• "The Cosby Show" star Geoffrey Owens said that he's still struggling to make money as a middle-class actor.
• Photos of Owens working at Trader Joe's went viral in 2018 and briefly led to more opportunities.
• Owens said he's still finding it difficult to "make my ends meet."

Geoffrey Owens rose to prominence playing Elvin Tibideaux on the hit sitcom "The Cosby Show." But six years after going viral for working at Trader Joe's, he's still struggling to make a living as a middle-class actor.

"I struggle every day to make my ends meet," Owens said during a recent interview with the Atlanta radio station V-103.

In August 2018, photos of Owens working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey went viral, sparking conversations about the financial hardships of the average working actor.

Owens said that he was aware of some of job shaming comments from people, but he primarily received support and encouragement.

The actor said that for about two weeks after going viral, he gained lots of attention and recognition in his day-to-day life. It even led to job opportunities, like a role on the Tyler Perry series "The Haves and the Have Nots."

Additionally, Nicki Minaj donated $25,000 to Owens, but he told the radio station that he gave the money to charity instead of pocketing it because he wanted to earn his keep, rather than being gifted it.

Owens also said that he quit his supermarket job before the news hit in order to protect his privacy.

The actor explained that someone had already taken photos of him working at Trader Joe's and he wasn't comfortable worrying about that happening again.

"It wasn't like I quit knowing I would be making a lot of money soon or anything," Owens said. "I just felt like I wasn't going to be able to handle that kind of scrutiny and attack on my privacy."

Owens said that people have a difficult time understanding why an actor who's starred in movies and TV shows would need to work a normal job. He also said that residuals from "The Cosby Show" haven't benefitted him as much as people would assume.

"They don't understand the specifics of how my industry works," he said. "They don't understand the salaries, the pay scales."

In the years since going vial, Owens has guest starred on shows like "Power," "Power Book II: Ghost," and "The Rookie." Most recently, he appeared on the new CBS sitcom "Poppa's House" and currently stars as Mr. Santa in the holiday film "Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza."

Owens said that Trader Joe's was a "wonderful" place to be employed, and he's since gone back to work some hours.

"People have a false impression of what the average middle-class actor makes and their ability to make a living in the industry," he said. "So that's what drove me to work at Trader Joe's to begin with. But honestly, I'm not much better off now than I was then."

A rep for Owens didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• I enjoyed teaching but became dissatisfied with the job and craved a more creative profession.
• After 12 years of writing, my second career is on the brink.
• I am considering a return to education and wonder if I ever should've left.

I liked being a teacher. After leaving the classroom at 33, people asked me if I did so because the kids were annoying. They were actually the reason I went to work.

The adults were problematic. Some teachers, administrators, and parents set poor precedents with the high schoolers in my stead, making their instruction more challenging. My teaching of English language arts wasn't having as great an impact on students as it should.

Disillusionment settled in around the time I began writing.

It seemed like nothing could stop me

At first, I blogged about movies and TV for fun, but over time, my writing improved. I grew confident I could write professionally and wanted people to appreciate my artistic expression.

In August 2012 I sent a letter of resignation to my principal, anointing myself a journalist. I thought, "If I can't make this career work by age 40, I'll go back to teaching."

I took any writing assignment I could get. Not wanting to live with my parents again, I supplemented my income by tending bar, tutoring, and managing social media accounts for various businesses.

Later, I became an editor and a content writer, realizing that "selling out" to help brand marketing efforts was an efficient way to make rent. My writing improved, and after some networking, my reportage was published by legacy outlets.

I even thrived during the pandemic. There were new opportunities at more publications and a studio focused on webinar-based marketing content production that had little trouble signing clients as companies went remote. I fully supported myself through writing.

My confidence and motivation quickly eroded with the industry's upheaval

Shortly after I moved into my own apartment, ending a five-year period with roommates, my professional life regressed.

The content studio shut down once new business dried up; mass layoffs in journalism flooded the gig market with desperate writers, while publications cut freelance budgets.

Then came inflation and writer rate cuts, which manifested with the emergence of technological developments that democratized the industry and others that eliminated the need for some writers altogether.

I'm the best writer I've ever been, but I'm having the most trouble making ends meet. My debt has swelled to five digits, and as the journalism field continues to contract, reporting likely won't be a substantial source of income for me going forward.

