An officer and an actor
The short film centers on a group of friends who go on a dangerous journey into a national forest that is linked to extraterrestrials. Nutcher plays the role of Scout Leader West in addition to producing the movie. The actor added that he met director Michael T. Lombardi on the set of a TV pilot they filmed last year, and they immediately got talking about working on another project together. Over the course of two weeks last July, “The Legend of Two Pines” filmed around Connecticut in locations like Hamden and Glastonbury, while also featuring a number of budding, local actors.
“Everyone clicked on day one and it shows in the end result of the movie,” Nutcher said.
Before acting, Nutcher joined the Hamden police force in 1989. Over time, Nutcher wore a number of different hats, doing everything from working undercover in narcotics to serving as a member of the State Police Auto Theft Task Force and a member of his unit’s SWAT team. Nutcher received many accolades and commendations from local police agencies and the FBI before deciding to retire in order to pursue his true passion: acting.
“As a kid, I didn’t think that was a possibility for someone born and raised in Connecticut. As time went on, the older I got, the more curious I got, and the more it was calling me,” Nutcher said.
Nutcher spent two years in acting school in New York before returning back to Connecticut to join the Branford Police Department, which he has been a part of for almost 15 years. Nutcher said that he is only part-time with the police department, which gives him the opportunity to be flexible with his filming schedules.
When comparing his acting work with that of his career in law enforcement, Nutcher said that there are more similarities than differences. Nutcher said that being an actor involves “creating circumstances” with your character that allow an actor to get into the mindset of that character. Meanwhile, being an officer involves a level of character creation in order to draw information out of people.
One of those favorite characters for Nutcher was an NYPD Lieutenant in Steven Spielberg’s 2015 Oscar-winning crime thriller, “Bridge of Spies.” “The whole day was surreal,” Nutcher said. “When I arrived on the day of the shoot, I had an assistant tell me, ‘We’re going to meet Stephen Spielbeg now.’ To hear that as an up-and-coming actor…was like ‘pinch me, I can’t believe it.’ Stephen Spielberg actually introduced me to Tom Hanks. It wasn’t real.”
Outside of acting, writing and producing, Nutcher has been a location manager for several Hallmark and Lifetime movies that have filmed in the state. Though not his forte, Nutcher said he initially took on the job as a favor after his friend and previous location manager Kevin Shea fell ill and died last year. One of the most notable projects that Nutcher served as the location manager on was the Subway commercial starring New England Patriots head coach Bill Bellichick, which was filmed in Branford.
“Any Hallmark Christmas movie can be filmed in Connecticut, and can be made to look like pretty much anywhere in the country,” Nutcher said, adding that the state’s diverse scenery and tax incentives are reasons why filmmakers keep coming to Connecticut.
As for future projects, Nutcher said he is in the movies “Philly Christmas” and “Blood Harvest,” which are both slated to be released by the end of the year.
Nutcher’s advice for up-andcoming actors or those looking to break into the film industry, just as he did many years ago, is to find a mentor and to “take every single job you can,” including theater, short films and other smaller projects.
“ANY HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIE CAN BE FILMED IN CONNECTICUT, AND CAN BE MADE TO LOOK LIKE PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY.”