Defying The Odds

When actor Zack Gottsagen was born, his future didn’t look so bright. Doctors told his mother, Shelly, that his Down syndrome would likely prevent him from ever walking or talking.

Fortunately, Gottsagen didn’t get the memo. Encouraged by his mother, the Boynton Beach resident has pursued an acting career and broken countless barriers throughout his 34 years. 

Recently, he starred in “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” a major motion picture about a young man with Down syndrome who escapes from a residential nursing home to pursue his goal of attending a wrestling school. Gottsagen’s costars include A-listers Dakota Johnson and Shia LaBeouf, with whom he appeared on the “Today” show this summer. 

In March, the film took first place for an Audience Award For Narrative Spotlight at the prestigious SXSW Film Conference in Austin. There’s even some Oscar buzz surrounding the movie, according to AwardsCircuit.com.

“It’s pretty neat to be a movie star,” Gottsagen says.

Born in New York and raised primarily in Boynton Beach, he lives in his own apartment and plans to stay in South Florida unless his career requires him to move. 

Gottsagen graduated from the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in 2004 – even though it required Shelly contacting the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to challenge the West Palm Beach school’s policy of not accepting students with Down syndrome. He also studied at arts4all Florida and Southern Dance Theatre and worked at the recently closed Alco Boynton Cinema. 

Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz – the first-time feature writer-directors of “The Peanut Butter Falcon” – initially met and worked with Gottsagen at Zeno Mountain Farm, an acting camp in Los Angeles. They then wrote the movie around him and scraped together the financing, even living in a tent for a while to meet their goal. Five years later, their vision came to life.

On the set, Gottsagen asked his fellow actors for advice during the six weeks of filming.  

“They told me to study my lines,” he says. “It was hard work. Sometimes, we had to get up at 2 in the morning.”

Now, he’s looking for TV and movie roles as well as voiceover opportunities. 

So, what’s Gottsagen’s advice for aspiring thespians?

“Study hard and be in as many plays as you can, and you will make it big.” O