Directed and written by Clint Bentley, JOCKEY is about aging jockey Jackson Silva (Clifton Collins Jr.), who hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Molly Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years – and injuries – have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. And the arrival of a young rookie rider (Moises Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream. JOCKEY has played at the Sundance Film Festival, AFI Fest, Stockholm Film Festival, and Zurich Film Festival. It was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2021 by the National Board of Review and is nominated for Best Male Lead (Clifton Collins Jr.) and the John Cassavetes Award at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Max chats with the film's lead, Screen Actors Guild Award winning and Emmy nominated actor Clifton Collins Jr, on how he prepared for both the emotional and physical transformation in playing Jackson, what it's like finally being the lead of a feature film after years in the film industry, and the real-life jockeys he interacted with to help in his research for the role. Clifton is best known for his previous work in TRAFFIC, CAPOTE, STAR TREK, HONEY BOY, THE MULE, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD and the HBO series WESTWORLD. He's also starring in the Guillermo del Toro-directed film NIGHTMARE ALLEY.
Also on this week's episode is SAG and Emmy-nominated actress Molly Parker who plays Ruth Wilkes, Jackson's trainer. Molly spoke about the wisdom she received from a real-life trainer who helped inform her character of Ruth, working with a director like Clint who was raised in an atmosphere of jockeys on a ranch, and the deeply intimate scenes with Clifton that showed their chemistry. Molly's previous work includes MADELINE'S MADELINE, PIECES OF A WOMAN, HBO series DEADWOOD, Netflix series HOUSE OF CARDS and LOST IN SPACE, and Amazon Prime series GOLIATH. She'll next be seen in the upcoming Disney+ film PETER PAN & WENDY where she'll be playing Wendy's mother Mrs. Darling, and the sci-fi Netflix film THE MOTHERSHIP, where she'll be working alongside Halle Berry.
