an area that I was more fascinated with, and then eventually finished that course of college, and then put all my time and energy at Strasberg.

21:42 Marc Preston: I think the key, I think, to a lot of guys, a lot of people, is g- if you get that one mentor that can just get you pointed in the right direction, and you can just kind of take, take the reins and go from there, you know? But you mentioned, uh, some actors. Like, did you have a North Star? You were like, "Okay, Denzel, he's the template," or, you know, Samuel L.

21:59 Marc Preston: Jackson or- It's- Who was it that you're like, "They're the one. That's where I wanna go"?

22:04 Why Denzel Washington is his ultimate acting template

22:04 Jamie Hector: That's where I wanna go in terms of educating myself?

22:06 Marc Preston: Well, like you could look at them and go, "Okay, that's the kind of career I want. That's the kind of work I wanna do. I feel like they followed a path that I'd like to be on."

22:14 Marc Preston: Like, was there anybody out there like that for you?

22:16 Jamie Hector: You know what? I'm not gonna... I- it's Denzel Washington. It really is, you know? When he was pursuing a career, I could only imagine it was difficult. His ability to execute, make the right choices, stay in pocket with his delivery, really stay passionate about the work, and then create content that I'm s- I'm, I'm really engaged in.

22:40 Jamie Hector: You know, it's one thing to be a great actor, but you, you know, you're making movies that I, I see it, I see it, I don't, I don't. It's another thing where I'm waiting for you to come out with a movie so I can go and spend that money in the movie theater. Mm-hmm. I would still go see a film with him in the theater.

22:53 Marc Preston: You know, that, that brings up something. I was, uh... Tony Scott was directing a film with Denzel, uh, called shit, what was the name of that? It was a, it was a time traveling thing. They shot it in New Orleans, and basically he had this machine and go back in time and like a few days or, and solve a mystery or whatever.

23:10 Marc Preston: And I remember going in for a callback on that audition, and the whole thing was me having to have like a little terse argument with- Mm-hmm ... with, uh, like a real brief thing with Denzel. And I was like beyond giddy. And then, and then I got, uh, uh- You know, I'm like, "I'm just happy to be able with a callback of Tony Scott," you know, director Tony Scott.

23:29 Marc Preston: There you go. And he would... And all of, you know, he and Denzel did a lot of work together. And he, I got cast on a Saturday, written out on a Monday, but for, doggone, for two days- ... I was in a Tony Scott film with Denzel, you know? So, um- Oh, yeah ... you know, he ever- I was listening to an interview with Chris Pine.

23:44 Marc Preston: They were talking about Unstoppable. Chris Pine. And whenever you, whenever I listen to somebody that talks about acting with him, he, Denzel just seems like he... I don't know, it's like a presence. He knows what he brings. He's got... Like, that's, if you were to define confidence as an actor, I mean, I, I think there really is nobody higher up on the scale than Denzel.

24:02 Marc Preston: Um-

24:02 Jamie Hector: No, but the thing is, what I'm willing, what I, what I appreciate and respect about him is that y- you know, you're confident when you do the work, you know? You're confident when you're really dedicated on executing on what no one else sees, you know, the magic pudding behind the- Mm ... behind the lens. And it's clear that he does the work, right?

24:18 Jamie Hector: It's not just an assumption that, "Oh, I'm gonna..." You know? You can tell that the confidence comes from really believing authentically in what it is that you're doing and this character that you're playing, so... And that also is motivational inspiration for me as well as you, I'm sure. You know? Um, so I think that's where the confidence comes from.

24:37 Jamie Hector: He... I don't think he's gonna join a project that he's not really locked into.

24:42 Marc Preston: Yeah, I think it's, when they say it's all about making choices, that guy seems like he just makes interesting choices every time. You know? Every time. Uh, have you ever had an opportunity to work with him on a project or... Not, if not him, somebody that you came up admiring, did you ever have that opportunity to land on a set with somebody going, "Here's somebody that you came up watching," and now you get a chance to work with him?

25:02 Jamie Hector: Yeah. You know what? I worked with Denzel on He Got Game. If you wanna call it working with him, but Spike Lee gave me lines and I was in a film with Denzel. I met him twice. Yes. Had a chance to shake his hand and show appreciation. Um, another one that I really, really love and appreciate what they've been doing is Jeffrey Wright.

25:20 Jamie Hector: Mm-hmm. I love character actors. And I worked with him on a project before and, um, we got a chance to really build a relationship. And again, what the amount of respect and appreciation they have for the work and what they do to bring it to life is always worth watching. So I just enjoy watching them and, and, and, and, and learning also.

25:43 Jamie Hector: Always learning.

25:51 Marc Preston: I tell you what, my friend, uh, you know, one of the things I do before I, uh, uh, when we- whenever I wrap up something real quick, I call my seven questions. Uh-huh. Just kind of rapid fire, just a little bit of fun. And the, the first question I always ask is, gotta talk food at least once, especially you being from Brooklyn, one of my favorites.

26:00 The Seven Questions

26:06 Marc Preston: Yeah. What is your favorite comfort food? That thing that kind just brings you back, makes you feel good.

