2011 - Page 66 of 69 - MediaMikes

Interview with Damon Herriman

Damon Herriman is known best for playing Dewey Crowe on the TV series “Justified”. Damon recently scored a role in the new film, “J. Edgar” as Bruno Hauptmann. Movie Mikes were able to chat with Damon about his role in the show and his new film.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about working on the show “Justified”?
Damon Herriman: On Justified I play the hapless redneck, Dewey Crowe. I really love working on that show. It started out as just a guest role in the pilot but I guess it’s kind of turned into a recurring role. The writing, the direction and the actors are just all so good. And the dialogue is stuff you just don’t get to do very often. Really great, fun character stuff.

MG: What do you use for inspiration for your character Dewey Crowe?
DH: I guess the script. The character is so clear on the page, I don’t have to look elsewhere. Sure, there are a bunch of similar screen characters and real people I’ve come across over the years who would be contributing to the role in an unconscious way. But essentially all the inspiration I need is in the writing. It’s just so good

MG: Tell us about your new role in “J. Edgar” as Bruno Hauptmann?
DH: I play the German carpenter who was convicted of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby in the 30s. The film itself is about J Edgar Hoover’s entire reign at the FBI, but, as Hoover took a personal interest in the case, quite a bit of the film is dedicated to the Lindbergh case.

MG: How do you plan on preparing for the role?
DH: It’s the first time I’ve played a real person and you do feel a responsibility to capture them as accurately as possible. Luckily there are a few YouTube clips of the real guy from the court case. That’s been very helpful. Other than that I’ve been reading up a lot on the case and working on the German accent. You don’t want to have real Germans laughing at the screen!

MG: Are you excited to work with Clint Eastwood and whole cast?
DH: I’m incredibly excited. I’m still pinching myself. I’ve been a fan of Clint Eastwood’s since I can remember – both as an actor and a director. To think I will get to work with such a legend is still hard to believe. And most of my scenes are with Leondaro DiCaprio. A brilliant actor and again, someone I’m really excited to be working with.

MG: You’ve wrote, produced and directed a bunch of short, any plans to make a feature
DH: I have a couple of features in various stages. I’m working on a new one with Luke Doolan (2010 Oscar nominee for his short ‘Miracle Fish’) at the moment which we both feel very good about. Quite a high concept but it’s really coming together. Fingers crossed!

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Interview with Marc Fantini

Marc Fantini is known best for his score work with Steffan Fantini and Scott Gordan on TV’s “Criminal Minds” and now its spin off “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”, starring Forest Whitaker. Marc and his partners have also worked on the TV series “Army Wives” and recently completed working on the film “The Lost Medallion”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Marc about working with his two partners and scoring the “Criminal Minds” Franchise .

Mike Gencarelli: How is it working together with Steffan Fantini, and Scott Gordan on your scores? How do you separate the tasks?
Marc Fantini: What we found out is that three is the magic number for us. If you are working alone…that is one way to work. If you are working with two people and you have a disagreement…you really don’t have a tiebreaker. But with three people, it is the trifecta. One person is the tiebreaker, so that kind of helps a lot. We haven’t done much apart because the technique seems to work for us a lot. We have a really strong competitive force that we have between the three of us which pushes the envelope further and further. We are also trying one-up each other and impress each other in a very positive way. Not to mention that the guys are really cool people to hang out with, but working with three people has been a blessing.

MG: Having worked on “Criminal Minds” for six years, what do you do to keep the music different over each season?
MF: We treat each episode like a new movie each week. There are certain commonalities with each episode for “Criminal Minds”, each one has the board room for instance. But each story is different in its own way. We huddle up at the beginning of the scoring session and try and figure out what is different about each episode. We talk about the differences and try and do something different that relates to this episode. In the recent episode for example, where the guy was trying to decipher the perfect smell, we would try and figure out what could evoke musically the thought of smell and air. We would also try and figure out what sound would make you think about that or makes you feel that way. Once we do that, we share them and they become current thoughout the episode. Since you would never score any two movies the same way, it is the same for us with each episode.

MG: With the new show “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”, how do you feel it differs from its predecessor?
MF: It is a different style of working for the show, since on the show they are more of a rouge team. They do things outside of the box and push as far as they can. They do not work in suits in an office, they work in a gym and very dirty underground places. The music is set to reflect all those situations. It is more street and gritty and is also like a touch more aggressive in a sense. I would say it is a little different than “Criminal Minds” but not 180 degree difference, since they are brother and sister shows. Nobody is interested in watching two hours of the same show though. We wanted to strive to make it have a different feel through the music without straying too far from what made the original show so great.

MG: How do you compare workintg on “Criminal Minds” to “Army Wives”?
MF: That is a great question, in that case…it is 180 degree difference. With “Army Wives”, it is a very organic score. I am guitar player, so I get a chance to play with all my guitars every week and test out new sounds. Nothing done for the score is synthethic. Everything is creating organically whether it is through pedal boards or strange microphone techniques. We tried to create unique but organic sounds. When you get on an Army base you get real people and real people is an organic thing, it is not fake in any way. I have always been a fan of The Allman Brothers and bands like that and how they have that organic sound and kind of feel. We wanted to incorporate that into the score. It is almost like jamming. We get together…I will play my acoustic…Steffan will be on a B3…Scott will play the drums or bass and we watch the scene. We sort of just keep jamming to the scene until we find something that works. That is pretty much how that score is written. There are definitely spots in that score that are orchestral, since it is an emotional kind of show. We use it in conjuction though with the organic process. It is a really fun show to write for.

MG: Is there a difference from working on film than working on television?
MF: Sure, there is a pretty big difference. Television is a great medium and I love writing for it. Working under the boundary of a single hour, you have to try and get the most bang for your buck. It is almost like you are putting more into the music for television. Whereas you can get away with being a little more sparce and tasteful when you are doing movies. In the movie, you have a chance to play over scenes and not have to narrate everyone sound that takes place.

MG: Do you have other projects upcoming?
MF: We are doing a pliot for Ed Bernero called “Partners”. It is really excited and unbelievably well written show for ABC. It is about two female cops who unbenounced to anyone are sisters. The writting is so good and very intelligence. It crosses the boundary like the film “Lethal Weapon”, there is humor but always seriousness. The way that they interplay the show with humor, you do not see that much. We also did a movie with some great people, the director was Bill Muir and produced by Bobby Downes and Kevin Downes. It was called “The Lost Medallion” and is a children action adventure film. It was really fun. We also have another pilot we may do but not locked in 100% yet.

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Interview with Tony Randel

Tony Randel is known best for directing “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”, amongst many other genre films. Tony has recently released his latest film “The Double Born”, which has been quite talked about within fans of the genre. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Tony about working in the business and his films.

Mike Gencarelli: Working on “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”, what was your biggest challenge?
Tony Randel: The main goal was to make a film that was as worthy as the first one. It is always a challenge to make a film people will enjoy but also to make a film that is appreciated by the fans as a direct sequel not a rip off. We really wanted to make “Hellraiser II” a film that could be spliced together with the first film and I think we did a very good job at that. The tone and look of the second matches the first almost flawlessly.

MG: Did you feel any pressure to amp it up from the “Hellraiser”?
TR: There was a larger budget to work with the second time around. We wanted to give the fans more and be able to explore concepts from the first film a little further. Everyone involved knew that if we wanted to tell the Cenobites back story that it was going to cost more to do so. The first film hardly tells anything of their story. Everything had to be created from scratch to show their world.

MG: “Fist of the North Star” is one of my favorite animes, how did you come to work on the live action film?
TR: I had a multi-picture deal with First Look Pictures and they had acquired the rights to the graphic novel series. There were several different writers involved but ultimately I ended up working with Peter Atkins on the final version. The studio asked for an adaptation and they chose me for that job. It was somewhat of a tough job because the graphic novel and the original animated movie didn’t have much of a story. We had to pretty much come up with a story line of our own.

