Actor and comedian Jon Rudnitsy chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about his new movie “Floating Carousel.”
The synopsis is: A web of dystopian dating scenarios collide in modern-day New York City as five 20-somethings attempt to find love in a time that has been called the loneliest century.
For actor and comedian Jon Rudnitsky, working on this film was an experience that felt almost too easy, in the best possible way.
“Working with Lucy and Delilah was a dream,” Rudnitsky said, referring to the film’s writers and directors, Lucy Powers and Delilah Napier. “Most sets you’re on, they seem to be dysfunctional a lot of the time. Most productions are behind. But it really was one of the most effortless experiences I’ve had on set, honestly.”
That sense of ease allowed Rudnitsky to fully immerse himself in the project. “I felt like I got to do everything I wanted. I felt very relaxed, in the best possible way,” he recalled. “Everybody felt very safe in Lucy and Delilah’s hands.”
Part of the fun, too, came from the opportunity to embrace a character who is considerably less pleasant than Rudnitsky himself.
“I like that he’s a prick,” he said with a laugh. “I like being a mean guy… not in real life, which is why it’s fun to do that, because there are no consequences. I don’t like to be mean in life, but it’s fun to play a character who’s like that.”
For Rudnitsky, the appeal went beyond simply playing the bad guy. He was drawn to the strength of the writing and the opportunity to contribute to a story he genuinely connected with.
“It was just really good writing,” he said. “So, it was fun to have the opportunity to feel like I’m a part of something and play around with something that I know I would actually like if I wasn’t in it, which is rare.”
The screenplay also offered Rudnitsky an opportunity for a little self-reflection. Asked what the film taught him about himself, he answers with his trademark humor: “Not to be a dick, maybe, in real life.”
Beneath the joke, however, is a larger observation about the film and the world it explores. “Floating Carousel” examines dating from a female perspective, particularly the complexities and frustrations of navigating romance in New York City.
“It really shows the female perspective of dating in New York and how apocalyptic it can be,” Rudnitsky explains. “I mean, literally, it goes there.”
The film also taps into the realities of modern dating in the digital age, where technology has dramatically expanded the number of potential connections while simultaneously introducing an entirely new set of complications.
Rudnitsky sees that contradiction as central to the story.
“I think that’s a big part of the dating scene that they’re capturing in this,” he said. “The digital age kind of both gives you this expansive, endless situation as far as who you can be with and who you can date, but that’s also, I think, ultimately a nightmare at the same time.”
Beyond acting, Rudnitsky has continued to pursue comedy and creative projects of his own. For young entertainers hoping to build careers in an increasingly changing industry, his advice is straightforward: create.
“Make your own content,” he said. “More and more, I think the creator has control and has the ability. And so you’ve got to seize it and take it into your own hands.”
He also emphasizes the importance of finding the right people along the way.
“Surround yourself with funny, talented, driven, like-minded people that you can collaborate with, and just do it,” Rudnitsky advises. “Not for any specific outcome other than that you’re excited and passionate about what you’re making.”
That philosophy seems especially relevant to the current chapter of Rudnitsky’s own life. If he had to give that chapter a title, he knows exactly what it would be: “Hopeful Transitions.”
“I’ve got some things I’m excited about, this movie being at the top of the list,” he said. “I’m a comedian as well, and so I’ve been working on a project, a comedy special, for a long time that’s going to come out.”
For Rudnitsky, the transition is about learning to embrace possibility without allowing the ups and downs of Hollywood to determine his sense of self.
“I feel like I’m stepping into a new era of feeling hopeful and excited about things without gripping the bat too tight, and hinging all my self-worth on Hollywood success,” he said.
That perspective also informs his definition of success. Rather than measuring achievement solely through recognition or career milestones, Rudnitsky believes the real victory is found in the act of creating something meaningful.
“I think success ultimately really does mean making something, creating something in some way that you’re proud of,” he said.
He points to stand-up comedy as an example. “With stand-up, I feel like if I write a new joke, that’s got to be the win for the day.”
The key, he believes, is learning to recognize those smaller victories.
“You just have to find the little wins,” Rudnitsky said. “And as long as you are following what feels right to you and what feels good creatively, rather than chasing those highs, then that’s what’s best.”
Success, he adds, can certainly arrive, but it is often fleeting.
“For me, it’s happened sporadically throughout my life, and I’m grateful when it does, but those things are always really short-lived,” he said.
And if Rudnitsky could choose one superpower to help navigate all of it? “To not care what people think about me, and maybe to fly,” he said. “Maybe I’d be able to fly if I stopped caring what people think about me.”
It is a fitting answer for someone entering what he describes as a hopeful new era: less concerned with outside validation and more focused on the work itself.
As for the fans who have followed his journey, Rudnitsky has a simple, heartfelt message.
“Where are you? Who are you? Come on over. I’ll give you a hug. I’ll come to you,” he joked. “Thanks for knowing me.”
Ultimately, though, Rudnitsky’s greatest hope is not about what he personally gets from “Floating Carousel.” It is about what audiences get to experience, and about the filmmakers behind it receiving the recognition he believes they deserve.
“I want ‘Floating Carousel’ to get out into the world,” he said. “It’s not about what I get out of it. Honestly, it’s about people going to see it and these incredible filmmakers, Lucy Powers and Delilah Napier, getting their due.”
He speaks with genuine admiration for the filmmakers and their creative vision.
“They’re singular voices. They’re the voice of their generation, and they’re doing something nobody’s done,” he said.
And his hope for the film is ambitious: that it finds an audience, builds momentum and develops the kind of devoted following that keeps a movie alive long after its initial release.
For Rudnitsky, that kind of journey seems to capture the essence of where he is right now: creating, collaborating, taking chances and learning to appreciate the small victories along the way. With “Floating Carousel” on the horizon and his comedy special also in the works, the next chapter is already beginning to take shape.
To learn more about Jon Rudnitsky, follow him on Instagram.
