Sonoma actor in ‘The Full Picture’

Actor Joshua Hutchinson, one of the stars of “The Full
Picture,” a buzz-generating indie slated for next week’s film festival, writes screenplays and has a production company with projects that are green-light ready. He also just auditioned for a detergent commercial.
It’s easy to stay humble in Hollywood.
Or maybe it’s his Sonoma roots. The 38-year-old grew up two blocks from Sonoma Plaza. “The Square was like my backyard,” he recalls. “I was a busboy at the Swiss.” (Back then, he was Joshua Farrell … but that name was already taken by another actor, so he had to change it. Humility!)
A drama nut in high school, Hutchinson took acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and, after college stints at Cal Northridge and SUNY Stonybrook in Long Island, was invited to join A.C.T.’s prestigious graduate program. “I’m glad they asked me,” he admits. “I wasn’t good at auditions.”
Four months after graduation he landed his first “real” gig – “the one where you get health insurance” – in a Marin Theater Company production of “Picnic.” Then it was off the L.A.
His resume includes commercials, TV work and the films “Mr. Gibb,” produced by Kevin Spacey, “My Bad Dad,” “Love Bites,” “Attraction,” and, opposite John Ratzenberger, “The Village Barbershop,” which screened at last year’s Sonoma Film Festival.
His character in that film fought bitterly with a female counterpart. Months later, in one of those Only-in-L.A. moments, he and the actress were cast in the same commercial – as a blissfully married couple.
It was in Sonoma that he learned of his latest big break, a juicy role in Jon Bowden’s dramatic comedy, “The Full Picture.” “I was in town to see my folks,” he remembers. “I was hanging out with my buddies on a construction site they were working on, and the phone rang.” It was his agent with the good news. “Right then, in a total coincidence, my mom was driving by. I yelled ‘Hey, I got the part!’ It was a funny moment.”
The film is an ensemble piece about a family coping with the “scar tissue” of a past scandal. Hutchinson plays the overbearing brother Hal – a smooth-talker with just enough charm to offset a hint of menace. “I tend to get cast as the obnoxious guy,” he allows. “Hal has a lot of energy, pushes a lot of buttons, like the guy in the bar who talks a little too loud. Part of it is a defense mechanism, I think.”
In an “unheard of” step, the director paid for a week of rehearsals, letting the five-person cast dig deep into character and gel as an ensemble. “It gave us time to settle into our roles. To find a good rhythm and develop a kind of shorthand with the characters.”
The shoot, 17 intense days in and around San Francisco, was low pay (“next to nothing”) and high energy (“12-14 hour days”). Hutchinson enjoyed filming in his old stomping grounds. “Even for a low-budget film we got lots of attention. The cops even closed down Lombard Street for us. We had fun.”
“The Full Picture” won top feature honors at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. “The director was shocked,” Hutchinson says. “He was at the awards ceremony because he had nothing else to do.” It was submitted to the Sonoma event through the standard online process. When Festival Director Louisa Percudani saw it, she said, “Wow – we’ve got to get this in.” As for the local connection, she says, “It’s great to feature someone from our own backyard.”
Hutchinson the actor said he’s looking forward to being Farrell the movie fan, hanging out with his old buds from Prestwood School and attending the Film Festival. “It’s great, you can walk to all the venues. The plan is to see 8 to 10 movies, and some shorts.”
You might also catch him at The Town Square or the Swiss Hotel, “my second home.” Unlike his humble start, he’ll be sitting at the table – not cleaning it.
“The Full Story” plays the Highway 12 Lounge on Thursday, April 2 at 9:15 a.m., and Friday, April 3, at 3:30 p.m. 276 East Napa Street. 707/933-2600. www.sonomafilmfest.org