MG: Tell us about your work on “Godzilla 1985”?
TR: I was the Director of Post Production for New World Entertainment. During that time the studio obtained the rights to “The Return of Godzilla” which I think was the original title in Japan. The film was a little longer than the studio had wanted so we actually took an idea that had been used by Roger Corman. The idea was to shoot some addition footage with an American cast and splice it into what had already been shot and while doing so edit the movie down to the desired time. Doing this provided the studio with what they were looking for both visually and it allowed them to market it with Raymond Burr. That film proved to be very successful for New World. They actually sold over 100,000 cassettes of that film.

MG: Tell us about your latest film “The Double Born”
TR: I was looking to do a smaller independent film as I have always been a fan of that genre. I had started working with some digital equipment and thought I could probably put together a full movie for a small amount of money. I looked around for an idea and decided to base it on a Bram Stoker story. In searching through his work I found he didn’t write a lot of horror which was interesting. I found one of his short stories that interested me so I adapted it and wrote the screen play very loosely based on that. I financed the film myself and used film school students as the cast. I think for the resources I had it came out very good.

MG: What drew you to that specific Bram Stoker story?
TR: In the Bram Stoker version there are two young characters character’s Harry and Tommy who are obsessed with knives and chopping things up. So what I did was make the two kids older and I created family drama based around these two psychotic individuals combined with a woman obsessed with having a baby. That’s really how the whole thing was born.

MG: Do you have any other upcoming projects?
TR: I’m working on a horror script that I have been playing with for awhile but I can’t give too much detail about that just yet. I recently have been doing a lot of editing which I have done for some time know. The business is very tough right now. A lot of independent directors like me from the 80’s and 90’s are all in the same boat trying to figure out how the business is going to work these days.

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Interview with Barbie Wilde

Barbie Wilde is known best for her role as the Female Cenobite in “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”. Barbie also recently wrote a short story entitled ‘Sister Cilice’ for “Hellbound Hearts”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Barbie about her role in the film, as well as what is she currently working on.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get the role of Female Cenobite in “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”?
Barbie Wilde: At the time, I was working for London Weekend Television’s ‘The Night Network’ as a video film reviewer for a late (very late!) night program called ‘The Small Screen’. My agent called me and asked me if I wanted to go to an audition for ‘Hellraiser II’, as they were looking for people with movement skills for the role of one of the Cenobites. (Part of my skills as an actress involved becoming a classically trained mime artist.) I have to admit, I wasn’t very enthusiastic, as I’d seen the first ‘Hellraiser’ film and it really disturbed me. For some reason, I thought that they wanted me for the part of the Chatterer and I didn’t think that I could take the claustrophobia of that kind of extreme mask work. But I did go (with a little urging from friends) and I was relieved that they wanted me for the part of the Female Cenobite, which thankfully didn’t involve mask work, just “a little” prosthetic make-up.

MG: How long did the makeup process take?
BW: For me, it took four hours for the make-up and thirty minutes to get into the costume. Of course, you also have to figure in the hours of casting my head for the prosthetic pieces and all the time the make-up crew took in designing and then making up new pieces for me every day. The costume was a bit easier, as I was using the costume made for Grace Kirby, who is Clive Barker’s cousin and the Female Cenobite in the first ‘Hellraiser’ film. Maybe that’s another reason why I was cast? I fit the costume!

MG: What happened after “Hellraiser II”, why didn’t reprise you role?
BW: To be frank, although I loved everyone that worked on the film, I wasn’t very happy with the makeup process and I was trying to carve out a career as a TV presenter. (I was much happier being myself than trying to be an actress.) Frankly, I wasn’t asked to participate and I think that since the whole operation moved to LA for the third film, they were keen to create new Cenobite characters. And after all, my character was killed off in ‘Hellraiser II’.

MG: Are you generally a fan of the genre?
BW: I love sci-fi horror such as: ‘Alien’ (1979), ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1956), ‘The Thing’ (both the 1952 version and John Carpenter’s version)
supernatural horror: ‘The Haunting’ (the 1963 version, not the lame remake), ‘The Innocents’ (1961), ‘Night of the Demon’ (1958), ‘The Exorcist’ (1973), ‘Don’t Look Now’ (1973) and any ‘Dracula’ or vampire film serial killer horror: ‘Psycho’ (1961), ‘Se7en’ (1995). I also liked: ‘Constantine’ (2005), ‘Audition’ (1999) ‘The Ring’ (the 2003 US remake) and ‘Don’t Look Now’ (1973) But I’m not a fan of slasher or zombie movies, although they’re incredibly popular at the moment.

MG: Tell us about your involvement with the ‘Holy Grail of unfinished and unreleased 80’s horror’, “Grizzly II: The Predator”?
BW: The plot of ‘Grizzly II’ was simple. An angry momma bear is rampaging through an American national park, chomping away on innocent folk (like George Clooney, in a very early role) and causing havoc. The park is in financial trouble so the head of administration (Louise Fletcher) decides that it would be a good idea to have a concert in the park to raise funds. I played the drummer of an electronica band who were to be the star attraction for this concert (hence one of other names for this film: ‘Grizzly II: The Concert’). My boyfriend at the time, Richard James Burgess, was producing the music for the film and was also going to play the drummer of the movie band, but was called away to Sweden to produce Adam Ant. He drafted me at the last minute and I had to learn how to be a drummer in a few short lessons. For reasons known only to the producers, the film was made in Hungary and our band sequences were shot in the middle of a state park near Budapest. A concert by the band Nazareth was organized by the producers of the film to lure the youth of Budapest into the park. In the middle of the concert, Nazareth disappeared, then the movie band came on and we did our weird electronica stuff to the utter amazement of the Hungarians, who didn’t really know what was going on. We did a lot of rehearsing for the musical numbers, because we only had one night to shoot our sequences. I believe we did our crazy numbers three times in a row, which must have puzzled our hard rock, Nazareth-loving audience no end. The problems with the film were overwhelming. The Hungarian director (whose name eludes me) had a nervous breakdown. The mechanical bear had movement problems and never got out of the design studio. There were rumors that the film equipment was confiscated by the Hungarian authorities. Sadly, I never saw George Clooney or the legendary mechanical bear. The film was never finished, although some clips have surfaced on Youtube. I’ve put up some photos and links to reviews and the Youtube clips on my website. There are some DVDs out there of ‘Grizzly 2’, but supposedly all the scary bear bits are replaced by a black screen, as they never managed to do the mechanical bear shots.

Trivia: The stage choreography of the band and the dancers was done by Bruno Tonioli of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ – ‘Dancing with the Stars’ fame.

MG: How was it revisiting the “Hellraiser” series for your short story entitled ‘Sister Cilice’ for “Hellbound Hearts”.
BW: When Paul Kane, the editor of ‘Hellbound Hearts’, approached me about writing a story for the anthology, I was a bit hesitant. My interest in writing has always been in the criminal arena and I’ve finished a novel about a serial killer that I’m trying to get published at the moment. However, Paul thought it would be interesting to have a female perspective on the world of the Cenobites. Of course, if you go back to Clive Barker’s source novella, ‘The Hellbound Heart’ (which all the writers were required to do for the anthology for legal reasons), the lead Cenobite is female. In the end, I really enjoyed writing ‘Sister Cilice’, especially when I found a way into her mind — sick and twisted as it is. And it was very gratifying to get so many great reviews for the story. (http://www.barbiewilde.com/hellboundhearts.html)

MG: Any more writing projects in the near future?
BW: I’ve just finished a two year project co-writing a screenplay and a stage play for a musical. It’s very dark and edgy and contains my favorite themes of love, violence and obsession. It’s set in post-World War II Marseille. My partner and I are now contemplating writing a musical about wartime journalists, set sometime in the late 80s, early 90s. I also have a novel with a very unusual take on vampires on the back burner.