26:13 Jamie Hector: It- I mean, does it have to be full food or are you talking about like relax, kick back popcorn?

26:18 Marc Preston: Oh, it could be anything. Oh, popcorn. It could be any kind of food that you come home and you've had... Just popcorn, yeah.

26:23 Jamie Hector: Popcorn in the red bag from Trader Joe's.

26:27 Marc Preston: You, you're being very specific. Yeah. In the red bag from Trader... I haven't been there in a long time. So popcorn, very good. Now, if you were to sit down three people living or not, uh, you're gonna have a conversation, you're gonna talk story, uh, uh, for, for hours. Who would those three people be that you would love to sit down with?

26:45 Jamie Hector: Maya Angelou Um, and talk story. Ooh, nice. And talk story. Harry Belafonte. And you said living? Or not. Yeah, anyone. Or not. Oh, okay. Yes. And, um, you know who I'm really interested in just having a conversation with her about story? It's two. It's... Do you mind if I add a next one? Viola Davis and Ryan Coogler.

27:16 Marc Preston: Well, that's a good table. They're sitting down talking to each other. You know, you get to, you get to be a fly on the wall with that. That'd be a great table to sit at. Now, uh, next question real quick. Who was your celebrity crush when you were growing up? First one.

27:28 Jamie Hector: Wonder Woman.

27:28 Marc Preston: Wonder... The second time I've gotten that.

27:30 Marc Preston: Wonder Woman, very good. But which, which Wonder Woman? Like Lynda Carter?

27:34 Jamie Hector: Lynda Carter. She was my... Ooh, my gosh. Well, go ahead. Let me

27:37 Marc Preston: let you ask. I was there, I was there with you. Uh, now if you're gonna be sitting on an island a whole year, you're gonna be on an exotic island, beautiful place. You wanna be there, you love it, you enjoy it, um, but you don't have streaming.

27:47 Marc Preston: So if you wanna listen to music, you gotta bring one CD or a box set, and a movie, you get to bring one DVD. What's that one CD and one DVD for the whole year?

27:57 Jamie Hector: The DVD would be Glory. Oh man, I gotta

28:00 Marc Preston: pick one? Going back to Denzel.

28:02 Jamie Hector: Yeah. You saying I have to pick one?

28:04 Marc Preston: Just, just one. It could be a box set. It could be, it could be like via like a whole series.

28:08 Marc Preston: Like, you know, it could be a trilogy or something if you want.

28:11 Jamie Hector: And the CD would be Nas Illmatic.

28:16 Marc Preston: Very good. Very good. Okay. So now we're gonna talk about the perfect day for you. Next question. If you... From the time you go get up to the time you go to bed, recipe, component parts, what would that, what would those things be to say, "That was a perfect day for me"?

28:29 Jamie Hector: Ah, okay. Scripture, the gym, lift them up and lift them down. Um, nice little jog and workout. Um, a great couple of chapters in a wonderful book. Um, right now it's Hamlet, but outside of that it would be one of my favorite books, Celestine Prophecy. You know, I truly believe relationships network to life. I love connecting the dots with old and new friends, right?

29:02 Jamie Hector: It takes some time to actually- Spend time with friends or even people that I just met. I just love just to interact and learn about new people. A small portion of my day, that would be wonderful. And, and you know what? And then spending the rest of the day with family.

29:19 Marc Preston: Very good. Very good. So now, d- do you have kids?

29:22 Marc Preston: Do you have kids at your house or are you, uh-

29:24 Jamie Hector: I do. I do. I do. I have kids, 16 and 19. Little inside jokes. Very

29:27 Marc Preston: cool.

29:28 Jamie Hector: My babies.

29:29 Marc Preston: Mine are just a hair bit older than that, man. And they, it happens fast, man. They get to-

29:32 Jamie Hector: No, but when you told me the ages of your, when you told me the ages of your kids, that's when The Wire came out, 20 years ago, if not 21 years ago.

29:39 Jamie Hector: So they could not have been watching it. They would've been three or two years old, you know?

29:43 Marc Preston: We were watching Lilo & Stitch at that point in time, you know? That's

29:46 Jamie Hector: right. That's right.

29:47 Marc Preston: Um, now the last couple questions. If, if this wasn't available to you, if somebody said, "You know something, uh, Jamie, this, the acting thing, it's not, it's not really available to you anymore," what would be the second choice?

29:56 Marc Preston: What would, what else would bring you joy?

29:59 Jamie Hector: Only because they, like, I was always fascinated with being a Navy SEAL. I don't know if that would bring me joy, but I always wanted to challenge myself to see how far, you know, one can go without hopefully their mind snapping, right? But the thing that really brings me joy, that's always brought me joy was, I don't wanna say being a king maker, but helping others achieve their greatest accomplishment.

30:27 Jamie Hector: Helping- Yeah ... and I'm able to do that with Moving Mountains, right? With helping others really achieve what might seem like it's impossible.

30:35 Marc Preston: There's a lot of reward to that. Even if somebody surpasses where you're at, there's, there's just great reward, I think. That, I, I totally identify. Yeah. That's very cool.