I contemplated whether switching careers was worth it

While I'm proud of my writing achievements, freelance journalism hasn't provided me with financial sustainability or the level of personal satisfaction I sought. The profession didn't owe me that, though, and today I'd much rather afford enjoyable experiences than score an interview with a cultural figure I admire.

That was work. It wasn't life.

Now, at nearly 46, I'm struggling to find a full-time position. Somehow, I can't even land a junior writer job in marketing, public relations, and communications, as I potentially start over again in a new field that theoretically offers more stability — though it may also have an uncertain future.

I'm broke and have no retirement fund. If I'd remained in education, that almost certainly would not be the case. Instead, I'd be 10 years away from retirement, with ample time out of the classroom to travel and do other activities I enjoy. More importantly, I would have helped many more students improve their reading and writing skills.

However, I doubt that I would have felt tremendous gratitude for such rewards. I thought I was entitled to them.

Struggling as much as I have will help me appreciate simple consistency when I turn my professional life around, and I haven't ruled out a return to teaching in order to do so.

I love writing. But maybe having a job I just liked should've been good enough.

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• Kilindi is a five-star resort on the island of Zanzibar off the Tanzanian coast.
• The couples-only property features 15 private villas, and rates start at $1,220 a night for a pair.
• I spent two nights and discovered an ideal honeymoon destination.

After two nights at Kilindi, I wondered how there were any hibiscus flowers left on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania. Each day, the bright pink orbs were strewn across my king-size bed, garnished my daily coconut water, and were thoughtfully stuffed into rolled-up beach towels.

It's as if the resort didn't want me to forget I was in paradise. Even without a single flower, it would've been impossible not to notice inside Kilindi, an all-inclusive, five-star resort. Everywhere you look are reminders.

Last October, I spent two nights in one of Kilindi's villas. My stay included an open-air bathroom, butler service, and seven-course meals. (Business Insider received a media rate for the two-night stay.)

Lush gardens fill the pathways to each of the resort's 15 villas. When dusk hits, trees rustle as red colobus monkeys jump from branch to branch. If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of the nearby Indian Ocean or the erratic splash from your villa's private infinity pool.

A night at the couples-only property starts at $609 per person in a shared villa. The cost includes accommodation, meals, drinks, paddle boarding, kayaking, and laundry.

The 15-villa property was originally designed for a member of ABBA

Today, Kilindi is owned and operated by Elewana Collection, a luxury hospitality company with 16 properties across Tanzania and Kenya. Elewana acquired the property in the early 2010s, and it was previously designed for Benny Andersson of ABBA.

Kerian Day, the CEO of Elewana Collection, told BI that they acquired the resort to provide travelers with a post-safari retreat.

"You're having that adventure in nature, and it's very energetic," he said. "We felt that it was right to offer something that was complimentary to a safari and bush experience."

The first time Day saw the property, he said he was "wowed." My reaction was the same.

After spending 33 hours in airports and on planes, I landed in Zanzibar, where I had an hourlong drive to the resort. My driver navigated through roads and lively markets selling tropical fruits.

After a drive down a particularly bumpy dirt road, we arrived at Kilindi's entrance. The gates were pushed open, and I stepped out of the car into a pavilion, which serves as Kilindi's reception.

It was clear that the reception's location was intentional. It sits above the 15 villas, which allows you to soak in the entire 50-acre property.

Below are tropical gardens, and among the rich greenery are bright, whitewashed domes. Below that is a nearby fishing village, and the vibrant ocean stretches out behind that.

After filling out typical guest paperwork, I headed down a set of steps to my villa. Half of the villas sit on the ocean, and the other half are in the tropical bush.

After walking a gravel path, I reached the entrance. I met Lily, my personal butler, for the next three days.

She explained that each villa has a different design, but all feature an indoor bedroom area, an infinity pool, and an outdoor bathroom. My garden villa had three structures: the bedroom, the bathroom, and a lounge.

Together, we walked through the space's highlights. My bedroom had air conditioning, a large bed, a closet, a seating area, and a balcony. The four-poster bed was surrounded by a gauzy mosquito net and each evening, staff arrived for turndown service, transforming the room into a dreamy oasis.