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Roy Scheider: The Lost Interview!

In September 1977 I was given permission by Roy Scheider to start his Official Fan Club. As a 16 year old kid whose favorite film was (and still is) “JAWS,” I was in the proverbial hog heaven. Roy passed away on February 10, 2008 at the age of 75. This weekend I was going through a box of some old fan club material (fan letters, etc) and came across an interview I did through the mail with Roy in February 1980 shortly after he was nominated for an Academy Award for “All That Jazz.” He was also appearing on Broadway with Blythe Danner and Raul Julia in the play “Betrayal.” The papers are yellowed but Roy’s handwritten answers to my question are still bold. Unless you were a member of the Fan Club you are reading this for the first time in what is truly a MovieMikes exclusive. Enjoy!

Mr. Scheider, let me first say congratulations on your Academy Award nomination!! I found your performance to be fantastic!! (NOTE TO THE READERS: Please excuse all of the exclamation points. I was 19 years old at the time) I am crossing my fingers from now until April 14th (the night the awards were presented) Though your ability is all that’s necessary to win the Oscar a little luck also helps! Congrats again!

Q: There is much talk of “All That Jazz” being almost a Bob Fosse biography. What is your opinion? I noticed some similarities.
ROY SCHEIDER: Yes – in New York there is too much “bio” talk. It is somewhat biographical but only 1/3. The rest of the nation identifies with the character of “Joe Gideon” as just another crazy workaholic.
Q: You were nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “The French Connection” but lost out to Ben Johnson in “The Last Picture Show.” Now you’re nominated as Best Actor for “All That Jazz.” What do you think, truthfully, your chances are for the Oscar? I personally think your closest competition is Dustin Hoffman (nominated that year for “Kramer vs Kramer”), who you worked with in “Marathon Man,” and the closest he is second!
RS: Ben Johnson won because he had a very dramatic private scene and because he was a veteran actor. We all pay our dues. Dustin will win – – -he has paid his dues. (Of course, Roy was right. The winner on Oscar night was Dustin Hoffman)
Q: I recently saw your first film, “The Curse of the Living Corpse,” on television. What, in your opinion, have been the major breakthroughs in films and production qualities since then and “All That Jazz?”
RS: “Living Corpse” was my first. It cost $35,000. “Jazz,” my last, cost $10.5 million and was directed by a genius filmmaker.
Q: There was talk some time ago about a film from the people who did “Animal House” and Zanuck/Brown to be titled “Jaws 3, People 0.” Were you approached to perform in this film and, if you weren’t, would you? I am aware of your reluctance to do “Jaws 2.” Also, hope you didn’t mind the “All that JAWS” poster!! (I had sent Roy a mock up poster combining his characters from “JAWS” and “All that Jazz” entitled “All That JAWS.” As this was early 1980 I’m going to go ahead and lay claim to being the first person to come up with that).
RS: 1. Definitely NO! 2. Not bad – – “J’s” seem to be lucky for me.
Q: What was the hardest part of making “All that Jazz?” I’ll assume it was the dancing.
RS: Yes. Not the learning or the doing but the repeating, again and again, for the camera angles. I’m getting older and those were muscles I’d never used.
Q: What was it like returning to the stage in “Betrayal?” Did you realize you had missed the live audience? Would you like to do another play in the near future?
RS: It is refreshing. Like getting on a bicycle again. It’s good to be dealing with ideas. I’ll be tired of it by June. Yes – – I’ll do it again in the future.
Q: What other projects do you have in the works? Films, plays…giving dance lessons?
RS: Reading film scripts.
Q: Finally, when you win the Oscar can I have the carnation you wear in your lapel?
RS: I won’t, so there goes your carnation. If I do you’ll get it!

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Interview with Jim Krut

Jim Krut is well known for his small but very notable role as the Helicopter Zombie in “Dawn of the Dead”. Since then Jim has not done many films but he has been quite involved with the genre. Movie Mikes had a chance to ask Jim a few questions about his working on “Dawn of the Dead” and his career.

Click here to purchase “Dawn of the Dead”
Click here to purchase “Deadlands 2: Trapped”

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got the role of the Helicopter Zombie in “Dawn of the Dead”?
Jim Krut: I got the role of Helicopter Zombie in “Dawn of the Dead” when Tom Savini asked me to do the role. At the time, I was living in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, working in live theater with a traveling repertory company called the Ironclad Agreement. I was literally on my way to see a movie in Oakland, when I ran into Tom. Tom said, “Jim I have a great role for you in the George Romero film that’s being made here in Pittsburgh. I think you’ll really like it.” I told him, “Tom, in a few minutes I’ll be in a movie.” Tom said, give me a call and we’ll set up the makeup sessions.

MG: How long have you know Tom Savini?
JK: Tom and I had had known each other for a number of years, since we were in college together in Pittsburgh. There, we acted in student productions. Tom and I were the two actors in a version of Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story.” During that run, the real knife that we used made a real impact on Tom’s midsection. But, as they say, show must go on. Tom didn’t flinch; we finished the show and no one ever knew that he’d been injured.

MG: Tell us about the makeup process for your character?
JK: We got together for the makeup sessions in Tom’s workshop, in the basement of his home. He needed to do a head cast of me. This entailed my breathing through a straw for about 20 min. while plaster was slathered all over my face until it hardened. Then, the back of the head was done the same way. It helps you appreciate the old movies where fugitives are hiding in a stream and breathing through a hollow reed while they stay concealed. In this case, however, Tom called me a few days later and said that the plaster cracking we need to repeat the process. I returned to Tom’s workshop. He completed the plaster molding of my head and from that was able to build the rest of the prosthetics. To make the removable headpiece proportional to the rest of my head, Tom applied the beard, mustache and a bit more hair. It seems like only a few days from that point that we were on set at the Monroeville airport.

MG: How long did it take to shoot your scene?
JK: In my recollection, I was there two days. The first day was pretty drizzly and a lot of the indoor shooting was done at that time. There may have been some uncertainty about the helicopter arriving if there was rain. I believe the first shooting day at the Monroeville airport was a Sunday and I pretty much stayed inside the little office building for most of that. It gave me a chance to watch how others were working and how George Romero was directing. It was my first time on a movie set. As a struggling actor in Pittsburgh, it was also great to have access to the lunch wagon from craft services. As for the costume, there were at least two identical sets of clothes for me. We only needed one, since everything was done in one take. Applying the makeup and appliances took about an hour, as I recall. Tom had everything ready to go and seemed to be everywhere on the set at the airport. As for direction, I believe that Tom had worked far enough in advance with George that George trusted Tom to pull off the effect. I’m pretty sure George directed all of the camera angles, but Tom worked on the timing and the execution of the effect. Again, everything was done in one take. Time may have been a factor, but everything seemed to go very smoothly because of the earlier planning. Both Tom and I are Vietnam veterans. We were both familiar with helicopters from that experience. Stepping up onto the loosely arranged boxes, while focusing on the “meat” refueling the helicopter was probably the trickiest part of the shot for me. I wanted it all to be right. Even if this would be my only time ever in a movie, I was going to give it my best. It was surprising, but very gratifying, to learn we didn’t have to repeat the shot. People on the set said it looked great and seemed to be really happy with the way it turned out. I believe the shooting involving the Helicopter Zombie scenes took about an hour altogether.

MG: Although being in the film for only a short time, you character is definitely well known form the series, how do you feel about that?
JK: As for being so well known for this relatively short sequence in a cult film, all I can say is I’m extremely happy to have been a part of it! You have to remember, at the time, George Romero was breaking a lot of new ground. From what I saw of the effects, language and action, I figured that my family and friends at the time might never go to see this movie. But, that’s what taking a chance is all about. I’ll always be grateful to Tom Savini for including me in this movie. My being part of this George Romero classic has since become a huge source of conversation and pride for my family and friends. Once the shooting was done, then came the nervous before the screening in downtown Pittsburgh. Inside the packed theater were the actors, crew, friends and hundreds of zombies it seemed. There was the nervous anticipation of wondering if my scenes would actually make it up onto the big screen or end up on the cutting room floor. It was a huge thrill to see how the scene worked into the grand scheme of “Dawn of the Dead.”

