Craig Owens had to take a week off of Warped Tour this past summer with D.R.U.G.S. to film a movie. In a new interview, Owens discusses his choice to pursue acting and his views on it. You can read the full interview here and a snippet of it below by clicking “Read More”.

Okay, let’s talk about your choice to pursue acting. Some fellow musicians would probably scoff at that as when musicians usually decide to get into acting, it’s seen as trying to go Hollywood and become a red carpet hog. What drove you to this direction? You are a big horror movie buff but the choice to really get into movies is another thing entirely.

First of all, I don’t do anything I don’t feel passionate about. Acting was some that was very present in my early life before I decided to give myself 100% to the music world. I did a ton of musical theater growing up and that’s kind of what I pictured myself doing when I was growing up.

Then I had friends that introduced me to this whole new genre of music and then I was sucked away. I believe that life goes full circle and I believe in destiny too. I may have been focusing on my career in touring and writing music but that’s not the only thing that I am. It’s not what consumes me day in and day out. I spent a lot of time off watching movies. I’m one of those IMDB people. (Owens’ own beginner IMDB profile can be found here.)

I’ve always had this massive obsession with storytelling in the lyrics I write. On the first Chiodos record, me and Brad [Bell, Chiodos keyboardist] were writing from a movie perspective. The song, “The Words ‘Best Friend’ Become Redefined,” is basically a horror movie. That’s what we through of when we were writing it together. The name “Chiodos” comes from Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

People that really know me know that this acting decision isn’t disingenuous. I don’t think many fans realize how much acting comes with being a musician sometimes. When I’m on stage, that’s not how I act all the time. It’s an overwhelming feeling sharing what it was that I was feeling when I wrote these songs. It’s the same thing with scripts and movies—it’s tapping into you in a different way. This just gives me a different outlet to show different personality traits that I wouldn’t be able to show normally because I’m always under such a microscope anymore. In today’s music scene, if you’re not a smiling human being all the time you’re quickly demonized and picked apart. It’s just a different way to share with the world. It’s very therapeutic.

To be clear though, I just want to say that I’m not looking to be in the next Fast & Furious. I’m hoping to develop a very fun career. I won’t do any role that I won’t love. I want to do horror stuff. I want to do stuff that intrigues me. I’m doing this because I love to not because I need to.