RISING STAR
Houston native Josh Wiggins chats about his role in the new film “Max.”
Josh Wiggins has appeared in only two films, playing a troubled teen in both. In less assured hands, such roles might have pigeonholed a young actor. But Wiggins slipped naturally into his characters, finding nuance in their confidence — and insecurity. The way the Houston native approached the roles — Justin Wincott in the new “Max” and Jacob Wilson in last year’s “Hellion” — indicates he has a grand future in cinema.
For now, Wiggins has his own struggles, independent of those that troubled his characters. While shooting “Max” last year, he worked 13 hour days — seven shooting the film and another five doing online schoolwork. “It can be exhausting,” Wiggins says. “But it’s a necessary evil.”
“Max,” which opened Friday, tells the story of a working military dog whose handler is killed in Afghanistan. The animal, suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, is returned to the United States and placed in the home of the Marine’s grieving family.
Wiggins, 16, was drawn to writer and director Boaz Yakin’s film for its ability to be “a family film with some mature elements,” he says. “So many family films tend to be fluffy. This one had more going on.”
Max bonds with Justin, a child who, through the eyes of his father, fails to live up to the standards set by his older brother.
Wiggins says he drew from general anxieties felt by people his age. “Every teen knows something about that struggle — not knowing exactly where they fit in,” he says. “What they should be doing, what they shouldn’t be doing. The resentment that happens when they struggle with authority figures.”
The actor grew up in northeast Houston. His father, Steve Wiggins, worked in the K-9 unit of the Houston Police Department, so he tutored his son about how to handle work dogs. “Just some basics: what you can do, what you can’t do, how you hold the leash,” he says.
He’s back in the area this summer; this fall he’ll travel to Montana to shoot an adventure film. Already complete is “Lost in the Sun,” a film set and shot in Texas about a criminal on the lam with his teenage son.
Wiggins, who was drawn to movies at a young age, originally envisioned working off camera writing and directing. But he found a 21st-century back door into the industry. He and his friends would write, improvise and shoot short videos, then put them on YouTube. One of his friends was cast in a short film by director Kat Candler. When she decided to expand it into a feature, Wiggins’ friend suggested she look at their YouTube videos. She did, and found her “Hellion.”
Jacob, the titular character who lashes out at his father (played by Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad”), who is shell-shocked by his wife’s death. The small movie was shot in Port Neches, Galveston and on the Bolivar Peninsula, and Wiggins’ performance drew immediate buzz at the Sundance Film Festival last year.
He’s capable of im- pressive range, due in large part to his hooded yet expressive eyes. Wiggins can make them widen with youthful wonder and also reduce them to slits that convey an inner rage screaming to be set loose. His ability to effortlessly portray anger, vulnerability, confidence and excite- ment should keep a stream of scripts flowing to his home Just as he broke into film with YouTube clips made in Houston, Wiggins continues to live here. “There are things about living in Los Angeles that are easier,” he says. “But you don’t really have to be there anymore.
“It’s a new era. You don’t have to be in one place to get noticed.”
Having now shot three films, Wiggins has — at least temporarily — shelved his plans to write and direct beyond YouTube.
“Now that I’ve seen what a director has to do, it’s a really big load to carry,” he says. “I’d still like to experiment and write and direct, but for now, I’d like to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Which includes some time with the books.
“The online thing is kind of shapeless,” he says. “You have to find the time for it. Right now, I’m a little bit behind and trying to catch up.”