Local Spring Valley Actor’s Dream Come True
Proof that It’s Never Too Late to Chase
ACTION!
It’s never too late to hear a director yell “Cut.”
He sits just beyond the bright lights of a movie set. The director has just called “Cut,” and he’s dripping in sweat, thinking, What have I gotten myself into?!
But to understand how he got here, the story needs to rewind.
Years earlier, in his late thirties Charlie Winfree had a simple thought cross his mind: What if I auditioned for a musical? He had no experience—only a deep love of attending theater and a curiosity about what it might feel like to be on stage. So, just before turning 40, he auditioned for Man of La Mancha at Country Playhouse in Houston.
The audition required a song and a monologue. A few days later, the director called to offer him a role in the ensemble. The first step was looking up what “ensemble” meant: background prisoner, group numbers, lots of stage time. Perfect.
Opening night is forever etched in his memory. Standing behind the curtain as the orchestra began “To Dream the Impossible Dream,” tears welled up. As the curtain prepared to rise and the music filled his bones, one thought echoed: This is real. I actually did it.
He was hooked.
The director went on to cast him in two more productions—The Man Who Came to Dinner and She Loves Me. In She Loves Me, Winfree landed a co-starring role complete with solo musical numbers—the whole deal. But theater is demanding: months of rehearsals followed by an intense show week. Eventually, life stepped in, time moved on, and that chapter quietly closed. Still, it was a great one.
Then came the fast forward.
Now 62, that familiar urge returned—the need to do something creative. Why not commercials, movies, or television? There were no fantasies of stardom, just the idea of a fun, engaging hobby in his golden years.
Winfree began searching online and discovered a website called Backstage. Listings ranged from background work on Yellowstone and Landman to Broadway features and local commercials. Then he spotted it: a short film shooting not far from him, looking for talent.
Just like 23 years earlier, the thought returned: Why not?
Click. Click. Boom. He submitted his information—no résumé, no professional headshot. Just a few phone photos and a short list of theater credits from two decades earlier.
Two weeks passed. Then an email arrived from the producer, inviting him to audition on location the following week. Dialogue was attached. When the day came, nerves were high—but the producer was gracious. The audition was brief, and he was told he did great.
A few days later, another email arrived. He didn’t get the part—but maybe something down the road.
Bummer.
Then, a week later, another message appeared. He opened it to find that another actor had dropped out, and they wanted him for a role central to the plot.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
The Setting
Rocin High School. Home of the Fighting Brahma Bulls.
The film is set in a fictional Texas high school in the 1970s and centers on the coaching staff—their triumphs, struggles, and lives both on and off campus. He plays the agriculture teacher who does not get along with the coaches. At all.
Think Ted Lasso—but 1970s small-town Texas.
Day One
His first day on set was both eye-opening and exhilarating. The scene took place in the school parking lot. His character had hit one of the coaches—and his car. The confrontation unfolded at the hood, surrounded by staff and faculty.
Looking around, he felt the same realization he had years earlier when the theater curtain first rose: I did it.
A director calling “Action!” and “Cut!” Boom mics overhead. Cameras everywhere. Makeup artists rushing in for touch-ups. This was real movie-making.
Day Two
That’s where he is now—dripping in sweat.
He has just finished 13 takes in a boxing ring with stunt coordinators, throwing punches, taking hits, and falling onto mats hidden from the camera. It’s a true art form—and exhausting.
There’s no time to reflect. He has to change costumes immediately for the next scene: singing and playing guitar in the faculty talent show.
Time is money. Movie-making, baby—and he loves every minute of it.
What’s Next
The project will appear in film festivals this spring, with hopes of being shopped to major streaming platforms as a series. He appears in Season 1, Episode 2. If it isn’t picked up, it will live online somewhere.
Either way, his résumé grows.
He worked alongside SAG actors, many with management agencies. He made friends. He made connections. And he took another step into a world he never imagined entering at this stage of life.
So what’s next?
“Wherever the journey leads.
It’s never too late. The time is now. All it takes is that first step”, according to the aspiring actor.
The production company is Good On Ya Mate Productions and the writer is Mac McStravick.
