Oscar nominee Paul Raci talks about ‘The Secret Art of Human Flight’

Paul Raci in ‘The Secret Art of Human Flight.’ Photo Courtesy of Level 33 Entertainment.

Oscar nominee Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) chatted about his new movie “The Secret Art of Human Flight.”

‘The Secret Art of Human Flight’

The synopsis is: After the death of his wife, Ben Grady (Grant Rosenmeyer) stumbles upon a self-help book by an enigmatic guru named “Mealworm” (Paul Raci), who claims to have harnessed the power to fly.

The book arrives…and so does Mealworm, forcing Ben to navigate his family life, accusations of foul play, and the bizarre rituals laid before him in the hopes of healing and, just maybe, achieving flight.

“In this movie, this guy loses his wife in a tragic accident, and he finds a guru who teaches him how to fly like a bird,” he said. “It’s a beautiful movie,” he foreshadowed.

Raci on playing ‘Mealworm’

Raci was drawn to his character “Mealworm” for several reasons.

“I liked the fact that he was so mysterious, and he didn’t know if he was for real; is he a criminal or is he a saint? There is a ying and yang between the two. You want to believe him but yet he is kind of shady. I’ve met a lot of people like him in Los Angeles,” Raci explained.

“This screenplay taught me to have more patience,” he added.

Lucy DeVito in ‘The Secret Art of Human Flight’

Raci had great words about working with Lucy DeVito in “The Secret Art of Human Flight.”

“Lucy is wonderful,” he said. “Lucy is just a real person. She is a straightshooter, very talented, and a beautiful woman; she just had a baby. She is a wonderful actor, and I loved working with her.”

The digital age

“We are still trying to figure that out because we just had our actor’s strike, and that took a very long time. I live in Hollywood, and the work has slowed down. It has not picked up as of yet. There are a couple of projects here and there but it’s not like it was before.”

“It seems as though the streamers, producers and the big companies are trying to see what is going to happen and what the new model is. They haven’t quite figured that out yet,” he noted.

“Right now, it is a little bit slow. People are moving and changing careers, but it looks like it will pick up soon. There are a lot of people that need to work,” he added.

For his powerhouse acting performance as Joe in “Sound of Metal,” Raci was nominated for the Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actor.”

Protagonist Riz Ahmed was up for “Best Actor,” while the movie itself was nominated for “Best Picture” and “Best Original Screenplay.” “Sound of Metal” won two Oscars for “Best Film Editing” and “Best Sound” respectively.

On being a part of “Sound of Metal,” Raci reflected, “I was very blessed to be involved with that. I had a great director, Darius Marder, so I enjoyed it very much. Riz killed it in this movie too. He was wonderful; he is a great, and it was great to work with him. It is so great to work with somebody who is committed.”

“I’ve been acting since the ’70s, and once I got my Oscar nomination, that changed everything for me,” he exclaimed.

“Nobody thought that would happen,” he admitted. “What a blessing! It changed my life overnight. I’ve been working as a Sign Language Interpreter in the court system for about 35 to 40 years, that’s how I made my living. Then, I had to quit that job, and I was already in retirement age.”

“Now, I am doing movies, some film, and some TV projects here and there. It is quite a change. It literally changed my acting career overnight, and it was a true blessing,” he added.

Troy Kotsur

Speaking of Sign Language, he was thrilled that Troy Kotsur was nominated in the “Supporting Actor” category, and for winning the Oscar for his acting work in “CODA” on the following year.

“Troy and I are best buddies,” he said. “We have known each other for many, many years. We’ve acted together in theater productions since the early ’90s. It was strange irony that we were both nominated a year apart for our roles, and then, he wins, which was so great.”

“Troy is such a great actor, and all he thinks about is acting. Troy deserves everything that he is getting right now,” Raci added.

Advice for young and aspiring actors

For young and emerging actors, he remarked, “If you want to do this, you need to devote 100 percent.” “You need to do acting all the time. Get in a class… and study, study, study. Also, never give up. When I got my Oscar nomination, I was 72 years old.”

Stage of his life

Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he shared, “Yes.”

“Just say ‘yes.’ You always have to say ‘yes.’ Don’t be negative; just say ‘yes’,” he explained.

Superpower of choice

On his superpower of choice, he revealed, “My superpower is that I had Deaf parents, so I have the superpower of Sign Language, which gives me access to a whole new world that not many people know about.”

“If I had another superpower, it would be to read people’s minds,” he acknowledged.

Success

Regarding his definition of the word success, Raci stated, “Success is all subjective. Your mind is constantly evolving and changing so that changes every day. If you are happy, and you achieve a little bit of contentment instead of angst (that we all feel here), that’s success. You need to find the stillness, even just for a little bit.”

Closing thoughts on ‘The Secret Art of Human Flight’

For fans and viewers, Raci concluded, “The message is that everyone grieves in their own way, so you have to let everybody have their space. Grieving is a very personal thing, and it should be shared with very select friends because everyone grieves differently.”