Outside the bedroom was a plunge pool and a domed pavilion with a table and daybed. If guests didn't want to dine at the property's restaurant or on the beach, Lily said I could call her, place a food order, and she'd bring it up to my room for a meal in the lounge.

The third structure was the bathroom. The open-air pavilion had a pair of sinks, a toilet, and a waterfall shower with ocean views. Thanks to the surrounding gardens, there was privacy and no other villa in sight.

A beach and shared pavilion were a short walk away. It took about five minutes from my villa to either destination. At the beach, I found more lounge chairs, kayaks, snorkeling gear, and paddleboards. The beach connects to a nearby fishing village, so the area was bustling each morning with locals preparing their boats for a day on the water.

Guests can order drinks and food at the main pavilion and swim in the property's infinity pool. Dinner is served across the area: under the pavilion, near the pool, or in surrounding grassy areas.

Kilindi seemed like an ideal retreat for honeymooners and couples

For the three days, it was tempting not to leave Kilindi's property.

I hopped between my personal plunge pool and the main pavilion's infinity pool. I spent mornings paddleboarding around the shores of Zanzibar and headed to a multi-course breakfast afterward.

One evening, I had a seven-course dinner poolside. The next, I met a chef down at the beach who grilled me a seafood feast.

Beyond spa amenities, Kilindi's staff can also help arrange excursions across the island for additional fees. Zanzibar is home to Stone Town, where travelers can explore the island's historic neighborhood, which dates back to the 19th century. There are impressive diving and snorkeling spots along the island, and evenings can be spent watching the sunset on a wooden sailing dhow.

Lily was there throughout my stay, answering questions, serving food, sharing stories, and packing lunches when I finally ventured out for a morning of scuba diving.

It was a peaceful retreat for one, but I left thinking it'd be the ideal end of a safari honeymoon thanks to the hints of romance dotting the resort: No children were in sight, couples typically kept to themselves, and the entire property was designed around privacy. Activities like sunset boat rides were targeted for pairs, and the villas' plunge pools perfectly fit two.

And, of course, there were hibiscus flowers strewn across the bed each day.

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• James Mangold spoke to Business Insider about his Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown."
• Mangold explained why Timothée Chalamet spoke in Dylan's voice on set even when he wasn't filming.
• He called the real Dylan's willingness to give notes on the script a "huge gift."

Writer-director James Mangold remembers exactly where he was and what he was doing five years ago when he decided to make a Bob Dylan biopic.

He was in a hotel room in Canada for the Toronto International Film Festival when he paused prepping for the world premiere of his 2019 movie "Ford v Ferrari" to take a meeting with Timothée Chalamet, then a young actor on the cusp of superstardom.

It didn't take long for Mangold to realize he'd found his Dylan. By the time Chalamet left the room, the two agreed to make a movie on the life and times of one of the most beloved singer-songwriters in American music.

Things might not have gotten off the ground as quickly as they'd hoped — COVID happened, Chalamet went and made the first "Dune" movie, Mangold made "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" — but throughout those five years, the two continued to stay in contact and made separate pilgrimages to see Dylan.

Finally, "A Complete Unknown," which depicts Dylan's rise to fame alongside Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and his controversial switch from acoustic guitar to electric in the mid-1960s, is in theaters.

Mangold is one of the few directors working today who has the skill and Hollywood studio experience to pull off a Bob Dylan biopic. After finding success with his 2005 Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," which earned its stars Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar nomination and Reese Witherspoon an Oscar win, Disney's Searchlight Pictures arm knew the project was in capable hands.

"A Complete Unknown" is not a carbon copy of "Walk the Line." While the latter delved deep into the dynamic between Johnny Cash and June Carter, "A Complete Unknown," which Mangold co-wrote with Jay Cocks ("Gangs of New York"), examines the myth-building of Dylan and how his talents elevated the 1960s folk music scene.

But just as Mangold used "Walk the Line" as a showcase for Phoenix's talents, he's done the same with Chalamet in "A Complete Unknown." From talking in Dylan's voice even when the camera wasn't rolling to doing his own singing and even growing out his fingernails (more on that later), Chalamet immersed himself in the aura of Dylan, resulting in the best performance his career so far.

