Sevier Crespo
1. Tell me about yourself.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and grew up in Dallas, Texas. I stumbled into theater and acting and I fell in love with it. That led me to acting classes and a performing arts school, then hitchhiking to LA and pursuing acting. After that, I got into producing and line producing, which I love. I found my way through this industry with the help from a lot of people, but also very much on my own.
2. How has your cultural background shaped your career?
My cultural background has actually has been giving me power and strength just from knowing who I am, where I come from, and knowing what my culture and heritage are like. It’s created a self-guardrail or kind of support and stability of my own that has allowed me to be true to myself, which has helped me to be true to others in both work and life in general. It’s unique. I stand out as myself because of being aware of my cultural background. I don’t conform to a standard or average environment very quickly, which has helped me get to where I am because people appreciate authenticity and uniqueness and self-appreciation.
3. What inspires your work?
What inspires my work is that I care about it, which is film. You’re creating something from literally nothing. It starts with ideas in the mind and you use your mind to get it on paper and into reality. It works its way up until other people are watching it or appreciating it — or not. I’m enjoying the process. I realized recently that it’s okay if I fail. Even on my worst day, life is still beautiful.
4. Where does your passion for film stem from?
From my dad. He was always about using his imagination, which inspired me. Also being aware of my senses and surroundings, which led to watching movies with him and imagining how the characters felt. Playing Dungeons and Dragons and reading comic books were also a big part of it too. It was all very imagination-based. I enjoyed going for these rides in these worlds and seeing how it made me feel. With music too, listening to Michael Jackson, The Beatles for the first time or watching comedy. I liked how it made me feel and laugh. I want to do that for others. It changed me for the better. I realized the arts are a powerful thing.
5. What about “Billy Knight” excited you the most?
Billy Knight in general was exciting. Working with Al Pacino — he’s someone I had admired and looked up to. I had read his biography and it was someone I felt had a similar energy to mine. He’s very passionate. It was something I always loved about him in his career and in his work. He’s always just gone for it — and I loved that. As we started working and the team came together, I got to work with Autumn Bailey, Cameron Burnett, Alec Roth, and Sarah Sarandos. There was something exciting about working on something that was a real refreshing, new challenge and exciting in all areas. I was always excited to go to work on that film, every day, no matter what was going on.
