Sinqua Walls is co-starring in David Ellis’ “Shark Night 3D”. Sinqua is also know for his roles in two of my favorite TV series “Friday Night Lights” & “Blue Mountain State”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Sinqua about battling sharks in his new film and his work on his TV shows.
Mike Gencarelli: Tell us your role in David Ellis’ “Shark Night 3D”?
Sinqua Walls: My characters name is Malik. He is one of the leads in the film and he is kind of like the glue to the whole story. Basically, he and his friends are going on a spring break/summer vacation once the semester ends and trouble ensues. My character is the relative athlete. He is also in love with one of the girls and getting ready to propose to her. He is a good character and throughout the film has some really good courageous qualities.
MG: How was it shooting in 3D for the film?
SW: First off, yes we shot it in 3D. We used the whole 3D camera setup. We did not do it in post, so everything too a little longer because the cameras were heavier and you need to be lenient to the light. It was amazing though, we shot with three cameras to capture everything. Every when we got to see the dailies it just looks amazing. You see this shark and it literally looks like the shark is coming out of the screen to bite somebody.
MG: Where there any animatronic sharks used in the film or where they CGI?
SW: We had these huge animatronic sharks that literally can free swim and move on their own. All you had the do is just put them in the water and they just come at you. Once you see it on the screen it is going to look amazing. Most of it is animatronic…CGI doesn’t really come into play much. Also all the explosions were real. We blew up boat houses [laughs]. Boats were blown up…trees we knocked down [laughs]. But yeah, the sharks are real. I believe the budget for the sharks alone was between $1-2 million dollars. There were like three or four 
sharks I believe. I really only worked with one shark called Jimmy the most [laughs]. You are going to like it, it is really good stuff.
MG: Would you say it was it a difficult production to shoot?
SW: All throughout it was a really good experience. You’re waking at 5:30am in the morning everyday and it is long shoot, but David is a great director to work with. He really knows what he is doing and knows action really well. He can be having a conversation with you and calling action at the same time. He knows exactly what he is looking for. We shot it in Shreveport, Louisiana. The crew was really great too. It is just one of those projects that just from day one just go so right.
MG: You played football player with two hit shows “Friday Night Lights” & “Blue Mountain State”, how was it working on those series?
SW: It was fun. I am an athletic guy and I work out a lot. When you are shooting those shows you always have to use those physical tools. One time when Taylor (Kitsch) and I had to do a “40” on the camera, we actually had to run like we were doing running a fast 40 [laughs]. It is fun when you can incorporate acting and get a workout at the same time. It is like cheating the system a little bit.
MG: Do you find that the two series compare at all?
SW: “Blue Mountain State” is a comedy and it is hilarious. Working on that show I was laughing non-stop. “Friday Night Lights” is a drama, so it is more in depth and focuses on character analysis. I think it is an awesome show. Jason Katims is one of the writers on that show and he just wanted to capture it being so real. Both shows are so great though. I have been very lucky so far and been able to call this a job. I am just riding the wave man [laughs].
MG: How do you compare working on TV to movies?
SW: TV is a lot faster pace. You are working against the clock most of the time, especially for half hour shows. You get a little more time when you are doing an hour show like “Friday Night Lights”. “Friday Night Lights” is shot similar to feature style since that is the way that Peter Berg wanted to do it. With features you just get more time to play. From an actor’s prospective you really get to delve into a particular character. For Malik, I wanted to try my best to make sure it was a character that the audiences would appreciate. This guy is fighting these sharks but he is actually a good dude also! So, I would say that it is fun to do both.
MG: Tell us what else you are currently working on?
SW: Right now, I just did a show for ABC Family with executive producer, Brenda Hampton. We are waiting to see if that get picked up. So once that happens we will hopefully be moving forward.
