How I Accidentally Became a Movie Star and Left Brad Pitt Quaking in His (Very Expensive) Boots
The Sunday Best Round Up #39
Brad Pitt and me are brothers in arms.
Mad acting skillz.
Rugged good looks (obvs 😃).
Titans of the silver screen.
Yup… I'm now officially a film star, in “Swim Bold Swim Cold”; a documentary about the joys of cold water swimming.
I’ll drop the trailer below.
My Big Break: Blink and You’ll Miss It
Now when I say *star* I may have used a tad-eth of an exaggeration.
My roles are thus:
🎞️ 28 seconds into the trailer I am “Camera-facing, Blue Dry Robed, Red Bobble Hatted, Smiley Guy.”
🎞️ 45 seconds in I am “Back to the Camera, Blue Dry Robed, Red Bobble Hatted, Expression Unknown guy.”
And boy do I play them well 🙂
The Downside of Stardom: Typecasting Woes
But there’s a problem…
I'm worried of getting type cast too early in my career.
My homie Brad's career seems to have enjoyed a bit more variety, and well tbh an actual bit of acting I s’pose.
(And if we're really being super open and vulnerable then maybe… just maybe… Brad’s actually better looking… but only in a certain light and I bet he's had some ‘work’ done whereas… I am au natural oldie baldie).
A Touch of Jealousy (And an Awkward Director’s Cut)
And whilst we are getting the slight jealousy feelz out of the way… one of my mates actually has a TALKING part in the swimmy movie.
I'm sure I was interviewed too but probably blurted something nonsensically unprofound about cold water being “wet and chilly” which (understandably) didn't survive the director's cut.
A Day in the Life of a Cold-Water Swim Addict
However if you wanted a “wet fly on the wall” view of my life most mornings of the year this it.
[A collective “Why in the world would I want that?” whispers painfully around the internet-webz.]
Because the film is shot on the actual beach from where I swim, and many of the people in the film are sea swimming besties of mine. Including:
A hot chocolate swigging regular at our weekend post swim pub breakfasts.
An art ‘n’ crafts genius who taught my daughter crocheting.
A keen gardener who brings fresh vegetables to share.
A fellow meditator at our local Buddhist Sangha.
The Swim Family: Cold Water, Warm Hearts
Yup, good people like them all make up this beautiful little community which has one common denominator:
Being stupid enough to chuck yourself in cold water on the regular!
There’s vastly different views about politics, big differentiations in wealth, all kinds of shapes and sizes (both as a metaphor and like a real life body thing too).
Yet everyone gets on.
The odd tiny little spat hither ‘n’ thither but quickly forgotten.
And that's normal for families and, imho, it’s like a little family at the beach:
A warmth and sense of belonging.
A familiarity and sense of sharedness.
A home (admittedly cold one) from home.
A Love Letter to the Sea and My Swim Community
So what started life as a little self promotional piece for my Hollywood ambitions, has turned into a bit of a love letter to the community I cherish so deeply.
And as for the acting career I can only assume it takes a while after starring in a film trailer for the big studios to take note.
Zero film offers so far …but am pretty deluded confident it's a matter of time before I get “THE CALL”.
So cheers to Nick Silk (who made this whole film, and sometimes reads this ‘ear blog) and to all my sea swimming beach besties.
Have a great Sunday,
JFT Beach
PS In all seriousness if anyone has any links to the film industry and may be able to help share the full film to a wider audience, let me know, and I can pass it on to Nick. It’s a great piece of work which deserves a wider audience.
Note I shared on Substack this week:
Article I Wrote on Substack this Week:
Discover This Angry, Sarcastic Dog Walker's Secret to Self Help... - Tdlr. I got grumpy walking my dogs and had a “bit of a word” with myself.
5 Health and Wellness Articles I Enjoyed on Substack This Week:
Life is a Game of Inches - A fab piece from the equally fab
on the little increments in life and how they can work for and against us, our personal choices are key…ADHD & Burnout: There is Stillness in Movement - Great advice on managing rest and relaxation with neurodiversity from
Painting Can Save Your Life - Some amazing paintings and nice writing alongside from
I am a human being. Nothing that is human is foreign to me - A loving ode to that which is human and good in the world. Thanks for sharing your story
When Did Wellness Become a Full-Time Job? - A sensible article on our out-of-control wellness obsessions from
. I'm ticking so many of the “wellness overkill” boxes in this article. At 1 point I ended up with a ten point to do list on the daily, which was unsustainable!! Now I do my daily ocean swim, walk my dogs with a weighted pack, try to eat a balanced diet, meditate and anything else is a bonus (though I still get gym guilt for not doing regular classes any more!)
If you enjoyed this week’s newsletter; pur-lease fill out the 1 question survey below:
To Lazy Sunday Afternoons,
JFT Beach
PS Thanks to the following for… well… following!
Yep this week the following lovely people have started following me on Substack thanks to all of you:
John - you are definitely in the sequel okay (it will be called Swim Bold Swim Cold Swim Old - by the time I finish it!) 😅And I’ll be sure to get one of your multi-directional under water handstands (can Brad do this?) - as well as that speaking part!
Great to read and many thanks for your support for my film as well as being part of it. Sharing our community with the big world.
By the way please can you do another podcast after your recent excellent debut release? 🎯
Incredible how life can lead us down unexpected paths. The way you captured the serendipity of becoming a movie star is both humorous and insightful. It’s a reminder to stay open to life's surprises.