‘Finding Miles’ Wash High grad lands starring role in Amazon Prime Network comedy
Darrin Luginski, a 2003 graduate of Washington High School, stars as Miles Ledbetter, a man who is jobless, homeless and hopeless after spending two years in prison for being wrongly convicted, in “Finding Miles,” a six-episode show that begins streaming today on Amazon Prime.
A make-up artist works with Darrin Luginski on the set of “Finding Miles.”
Miles Ledbetter, played by Darrin Luginski, meets 7-year-old Teddy Dukes, played by Joshua Protzmann, in the park after he is released from prison in “Finding Miles.”
Darrin Luginski and his young co-star, Joshua Protzmann
Darrin Luginski was reluctant to get back into the theater, but when he wasn’t getting many breaks in the film industry after moving to Los Angeles, he decided to audition for a stage production of “Alice in Wonderland.”
Turns out, it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
That’s where he met producer/director Clayton Guiltner, who was so impressed with the 2003 Washington High School graduate’s versatility that he began writing a television script with Luginski in mind.
Their collaboration has culminated in “Finding Miles,” a six-episode comedy produced by Guiltner Creative Productions that today begins streaming on Amazon Prime in five countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and Japan.
“I loved it. It’s my first role that’s this big on this platform,” Luginski, 32, said in a telephone interview from his LA apartment.
Luginski plays Miles Ledbetter, who, after spending two years in prison for being falsely convicted of racketeering, money laundering and tax evasion, finds himself jobless, homeless and hopeless – until he encounters Teddy Dukes in a chance meeting in the park.
Teddy played by Joshua Protzmann, is a mischievous 7-year-old who is in trouble at school with his vice principal and needs someone to help him out. Teddy believes the only way out of his predicament is to recruit Miles to pose as his vice principal and convince his mom that Teddy is the perfect kid. A friendship develops that leads Miles on an adventure he would never have imagined.
“I was really happy to play Miles,” Luginski said. “It’s a good message and a good story. Embodying a character like that was a really wonderful experience.”
And working with Guiltner has been a blessing.
“I was not looking at theater for a career. But I was thinking it over, and I just wanted to perform. I went in for the audition (for ‘Alice in Wonderland’) and got the role,” Luginski said.
Guiltner had been a theater director for many, many years, Luginski said, but his peers were encouraging him to return to film directing. Luginski, in a sense, made the decision for him with “Finding Miles.”
“He had the idea, and he wanted to feature my character work,” Luginski said. “He wrote the script, then one thing led to another. It’s a good way to feature my character work with a real story underneath. You will see some characters come out.”
Luginski said he’s known since a very young age, when he started voicing some of his favorite characters, that he wanted to be an actor. He actually performed in his first play in kindergarten.
“It was funny. I was asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I said, ‘I want to be a bum.’ Three times I stood there and said I want to be a bum. This was my destiny for a long time,” he joked, referring to his role in “Finding Miles.” “I’ve accomplished my mission of being a bum.”
Luginski continued to act throughout high school, starring in several main-stage roles under the direction of theater teacher Judith Totty. He also performed in a few Washington Community Theater productions, including “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Luginski earned a bachelor of arts in theater in 2007 from Temple University in Philadelphia, and after spending about a year working – and saving money – while living at home with his parents, John and Maureen Luginski, in Washington, headed to Chicago, where he was accepted into the renowned Second City Conservatory. He also performed regularly in Chicago with an improv group.
Two years ago, Luginski finally made the move to Los Angeles.
“I knew I wanted to do this the rest of my life,” Luginski said, “so I pushed myself to move to LA,” where, after finding an apartment, he got a job going door to door seeking donations for Save the Bees.
“I became a bee and was buzzing around their door,” Luginski said. “That didn’t last too long, maybe half a month. Nobody wanted to donate.”
The struggling actor eventually ended up working two jobs within walking distance of his apartment – California Pizza Kitchen and EJ’s Bites, a Mediterranean-style restaurant – as he continued to search for an acting gig.
“It’s not an easy industry to get into. There is tons of competition,” Luginski said. “When you move here, you don’t know where to start. You learn as you go.”
Eventually, he hired an agent, and in addition to “Finding Miles,” Luginski has appeared in the film “Refuge” and will be starring on Lifetime’s “My Crazy Ex” this spring.
“If I hadn’t made that decision to audition for ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ I wouldn’t have met the director, worked with him or have this amazing opportunity,” Luginski said. “My advice is any opportunity you have to do your craft is an opportunity to open doors.”
Follow “Finding Miles” on Instagram at www.instagram.com/finding_miles/; Facebook, www.facebook.com/findingmiles; or Twitter, www.twitter.com/finding_miles. For more information on “Finding Miles,” visit the show’s website, www.findingmiles.tv.