C. Thomas Howell of ‘The Outsiders’ talks ‘Take the Reins,’ music, and the digital age

C. Thomas Howell. Photo Courtesy of C. Thomas Howell.

Actor and musician C. Thomas Howell (“The Outsiders”) chatted about his song “Take the Reins,” music, and being a part of the digital age.

Howell also furnished his advice for young and emerging artists and actors, and he recalled working with Patrick Swayze in several films together.

Most recently, Howell stars in the new western movie “Ride,” which was directed by Jake Allyn. Howell spoke about the movie “Ride” in the first installment of our interview, which may be seen by clicking here.

‘Take the Reins’ and music

“Music is something that came to me late in life,” he said. “I’ve always gravitated towards musicians, and I’ve always wanted to play music. When COVID hit, I picked up a guitar for the very first time, and I started strumming a few chords and writing down a few words. I discovered that I had a knack for writing songs.”

“Having spent a lifetime in the storytelling format of acting, where I worked with some of the greats, that really helped my transition into the two-minute storytelling format, and I fell in love with music,” he acknowledged.

Howell released the haunting ballad “Take the Reins” earlier this year. It is the lead track from his sophomore studio album (that will be out in the near future), and the song was penned by Tony Gross and Claudia Hoyser.

“I’ve recorded two albums, and my second album is ready to come out now. I’ve worked with some incredible people on it, and I am excited for it to come out. It has a lot of value, and it has some good storytelling in it,” he foreshadowed about the album.

“We just got lucky. I put a band together and we went and opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tanya Tucker, and Larry Gatlin. We traveled and we toured. I really loved doing that a lot, and it gave me an opportunity to not have to focus so much on acting,” he said.

“Music provided that artistic outlet that I really needed, so it was a blessing,” he added.

‘Ponygirl’ song

Howell shared that “Ponygirl” is a song about a cowboy who is looking for his girlfriend.

“A lot of the younger fans of ‘The Outsiders’ really connected with this song, and it resonated with them. They made it a lot of fun.”

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, Howell said, “It’s different. I’m glad I am not starting my career today. When I first started, movies were special and red-carpet events. They were all released cinematically, and things went straight to video and DVD.”

“Then, cable TV was invented, and things were going directly to cable, and it was tough for me to keep up with that at a young age because I began when those things didn’t exist,” he explained.

“Today, you can make a movie on your iPhone, and it’s a very different experience,” he admitted. “People are being cast in movies because they have a lot of followers on social media.”

“Back in the day, you had to have some sort of talent to get a role or to be a part of something. It is difficult keeping up with how quickly things are changing in our business” he elaborated.

Howell continued, “One of the things that does shine through, no matter what, is talent and intention. If you are clear on your intention and you are clear on your tone as an artist, then you are generally going to have success. That is something that the younger folks struggle with, especially since they are raised with devices in their hands.

“The art of communication has really become diluted, and it has created a spineless generation,” he added.

Working with Patrick Swayze in ‘Red Dawn’

“Patrick and I go way back even before ‘The Outsiders’,” he said. “Patrick and I became really close, and he was like a big brother to me back then. We embarked on a three-film journey together, and we spent a couple of years of our lives creating our own pictures.”

Howell continued with a sweet laugh, “Patrick was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met in my life, but he was also a giant pain in the a**. He had this ability to overachieve whatever it was that he put his mind to.”

“Whether Patrick wanted to write a song and sing it, it went No. 1. When he wanted to do a dance music, it became one of the biggest things in cinema. When he wanted to become a cowboy, he learned how to ride, and that is not something you can do easily when you are 35 years old starting out for the first time.”

“Patrick was an incredible person, and his own worst enemy, I think. He was very hard on himself because he wanted to be the best that he could be no matter what it was that he was doing. When you work with someone like that, it can be hard on you,” he added.

“Patrick was very passionate and very gifted. I miss him very much,” Howell added.

‘The Outsiders’ musical on Broadway

Howell, who starred as Ponyboy Curtis in the original Francis Ford Coppola film “The Outsiders,” shared that he hopes to make it someday to the Big Apple to see “The Outsiders” musical on Broadway to meet and get to spend time with the cast and creative team of the show, which won four Tony Awards including “Best Musical.”

Advice for young and aspiring actors and musicians

For young and aspiring actors and musicians, Howell said, “In today’s environment, there is so much available to us from social media that a lot of younger actors want to become something that they’ve seen before.”

“They don’t trust the fact that they need to become the best versions of themselves. That’s a difficult thing to do because as younger people, in particular, we don’t feel like we have value as an artist and value as a human,” he explained.

“That starts with learning how to truly love yourself,” he said. “We are not taught that in school… we are taught to love our family and at home, we are taught to love our friends and our pets, but we are not taught to really love ourselves.”

“I think once I really understood that I became a much better artist, especially when I stopped trying to please a lot of other people,” he said.

“Just working hard towards my goals and not giving up, and really trusting that process made all the difference,” he admitted.

“Social media really presents a challenge for younger artists because it makes it easier for them to copy other people instead of really understanding the power of authenticity and presenting the best part of themselves. That is a difficult lesson to learn, and it takes a lot of work,” he elaborated.

“Art doesn’t really work that way,” he noted. “There is a process that is much bigger than we are as people when it comes to artists, and spirituality comes into play.”

“Trusting that can be very challenging at times. When you do find that connection, and you are able to focus on the best part of yourself, and not worry about the things that you don’t have, then the gifts are abundant,” he explained.

Success

On his definition of success, Howell said, “To me, personally, success is really about the process and the journey. True happiness and staying authentic to yourself and not trying to be something that you are not is success. That is a difficult thing to experience in today’s environment.”

For more information on veteran actor and musician C. Thomas Howell, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.