When Back to the Future was released two decades ago it drew millions of people to theaters all over the world, including a small boy from Long Island. Jeremy Glazer was so captivated by Michael J. Fox’s character–Marty McFly–that he promised to follow in those footsteps.
Interviewing someone can be awkward, but my time with this young man was totally relaxed and unforced from the onset. We were scheduled to talk for 20 minutes, but we spent that long just talking about crazy things and laughing. He is extremely personable and funny, and has a down-to-earth, “my-best-friend kind of guy” ease about him. Jeremy is probably the guy that everyone says is their best friend, and it is easy to understand why. Every person he is talking with has his full attention. He is not the least bit pretentious–he’s just a genuine, nice guy.
We talked about his nicknames (“Jer” is one of them), his love of movies (Tom Hanks is one of his favorite actors), his friends and his family. We talked about the rollercoaster his career is on at the moment and how he keeps popping up on television in the most unlikely places at times.
“It’s been a great ride so far,” he said.
Recently, he’s been promoting the double chicken sandwich in a KFC commercial, playing tennis with Roger Federer in a Wilson Tennis commercial, guest starring on television shows and playing in local theater. In other words, Jeremy is on the move all the time.
“I’ve been really lucky,” he said about his career. His acting resume is already impressive. He appeared in director Clint Eastwood’s critically-acclaimed motion picture Letters from Iwo Jima, the 2008 Sundance Film Festival standout hit Good Dick, and has guest starred on more than a dozen television shows. His versatility as an actor has been his ability to seek out opportunities to win his way into the hearts of America.
His journey really began at age eight with a trip into New York City to see a talent agent. As he left the interview with his mother, Evelyn, they walked past a movie theater and Jeremy saw the giant lighted marquee. From that moment, he was convinced that acting was in his future.
“I’m going to be a big star,” he remembered saying to himself at the time.
But, his name didn’t flash on the movie marquee quite that fast. While he played varsity tennis in high school and was elected class president three times, it was performing in school theater productions that really changed his life. He also joined the high school vocal group Voices, where he said he was truly “bit by the acting bug.”
But acting had to wait a little while. He first went to the University of Delaware to major in mass communications.
“My parents wanted me to have some security, so I went to college for a degree,” he said.
During the summer break from classes, Jeremy visited his brother Dan, a Los Angeles ‘”based talent agent at the time, and began working as an intern in the entertainment industry. His first exposure to the business of Hollywood came from being a courier, production assistant and, ultimately an executive production assistant.
After finishing college, he moved to LA and began to pursue a future of his own that initially did not include acting. He supported himself by working behind the scenes on various projects and–like some many wannabe actors in LA–he worked as a waiter.
“I was trying to go around the acting thing, but it felt so forced,” he said. “So, I decided to jump in with both feet.”
His work as a production assistant afforded him the opportunity to watch other actors who were auditioning for roles. This insight was beneficial when Jeremy decided to audition on his own. After several successful attempts, Jeremy was well on his way to qualifying for a Screen Actors Guild card. He now also is a member of AFTRA and Actor’s Equity as well.
Jeremy’s first paid job was a television commercial for Macy’s. He had his own dressing trailer on the lot at Universal Studios for this shoot and it was there that his past came face-to-face with his future. Or maybe it was back to his future.
“I stepped out of my trailer to go to the shoot,” Jeremy recalled. I looked up and my trailer was parked under the clock tower that was used in Back to the Future.”
A good omen for sure.
I watched many of Jeremy’s television roles and commercial appearances in research for this article. The greatest quality an actor can portray is believability and every single role Jeremy has done shows an abundance of that. Whether it is the lovable, yet guilty, face of someone stealing a sandwich on an Oscar Mayer commercial or an astounding performance in a guest role on television, he is both memorable and believable. More importantly, he is someone with whom audiences can relate.
This was never more apparent then in a character Jeremy played for the second season of In Plain Sight. In an episode entitled “Aguna Matatala,” Jeremy portrays an Orthodox Jew that was forced into the witness protection program. The complexity of this character allowed Jeremy to explore deep emotions and true inner conflict that rarely are tapped for guest spots on episodic TV.
“I got to (portray) him in every emotion imaginable,” he said. “And the role just fit for me.”
There was something special about that character that two years later still is vividly clear for him. That role allowed him to work opposite actors Richard Schiff and Mary McCormack, but he said it also allowed him to draw raw emotions for such a uniquely challenged character.
“It was so exciting to face those situations and wonder how I would handle it,” he said. “Overall, (the character) was just fighting to get the love of his life back — he wouldn’t give up.”
Jeremy doesn’t give up either. He draws strength and inspiration from a lot of special people in his life and mentors in the industry, but none more than from his own family.
“They became my biggest fans,” he said, but added that they can be blunt with their criticism. “They keep me grounded.”
Jeremy said his mother has a special way of keeping him focused on a new role. He often will tell her about an upcoming project and occasionally mention some of the obstacles it may present. Regardless of the circumstance, her last piece of advice is always the same.
“She always tells me ‘piece of cake’, which is her way of saying keep it simple,” he said.
His father, Roger, employs a different approach.
“My dad just tells me to be myself,” Jeremy said. They have a special way of communicating that to each other with an affectionate nickname and just sharing that with me moved Jeremy deeply.
“My dad keeps me grounded,” he said.
When Jeremy isn’t working on the set, he stays busy auditioning, participating with local theater and staying very active. He is currently training for the Nautica Malibu International Triathlon to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. With the help of his fans and friends, Jeremy has become the number one fundraiser for the event, which may cause him to raise his fundraising target.
“I set my goal at $3,000, but I think I may bump it up to $5,000,” he said. “APLA is an incredible organization that helps people lead a productive life.”
That will not be his first marathon. In 2006, Jeremy participated in the Honolulu Marathon that nearly ended in disaster for him when he failed to pace himself throughout the entire race.
“I pushed myself a little too hard,” he said remembering the pain of the moment. “I literally almost killed myself and got dragged across the finish line.”
This fall Jeremy plans to head back to New York City to pursue some new opportunities to further develop his craft.
“I’m going to raise the bar and expand my relationships,” he said.
Until then, he stays busy working on a project entitled “1.2.3” with writing partner and friend Zibby Allen, and performing in the Sunday Brunch Company at Improvatorium in Los Angeles. He also has been affiliated with The Elephant Theater Company for the past eight years.
“I’ve been so lucky to associate myself with them,” he said. It was there in 2009 that Jeremy played the lead in Block Nine and won the coveted LA Weekly Best Male Comedy Award.
“I was very shocked and humbled by that,” he said with a chuckle. “It was great that they recognized the intimate theater in LA.”
But really, it wasn’t the intimate theater that was being recognized. It was the amazing performance of a young actor that critics and co-stars said was unbelievably good. But, Jeremy is just that kind of guy. He wants others to excel and his performances always delivers the best for the production.
He has the looks, the talent and the drive to succeed in building an incredible future. For us non-Hollywood types, we look forward to seeing his next project.
“I’ve been really lucky,” Jeremy said again at the end of our interview.
Luck has little to do with it. For Jeremy, it’s all about the clock tower and right now, it’s time for his future. And what a bright one that is sure to be.
For more information on Jeremy, visit www.jeremyglazer.com.
