ACTION/THRILLER/CRIME
Rage (2009)
Director: Michael Pearce
Role: Bill
A man’s wife is murdered and he goes on a rampage to find the man responsible.
Although I’ve worked with Mike Pearce many times since Rage, this was the first time I encountered him. The script was massive, feature-length. We shot a shortened version in the end. James Scott Norton, whom I’d cast in several of my own shorts, played the lead. I played his alcoholic brother-in-law. I treated the role with the utmost professionalism. I felt that Bill was a lonely, sad man, drinking away his days, so I gained some weight and grew a beard. There were many shouting scenes, some outside, so at times we worried that someone would call and complain, especially during a screaming scene between me and James. The film features graphic make-up effects and a dark, brooding atmosphere.
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Johnny and Francine
Director: Evakay Favia
Role: Johnny
Not sure where to begin with this film. I was under the impression that it was a short film that was intended to be put into festivals. From what I’ve heard, it was actually a short intended to get our director onto a filmmaking reality show because she had to have proof that she was a filmmaker. The production was quite professional. It was my first time working with DP Aravind Ragupathi and I was also introduced to the great Kevin Darbro. There were many extras as well as dance choreographers and a poor make-up woman who had to constantly powder me since the film takes place at a dance marathon in the 1930’s I took dance lessons, went to several rehearsals, perfected my accent and took up smoking briefly just to lend authenticity to the role. Ultimately, the film just disappeared. I have a copy that I’ve never been certain was the final product since it played more as a trailer than a film. Maybe that was the final film. In the end, I at least have a cool B/W still.
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Bad Times
Director: Brian Shaw
Role: Robber
I was able to work with my friends Owen Daly and Jennifer Russoli on this short. I play an inept robber who ends up getting tricked by a much more seasoned thief. The shoot was set for two days, but our director Brian, who had a note on his hand saying “Slow Down,” shot the film quite quickly and finished up by the end of the day.
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S.T.E.O. File: 02112011: Abduction
Director: Shannon Griffin
Role: Agent 1
This film was an interesting mix of horror and action. There’s a vampire, guns, and torture. I got to beat the crap out of the lead before my boss, an evil vampire, comes in to finish the job. I end up getting shot in the head by our own director, Shannon.
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Honest Living
Director: Jordan Branch/Gus Wilde
Role: Craig
Another great villain role. I killed two people in this film. A UNC student film made around the same time as Whitetail, I played a psychotic robber with a real nasty streak. The guns we used had a real air-pump mechanism, so it felt right when the gun had some actual kick back. Contains one of my personal favorite final scenes with a great monologue. One person on the set though my moustache was highly impressive.
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Blue Collar
Director: Johnathan Loos
Role: Daniel
My first encounter with Owen Daly. As usual, one of us gets to kill the other, or at least do something terrible to the other. This was a UNC film made by the same students who made Honest Living. I’m a rich trust fund kid who is dating a woman who is secretly plotting to have me killed in order to rob me. A very well made and well-written film. We had one day cancelled after a storm washed us out of a shoot at a park. We also had a disruption from a man clad in nothing but a speedo. They filmed a bit of him and a police officer came looking for the man. We showed him the footage. I also met Caroline Crumpler on the set. We rehearsed together and she told me that she was up for the lead in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker.
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Continuity of Parks
Director: Evan Gelb
Role: The Visitor
Unfortunately, the book bag containing the laptop that had all of the footage on it was stolen from the director, so this film is lost. I would’ve loved to have seen it. I played a hit man, of sorts, with a horrible scar, as you can see, sent off to kill a man. It was a Duke University student film.
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The Switch
Director: (Director asked that his name be withdrawn)
Role: Man
Although I was able to meet William Lilly and Christopher Houldsworth on the set of this movie, otherwise, it was not a great experience. The director made very strange choices, including going to a coffee shop expecting to get permission to film. He was, of course, denied, but he sat us outside the shop anyways and shot a 3 person scene, doing individual close ups. The problem was, the music playing in the background was constantly changing, so nothing matched. Certain scenes were rushed and didn’t make much sense, including who was switching which package, which was important to the plot of the film. In conclusion, we(the actors) were told that the film couldn’t be finished because actors had to be students, but the rules clearly didn’t say that. We believe that the director simply didn’t finish the film and we have yet to see any footage from it, although it’s doubtful we ever will.
