Certainly, I can say, that Don Jackson, (Donald G. Jackson), was the first filmmaker to make me a star. As I have stated in way too many places to mention, though he may not have been the first individual who put me in the first position of a film, he was definitely the first person to put me in the lead position of a film that has stood the test of time.
 
This is not to say, that it did not come with a cost. I had entered the film game about a year before I met him, and I had done pretty well… I was moving up the ladder.
 
Recently, I saw an interview with Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. Pitt was speaking about how he was an extra in a film and tried to say something in the scene, but the AD stopped him.  DiCaprio didn’t get it. …DiCaprio, who I actually knew as a young child, as he and his mother lived next-door to my best friend in Hollywood. He came into the game early and successfully, working his way up the ladder from childhood. Pitt, had to fight his way to stardom as an adult.
 
The thing is, that was the only way to get your SAG, (Screen Actors Guild), card back in the day. And, a SAG card was and is the only way to be a real actor. …The only way to get your SAG card was to have a line in an actual film.
 
Me, pretty much the moment I got into the game, I was cast in a small role in the film, The Bonfire of the Vanities. I said something to Bruce Willis. Bruce Willis… So sad what has become of his life. But, he can rest on the fact that he has made some incredible films. My moment of speaking was cut from the final version of that film, but nonetheless, I still had become a, “Real,” actor with a SAG card.
 
I was on the way to becoming a working actor in the A-game. Then, I met DGJ.
 
The problem is, once you dip your feet in the B-Market, at least back then, it is very hard to ever reemerge. The industry defined you as a, “Something,” and that was that. You’re A-Market career is over. Even Don knew this fact. And, I believe, he felt a certain sense of guilt about what he had done to my up-and-coming career, as every now and then he would say something to me and other people about this fact.
 
In any case, he made me the lead. Now/Then, as stated, this was not the first time I had been in that spot. A few people had come my direction, prior to this—believing in me. But, for better or for worse—for whatever stupid karmic reason, I choose to walk the path with Don.
 
I so remember this one moment… We were in Hollywood shooting a scene for the Roller Blade Seven, and it was all about me. The camera was on me, and only me. I had this realization of just how special that moment was. A moment that I hoped would last forever.
 
As I evolved in my filmmaking career, I provided a number of people with that same chance. Some in front of the camera and some behind. How many appreciated that? I don’t know? I know a lot didn’t give a damn, believing they deserved it. But where are they now? Did they ever go on to do anything else that was meaningful? Answer: No.
 
What I am saying here is that, when opportunity comes knocking, you’ve got to take it. You’ve got to take it because, though you may have all of these vivid dreams about what you hope to become, none of that stuff may ever happen. If you do not take what is offered to you, and you do not live it to the fullest, you may never be presented with that opportunity again.