After losing his home to Hurricane Katrina, a 16-year-old who now lives in Dallas is proving that hardship is not going to keep him from reaching his goals.
In the past year, Ryan Anderson has won an award for his entrepreneurship and had one of his songs featured in a Spike Lee film. Now he’s testing out his acting chops with a film currently being screened at the Dallas International Film Festival.
“I’m just trying to set myself up for like a goal that I’ve been seeing since I was like six,” he said.
The director of "Wuss," Clay Liford, said he can see that happening sooner than later.
“I think Ryan’s going to have a huge career ahead of him," he said. "I think he needs the right project, but I think the kids has got chops."
Anderson plays one of the main characters in “Wuss."
“Basically, the movie is about a high school teacher who’s kind of small, kind of very young, and he basically gets beat up by his own students,” director Clay Liford said.
In the film, instead of getting the authorities, the teacher gets even.
“So Ryan [Anderson] is the student who is his nemesis in the film," Liford said. "Basically, they square off pretty hardcore in the film, so, yeah, he’s the villain."
In its few weeks in the public, "Wuss" has premiered and sold out shows at the South by Southwest Film Festival. This week, it’s up for a MPS Texas Filmmaker award.
Accolades aren't new for Anderson. He rapped on television after he won an entrepreneur award for his record label, Bootstrap Muzik.
The Dallas International Film Festival will screen "Wuss" on April 6, 2011 at 10:30 p.m. at the Angelika Film Center. For more information click here.