MG: You didn’t do many films post “Dawn”, what was the reason?
JK: Within a year after the release of Dawn, I was married to my wife Linda. When our first daughter was born, we left Pittsburgh to find a place with cleaner air and less traffic. We settled in central Pennsylvania, where I worked for a time in audiovisual sales for 3M company. Then I was hired as an editor for a weekly newspaper, making use of my journalism degree from point Park University. Within two years we moved to the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area. There I had a job as editor of the statewide magazine for the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association. I love the work and travel, but it didn’t leave time for other pursuits such as acting on stage or in film. Seven years later we moved to Gettysburg, where I became involved with a startup theater company. Around the year 2000, I was invited to Cinema Wasteland in Cleveland, from “Dawn of the Dead” reunion. It was great to see some friends I worked with in theater in Pittsburgh, who also happen to have been in “Dawn of the Dead”. It was also a chance to get to know some of the other actors from the from the movie. The really amazing thing, however, was the fans. I knew Dawn had become a cult classic, but it was hard to appreciate just how widespread the reach of that movie had become. For the Cleveland show, someone had flown in from Japan. People had driven in from California, Texas, New Jersey and other states. It was overwhelming! I’ll always be grateful to Ken Kish, who runs Cinema Wasteland, for tracking me down and bringing me back to the public eye! That horror convention led to other appearances over the last several years. Between those appearances and some of my theatrical performances, I was asked to take on roles in other movies. First came “The Guatemalan Handshake” in which I had a small role, but it was great working with the cast and the director. That I met Gary Ugarek, who offered me a lead role in his film “Deadlands 2: Trapped.” I love the role and a chance to play an evil government official. It seemed there were so many role models to work from!

MG: Where you a fan of the horror genre before working on the film?
JK: As for being a fan of horror movies, I have been since I was a kid. I would stay up late at night and watch them on television. I would go to the movies and watch “Dracula”, “Frankenstein”, “The Wolfman”, and more on the big screen. The Thing, Them, all sorts of monsters and creatures! Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, and the classic horror actors were my idols. My scene from “Dawn of the Dead” has been classified by Bravo Network as one of the top 100 moments in horror movies. No matter what else I’ve done or where I’ve traveled, nothing seems to be as well known in my life as the role of the Helicopter Zombie. It’s absolutely been great! And, I remain grateful to Tom Savini, George Romero and especially the fans who helped to keep the “dead” alive!

MG: What else are currently working on?
JK: I’ve done a few other independent films since then. One was a short, “Squirrel,” that has not yet been released but has appeared at a few film festivals. Another, “Dead Island,” was directed by Josh Davidson. He shot the entire feature-length film on iPhones. That was just a few months ago. Another indie film, with the working title of “Bunnyman Bridge,” was being shot entirely with digital SLR cameras. I’m not sure about the release date on those. There was also Joe Shelby’s “The Green Man” being shot in Pittsburgh. Joe was one of the motorcycle raiders in Dawn of the Dead. My role in that film is just a brief appearance. There possibly three films that I may become involved with in 2011. I can’t say much about them at this point, but I’m just happy to know that there are folks interested in having me work with him.

Click here to purchase “Dawn of the Dead”
Click here to purchase “Deadlands 2: Trapped”

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MovieMikes’ “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Interview Series

I sometimes wonder what the world would be like without the “Star Wars” universe? “Star Wars” is part of everyone’s life, whether they saw it in the theaters back in ’77 or if they currently have kids watching the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” on Cartoon Network. After the last film in the saga “Revenge of the Sith” was released in 2005, “Star Wars” fans were ready for more. “The Clone Wars” premiered in 2008 on Cartoon Network and has aired nearing 70 episodes already. Season three recently aired, which it is by far the best season yet and no end is in sight. The last season of the show is taking the “Star Wars” universe into a place it has never been before. It is all new ground for fans and it has us anxiously waiting each week for what will be unveiled. Season four is already set to air Fall 2011 and is set to expand the “Star Wars” universe even further.

Movie Mikes is proud to bring you our most exclusive interview series to date with the cast of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. Feel free to let us know what you think and let us know who you would like us to interview from the show. We will be adding new interviews each week to feed your yearn for “Star Wars” knowledge, so stay tuned.

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STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS CAST INTERVIEWS:

Ashley Eckstein

James Arnold Taylor

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MovieMikes’ “$#*! My Dad Says” Interview Series

In case you do not know “$#*! My Dad Says” started as a Twitter feed authored by Justin Halpern and it just consisted of quotes made by his father, Sam. Luckily, CBS was the first studio to produce a show based on a twitter feed and today we have one of the funniest shows new show on television.

The show stars William Shatner as Ed Goodson, Jonathan Sadowski as his son Henry, Will Sasso plays his other son, Vince and Nicole Sullivan plays Vince’s wife Bonnie. Ever since the pilot, the show has improved with each episode and that is rare for a show definitely a first year show.

Movie Mikes has been able to interview this show’s fantastic cast. You can check out the interviews below. If you have not checked out this show, support it and let’s keep our fingers crossed for season two!!

$#*! MY DAD SAYS CAST INTERVIEWS:

Jonathan Sadowski

Nicole Sullivan

Official premise for show via Wikipedia:
“Ed is a very opinionated 72-year-old who has been divorced three times. His two adult sons, Henry and Vince, are accustomed to his unsolicited and often politically incorrect rants. When Henry, a struggling writer and blogger, can no longer afford his rent, he is forced to move back in with Ed, which creates new issues in their tricky father-son relationship. As weeks go by Henry is unable to find a job as a writer, mostly due to the lack of good material. He finally lands a job, when during his interview Ed interrupts with an irrational phone call that sparks the interest of the eccentric editor conducting the interview. Henry is ultimately hired, but is forced to continue living with Ed in order to be able to continue to write about his father’s unsolicited rants, hence the title “$#*! My Dad Says”.”

<p style=”text-align: center;”><strong>$#*! MY DAD SAYS CAST INTERVIEWS:</strong></p>
<table class=”tblInterviews” border=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ cellpadding=”0″ width=”100″>
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<td><a href=”/2011/02/interview-with-jonathan-sadowski/”><img src=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jonathan_sadowski.jpg” alt=”” hspace=”7″ width=”100″ height=”100″ /></a><a href=”/2011/02/interview-with-jonathan-sadowski/”>Jonathan Sadowski</a></div>
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<td><a href=”/2011/02/interview-with-nicole-sullivan/”><img src=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/nicolesullivan1-300×269.jpg” alt=”” hspace=”7″ width=”100″ height=”100″ /></a></p>
<div><a href=”/2011/02/interview-with-nicole-sullivan/”>Nicole Sullivan</a></div>
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<td><a href=”/2011/02/interview-with-will-sasso/”><img src=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/will_sasso.jpg” alt=”” hspace=”7″ width=”100″ height=”100″ /></a></p>
<div><a href=”/2011/02/interview-with-will-sasso/”>Will Sasso</a></div>
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Interview with Jodelle Ferland

Jodelle Ferland has been acting since she was two years old starting in commercials and making her film debut at the age of four. Since then Jodelle has worked on many high profile projects such as “Silent Hill” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”. She has also worked with cult favorite directors such as Uwe Boll and Terry Gilliam. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Jodelle about her roles and what she has planned upcoming.

