Richard Goss is a Welsh actor who is pursuing his dream as an actor and also a screenwriter in London. His show Fried has won many awards and we chat about that in our interview. He talks about the challenges of being the creator of the show and an actor. Also, he gets a little cheeky with me, so read to see what’s that was all about.
Introducing Richard…
What do you love about your life right now?
Everything!
How long have you been acting? Also, was there a particular actor or film that inspired you to become an actor?
I’ve been acting for nearly twelve years and I’ve performed live as a musician for over thirty years, since I was a child. Whilst I was touring in Japan, the film was more and more appealing to me. I watched The Godfather and Heat and decided to switch paths and become an actor. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, all of their performances influenced that decision.
Your series Fried is about a psychotic call center worker and a waiter struggling and living in London. From what I’ve read, their lives blur between madness and reality. What was your inspiration for creating the show?
It was a combination of factors. Deeply frustrated with my acting career, I decided to make my own production to show what I could do. I’d read about Stuart Brennan, who you of course know, and his journey to creating his own films. I reached out to him and he offered to meet and gave me some advice. Working together with him was an absolute blast, and I have immense respect and admiration for him.
I partly drew inspiration for the story through my own experiences of living in London, especially when I first arrived; being poverty-stricken, living in horrendous, Dickensian rented accommodation, working soul-crushing minimum wage jobs with petty, spiteful managers and ultimately the toll all of this takes on your physical and mental health. Reviewers have pointed out that many people can relate to this. I wrote a lot of these experiences into the plot.
I was also reading a lot of Dostoyevsky and Orwell, Crime and Punishment and Down and Out in Paris in London, in particular, which influenced the grim depravity of the characters. Cheery stuff.
As the creator, are you also the screenwriter for the show?
Yes. It was my first time writing a screenplay, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tell me about the challenges and joys of being the creator of the show as well as also playing one of the actors.
The challenges are almost endless. We started filming just as the pandemic broke out, so we had to stop filming continuously for huge blocks of time, at one point for over eight months. My entire budget was £2,500 of personal savings from bartending/waiting/call center jobs. To save on location costs, I ripped all the furniture out of the room I was renting at the time and converted it into a set. I made it look as grimy and depressing as possible, as the story demanded, then the lockdowns happened. I ended up living in what looked like a crack house for over a year.
The joys are seeing the reception it’s received. It’s won 38 awards and received fantastic reviews, with critics pointing out that it feels fresh, innovative and comparing it with some of my favorite films and writers, in particular Withnail and I. That is enormously satisfying and makes all the challenges worthwhile.
I’m hugely proud of everyone’s performances in this film and can’t wait for everyone to see them. My co-lead Jake McDaid is a superb talent, as are all of the cast. Huge praise and gratitude for Clifford, Marcus, Andrew, and all the actors who contributed voiceovers.
I got to really let rip playing a character who’s completely wild, uncontrollable and psychotic, which is always fun.
It’s also opened doors for me as an actor for hire, helping to land me the biggest role I’ve played so far. I’m waiting for the news of this to be released soon.
Your IG page is inspiring and you are very active. What is your motivation for being fit and taking care of your body?
I had a lot of ill health as a child and during my first few years in London; I lost an unhealthy amount of weight. I was a scene partner with Arnas Fedaravičius when we were studying Meisner with Steven Ditmyer. Arnas is in phenomenal shape and hugely inspired me to start going to the gym and building my body.
What about your mind? Are you a believer that we should not only take care of our body but our mental health as well? If so, how do you do approach that?
Absolutely. Both are equally important. I read a lot, classic literature, philosophy, self-help, motivational biographies about people who’ve overcome immense challenges in life. On the flip side, I watch a lot of comedies. Great American stuff like Frasier, King of Queens, Cheers, 3rd Rock From The Sun, and British shows like The Young Ones, Bottom, Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses, just fun stuff. It all depends on what my mood is and what the situation requires. Sometimes I’ll stick on some thrash metal and hit the punch bag for a while, then I’m in a great mood afterwards. Sometimes I’ll withdraw completely, especially social media, for a few months and go back to Wales, spend time on the cliffs and mountain walking by the ocean.
Do you have any advice you would like to share with someone who wants to become an actor?
Don’t do it unless it’s something you simply can’t live without. There are so many obstacles and challenges, so many years with little to no reward, that it’s simply not worth doing unless you absolutely love it. If so, then go do it fully and take charge of it. Create your own work. Learn the business side as much as the performance side.
I read you had some stunt training as well. Stuntman Ray Nicholas taught you sword fighting choreography. Was it training for a film?
Yeah, that was great. It was on Wrath of the Titans, my first job in film. There was a shortage of stunt fighters at the time as they were filming Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises and Wrath all around the same time in the UK. So I got to train a bit with those guys which was my first experience. They’re amazing. Loved it.
Do you have a favorite role that you’ve portrayed?
My most recent one which I can’t disclose yet haha!
We all have experienced failure, and sometimes success follows it. Do you have a favorite failure?
I don’t know if I’d truly consider them failures as I’ve learned from terrible experiences and, ultimately, they’ve all led to where I am today. Hmm. There are a few occasions I’ve stayed in a bad situation too long to give other people the benefit of the doubt. I’ve always had strong intuition and on the rare occasions I’ve ignored it, I’ve gotten screwed over. I’d say my favorite failures are the times I’ve ignored my instincts, knowing in my heart it was an awful choice. But you grow and learn from your mistakes. It’s all good.
Describe yourself in one word.
Persistent.
Are you currently working on anything?
Yes, I have a short film which I wrote and directed, currently in post-production and I’m writing two feature film scripts.
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what message would you want to convey to millions? What would it say and why?
Oh wow, I’ve never thought about that. That’s a really interesting question. I love it. I guess with everything that’s going on in the world I’d just say…there’s not enough time in the world to do all the things we love, so don’t waste a second on hate.
Alright, Richard, this is one of my favorite parts of the interview. Tell me three fun facts about you.
I’m a massive video gamer, I’ve been playing them since the 90s, as far back as dungeon-crawler RPG’s like Lands of Lore and the early Wolfenstein/Duke Nukem games on floppy disc, the original Baldur’s Gate games (1&2), etc. Jesus I feel old. My current rank in Krav Maga is a brown belt, and I plan to train for my black belt when I have the time. I collect books; I probably have close to a thousand now.
I love ending the chat with a quote. Do you have a favorite quote or saying that has inspired and motivated you in your life that you can share with my readers?
I’m going to be cheeky and pick two. It’s impossible for me to choose between these as they’ve both served me well in life.
“To hell with circumstances. I create opportunities,” Bruce Lee.
“It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward,” Sylvester Stallone.
Thank you for reading our interview!
If you leave with anything from our interview, remember to be persistent in what you want. You can’t casually want a dream to come true like if you want to be an actor or a writer, you have to be persistent and keep going when you don’t want to. Richard’s persistence has and is paying off.
Follow Richard on social media and learn about him at the below links.