Finn Wittrock in ‘Westhampton.’ Photo Courtesy of TXE.
Actor Finn Wittrock (“American Horror Story”) about starring in the new film “Westhampton,” and serving as an executive producer. It was written and directed by Christian Nilsson.
The late four-star U.S. Army general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell once said: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” This quote applies to Finn Wittrock.
“Westhampton” also stars RJ Mitte, Jake Weary, Amy Forsyth, Roxanne Schiebergen, Sam Strike, Chris Gray, Gabrielle Manna, Tovah Feldshuh, Chris Gray, Luke Slattery, Sam Strike, Roxanne Schiebergen, Gabrielle Manna, and Dan Lauria, among others.
Synopsis of ‘Westhampton’
The synopsis is: Years after leaving his Long Island hometown to chase his dream as a filmmaker, Tom Bell (Finn Wittrock) is down on his luck as a director.
Unable to replicate the success of his breakout film, Tom remains haunted by guilt from the high school accident that inspired it.
As the black and white 16mm of Tom’s film creates a dreamlike, heightened connection to the past, his return to Westhampton forces him to confront buried secrets, broken relationships, and the past he is trying to rewrite.
Watching Finn Wittrock in “Westhampton,” felt like watching quality primetime TV all over again, and he is the film equivalent of Emmy winner Mike Manning (“This is Us,” “Days of Our Lives,” “The Bay” and “Beyond the Gates”).
Working with the cast of actors and crew
On collaborating with the cast of actors, Wittrock said, “Everyone’s work in this film is incredible!”
“Honestly, we became a family with this whole cast. We did it without the creature comforts that you get on most movie sets but that made us all really tight,” he noted.
“If you took one person out of this cast or crew, the movie wouldn’t be here. It had just the right amount of people to make it what it is,” he added.
Wittrock on working with Christian Nilsson
On working with filmmaker Christian Nilsson, Wittrock said, “I read the script for the first time back in 2017. Christian Nilsson, the director and screenwriter, had been working on this for a long time, and it was his labor of love for many years, and I could feel that labor of love as I read his script.”
“This is a very personal story about a real experience that my character Tom went through, and Christian told me ‘you’re the only guy that can play this part.’ I asked him ‘are you sure?’ he told me ‘yeah’ and I responded ‘all right, I’m in.’ There was no way I could pass on it,” he explained.
“This is a beautiful work of art by Christian Nilsson, and it was his brainchild for many years,” he added.
Wittrock on juggling both hats: actor and executive producer
On taking on both roles (actor and executive producer), Wittrock remarked, “It’s a challenge that I don’t take lightly.”
“I was with this project for a long time. It came together and fell apart a few times for the ridiculous reasons of making a movie these days but when they finally got it together, I was like ‘yes, I’m in’ and I want to be as creative as possible on every front,” he elaborated.
Lessons learned from this screenplay
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, Wittrock reflected, “When I first read the screenplay, I was drawn to it by sadness.”
“There is a sense of redemption that is eventually earned by the fact that he starts out pretty angry at himself and tortured,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s an uplifting tale and a quiet, sensitive story and you don’t always see this slow, quiet pace in a film.”
“My character is facing his own demons within the movie, so it’s a little deep,” he added.
Wittrock on being a part of the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival
The movie just had its world premiere on Saturday, June 7th at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City at Village East by Angelika.
On being a part of the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, Wittrock said, “It feels really, really awesome. I’ve always loved the Tribeca Film Festival. For many years, as a more struggling actor, I would walk by red carpets like this, and I yearned to be here, so here we are!”
“So, it’s really a wonderful, full-circle moment,” he noted. “I feel really excited and really validated. “It’s the little movie that could, and it reassures you that little movies can make a difference.”
Wittrock on how he channels the feelings of guilt and trauma in the story
When asked how he channels the feelings of guilt and trauma in the story, he responded, “I have a hometown in The Berkshires, Massachusetts, that I left when I was young for economic reasons. I would go back every summer and I would go back home. Whenever I left it, it was so hard, and for a young brain, that really hurts.”
“That may not be as intense as what this guy went through but that was a way in for me to step into nostalgia, and the feeling you have of your hometown. There’s that inner child in you that won’t let it go,” he added
Working with RJ Mitte
On working with RJ Mitte, Wittrock expressed, “I can rave about RJ all day every day. RJ essentially became ‘the Mayor of Westhampton’.”
“When we were filming it, a lot of the locals were a little concerned about this movie that was being made in their small town, and RJ would talk to them all; RJ would tell them the plot and who was in it, and he re-assured them that it was going to be a big hit,” Wittrock expressed.
“RJ really put all the locals at ease, and honestly, because of RJ, by the end of the shoot, the town loved us. At the beginning, not so much,” Wittrock admitted.
Wittrock on filming on Long Island
On filming this indie movie on Long Island, Wittrock stated, “It was really fun! It was beautiful there.”
Wittrock furnishes his definition of success
Regarding his definition of the word success, he revealed, “Success means working with great people! That’s really it.”
Message for his fans and supporters about ‘Westhampton’
For his fans and supporters, he remarked about “Westhampton,” “I hope they follow it. This movie might be a little slower than they are used to, but it’ll pay off in the end.”
“It’s a coming of age story for somebody who has already grown up but there’s something in his psyche that can’t get back this one thing he keeps reliving and emotionally, he is just stunted,” he elaborated.
“So, he has to go back to where it all started to find that inner strength and innfer forgiveness to move on with his life,” Wittrock concluded.
American track and field running legend Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” Finn Wittrock embodies this wise quote.
To learn more about actor and filmmaker Finn Wittrock, follow him on Instagram.
Read More: “Westhampton” review.
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