Actor Jake Galluccio chatted about navigating grief and healing in short film “Grief Trip” that was written and directed by Christian Baldonado.
The synopsis is: 21-year-old Luis (Jake Galluccio) embarks on a cross-country journey to fulfill his late mother’s last wish: to have her ashes scattered at a beach they once loved.
Along the way, he picks up Josiah (Vishay V. Singh), a spirited hitchhiker with secrets of his own. As the miles roll by, their friendship deepens, but tensions rise when hidden wounds come to the surface.
When Luis discovers that Josiah is also on a journey shadowed by grief and unresolved family pain, the two are forced to confront their deepest fears. Bound by shared loss, they help each other find hope and healing in ways neither expected.
Galluccio sat down and chatted with this journalist at Burgerology Midtown in Manhattan about his character in “Grief Trip,” working with the cast and filmmaker, and the lessons that he learned from the script.
Starring in ‘Grief Trip’
On starring in “Grief Trap,” Galluccio remarked, “It was a great experience and watching it back was even better. ‘Yeah, I really think ‘Grief Trip’ was one of my first acting experiences ever because I started acting very late.”
“It was interesting to see myself acting very mellow and showing little indications on my face and displaying raw emotions. I think that’s a much greater thing than these big acting choices I have to make in the vertical drama world,” he elaborated.
Playing Luis in ‘Grief Trip’
On playing his character Luis, he shared, “Luis is very, very quiet, which gives him a good characteristic of being able to show his journey.”
“In the beginning, he is very, very quiet and kind of closed off. Luis is just shielded from what his true emotions are. On the surface, he is just chilling and once, I start explaining what the ashes are, we see his true feelings come out more and more towards the end,” he elaborated.
“My favorite part is when he gives Josiah (Vishay V. Singh) the advice that he probably wanted to hear himself from somebody else beforehand. Now, he is on a healing journey,” he explained.
“It’s so cool, for me, to see that journey unfold and realize that he is giving someone else the advice he wishes he was given himself,” he added.
Working with Christian Baldonado and Vishay V. Singh
On working with Christian Baldonado and Vishay V. Singh, he stated, “Christian and Vishay are two of the best people I have ever worked with. We still talk and we are still in a group chat… we send each other memes all the time. That doesn’t happen often in this industry.”
“We’ve built a true friendship on set,” he admitted. “This project was so well-written, well directed and we actually had a good time filming it. Most importantly, a true, genuine friendship grew between us all.”
“Even though we had some very emotionally heavy scenes and it dealt with going into a deep place, in between takes, we were having so much fun and we were having a blast,” he noted.
“So it was very, very, fun working with them,” he added.
Lessons learned from the screenplay
On the lessons learned from the screenplay, he responded, “Watching it gives you a who different perspective and take on the script. As I was watching it back, I realized that I can relate to Luis.”
“Luis is a very relatable character and he is dealing with a lot of grief… Everyone deals with grief and I think it was interesting to relate to a character like this,” he said.
“In the beginning, we see Josiah playing this upbeat, super fun and nonchalant character and then, a few minutes later, we see him actually dealing with the same grief that my character (Luis) was dealing with… but he is taking it a lot differently than I did,” Galluccio elaborated.
“Josiah is super angry, mad and upset, and he didn’t even want to say what is on my own mind when he had the opportunity to do so,” he noted.
“I want people to know that they are not alone and that everyone deals with grief differently,” he acknowledged. “You can deal with grief but you don’t get over it. You learn to carry it and live with it.”
“You just don’t let it hold you back anymore,” he said. “Basically, you are not alone and there is a way to get through it, just not get over grief.”
Message for his fans
For his fans and supporters, Galluccio expressed, “First and foremost, thank you for all the support and for watching ‘Grief Trip.’ Thank you for keeping up with my work.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Grief Trip’
For fans and viewers, he remarked, “To quote William Michael ‘Will’ Schuester from ‘Glee,’ ‘Laughter is allowed to exist alongside grief. That’s true because in the moments of grief — we were both going through grief — but we’re still having a good time.”
“In this film, we were on a road trip. We’re in the middle of the desert in a cool little car and it’s a coping mechanism. So, you’re allowed to have fun,” he said.
“You don’t always forget things. You don’t have to forget about the grief. You don’t have to forget about what happened,” he noted. “You just let it scar over you and kind of let yourself grow with it.”
”It doesn’t have to hold you back. It can be motivation. It can be a confidence boost, and I think that’s a big take away from ‘Grief Trip’,” he concluded.
To learn more about actor Jake Galluccio, follow him on Instagram and TikTok.
Read More: “Grief Trip” review.
