Who is Chet?
Chet Marshall stars as himself in Never Odd Or Even, a film written, produced and directed by Ellen Arden and Theresa Jasko. Chet was born in 1971 in East Lansing, Michigan to Chester and Marie Marshall, a coal-miner and homemaker respectively. Chet's first amazing accomplishment was potty training himself when he was 3 years old. Unfortunately, Chester died in 1978, after a long and arduous battle against "the black lung." Chet's mother then began working as a telemarketer to support the family.
After losing his father at the tender age of 7, Chet began looking to the cinema for a father figure. He found just what he needed when he first saw, "The Drunken Master." He was amazed by Jackie Chan's work on the film, and began following the career of the young action star. As the years went by, his admiration for Jackie grew, and this led Chet to "Gung Ho," a local dojo. Chet spent innumerable hours there, learning the art of Gung Fu. His hard work finally paid off in 1980, when he was named "Youngest Gung Fu Master Ever" in the Guinness book of world records.
All of this attention fueled the fire and increased Chet's desire to perform. He began taking several classes in dramatics at the local children's theater, which he continued until high school. Then, during his sophomore year, he decided to drop the after-school activity for something much greater; auditions for local student films. But, no roles were offered to young Chet.
A Career Begins
In 1988, Chet graduated from Waverly High. During his summer break, he scored a voice-over role in "Fist On Fire," a Kung Fu movie filmed in Japan. Chet recorded his lines in a basement in East Lansing. But once again, disappointment struck, and the role did not provide Chet with the stardom needed to launch his career.
He then spent the next 6 years applying to prestigious colleges and art schools, and was finally accepted to Lansing Community College in 1994. At LCC, he joined the Bill Paxton Theater Troupe, a cinematic and theatrical group that traveled the area spreading the word of productions starring Bill Paxton; sometimes even performing the first act of his plays and/or films. During this time, Chet also wrote a one-man show called "Me or The Cancer," a piece that analyzed his relationship and breakup with Esther Wooley, a jazz club singer from New Jersey.
Reinventing Chet
By 1997, Chet was on hiatus. Fed up with the 'biz' and tired of travel, he opted for a more stable job as night watchman at the local Woodland Mall. But after several "car vs. inanimate objects" altercations in the parking lot, Chet was fired. Chet then found an opening as a secretary in the Michigan Department of Agriculture, food and dairy division. He continued this humdrum existence until the fateful night he rediscovered his passion for the cinema while watching, "Walker Texas Ranger," starring Chuck Norris.
Chet began his journey back to the stage and in front of the camera by attempting to find just the right agent. He never found that agent, but this did not hinder his drive to stardom. He began doing no/low budget independent films to gain experience. He also juggled a fairly decent community theater career in his off-set time, starring in such stage productions as "On Golden Pond," "As You Like It," "Heidi," and "The Monkey's Paw."
After a few years of barely making ends meet, and sometimes sleeping on his mother's sofa, he finally got the chance of a lifetime; an invitation from longtime pal Bill Paxton to play "Little Billy's Father" in a film production of "The Bill Paxton Story." Chet was just the man for the role, but the production would never see the light of day.
The "Bill Paxton Story" began principal photography in September 2003. Post on the project was never completed and the film was eternally shelved for lack of funding. After this fateful blow, Chet kept himself in good spirits by keeping busy on local indies until 2004, when he suffered head trauma in a minor car accident and a freak bull-riding accident while working on a promotional tour for a production called "Six Shooters On Parade." Chet was put out of commission for an entire year.
A New Era
Fortunately, 2005 brought healing for Chet. After recovering from the two accidents, and a short stint in rehab for painkiller addiction, Chet wrote, produced, directed and starred in a one-man show at a local teahouse called Mental Bullets with Chet Marshall.
After a favorable write-up in the Lansing State Journal, Ellen Arden and Theresa Jasko took notice of the rising star and decided to contact Chet's people. They quickly learned that Chet would be auditioning for the part of "Duke Reddington," with famed Hollywood director Edward Dumar. This part was coveted by such box office draws as Nicholas Cage, Steven Segal and even Chet's mentor, Jackie Chan. Chet believed that he had a shot for the part, despite the hype surrounding the movie and the box office "hotties" that were vying for the lead. Chet decided to meet with Ellen and Theresa, two college students doing a documentary film for their final exam. This meeting led to the small budget documentary, Never Odd or Even, which was completed in 2006.