From dream to big screen

Before last winter set in, three friends piled into an old Lexus and left Carbon County to follow a dream.

Jason Eric Zacek made the five-day cross-county journey to his new residence in Palms, California, hoping to cement his career as an actor.

"I packed up and left. We didn't have a place to live right away, and I didn't think I'd be able to move. I was pretty miserable at first," he said.

To support his talent Zacek has worked odd jobs all over Los Angeles from valet to food service delivery.

"People in Beverly Hills really tip. Once while I was working delivering food, I got a $20 tip to drop off an egg roll."

Zacek has been working in show business since middle school. His first on-screen appearance occurred on the Philadelphia-based show, "The Franklin Experiment."

Now, over 100 roles can be attributed to the 19-year-old, ranging from stand-in parts on "Law and Order: SVU" to the popular Netflix show, "Orange is the New Black."

"I was a young Caputo in a flashback. I get a lot of flashback work."

He even displayed his skills riding skateboard on "Blue Angel" starring Jenifer Lopez.

"She was walking so fast and she was right behind me that she gave me a flat tire. We laughed about it," he said.

That shared humor went on to land him an appearance in one of her music videos months later.

His biggest role to date played out in theaters this summer with the release of "Nerve" staring Dave Franko and Emma Roberts.

"People asked me why I didn't tell them I was in it but I couldn't. It's all confidential until it's released," he said.

The film's concept revolves around people getting paid to perform dares while being filmed via cellphone. The footage is then broadcast in reality-television style. Zacek said he worked eight, 14-hour days back to back to get his part into production.

"What was cool is they did all the stunts. They had safety nets but Emma had to do it in heels. She was actually scared a couple of times."

Not until he was back in the coal region was he was able to view his work on the big screen.

"It was great to see it for the first time at Mahoning. I grew up there. I've been going there since I was 10 years old. I went there all the time to hang out and then would go to McDonald's or LaRose's on the weekends. It was really cool to bring a bunch of friends to go and see it."

According to the blue-eyed blond, his passion for acting stems back to his bloodline, while his success comes from old-fashioned hard work.

"I wanted to get into acting in middle school. But it was expensive so I focused on sports. I grew up playing baseball till I got serious about acting."

Zacek said he made up his mind to get into the creative field after spending an afternoon with his grandmother, Mary Thomas.

"My grandmother grew up in the industry in New York. My uncle modeled for Sony camera when he was only 5, and my mom had a little role in an old movie called 'Ishtar.' One day my grandma pulled out all this stuff when I was 12 and something clicked in me."

His break came just four years ago when he got his first paid acting gig.

"When I was 16 I got a job and told my grandma. My gram is probably my biggest fan. She would hang out in the car while I did my filming. It took a year to figure out how the business was. A couple times we were scammed by fake talent agencies. We gave up on representation. I just freelanced."

With the support of his family and determination, Zacek was able to land auditions for high-budget films and found representation with a respected agent.

"I got to addition for 'Las Vegas.' I'm lucky to even be able to audition for some of the roles I did. Sometimes it's hard to even get the chance."

The young actor was working on an MTV show "Speechless" as a background extra when he arrived in L.A. He made connections with the film crew and was "bumped up to a few lines of dialogue."

It was after his stint on the show he was found by MGB Talent Agency, and before he knew it he was getting booked to try out for million-dollar roles.

"I auditioned for 'Animal Kingdom' and made some connections even though I didn't get the part."

Even without getting the job, Zacek made the best of the experience.

"Whatever I do on set I always network. I go around and talk to everyone. I get people to know me when I'm on set."

Proving the old Hollywood adage, it's all about who you know.

Zacek said he already knows what his first big check will be spent on.

"If I ever make it big, I'm going to buy my gram's dream car, a white Lexus with gold trim. I want to give her back the time she gave me."

The thespian says he aspires to inspire his brothers and other people his age to strive for their dreams.

"I didn't grow up with a dad. It was just me and my mom, grandparents and my brothers (twin Jeremy, younger brother Jacoby Cagerski and baby brother Bill Kattner Jr.) It made me happy to see them get excited about what I do. A lot of kids around here do drugs, so I've lost a lot of friends. It bothers me some of my friends now do drugs. Seeing friends pass away made me want to be successful."

As summer winds down, Zacek will spend the next few months on a New Jersey film set for an independent movie titled "Bully" staring Danny Trejo, while a handful of projects are released in the cinemas. The young actor says he will continue to work hard and build his career.

"I don't like to sit still."