30:43 Marc Preston: Now, the last question, you got that DeLorean, you can go back in time when you're 16 years old. You've got a piece of advice. Well, you got a couple minutes with the younger you. Uh, what would that piece of advice be, uh, to younger you in that moment of y- of your life?

30:56 Jamie Hector: If I got a piece of advice or?

30:59 Marc Preston: Oh, oh, no, if you got, if you got into that DeLorean and you went back in time, you're 16 years old.

31:03 Marc Preston: You got to say, "Hey, 16-year-old me, I got some, I got some wisdom for you I wanna pass on." What would that

31:08 Jamie Hector: be? Hmm. Oh, that wisdom would be, um, write down your lo- your short-term, long-term goals, and don't waver. Stay locked in focus and work every day, 10, 12 pertaining to what it is that you really wanna do, and surround yourself with like-minded individuals and shoot for the stars.

31:31 Jamie Hector: Don't stop.

31:32 Marc Preston: Very nice. Very nice, my friend. Well, I, I have w- just one last bonus question, just a couple words. What was it being in Cape Fear, considering the, the actors you're working with and the production team. You know, there's Spielberg, right? Spielberg and, um-

31:45 Jamie Hector: And Scorsese, yes ...

31:46 Marc Preston: Scorsese, yeah. So, you know, here you are, you know, and Scorsese, you know, he's done a couple things in New York.

31:51 Marc Preston: Um- Yeah. ... you know, what, what was that, what was that like getting cast in that? Just to kind of real quick, just what was the vibe just knowing I'm in this thing, I'm on set, I'm acting with these people- Oh ... I'm in this production. What, how would, how'd that land for you?

32:03 Jamie Hector: It landed great. It landed, um, the way that I was happy that it did land because being in the industry for s- as long, s- for, for, for such a time as I've been in the industry, right?

32:11 Jamie Hector: And being on amazing projects with amazing creators, right? You don't wanna get jaded. Not, not, not jaded, wrong word. You don't want to, um, not feel that thing that happens- Mm-hmm ... when you're a part of something great. 'Cause you're used to it now, right? It's like, "Oh, okay, I've worked with the great over here, great over here."

32:29 Jamie Hector: That feeling that I would anticip- that I wanted to happen when I was younger when working with these greats is the same feeling that I received once I got cast for the part. Knowing that they're involved, so I know it's gonna be great. Knowing that they're involved, they're not gonna let, just let anything fly, right?

32:49 Jamie Hector: They're gonna be dedicated to making sure that this work, um- Is excellent. And then knowing that I was handpicked by Scorsese and Spielberg, right? Knowing that the directors were as well, that means that, you know, you're doing something right, kid.

33:05 Marc Preston: That's gotta give you the confidence, right? That's gotta give you say- Yeah

33:07 Marc Preston: even if you show up nervous, go, "Wait, these two guys chose me. They saw it. I got it." For what? And you, you just could, it makes it easier to bring it- Absolutely ... you know, it seems like to me.

33:14 Jamie Hector: Yeah.

33:15 Marc Preston: Well, man, thank you so much for spending time with me today. I, I really enjoyed it. Good things, my friend. Looking forward to, uh, checking it out and the good stuff you got coming up.

33:22 Marc Preston: But, um, all the best to you, and hopefully we'll catch up down the line.

33:25 Jamie Hector: Thank you so much, Marc.

33:28 Marc Preston: It's a pleasure. All right, there you go. Jamie Hector. Really enjoyed this sit down. A great conversation. Really enjoyed the opportunity to, uh, share a little time with him and, uh, you can check him out right now, the Scorsese/Spielberg project, Apple TV.

33:42 Marc Preston: It is called Cape Fear, along with Javier Bardem and Amy Adams. Um, hey, do me a favor, uh, if you would. Don't forget to check out Story and Craft on the web. That's right, we got a website, storyandcraftpod.com. Everything you could possibly wanna know about the show, it's right there. Past guests, past episodes.

34:00 Marc Preston: And if you would, do me a favor, on your podcast app, make sure to follow Story and Craft. Leave a like, uh, a review. No matter what platform you use, it is greatly appreciated. Okay, so I'm gonna get on out of here, and I want you to have a great rest of your day, rest of your evening, whatever you got going on.

34:17 Marc Preston: And as I always say, thank you so much. Uh, I really do appreciate it. I appreciate you making, uh, whatever I got going on here part of what you've got going on. Gonna be back in a couple days. Look forward to, uh, catching up with you right here on Story and Craft. Talk to you soon.

34:32 Announcer: That's it for this episode of Story and Craft.

34:35 Announcer: Join Marc next week for more conversation right here on Story and Craft. Story and Craft is a presentation of Marc Preston Productions, LLC. Executive producer is Marc Preston. Associate producer is Zachary Holden. Please rate and review Story and Craft on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

35:00 Announcer: You can subscribe to show updates and stay in the know. Just head to storyandcraftpod.com and sign up for the newsletter. I'm Emma Dylan. See you next time, and remember, keep telling your story.