When Justin Henriksen (Theater MFA 25) arrived at CalArts for the MFA program in Acting, he was coming off three intense years in investment banking—a job he pursued for security even as he quietly nurtured a dream of becoming an actor. That tension between duty and desire became the emotional engine of Playing the Protagonist, his debut short film created in collaboration with Justin Hogan, the Institute’s Head of Production Services.
The film, which premiered last month at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and has already earned Henriksen multiple Best Actor awards on the festival circuit, screens again this Saturday (Dec. 13) at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival. Ahead of the screening, Henriksen sat down with us to talk about the real story behind the film, the community that helped him make it, and how CalArts gave him the confidence—and the collaborators—to take the leap.
24700: You’ve said the film was inspired by your own transition out of investment banking. How long did that journey take—from first feeling the urge to leave corporate life to finally making the jump?
Justin: I always had this dream but I didn’t want to be one of those kids who goes out to LA or New York with no plan and ends up in their parents’ basement six months later. That terrified me. During my undergrad, at Amherst, I’d never even heard of investment banking—Wall Street was just this vague thing but my first year a lot of the seniors came back from New York after their internships, and I was like, what is this? Then I started learning about it… the money these kids were making on a summer internship… and I thought, okay, maybe this is my thing. I can get this job, do it for a few years, build a résumé, not be broke immediately—it felt less risky.
So I did all the networking, did everything you’re supposed to do, got the internship my junior year, and that turned into the job. And from the beginning—even though the movie shows it a little differently—I knew the goal was to quit one day. I was really just going to do two years of it… but then COVID happened, I got promoted, I didn’t have to live in New York anymore, I was making even more money with no overhead, and I thought it’d be dumb not to do another year.
I always wanted to go to grad school—the East Coast academia in me was like, ‘If I get an MFA, that’s a clearer path’—even though it obviously isn’t. Schools weren’t accepting applications during COVID, but once that stopped, I quit my job… applied… and got into CalArts.
And honestly, maybe this is naive or the delusion you need to be an actor, but I never really talked myself out of it. I was never like, ‘Oh, I should stay here.’ It was a hard existence—I literally worked all the time and had no life outside of it. I used to daydream at my cubicle, looking out at Times Square, seeing what was so close yet so far… and that’s in the movie. At a certain point, if something’s not what you’re meant to do, it’s going to show up everywhere. I quit so that I would have time to apply to graduate school. I literally had no idea what was to come when I quit. But it just felt like the thing I was meant to do.
When you look back at that period now, what parts of it ended up shaping your character Riley the most?
I think I’ve always tried to be kind—my parents instilled that—and I come from an empathetic family. So Riley is empathetic. Mental health and the pursuit of happiness are big themes in the movie. That whole “is everybody okay?” mindset… in that world, it’s not even a thought.
And then there’s the idea of something just not being right for you. Riley’s not meant to do that job. He’s always fixating on other things. You can work hard and be smart, but if it’s not what you’re meant to do, it shows up in your surroundings and fantasies.
The film highlights the tension between what you’re “supposed” to do and what you actually want. What do you hope audiences take away?
You have nothing to lose. We create these things in our head for why we can’t do what we want… all made up and stupid. Obviously you need to make some money. But if you can afford a roof over your head and to eat, the rest doesn’t really change your happiness.
Life is so short. As far as we know, we’re on this floating insignificant rock, a one-way race… and you’re going to spend it doing something you don’t want to do? When I was working, every Monday morning I was wishing it was Monday night, or Friday night. One day it hit me: You’re wishing your life away. That was the scariest thing in the world.
Making an indie short while juggling life and work isn’t easy. What part of the process tested you the most—and what surprised you?
Wearing a lot of hats was stressful. It was a low-budget indie film, basically no money, I self-funded it… getting the money together, serving in different roles. But it wasn’t as stressful as it could’ve been because I had help. Justin Hogan guided me through everything—I didn’t know anything about making a movie.
The pleasant surprise was seeing how coordination, hard work, and artistic vision can actually lead to something cool. This whole idea was in my head… then on paper… then on a screen. That just didn’t exist before, and now it’s a literal thing that lives on forever. That’s the most beautiful part of art.
You worked with an almost entirely CalArts cast and crew. How did that collaboration come together?
Justin knew different students and what they were great at. And in terms of actors, my friends —like Nathan Luce, who plays the evil villain, my first boss—were really there from the beginning. So much of this was just my friends wanting to help and be part of it. I’m so thankful to the CalArts community, everybody involved in the film, everybody who supports it. It’s meant a lot… this story is my journey of how I came to be here
What are you most looking forward to about the Santa Clarita Film Festival?
Seeing it again with new people and new audiences… getting an understanding of how it’s received. Being in the home of where it was made. As artists, there’s so much rejection and disappointment — we have to celebrate the victories, the mini celebrations. It’s not the only validation, but it feels nice.
Playing the Protagonist screens Saturday afternoon (12:40 – 2:50 pm screening block) at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival at the Laemmle Theater Newhall. Henriksen encourages CalArtians to come out: “If nothing else, it’s great to support each other — and to see what’s possible when friends come together to make something.”
