The following Career Dispatch essay was written by actor Spencer Treat Clark, who reprises the role of Joseph Dunn alongside Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, and Samuel L. Jackson in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass,” now in theaters.
Last fall, I returned to a character that I first played 19 years ago in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable”—this time in its second sequel, “Glass.” It was surreal to be back in Philadelphia working with many of the same talented people and revisiting artistic choices I’d made as a 12 year old. I realized I filed away so many of my early acting experiences, and it was thrilling to reconnect with such an important part of my life and career.
In the lead-up to production on “Glass,” I dug through my parents’ attic and found my script from “Unbreakable.” In the margins were little notes in my messy 12-year-old handwriting: things like “he loves his dad” and “Joseph is confused and sad.” It was so wonderfully reductive. I was reminded what it was like to approach a scene so simply.
Acting is a strange paradox that requires you to carefully prepare but still leave yourself vulnerable; I think vulnerability comes easier to kids than it does adults. I love diving into the psychology of a character and discovering backstory, but that’s not what I want to be thinking about when the director calls action. I certainly don’t want to be worried that the studio exec is on set or how the scene is going to cut together or if my hair is going match what it looked like in the master. In that moment, I really just need to know that the character loves his dad. Seeing those notes in the margins of my old script reminded me to take a step back and simplify my process.
There were nearly 20 people on the set of “Glass” who also worked on “Unbreakable” and who knew me as a kid. It was really fun to listen to them recount how inquisitive and eager I was years ago. I was reminded about the time Eduardo Serra, the film’s cinematographer, taught me how to load the camera at lunch. Apparently I wouldn’t leave the camera department alone after that. Film sets attract so many interesting people who specialize in a crazy variety of disciplines. There is so much to learn, and as a kid, I wanted to soak it all up. While working on “Glass,” I was able to tap back into that childhood wonder. It was a really memorable experience.
There’s a great picture my mom took of M. Night Shyamalan and me on the day “Unbreakable” wrapped; we both look like babies. There’s a huge grin on my face, and under my arm is a camcorder he gave me so I could start making movies of my own. Night was so eager to share his passion for filmmaking, and that applies as much now as it did then. Being around his energy on “Glass” made me feel like that smiling kid all over again, and I tried to shadow him as much as I could. Even during scenes I wasn’t in, I’d be on set watching him work. I observed as the meticulous storyboards that wrapped around the production office turned into beautifully crafted shots. I was so impressed by the choreographed camera moves and the long takes that Night is renowned for.
However, no matter how technical things got or how crazy our days were, he had time for everybody. Morale on set was always high. It was so encouraging to not only see Night operate with such skill, but also continue to exhibit unjaded enthusiasm.
Acting has been a constant in my life, though my relationship with it has evolved over the years. There are inherent pressures associated with this career that just didn’t exist back when the goal was almost solely to have fun and be creative. As a kid, I wasn’t thinking about my next role or money or reviews or ruining a take. Obviously, I’m not going to completely blow off those considerations today, but I always want to be able to marvel at the fact that I get to pursue something that I love. “Glass” was that for me to the extreme. I was able to connect with a simpler time in my life and remember how incredibly fun acting is and how damn lucky I am. I got to learn on some incredible sets with mentors like Night. The fact that “Glass” even happened, and that I got to be a part of it, was a tremendous windfall that started almost two decades ago.
When I watch an old movie I was in, I see how young I was, and it can almost feel like I’m watching a different person. But after “Glass,” I want to get to know that kid again and continue to learn from him.
Ready to get to work? Check out Backstage’s film audition listings!