Mike Gencarelli: You have starred in your fare of horror films, are you a fan of that genre?
Jodelle Ferland: I’m a fan of most genres, but I do like horror. For some reason I just love to be scared. Not in real life, but just while watching movies, since I know none of it is real anyway. And I do get typecast in horror movies quite a bit, but I don’t mind, because I really do enjoy making them.

MG: How did you get involved working with Uwe Boll on “Bloodrayne 2” & “Seed”? Did you enjoy working with him?
JF: As far as I can remember, I didn’t audition for Seed, I was just offered the part. Uwe later asked me to be in “Bloodrayne 2” as well. And yes, I definitely enjoyed working with him – that’s why I did two of his movies! [laughs].

MG: Tell us about working on “Tideland”, since it looks like it was a really intense role for you?
JF: For someone watching the movie, it would definitely look like that. But honestly, I was nine years old, and I didn’t even think of it that way. I’ve been acting since I was two, so it pretty much just comes naturally for me. I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t know what I was doing just because I was so young – I took it seriously. But “Tideland” was one of the most fun movies I’ve ever done. And it never occurred to me until later that the scenes I was doing were actually, as you said, were really intense.

MG: How was it working with (my favorite director) Terry Gilliam?
JF: Oh Terry…I loved working with him! He’s one of my favorites as well. We just had so much fun working together and I had a blast on set. He’s a fantastic director and it was an honor to be in one of his films.

MG: Where you a fan of “The Twilight Saga” before working on “Eclipse”?
JF: I’d read the books and absolutely loved them. At the time when I was cast, only the first film had been released, so that was the only one I’d seen. I wouldn’t say I was as much of a “Twi-hard” as some fans are, but I was a fan of the series for sure. I was so thrilled to have the chance to participate in “Eclipse”.

MG: Have you been sucked into the whole “Twilight” universe since working on that film?
JF: I have, but I don’t mind. The Twi-fans are amazing, and I love doing all the events and conventions. I definitely would say being in “Eclipse” has affected my career in a positive way. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for “Eclipse”.

MG: Tell us about your upcoming role in “The Cabin in the Woods”?
JF: Nothing to tell really. I’m afraid you’re just going to have wait and see! I’m currently sworn to secrecy.

MG: Were you a fan of Joss Whedon prior to working on the film?
JF: Um, yes! Buffy! Haha, I used to be so addicted to that show. I still watch the reruns on TV. It was amazing to be able to work on one of Joss’s movies.

MG: Do you currently have anything else in the works?
JF: Yeah, I’m staying pretty busy. During the summer I filmed a movie with Chazz Palminteri and Andie Macdowell called “Mighty Fine”. I also recently did “The Tall Man” with Jessica Biel, and an episode of R.L. Stine’s “The Haunting Hour” which will be out sometime in the Spring. Then there’s “Cabin in the Woods”, of course. I also did a short film called “Monster”. There are also a couple things that I can’t talk about right now, but you’ll most likely hear about them sometime in the near future.

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Interview with Peter Stormare

Peter Stormare has appeared in over 100 films which include such memorable roles as Gaear Grimsrud in “Fargo” and Lev Andropov in “Armageddon”. Movie Mikes had a chance to speak with Peter recently about his career and what he has in store for the future.

Adam Lawton: What made you get into acting?
Peter Stormare: At the time in Sweden, there were really no other alternatives for me. It was either become an outlaw, a poet or an actor.

AL: Can you tell us what it was like working with the Coen Brothers?
PS: It was sheer pleasure. They are always so prepared and know exactly what they are doing. They kind of have an old school way of thinking in that 90% of the movie is made during the preparation stage. A lot of young directors never seem to do their homework. As an actor it’s very disturbing to come prepared for a shoot only to meet a director who doesn’t have a clue where the camera should be or what they want the scene to be about. More so lately I say “If you don’t do your homework…why should I do mine!”

AL: What was it like being a part of such a great movie and cast in “Armageddon?”
PS: I love Michael Bay and all of his craziness. He let me improvise throughout that whole movie. We really found some golden nuggets which made it into the film. The crap we cut out. That line “American components, Russian components they’re all made in Taiwan”. That was all me!

AL: What was it like returning to work on the “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” after Heath Ledgers passing?
PS: It was sad and strange all at the same time. There was a gathering of people around Terry Gilliam who wanted to rejoice in the sheer energy Heath had and shared with everyone. The entire cast from one liner’s to the bigger parts came on board for little to no pay. We did it for Heath and for Terry Gilliam. I had the privilege to get to know heath. He was so talented even beyond acting. He was an artist in all ways. He made some amazing photos, drawings and music. Sadly some of us have to say good bye early. Heath was one of them. During “The Brothers Grim”, I used to sit and watch him on the monitor. He reminded me of Johnny Depp. To me Johnny is one of the most innovative actors in the history of filmmaking. No disrespect to Brando, DeNiro or Pacino but for me Johnny Depp has it all and so did Heath Ledger.

AL: If you had to pick one of your performances as a favorite. What would it be?
PS: I think it’s impossible to pick. I hope the next project will bring that to the tale. The past is forgotten and will never return. I am a today kind of guy mixed with a little bit of future on the side.

AL: Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?
PS: No! They are all top secret. Just kidding…I have many projects in the works right now. Hopefully some of them will become real. I do want you to watch “The Superball” as there might be a cheese head that shows up holding a beer in his hand.

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Interview with James Arnold Taylor

James Arnold Taylor is known best for his voicing of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. Besides voicing Obi-Wan on the show is also voices numerous other characters, including Plo Koon. James is a very talented voice actor who also does voices ranging for the show “Johnny Test” to Fred Flinstone commercials to Emmett Brown in the recent “Back to the Future: Video Game”. Fighting a terrible cold and with barely a voice, Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with James about his role of Obi-Wan in “The Clone Wars” and his various other projects. James was nice enough to bare with me through my lack of voice and provide one of the most fun and easiest interviews to date.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you originally got started with “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”?
James Arnold Taylor: When I was first introduced into the “Star Wars” world and “Clone Wars” was for the micro series that Genndy Tartakovsky had done. I auditioned like many other people had. I thought it was just for a line here or there that they needed to replace. I had done some Ewan McGregor voice doubling in the past. When I found out I got the job and found out what it was, it was really quite a shock to me. I was so humbled by it all. We got to do that series which was great, then from that point I started doing video games. I did video game for “Revenge of the Sith”, which mirrored the film mostly. I got to see a lot of the movie as it was being made which was really cool, since I had to kind of redo what Ewan was doing in the film. Then I moved into the new series of “The Clone Wars”. I remember the first meeting with Dave (Filoni) and Henry Gilroy. I told them that I was just flattered to be involved. It has been about eight years since that I have been involved and I am just thrilled to be in it.

MG: Your character has a great storyline this season, can you tell us about it?
JAT: Season three has been so awesome. As a cast, we all have gotten to know each other better through the years. We are all very comfortable with each other. When we get into the studio to record each other it is like a reunion and a bit of a party. It was really a new direction this season. We are dealing with things that “Star Wars” has never really dealt with before especially with the “Mortis” episodes. We have the final one of the three part series airing this Friday. I can’t wait for everyone to see it and then we can talk about it more. Clearly these are new territories that we have never taken these characters into before. Not even in the films, we find out what the force is really all about and Anakin being the truly labeled as the chosen one throughout the galaxy now. So for Obi-Wan, it is kind of fun when we were doing these episodes. He had a lot of [speaking in Obi-Wan’s voice] “Yes…Well…I don’t know…Let’s check over here” [laughs]. I was wondering how it was all going to come together and then you see it and it is just brilliant.

MG: How does it work for you about getting the scripts in advance?
JAT: I was keep in the dark like everyone else. When we get the scripts, if we have more than ten lines we get them in advance by 24 hours. If we have less than ten lines we usually get them just the day of the record. For me what I try to do is not to read outside of Obi-Wan’s parts. I do not want to know the ending. I want to be surprised like everyone else and I have been really blown away. It is just a blast because we always work as a cast and is it a treat to be involved with this “Star Wars” universe.

