Actor Paul Tawczynski was raised on a farm in Rural Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He grew up driving tractors and farm trucks from the time he could reach the pedals. He learned the lessons of hard work at a young age and how a little investment, in the beginning, can make the difference between making a harvest, and wasting your time. He took those principles to land him eventually in Hollywood.
During High School, Paul was named MVP for Massachusetts “Babe Ruth” league baseball. As a Freshman, he had a devastating knee injury that sidelined him from playing the sport ever again. Rather than dwell on his injury, this allowed him an opportunity to pursue his other love which was fishing. At 15-years old, he started to fish in amateur and professional fishing tournaments throughout the New England and New York areas, and then on the national scale by age 18. At 22-years old, he was offered a job as the National Sales Manager and Promoter for a large fishing tackle manufacturer in Wisconsin. This foray into corporate America was short-lived, but it taught Paul that despite growing up in a small town and having no college education, he could achieve great heights through self-belief and hard work.
He moved back to Massachusetts in 2003, rejoined his family farm and founded, “Charter the Berkshires.” In 5 years, impressively it grew to become the largest fully guided fishing service in the country, catering annually to as many as 5500 guests. He had clients each year catch state award-qualifying fish and even having one client shatter a world record while on a guided trip. In 2014 he expanded the offerings of Charter the Berkshires to include Primitive Survival and foraging expeditions. He led clients into the wild of the Appalachian mountains and taught them the skills necessary to survive without the conveniences of the modern world.
His first break in Hollywood came in 2017 on Castle Rock. He had worked as general BG for an episode, but then got called for a featured role as a Scrap Yard Foreman. “I was the only Extra on set that day and was able to interact with all of the principals including Scott Glenn, as well as the Director Kevin Hooks. It was an honor to take direction and cues right from the Director, as opposed to a PA or AD on set. It was also an experience being able to interact, talk, show personality with them as well.” Shortly after, he received a call from Slate Casting. They wanted him for another feature role, this time as Castle Rock town Sheriff’s Deputy. He was given the opportunity to be seen prominently, work alongside the likes of Bill Skarsgaard, Noel Fisher, Melanie Linskey and ride in the stunt car with Stunt Legend Al Goto.
Did running your Charter business help you in your acting career? “Running the Charter Service was a major benefit to me as an Actor. One thing people don’t appreciate in the service industries is how hard it is to put up walls, and know when to take them down. People paid me thousands of dollars to take them fishing, with few exceptions. They didn’t care if I was having a bad day, I was a single dad, or if the bank was calling for a mortgage payment…they were there for the experience.” “No matter what kind of day, weather, or who the client was; you have to smile, perform, and be on your top game, always!” “On any given day with acting, you are expected to show up and perform. You definitely do get the opportunity to make friends on both sides of the lens, but when you are required to perform, everything else must disappear and your own personal emotions must disappear and you must assume your character, or you will not survive or ascend in the industry.”
Tawczynski has played roles of Detective, FBI, Police, and Security Officer. “It’s not something I see when I look in the mirror, so I am always fascinated when it seems that Casting Director’s default to these roles when they see my pictures.” “That being said, I truly enjoy comedy and would relish the opportunity to portray a character in something comedic or light nature. I would enjoy exploring the dark, tumultuous side of the lens. A character who can show one side, while hiding another…I think along the lines of Robin Williams in “One Hour Photo.”
His favorite role has been in Season 2 of the STARZ network show, “Sweetbitter.” He portrays a line cook in the kitchen where the show takes place and he was featured in every episode. “What made this stand out was the fact that I was portraying a part of my real life on camera…a Chef. The skills I use on the show are the same skills I use every day, so the flow and feel was natural. Also, the entire set, cast, and crew was one big family from Principals, Extras, Directors, and Crew.“
He was Principal on “The Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’s season finale mini-movie “The Wax and the Furious.” Tawczynski has a number of new projects in the works in TV and film. Some of his film projects include Wonderland with Mark Wahlberg, Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler, Eve with Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell), and The Irishman with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.
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