COLUMBUS, Ohio — It's a success story of an Ohio man you don't hear every day.

What You Need To Know

  • The former Ohio State basketball and track star is gaining new heights in his acting career in Hollywood

  • Otis Winston has appeared in the films: Greenland, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Plane

  • Winston shares advice for others trying to achieve their dreams

Otis Winston said growing up, all he heard was, "No, that's not possible," so he set out to prove everyone wrong, and he's done it twice — not only in athletics but in Hollywood. 

Winston was the former Ohio State basketball and track captain, and is now gaining new heights in acting, making it to the big screen in one of his latest movies ‘Plane’. 

"I've been told I couldn't do things all my life,” said Winston. “All my life, I've always been counted out."

Between growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio, to dealing with a speech impediment, Winston's been through a lot. Eventually, he was able to rise above it all. 

"It was difficult, ya know,” said Winston. “I stuttered until I was 11, couldn't properly talk. They actually told me 'I would never be able to properly talk’, and then one day, the stutter just went away." ​

Winston would then make leaps, not yet in Hollywood, but in sports. He still holds the record at Ohio State in the high jump 30 years later. 

But, in the highs and lows of life, he daydreamed about something else: making movies. 

"At the time I was a computer consultant,” said Winston. “I had a full-time job, but while I was working, I was always daydreaming about being on set. I was always writing my scripts, and the desire for it grew and it grew and grew."

It came to fruition after a whirlwind of events: 13 years ago, Winston got laid off and divorced the same week.

"I didn't know which way to turn,” said Winston. “I went to L.A. to visit a friend. The building, I was walking in, as I was walking in, a director was walking out, ask me if I was the guest actor, I said, 'No,' and the guest actor never showed up. So, I did it and the rest is history." 

Now 12 years and more than 20 movies later, Winston did the impossible. 

"The guy who they said could never do it is actually doing it,” Winston said. 

And while he still faces some struggles and challenges in life, he stays positive, pushing himself to stay strong. 

"I always tell people, it's not how you start, it's how you finish,” Winston said. “It doesn't matter what others think or what others believe. Only thing that matters: What do you believe? What do you think? How bad do you want it?" 

Winston just returned to Columbus after filming 'Red One' in Atlanta with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.