MG: What is the most challenging part for you playing Obi-Wan Kenobi?
JAT: Yeah, actually that is a great question. I am always trying to give homage to Ewan McGregor, of course…but also to Sir Alec Guinness. I take [speaking as Ewan McGregor] ” a little bit of Ewan McGregor’s voice and” [speaking as Alec Guinness] “a little bit of Alec Guinness’ voice”. I try to combine them into my Obi-Wan. I have been watching so many of the episodes lately and listening to my performance, myself being the most critical. I see that I am not necessarily doing Ewan McGregor any more, I am just doing an “Obi-Wan” voice. I get a lot of feedback from my fans on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Everyone has been saying its great because it is just Obi-Wan. I tell myself to take that as a complement. I naturally want to be matching and give the actors the respect they are due. But it is pretty amazing to think that I have voiced more of Obi-Wan than any other actor now. It is fun to think that this character is a part of me now. I really am so thankful to George Lucas and Dave Filoni for giving me the ability to do that. Funny enough, I recently had a cold as well and I was in the studio and was having trouble getting some of the lines out. I have always said that Obi-Wan has had those two different kinds of voice that Ewan McGregor gave him. [Speaking softly as Obi-Wan] “You seem a little on edge, relax be patient Anakin”, he has that kind of calm and then he has [screaming as Obi-Wan] “You are the chosen one!!”, which has a little more knife to it to his voice. There are always those two different levels of Obi-Wan that you want to do and hit them at the right time. There is some pressure in that. The most fun is coming up with different voices. I try and challenge myself, so the people watching the show don’t go “Oh that is just James Arnold Taylor doing that voice there”. I love it when there is an episode where you do not know that it was actually me as another character and Obi-Wan having a conversation. I also voice Plo Koon, so when two of my voices are talking to each other it is cool. Plo has a life of it own and a fan base of its own as well. It is fun to challenge myself in that way.

MG: You also play various other roles for “Clone Wars”, do you ever find it difficult to distinguish between roles?
JAT: What I do is that I have my scripts and I will distinguish each of the lines. Obi-Wan gets a circle around all of the lines. Plo Koon gets a line on the left and the right and a scribble on the top and bottom. If there is a third character I will do something else. I will be able to look at the script and if they are all talking to each other I can distinguish it. Since I was about four years old, I knew I wanted to do voice over in general. My brain works pretty well in switching back and forth. Every once in a while you can get confused on a character. I do a show called “Johnny Test” and I was just recently doing one which featured three characters I voice talking to each other. You had [Speaking as Johnny Test] “Johnny Test who is right here [speaking as Darth Vegan] and you have Darth Vegan who is almost like a Darth Vadar character and [speaking in British voice] and then I was doing a character more like this”. So I was switching back and forth between the three characters and I did get a little confused at one point. I think I went to Johnny when I was suppose to go to Darth Vegan or something. It happens everyone once in a while.

MG: In 2010 alone, you not only worked on “Clone Wars” but also “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”, “Johnny Test” and a few others, do you have any free time?
JAT: Yeah [voice of Obi-Wan] “I am always on the move” as Obi-Wan would say. I am very blessed to say I am always working. Between the animation work with the shows you mentioned, I am actually even working on a pilot for a Disney show that is going to be for the UK, but I do not think I can give too much info on it yet. Then you have the video games and promo work. I do a lot of regular promo work for the Fox network [in announcer voice] “Coming up next, it is a full hour of “Cops” or for SpikeTV “It’s a thousand ways to die on Spike”. I have got all those things, so I try and juggle them all throughout the day. Luckily I am able to do a lot of my work out of my home studio. It makes it easier. I like busy though, it keeps you moving. It also helps people realize that voiceover work is not just standing there talking and thinking it is easy. There is a lot of work to it, but it is very rewarding and so much fun.

MG: You voice the iconic character Emmett Brown in the recent “Back to the Future: Video Game”, how was stepping into that role?
JAT: Boy, what an honor. I got the audition from my agents and they said “James, come on this is the “Back to the Future” game, you are a shoe-in for this”. I have a stage show I am working on and you can see bits of it on my YouTube page. I do a live scene from “Back to the Future” playing and switching between both Doc and Marty. [speaking as Marty McFly] “Well wait a second Doc, you built a time machine out a a Dolorian…[speaking as Doc Brown] The way I see it Marty, if you are going to build a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style!” I go back and forth to picture. I sent them that. Then I got in touch with Bob Gale, who is the writer of “Back to the Future” and is involved with the game and I said I really hope to be involved with this project. I had actually done some much of Michael J. Fox’s voice doubling in the past. The young man, AJ LoCascio, who had been doing Marty in the game is just brillant. He and I have been in touch and he said to me “I hope you don’t mind me stepping on your toes” but I told him he is just great and sounds so much like Michael J. Fox. For me it fun to be a character was not so known then since it was Emmett Brown, the young Doc Brown at the age of 17. So I was trying to figure out what would he sound like. It gave me the opportunity as a voice actor to take Christopher Lloyd’s voice, who is actually voicing Doc Brown in his older normal age, and take that try and figure out what would he sound like as a kid. We played around with it a lot. It is tricky, basically I had to blend some of Doc that you know and love from the films. So he might sound a little older at times than a 17 year old might but Doc Brown is an old soul anyway. So you get [speaking in Doc Brown’s voice] “Dr. Emmett Brown here and you know when [speaking in Doc Brown’s voice at age 17] when he is a little younger he gets a little more crack and squeek in his voice every once in a while”. It has just been great fun getting to do that and we are still recording some of it too. The folks at Tall Tale Games have been great. It has just been such a fun project. I have been successfully managing to work my into every big film franchise that I can. From “Star Wars” to “Back to the Future” to “Jurassic Park” to “Transformers”, whatever I can get in there. It is really cool.

MG: What has been your favorite character to voice in your career to date?
JAT: Well Obi-Wan Kenobi has certainly become the one that I have grown the fondest for. I guess for so many reasons, one being seven years old and seeing “Star Wars” for the first time. I never dreamed at that time when the first film came out that I would be Obi-Wan Kenobi. Especially because Alec Guinness was playing him and he was this old guy. So I would have never guessed. I like what the character represents and that means a lot. I have been so blessed, I got to tell you Mike, to be all of these very famous characters. I am still doing some commercials for Coco Pebbles as the voice of Fred Flinstone, and then also you got Tidus from the “Final Fantasy” game series. It is like choosing your favorite child, it is just really hard. Leonardo from “TMNT” is also a favorite. I am looking out the window in my studio and looking at all different action figures I have lined up and I am just like “Wow, I get to be all these different characters”. I do not know if I have a favorite but I certainly love voicing Obi-Wan and Johnny Test is also great. As a voice actor, every day or every hour is a different time and a different character and different person to be and that is what makes it so much fun. At times it is a thankless job to be an voice actor because if we do our job right nobody knows we exist. I can’t tell you how many times I am in a restaurant and the kids at the table next to me have Obi-Wan and “Clone Wars” shirts. I just think [speaking as Obi-Wan] “If they only knew” [laughs]. I just love whoever I am voicing at the time. I am just grateful to be getting that opportunity.

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Interview with Tom Kane

Tom Kane is well known for his voice over work for Yoda in Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. Tom also provides the voice of the narrator for the show, as well as numerous others. Besides “Clone Wars”, Tom also has worked on shows like “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends” and voicing Commissioner Gordon in upcoming video game “Batman: Arkham City” . Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Tom about his voice work and working on “Clone Wars”.

