Charles Trafton: A Hollywood Story From Prince George’s Community College To An Extra In “Daddy’s Home 2”

"Daddy's Home 2" finished in second place at the box office over the weekend after grossing 30 million dollars. The sequel has a few seconds of a Prince George's Community College connection. Charles Trafton had one of his two scenes shot make it into the blockbuster sequel.

Trafton attended Prince George's Community College from 1990-92 and then transferred to Boston College where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance in 1994. He now owns and operates a hedge fund called FlowPoint Capital Partners in Andover, Mass. The company focuses on trading United States equities, which has been Trafton's focus for the last 23 years.

Trafton attended an open casting call for "Daddy's Home 2" and says that he was not only fortunate to receive a callback but placed in two scenes on-camera.

"I encourage anyone interested in film to respond to these open casting calls," Trafton said. "Hollywood is always looking for extras, and who knows, perhaps a career on the silver screen awaits."

The first scene Trafton was an extra featured the main stars of the movie: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow, Linda Cardellini and Alessandra Ambrosio. He also had a second scene as an extra with Cardellini. The first scene, unfortunately, went to the cutting room floor but the second scene is in the movie.

"The first scene took about four hours to film. There were so many one-liners we could not contain the giggles," said Trafton. "I saw the movie this weekend, and those hours of work boiled down to just a few seconds in the movie. My family and I (well, mostly me), pointed and squealed with delight when I appeared on-screen in the theatre."

That could have been Trafton's "15 minutes of fame," but looking at his story of growth from Prince George's Community College to Boston College to Wall Street to actor could be a Hollywood story and a true example of how Prince George's Community College transform's lives.

A 1986 graduate of Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., Trafton said that he tried college before Prince George's Community College, but here is where he found a home, direction, and professors that worked closely with him. In the Lowen & Navarro song "A Place Where I Belong," there is the lyric "I hope I know it when I find the place where I belong." Like so many students before and after Trafton, Prince George's Community College is a place of belonging and why one of the college's goals is to envision success for each of its students.

"I chose Prince George's Community College because of my comfort with the school's environment and culture, affordable cost, my admission into its Honors Program, proximity to my home and the baseball program, particularly coach "Bumps" Vaughan and his relationship with San Francisco Giant scout Mike Toomey," said Trafton.

He credits persistence to one of the biggest lessons he learned at Prince George's Community College. He entered the college after three years away from schooling at the age of 21.

"My first semester back was a rough transition academically, and I actually failed a class, which prevented me from playing spring ball," said Trafton. "But I doubled my efforts, and by sophomore year I was making straight A's, representing Prince George's Community College on the ball field and developed a focus on a Wall Street career. Success seemed far off after that initial semester, but my professors, particularly in the Prince George's Community College Honors Program, were invested in my success. Their extra time with me outside the classroom propelled me."

As a pitcher for the Owls under Vaughan's direction, Trafton remembers playing the U.S. Naval Academy and spring trips that helped the team's chemistry.

"In the fall, we used to scrimmage the U.S. Naval Academy every Tuesday in Annapolis, and competing against the Midshipmen varsity was a challenge that prepared us for our NJCAA spring schedule. One of my high school teammates Creighton Armstrong played first base for Navy and I enjoyed pitching to him, despite his annoying habit of smacking line-drive base hits off my best efforts," recalls Trafton. "Our spring trip down south was also a highlight, where we played UNC-Wilmington, the Citadel and other top NCAA programs. Road trips were a great way to build team camaraderie, compete, and a time for us JUCO players to explore four-year schools in the Mid-Atlantic."

Trafton believes that he learned to make the most of his potential at Prince George's Community College and turned it into a great career in finance In addition to trading U.S. equities, he is working with the higher education community to create new asset class called income-share agreements (ISA's).

"ISA's are an alternative to student loans, where we (FlowPoint) invest in college students by paying their tuition in exchange for a portion of their future earnings," said Trafton. "Funding higher education is the number one challenge for American millennials and we aim to put a dent in the $1.5 trillion student loan balance."

Trafton maintains his focus on the financial world, but enjoys entertainment and hopes to continue in the industry. He said that the "Daddy's Home 2" set was the first time he was on a movie set since 1987 when he worked briefly as a stagehand on a movie called "Loose Cannons" with Gene Hackman and Dom Delouise in Washington, D.C.

"My experience with 'Daddy's Home 2' reignited a fascination with the industry, and I love to perform," said Trafton. "Everyone on the set was extremely generous, kind, and funny. Will Ferrell and I had a little back-and-forth trading one-liners, and I quickly lost that battle. He is a comedic genius and knew how to handle amateurs like me, which was to leave us both laughing."

Along with acting, Trafton plays guitar and raps for the band Punch Drunk and he would love to somehow combine his passion for music into film. While it has been 25 years since being at Prince George's Community College he feels that he is forever in the college's debt for how he now envisions success and it transformed his life.

"Prince George's Community College has the resources to help you achieve your goals, including employable skills and help to transfer to a four-year university," said Trafton. "Your athletic performance will speak for itself, so choose a school that will invest in you beyond the ball field."

"Prince George's Community College was a fantastic experience for me and I love the PG community!" said Trafton.