Teen’s movie opens this weekend

But what I really want to do is direct.

It is rumored that every actor, with the possible exception of Lassie, really wants to be a director. Jagger Nelson actually does. And he is doing something about it in this era of podcasts and cell phone video.

But first, the 15-year-old has a role in “The Home,” a movie opening this weekend.

Jagger plays the protagonist, Max, as a 12-year-old.

The adult Max, played by Pete Davidson of “Saturday Night Live” and “The King of Staten Island” fame, starts to wonder about the residents and staff of a retirement home where he has just taken a job.

Young Max is seen in flashbacks, but those set the stage for the choices that drive the adult character, so the role is important to the story arc, Jagger explained in a recent interview.

He hasn’t seen the completed film so he doesn’t know exactly how much screen time his character has.

He explained that Max was a foster child which affects his feelings as an adult.

The movie was filmed in an abandoned retirement home in Denville about three years ago, he said.

Horror fan

Directed by James DeMonaco, the film is another entry in the horror genre.

DeMonaco directed three movies in “The Purge” franchise. He wrote all five and also wrote the Robin Williams vehicle “Jack.”

Jagger is a horror fan as is his father, Joshua. “Mom not so much,” he noted.

He attends many auditions. For this role, he got a call back, then was offered the part.

It’s his first film, although he has appeared in the television shows Marvel’s “The Punisher,” a revenge story, and “Quantico,” a story about FBI recruits.

He also did a television commercial when he was 3.

The day before the interview, Jagger auditioned for a Ben Stiller film, which also may be shot in New Jersey.

He’s thrilled with the efforts being made to increase movie production in the state, he said. “It’s great seeing it grow. There will be more opportunities for internships.”

As for his goal to direct, he is heading into his sophomore year in the film program at Warren County Technical School.

He has a podcast, “Cinemaniac,” and had another called “Average Film Enjoyer” with two friends, one from Canada and the other from Oregon.

He has an Instagram account: @jaggerfilmreviews

A movie a day

Jagger said ideally he likes to watch a movie a day. He likes all genres.

When asked to name his top five off the top of his head, he listed 1995’s “Chungking;” 2025’s “The Legend of Ochi;” the seven-and-a-half hour long “Satantango” from Hungary; Franc̖ois Truffaut’s classic “The 400 Blows” from 1951 and Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” from 1971.

Film came naturally to Jagger because his parents run the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival and Fourth Wall Film Festival, both at Sparta Avenue Stage.

His three siblings, Sasha, 19; Roman, 16; and Frankie, 9, aren’t quite as into movies as he is, although he tries to encourage them.

It’s not all movies in his life. Jagger is on the Sparta High School tennis team and is a member of the the tabletop games club at Warren Tech.

This summer, he is doing some freelance film editing.

He has tickets for the first two screenings of “The Home.” For one, at the AMC in Rockaway, his parents have bought most of the seats, inviting family and friends.