Chelsea actor Myles Clohessy has budding career, new
Netflix film
BY GABE HERMAN
Local Chelsea actor Myles Clohessy
has been appearing in more movies
and TV shows lately as part of
an emerging career, and follows in his
father Robert Clohessy’s impressive acting
footsteps.
Myles, 24, co-stars in “Last Ferry,”
a 2019 thriller about a man who visits
Fire Island and witnesses a murder. The
movie made the rounds of fi lm festivals
last year and debuted on Netfl ix on March
11, just in time for movie lovers with only
streaming options these days because of
the coronavirus.
“I like playing villains and confl icted
characters, just because it’s the total opposite
of myself. I’m like a golden retriever,”
Clohessy said recently. He had never been
to Fire Island, which he said was surprisingly
true of many New Yorkers.
The fi lm was shot last spring, during Fire
Island’s pre-season when it was still very
cold. “It was eerie. It was freezing,” he said.
Clohessy didn’t use method acting in
portraying his troubled character, but said
it was about making connections with his
own life.
Myles Clohessy in “Last Ferry.”
“It’s about pinpointing similar experiences
or feelings and applying it to the
character,” he said. Clohessy used his
imagination, he said, because he actually
had a great upbringing.
The family had an apartment in Chelsea
going back to the 1980s. “Ever since I was a
kid I’ve been going in and out of Chelsea, so
I’m kind of a Chelsea boy,” Clohessy said.
The neighborhood has changed plenty
since the family moved in, Clohessy noted,
with a grimy feel giving way to many more
upscale residents, but he said it’s still a
great place to stay.
“It’s a very chill vibe. You have artists,
actors, people working 9 to 5, galleries,”
he said. “I love being able to walk
to galleries and there’s such an array of
restaurants now.” He remembers growing
up with fewer restaurant options in the
area, and a favorite now that he goes to
with his parents is Le Grainne Café at
183 Ninth Ave.
A current project for Clohessy is a TV
show called “Glow and Darkness,” a Medieval
period drama with Jane Seymour and
Denise Richards. Clohessy just returned
from shooting in Spain, right before
coronavirus anxiety became serious there,
though the shoot did have to be moved
from Italy because of coronavirus cases
there, he said.
“Schedules were crazy. Everything was
nuts, but once I got there it was great,” he
said. Further shooting in Spain has been
postponed because of COVID-19.
Clohessy said it was an enjoyable set to
work on with a laid back atmosphere. And
working with Seymour has been a really
good experience, he said.
“She’s so cool, she’s like the ultimate
professional,” he said of Seymour. He
described her as relaxed and confi dent in
her ability, able to learn 16 pages in a day
compared to a typical two or three pages
for an actor. “She’s so talented and just the
nicest person on set,” he added.
Myles’ dad Robert is a veteran actor of
many movies and television series, including
“Blue Bloods” and “Oz,” to name just
EMBLEMATIC PICTURES
a couple. Myles said his dad left it to him
to pursue what career he wanted.
“Both my parents supported me no matter
what I did,” Myles said. He added about
acting, “It was always something I kind of
wanted to do.”
Myles played Division 1 soccer at Central
Connecticut State University, “but I
think acting was something I was always
going to do eventually,” he said.
Myles has gotten advice from his father,
including that acting was only worth pursuing
if it was a love and something he needed
and wanted to do. Myles said his father
advised him, “Put your head down and do
the work, because so many things you can’t
control in this business.”
Even when going for a big role, his dad
said to not take things too seriously – Myles
noted his dad is always having fun on sets
and is friendly. “He’s always instilled in me,
Keep having fun and keep the childhood
aspect of it,” Myles said.
Myles doesn’t have specifi c long-term
goals for his acting career, saying for now
he’s going with the fl ow. “I really am in this
because I love it,” he said. But a goal is to
have the power to choose projects, and he
started a production company this past year
that is producing two movies, a horror fi lm
and another about the Holocaust.
Being a movie star would help his
chances to choose roles and projects, but
it’s really about controlling his own destiny,
Myles said.
“The ability to be someplace where I can
choose the stories I want to tell,” he said,
“and make those stories myself, would be
the pinnacle.”
COURTESY DANNY FRANK
Myles Clohessy, left, next to Jane Seymour on the set of “Glow and Darkness.”
Schneps Media March 19, 2020 21