Reggie Lochard talks ‘A is for Alpha’: ‘Forces you to look at the dynamics’
Lochard said the idea to write the script came to him when he was hanging at a friend's house, and his friend’s wife asked him to throw her delicates in the wash
Reggie Lochard is a triple threat in film. Not only does he act, but he can also write and produce movies as well. He is best known for his projects When the Well Runs Dry and This House, along with his recently released film called A is for Alpha.
The short film tells the perspective of a man named Harrison (Lochard) who, for all of his life, knew the role and expectations of a man in society. Now that society is evolving and gender roles are starting to blend, Harrison is battling his insecurities while trying to figure out what it means to be an alpha.
A is for Alpha premiered in March, comes at a perfect time when modern society is debating how important gender roles are in a relationship, if at all. Lochard said the idea to write the script came to him when he was hanging at a friend’s house, and his friend’s wife asked him to throw her delicates in the wash.
“He told her no,” Lochard told Cortney Wills during a recent episode of Acting Up, adding that when his wife walked away his friend made the comment: “Does she think I’m like her wife or something like that.”
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Lochard said his friend’s response shocked him.
“It still dawned on me just how ingrained these ideals are into the fabric of who we are. You know what I mean? This is your wife. This is not some girl who you’re dating, who you just met. This is your wife, you know, and she asked you to just throw her stuff into the washing machine and just kind of like, just help her out,” he explained.
“What is the definition of an alpha” is the question that came to his mind after doing a lot of reflections and creating polls for couples.
Lochard continued, “Is it a monetary thing or is it a character thing? Is that in how you act, how you handle situations, or is it the amount of money that you bring in? Because honestly, I know a lot of guys who make a lot of money, they’re really successful, but they’re terrible people. So it really forced you to look at the dynamics of what we classify as what is the roles and why.”
Lochard also dished about the struggles he endured while filming the HBO sponsored film. Instead of celebration, a pandemic and a bad breakup are what followed shortly after wrapping the shoot of the movie.
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“I was so busy that I didn’t have an opportunity or a chance to really, like, process everything that I did. It all hit me like a crashing wave,” he shared.
The filmmaker, who also spends time in the gym in addition to making fillms, shared that he sought professional help in May of 2020.
“I was going through some things that I really just couldn’t handle on my own anymore. Prayer wasn’t doing it, you know what I mean? Like, prayer helps. But I needed more than just prayer.”
After doing some research and asking around, Lochard was able to find a therapist. He said the sessions “provided the benefit that I needed when I was looking for [it]. On top of my fitness, those were tools that I use to help make it through this pandemic.”
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