Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Russel Waller.
Hi Jason Russel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My father was a criminal, so when my family was on the run, movie theaters were a great place to hide out. The whirling hum of a film projector in a dark, air-conditioned cinema was always an invitation to escape my disorderly upbringing. But the Silver Screen offered more than escapism. Movies introduced me to other types of people and places, art and culture. Watching so many of them also taught me about storytelling, camera composition, editing and the general craft of filmmaking. Movies enlightened me to a world of possibilities and encouraged me to dream.
Having a con man for a father meant spending an ungodly amount of time in cars and motels. Living in cars was exhausting. Motels were fine because I could watch late-night television, which is where I discovered Charlie Chaplin. His performances were captivating, and I identified with the melancholy beneath his animated expressions. He was someone equally interested in both sides of the camera, writing and directing his own films. Charlie Chaplin became a model for my artistic future.
Dad eventually landed in prison, and as a young man I finally felt my life was my own. In the 1990s I was living in Austin, Texas, a place alive with counterculture and youthful ideas. I was in my twenties and the electricity of art was running through my veins. I was into everything—photography, playing music, painting, writing, acting. I was having the creative time of my life! But I knew it was time to funnel all these separate expressions into one idea.
My dream of making a movie the way Chaplin had done only intensified with time. In 1996 I wrote, directed, and acted in my own independent low-budget feature film. It was an art-house psychological thriller called The Devil’s Cello. With the indispensable support of a smart and dedicated crew, we premiered the film three years later. I’ll never forget walking toward the theater at dusk and looking up to see “The Devil’s Cello” illuminated by the marquee lights.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In my mid-twenties and thirties, I suffered from crippling bouts of depression and self-loathing. I’m not sure whether this was a circumstance of childhood, a chemical imbalance, or both. Upsetting emotions would arrive unannounced and hang around for three or four days. I had to learn how to navigate these episodes. Instead of trying to fight the depression, I chose to let it in. When the despondency finally lifted, I would write about how it made me feel, transforming those emotions into songs or short stories. This process became my lifeline. The more I created, the better I felt. Eventually, thanks to art, I was able to trade my depression for the spirited adventure of living.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Sunrises were made for coffee and writing. This morning I got one page closer to finishing my new screenplay—a fantasy/thriller about a comic book writer who’s being accosted by his own imagination. I’m firing on all cylinders with this project, aiming to produce it as an independent feature film.
I have also written a limited TV series chronicling my true adventures of life on the run with my father, titled Con Man Daddy. A condensed audible version of the story was produced by NPR’s radio show and podcast Snap Judgment. It received its second nationwide broadcast in 2024. You can listen to Con Man Daddy through the Snap Judgment link below.
My pet project for this year is to make The Devil’s Cello widely available. Back in 1999, I was able to show it in theaters and art galleries, but financially unable to release it on DVD. Technology has obviously come a long way since then. My goal now is to create a 4K scan of the film and re-release the movie through streaming platforms.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Happiness is laughing with my wife, Stephanie. In those moments, nothing else matters—no past, no future. Laughing is the purest form of being present, and naturally, I want to share that joy with the person I love.
Creatively, I’d say writing is my direct path to happiness. There is an immediacy to writing—simply transcribing an initial idea, then shaping and reshaping it until its purpose is discovered. Writing is capable of excavating the depths of our shared human experiences or creating entirely new and fantastical worlds! The written word doesn’t require a budget, special equipment, or a crew. All that’s needed to begin writing is an idea and a pencil.
At the end of the day, I want my work to inspire—to connect and encourage. When I was a kid, I needed hope. I needed to dream. And the magic of cinema delivered that. Now, I’d like to give a little bit of that magic to someone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jasonrusselwaller.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonrusselwaller/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jasonrusselwaller
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonrusselwaller
- Other: https://snapjudgment.org/episode/con-man-daddy/