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Mike Gencarelli: You are the go-to guy when it comes to voicing Yoda in pretty much anything “Star Wars”, how did that start?
Tom Kane: Well, I started doing voice over work for LucasArts in there game division from the very beginning. I think I was on the very first game LucasArts made and it was not a “Star Wars” game and it was called “The Dig”. That was back… well… in the dawn of time. Like most voice over people, we are always trying to do other voices and show off. They knew I could do a lot of voices and that I could mimic/match a lot of voices. So they started using me on some “Star Wars” games in the early 90’s. They were just like miscellaneous roles, like Tie Fighter Pilot #3 or something like that. One day there was a script that had some Yoda in it and I was just goofing around and didn’t even know the mic was on. What I didn’t know that Frank Oz was off directing, I believe it was “Three Men and a Baby” and he wasn’t available for the voice. The director had me record a few lines as Yoda and they played for George (Lucas). George said “Yeah, he is good use him” and that is all it took. As the years went by and Frank was less and less available since he became a successful director. They just started using me and more. It was until “Episode III” and George finally said “just use him”…so here I am.

MG: Did you ever collaborate with Frank Oz on doing the voice?
TK: No, I would love to meet him though. I have only seen him in person from a few feet away. I just didn’t have the guts to go up and talk to him. From what I understand, he is a very private guy and he is someone you just don’t see. He doesn’t come to the studios. He really doesn’t do voice over work at all as far as I know. So I have never really had the opportunity to come across him.

MG: What is your favorite part of voicing Yoda and narrating the show “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”?
TK: I am a fan first and a voice actor second, when it comes to “Star Wars”. The best lines that Yoda are the ones that refer back to the original movies. They usually work in those kind of lines as much as possible. That is the kind of stuff that is fun to do, since there certain phrases and inflections that are so iconic. When something like that comes around we make sure we do not miss that opportunity.

MG: What is your process when creating a voice for a character?
TK: It is different depending what the character is. If it is a new character that has never been voiced before you get to talk with director. They will hopefully have a sketch, so you can get an idea about the character. You would get measure its size and its demeanor. If it is grumpy looking thing, you can make him grumpy. If it is this cute teddy bear like an Ewok, you give it a different sound. So depends on if it is a new character, you are depending on input from other people. The director will have might have a different idea, the writer might have a different idea and you might have a different idea. You kind of all get together and throw some voices out there and at some point the director will go “Yeah yeah, it is more like that” and then you narrow it in. When you have something that is already established like Yoda or Darth Vadar, it is a completely different process. You job is to NOT put your own spin on it, it is to try and sound as true to the original as possible. You can do that to some degree though. Especially with Yoda, he says more in a season of “Clone Wars” then every said in all of the movies combined. So every episode that Yoda shows up in is new territory to some degree. You have to try and think, “how would have Frank had said this?” Sometimes we have some debate about this and we try and figure out how Yoda would say some particular lines. Dave (Filoni) and I almost always completely agree. We are such big fans and Yoda kind of lives in our brains. If there is a line the writers wrote for Yoda that doesn’t like sound it fits, Dave and I will spot it immediately. We usually come to agreement within four seconds as to what it should be like.

MG: Do you find it difficult or fun to play multiple character in a project?
TK: One you have done this for years, like we all have. It is very easy to shift. I will do the Yoda lines, then I will do the narrator lines and then a droid or something else. The only times when it gets really difficult is when you have a guy like Dee (Bradley Baker) and he voices the Clones. I mean I am always amazed at him. It is a whole different level of complication when you have conversations with yourself. He just doesn’t have conversations, sometimes he will have conversations among four of five Clones. He has to have them sound all somewhat the same because they are all Clones, but you have to give them all personality. That is very difficult to do, I haven’t had to do that fortunately.

MG: Do you get a lot of time to prepare for different roles?
TK: No, we really don’t get very much advance stuff. Partly because of security reasons. Lucasfilm has scripts waiting for the actors when they come in, but for my case they have to email them to me because I am in a different state. Even then they come with a password and quite often I won’t even get the full script…just my lines. They are very conscious of something in digital form getting out there in the wrong hands. Usually the actors in cartoon or game work do not get to see the scripts until we walk into the door. So the first thing we do it run through it and get a feeling for it. After a couple of takes of every line, it becomes something that we are familiar with.

MG: Is there character that stands out as the most difficult for you to voice?
TK: There have been a couple, not so much difficult but possible a little bit of trouble with the show, “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”. I did a character named Mr. Herriman, he is a big bunny rabbit. The director like a very specific sound and an element to his voice… [speaks jibberish as Mr. Herriman]. The problem was it issimilar in the way I produce to Admiral Yularen (from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”). I would find myself drifting into Yularen basically. So the director would say “No, you are oozing somewhere else”, so I would just back up a line or two. So I guess a drift does occur from time to time.

MG: What else do you have planned upcoming?
TK: I can’t give away any plot points for “Clone Wars” of course. Everyone has been really excited though about the last few episodes and what’s upcoming. The show is getting a little more intense and packed with more action and that will be continuing. We are currently working on more episodes and I believe we are already on season four, I think. So they are not letting up the pace at all. Tomorrow in fact, I am actually recording the “LEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie. They are actually making a movie for based on the “LEGO Clone Wars”, so that is cool. Then later this month, I will be recording Commissioner Gordon for the new game, “Batman: Arkham City”. I am doing the voice over for the Academy Awards this year as well, so the day before that I am recording the “Batman” stuff.

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Interview with Kelly Asbury

Kelly Asbury is the director and co-writer for Touchstone Picture’s “Gnomeo & Juliet”, which is a modern day take on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet…but with garden gnomes. Kelly has directed previously with “Shrek 2” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”. He has also worked with Disney on various films ranging from “Beauty and the Beast” to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” to “Toy Story”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Kelly about working on his latest film “Gnomeo & Juliet”.

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Mike Gencarelli: You are no stranger to animation, what drew you to “Gnomeo & Juliet”?
Kelly Asbury: Well, my producer Baker Bloodworth, who I have known since my days back on “Beauty and the Beast from Disney, gave me a call and said he had a project for me. He said he thought it had a lot of potential if it was handled right and he thought I was the guy to handle it. He told me about Elton John, who I am huge fan of. He told me about the gnomes and I said “Ok, they haven’t done that yet”. They when he said they were taking “Romeo and Juliet” and putting a twist on it with the gnomes, I thought “Well, that hasn’t been done either”. I thought it could be a good challenge and thought it was worth a try. That is really what drew me to it. From that I was given the opportunity to start with a clean slate and we started over and re-wrote the script. We turned it into what I and my team thought was the better way to go. We had fun with it.

MG: How did the red vs. the blue come into the story?
KA: Red vs. blue was always there. I came up with idea that the blue garden would be owned by old lady Montague and the red garden was old man Capulet. She has a blue themed garden and he has a red themed garden. I have been asked if there was some political message and there is not. Red and blue are the best opposite colors and it is common for gnomes to have either red or blue hats.

MG: How does working on “Gnomeo & Juliet” for you differ than your other projects?
KA: For me, it was great because I got to live in London for almost two years. Then I got live in Toronto for almost two years. I got to meet a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures. There were fewer people involved in the decision making process. I really felt supported by the people I was working with. It was done outside of the normal studio system. It almost had one foot kind of in the independent film boat. It was something I have never done before, so that was really the difference for me.

MG: The film is filled with celebrity talent voices, can you tell us about the casting of them?
KA: Yeah, the way that I like to cast…is to design the character first. I would then keep that character in mind as casting director Gail Stevens and her group would send us voice samples. But I wouldn’t let them tell me the name of the actors. We didn’t cast for box office draw or marquee value. We didn’t cast for star voices. We tried to get voices that were appropriate to the character. That is how we cast everyone of them. In some cases we knew the character of Terrafirminator was made for Hulk Hogan. Some others we wrote the part of Dolly Gnome for Dolly Parton. But besides them, the others were created by really listening to the voice and made sure it was the right voice for the character design.

