I pitched filming this commercial close to my home in Utah – we had the perfect mountain setting and cabin locations the script called for. I was thrilled when both the client and agency agreed; the cabin we filmed in was just ten minutes from my house. There was the challenge of finding an actor who was a Latino grandfather and an actual veteran for the lead. My dad, a Latino veteran himself, saw the casting call on social media and asked if he could audition. He's not an actor, so I was hesitant to give him a shot.
I was also hesitant about bringing family into my work world. I feared I'd become the teenage son and not the adult director I needed to be on set... plus I worried my mom would take a million pictures of all the crew on set (she did 😂 ❤️). My dad nailed the audition, and the agency loved him—they even wanted to use his name, his old photos, and military awards, making the role feel even more real. Having him there was amazing. And to make it even more special, my kids were extras in the background, so we had three generations on set—an Acosta family moment I'll never forget.
For the director's cut, I let my dad do the voiceover from his perspective. As long as I can remember, he has used the expression, "Love is a verb." As a teenager, I'd roll my eyes at that, but now I get it. Love is action and isn't about grand gestures; it's about simple actions, showing up, being there. And here he was, showing up for me, his son. It felt like a quiet, beautiful lesson between us—love in action.