It’s always a struggle to achieve a dream. For 21-year-old Albert Bryant, who has strived to become an actor and filmmaker, the path has been a bit rockier than most.
Attendees at the Ohio Theatre on October 15 and 16 will have the chance to see the Toledo native’s debut film, “Vampire Chick,” a horror film about a beautiful undead assassin. But they may not be aware of the distinctive challenges its director has faced in bringing his vision to the screen.
BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE
Bryant lives with a form of Mitochondrial Myopathy, a group of neuromuscular disorders which weaken the muscles. “So if I do an over excessive amount of exercise, I can hurt my muscles to the point where I can damage them, and end up having to go to the hospital,” Bryant said. “And that’s happened to me so, so many times. It’s a pain in the butt.
“It’s been a challenge to deal with it. But I like to say, I’d rather have control over my condition, and my condition doesn’t have any control over me.”
Bryant is also quick to point out how you never know when something may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, however. Thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, when he was 14 Bryant was given the chance to meet one of his heroes — John Homa, acting coach and one of the judges of the reality show “Scream Queens.” The two hit it off and have remained friends ever since.
A COOL IDEA
It was Homa who advised Bryant to consider branching out into directing as well as acting. Bryant began writing a script, sending it to Homa for advice. “And John read it, and he said, ‘Al, I don’t think this is the best story, I think it needs some work.’ But he said, ‘You still have time to develop it, and do something with it.’ And I was discouraged, I was like, ‘Oh, boy.’
“I threw the script down, and I thought to myself, what kind of story would I want to do instead of that one? And I thought to myself, vampire! A vampire chick! That’s what I thought of — wouldn’t it be cool to have a sexy girl who was a vampire, and she works with a demon and she goes around sucking people’s blood, like an assassin almost. And I thought, wow, that’s a cool idea!”
THE NEXT STEP
That was six years ago. In the interim, the concept and the film it sired have gone through a myriad of changes — originally intended as a short film, “Vampire Chick” eventually doubled in length and saw a complete change of cast in the interim. “I thought I could shoot the whole film for $140, $150 bucks. But my budget definitely did go up a little bit. A lot of my closest relatives and family, they helped me produce the film financially,” Bryant said.
Bryant’s gratitude toward everyone who helped him on this journey — his friends, family, cast and crew, John Homa and so many more — is apparent with every word he speaks. And as the date of his film’s debut approaches, it’s also clear he’s incredibly excited about this next step in fulfilling his dream.
“It’s an honor for me, because when people are actually coming to see your work, I think that’s a big honor. I’m really excited and I’m very happy to show the public my directing debut.”
“Vampire Chick” will premiere at the Ohio Theatre on October 15 and 16 at 8 pm.
Tickets are $10, and proceeds will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
For more information, visit OhioTheatreToledo.org.
Albert Bryant wanted to give thanks to his family,
Brandon, Michael, Johnny Le, John Homa, Larry Fong, Joke and Biagio,
the Inosanto Academy and the IMB Academy for helping make everything possible.