Business Insider spoke to Mangold over Zoom about Chalamet's dedication to the role, whether the disappointing box office for "Dial of Destiny" has made him hesitant about developing his upcoming "Star Wars" movie, and if he thinks Bob Dylan will ever watch "A Complete Unknown."

Business Insider: You've now had sit-downs with Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan while making their biopics. Have you developed a go-to icebreaker for when you first meet legends?

James Mangold: No. I don't have one. But the good thing is the script is the icebreaker. They've invited me into their homes or their spaces because they've read a script I've written. So we have something to talk about. I mean, when I met with Bob the ice breaker was, charmingly, him waxing poetic about loving my old movie "Cop Land." So that in itself was trippy and flattering. 

Do you think Dylan will ever watch "A Complete Unknown"?

I have no idea.

What's your gut telling you?

I honestly have no idea. The reality is I spent a lot of good time with him and I felt like I got a good feeling for him. He does things when he's ready, he gets involved with things when he's ready, he makes comments when he's ready.

I sympathize with his quandary. Do I ever want to watch a movie where some dude is playing me and acting out significant moments in my life? Is that going to be nothing but pleasant or is it going to be weird as hell? So the fact that he took the time to read my script, give me notes, give me advice, chip in ideas, show me where he would make lifts in some songs, and give me the benefit of his wisdom and his insight about that period so I might even dig deeper into those scenes, that was a huge gift and all the generosity I could ever expect from him. 

Watching D.A. Pennebaker's Bob Dylan documentary, "Dont Look Back," confirmed something that's in your movie: Dylan had some gnarly fingernails.

Yeah. 

Did Timmy grow those out or were fake nails put on him?

Yeah, he was growing them. If you look earlier in the movie, there are some scenes where they aren't as long. By the end, he had some full-on Nosferatu going on. 

A lot has been written about Timmy being Method during filming, specifically speaking in the Dylan voice when you weren't shooting. I would imagine a lot of that has to do with him just not wanting to lose the voice, right?

Timmy's not the only person who's ever done that, that's true for most of the actors in my movies doing dialects, they don't just do it and fall out of it the second the scene ends because —

There's a fear of losing the voice.

Well, you're also trying to make it more and more internalized. You're trying to make it something you don't have to think about. So, if you're turning it on and off, you're kind of making yourself hyper-aware of it. If you're just deciding to live in it, that's a whole other deal. 

Boyd Holbrook plays Johnny Cash in the movie. Was there ever a thought to call Joaquin Phoenix to see if he would do the Johnny Cash scenes?

The thought occurred to me, but then I realized he'd be 20-30 years too old to be playing the part. 

But you know movie magic, James! The hair and makeup department would have helped him look younger. 

Okay, but then what am I servicing? This kind of meta-movie universe stuff that has plagued us enough? I'm a big fan of making a movie and giving the public the movie. Don't try to suture the movie to another movie, just own it. Otherwise movies just become this hyper-expensive television series in which we never stop making new episodes every couple of years. 

Speaking of episodic films, you're currently developing a "Star Wars" movie. Are you less confident working on that seeing what happened with the reception for "Dial of Destiny"?

Well, "Dial of Destiny" has an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. I mean, yes, they would have hoped it made more money, but I actually don't have a lot of shame about a movie that's liked by 87% of its fans.

The issue with "Star Wars" isn't my worrying about if there's an angry or resentful group that is somehow disappointed in what I did in "Dial of Destiny." Honestly, that's their prerogative, that's part of what makes movies great is you can think they're awesome or you can think they're terrible. I can't please everyone and I'm sorry they don't like it.

But in relation to "Star Wars," the bottom line is I don't even know if that's the next movie for me. That's something that Beau Willimon and I are working on writing and all the other tripwires and judgments along the way. I don't want to make it unless it's excellent.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

• Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew.
• It's usually in December, but the dates change every year since Judaism follows a lunar calendar.
• The national menorah lit in Washington, DC, is 30 feet tall and requires a lift from a cherry picker to light.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, takes place from December 25 through January 2 this year.

Hanukkah celebrates the victory of a small group of Jewish rebels over an enormous Greek army to defend their heritage, and a miraculously long-lasting flame that continues to serve as a symbol of hope and perseverance. 

Here are 10 facts you may not have known about Hanukkah.

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