“Have you ever noticed an actor for the first time, and think that they just came out of nowhere?” mused Kona boy, Adrian Gaeta, as he explained the process of being an actor in Hollywood.
“Well, actually, chances are, they have been working very hard for years to get a chance at a breakthrough role.”
Perhaps such an opportunity has arrived for Gaeta, who in just one year has been cast in the lead role in two feature films, “Dirty” and “Restoration.” “Dirty” releases July 16 while “Restoration” was released last month.
Gaeta, who attended Holualoa elementary and Kealakehe Intermediate schools and graduated from Hawaii Preparatory Academy, began his foray into the theatrical world at the University of Washington. Graduating at the top of his class and on a full acting scholarship, Gaeta performed in nearly 30 plays during his time at the school. After leaving UW, Gaeta performed in plays across the country and in Italy, before moving to Los Angeles, inspired to try his luck in films.
“There are beautiful films that stay with you forever,” said Gaeta. “In film, there is the opportunity to connect with so many people. That is what made me decide that LA was the place for me.”
For eight years, Gaeta has been auditioning and honing his acting skills,
“You can start to lose hope,” said Gaeta. “But you have to just keep working and putting yourself out there so when an opportunity presents itself, you’ll be ready.”
Gaeta attributes his ability to maintain a positive attitude despite the odds to his youth in Hawaii.
“That calm and peace of growing up in nature and on the beaches of the Big Island, and it that community, really helped prepare me for life,” said Gaeta. “When things get difficult, I can face the stress better with that peaceful aloha attitude and have the faith that things will all work out.”
Gaeta contributes another foundation of his success to family and friends.
“In Hawaii, friends are family. Whenever I get home, it’s like we haven’t missed a beat,” he said.
Gaeta’s father, Fredric Gaeta, a Kona resident for 29 years, traveled to the mainland to see every play his son performed at the university.
“I’ve seen my son set on fire, fall out of buildings, and die 20 times,” said Fred. “That’s not so much fun, as a father. But he is so gifted, and acting is so much a part of him, at times, he loses himself so completely into the character, I have to remind myself that that actor is my son.”
“But I would like to see him in more love scenes,” he added.
Though the business end of developing an acting career can be crushing, Gaeta has the courage to keep working hard for what he wants. For his film, “Dirty,” Gaeta had to lose 30 pounds in a month. For “Restoration,” he had two days to prepare with the script before shooting.
“Preparing for ‘Dirty’ was a transforming experience,” said Gaeta. “And it was very satisfying on a creative level to just be so immersed in the character. While ‘Restoration’ was more of an experience of trust in all the training I’d had up to that point and in just surrendering to the spontaneity of it all. It was very freeing.”
Gaeta remains undaunted by the demanding nature of his career.
“This is who I am,” he said. “It’s about something greater than yourself. To inspire people to feel alive and it makes you feel alive, too. You just have to fight with reckless abandon for what inspires you.”
Hoping that these two latest films lead him to more acting opportunities, Gaeta isn’t pinning his joy of life on question marks about the future.
“I think many people make the mistake, particularly in the acting community, of saying ‘I will be happy when,’” said Gaeta. “But happiness is an inside job. You have to have the faith in where you are today, and what tomorrow will hold.”
The Big Island will be looking out for one of its own, and rooting Gaeta on in theaters and living rooms.
“It really hit me,” said Fred, “As I was waiting for the movie to start, the credits came up, and there first was Adrian’s name, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is really happening.’” ■