MG: You also appear as a voice in the film as well?
KA: I do. I play the little red goons and I also play the goon that gives the prologue. It was really out of necessity. We did what is called scratch dialogue, which is using local talent till we get the real actors. I did the goons and everyone would laugh at them. So I said “You can’t argue with a laugh”. So we just used my voice and that was fine with me because I enjoyed doing it.

MG: Who came up with the idea to include the music from Elton John in the film?
KA: Well originally I wasn’t around for that. The film had been in development for some years before I came in. It was Elton John’s company that originally brought the project to Disney. It was always pictured that some way Elton John’s music would be incorporated. There wasn’t a clear vision at first for it, there was always a questions as to “How?” I decided to use the music like they did with Simon and Garfunkel in “The Graduate”. We wanted to let the music and the score incorporate familiar songs but at the same time get you in the emotional life of the characters. It helps the cue the audience into the emotions that they are seeing as well as feeling throughout the film.

MG: What do you have planned next?
KA: I am looking around. I am thinking about all kinds of things. I do not have a full decision yet. I am getting married in May. So, I am going to take the Spring off and let things gestate and by Summer I will know what is up next.

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Interview with Jonathan Sadowski

Jonathan Sadowski is the star of CBS’ new hit comedy “$#*! My Dad Says”. The show is definitely one of my favorite shows on TV and since the shows pilot it has only seems to better and better with each episode. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Jonathan about working on the show and what it is like to be playing William Shatner’s son.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got the role of Henry in “$#*! My Dad Says”?
Jonathan Sadowski: So back in February, I auditioned for the role. I was suppose to screen test for it but Larry Charles had this unscripted sitcom and he offered me a role. I ended up working with Larry for this pilot. That show ended up not being picked up and they wanted to recast the role in “$#*! My Dad Says”. So like two months went by and I will never forget it was a Friday, Max (Mutchnick) and David (Kohan) wanted to meet me on that Monday. So I went in on Monday…Tuesday I did a screen test for Warner Bros…Wednesday I did a screen test for CBS…and Thursday I got the call that I got the role.

MG: What did you originally think about the show since it was based on a Twitter feed?
JS: I never had a Twitter account or anything like that. But I had a lot of friends who were big fans of that Twitter feed. Everyone once in a while, they would send me one and of course, I thought it was hysterical. I think it is something that everyone can relate to. Everyone has one of those family members that says things that are a little off color or make you just want to bury you head in a hole. I think it is cool that network television was the first to explore that.

MG: How has it been having Willam Shatner play your dad in the show?
JS: He is awesome. He is a lovely man. We talk about life and love. We have breakfast together. I even watched the Super Bowl at his house and like Monday Night Football. He is just fantastic. He is a totally pro. It is like winning the lottery being able to work with someone like that everyday. The guy is like a TV icon, he has been acting longer than I have been alive. It is just amazing. It is the best apprenticeship ever getting to follow around someone like that all day on set.

MG: Everyone on the show seems very close on the show, have you all formed good friendships?
JS: On Tuesday, we taped our season finale and everyone was bummed. Like really really bummed. At the end we were all sitting around and me, Nicole, Will and Bill all kind of gave each other a big hug. We were thinking who knows it could be the last day ever for our show. It was really emotional. So yes definitely.

MG: Do you think we will be seeing a season two?
JS: Look there is a lot of positive energy for the show and a lot of positive push behind us. But who knows what can happen between now and May.

MG: What has been your favorite episode to date?
JS: I would have to the pilot episode is the most memorable. Having my family in the audience for the first taping and knowing the show was going to be on the air. It was cool for me because I was the new one in the show and the show was about that too. I was the new one coming up to this family I haven’t seen in years. So it was very true in that sense, plus I got to slow dance with William Shatner. In those moments when we were shooting those scenes, I keep thinking “ask me a year ago about what I would be doing”. I never taught I thought when I moved to LA, I would be slow dancing and playing William Shatner’s son in a show for CBS. I would have never guessed that.

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Interview with Nicole Sullivan

Nicole Sullivan is one of the star of TV’s newest hit show “$#*! My Dad Says”. Nicole is also an alumni of “Madtv” along with her “$#*!” co-star Will Sasso. When Nicole isn’t working on “$#*! My Dad Says”, she is lending her voice for Nickelodeon’s “The Penguins of Madagascar”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Nicole about her role in her new show and what is is like working with a cast of all men.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you got involved with “$#*! My Dad Says”
Nicole Sullivan: When it was pilot season last year, the scripts start coming in and I started reading them. I was reading one and my husband called me and said the script came in for “$#*! My Dad Says”. He was really excited because he was actually of fan of the tweets. He told me that they were making a show about the tweets and it was starring William Shatner. He told me to come home immediately and read it but I told him I couldn’t because I had a meeting. He told “No you got to skip that meeting because you HAVE to do this show” [laughs].

MG: How do you enjoy working on the show with a cast of mostly men?
NS: Being the only girl the show has its moments. The guys spend a lot of time talking about Ultimate Fighting and cage matches, all things I do not understand [laughs]. It is just a dream. It is a small cast, so we get a lot of time to sit around and talk about movies and really bond. I realize how much I rely on talking to Bill (Shatner) about different things. He is just so knowledgeable and interesting. I just love talking to him. Working with Jonathan is just a hoot. He is one of the most positive upbeat guys, I have ever met in my life. He always has a smile on his face and he is always excited about something. I think that is such a great quality in someone…like life sort of excites them. Working with Will is just a dream come true, we just have so much fun. It is always a joy. We just get each others humor. We know we can ask each other for help. It is just so perfect.

MG: Any improv on the set between you and fellow “Madtv” alumni Will Sasso?
NS: Most of it is pretty written out because they have to get there shots. But Will and I always manage to find those little moments and we would say “Let’s rip on that for 30 seconds and they won’t cut”, that way we get some of our stuff in [laughs]. We always try to pry our stuff in there and they are usually really receptive about it.

MG: What has been the most fun episode to shoot so far?
NS: I think the episode where Will’s character and I get remarried. I like that one because it really has a lot of heart. It also shows a lot of about Bill’s character Ed Goodson and how he is really such a good guy. It was also really sweet how much my character and Will’s character were really in love with each other after all those years. I thought it was cute. It had some good sensitive moments but also enough funny moments to keep it energetic and alive.

MG: That is what I like so much about this show, it is only in season one and it is already branching out way beyond what was in the pilot.
NS: That is what is so great about these writers, normally it takes a show to kind of find its footing. I thought for us about halfway through the season, we really found out what this show is going to be about and that is just awesome!

MG: How do you feel that “$#*! My Dad Says” differs from the other shows you’ve done?
NS: Well you know Bill Shatner is the difference for me. When you have someone like him with brings such energy to the show. He is so iconic and so famous but also so talent and so focused. He is a really great leader. You feel like you have someone at the head of the ship. I think in first year shows, they struggle to figure out who is doing what in the show. But with Bill in charge, we all sort of look to him to see what to do next.

MG: Do you think we will be seeing season two?
NS: It is always hit or miss. I have heard of people flown to New York to celebrate being renewed for another season only to get there and be told “Nevermind, you are not picked up”. Anything can surprise you, this business is brutal that way. I think we have a really good shot. Our numbers are really good and our audience does not fluctuate too much, which means that people are fans. We have our base groups. We won the People’s Choice Awards and that helps a lot. I think we have a darn good shot of coming back and that is what I am telling myself as I plan getting a new stove for my kitchen…I want a six burner stove [laughs].

MG: You also voice Marlene in “The Penguins of Madagascar”, how did you get involved with that?
NS: It is the same writers and producers that did “Kim Possible”. I did that show for like six or seven years, so we knew each other really well. They brought me in for “Penguins” but Dreamworks did not think I was right for it, so they got someone else. But after a couple of episodes, they realized my voice was right for it after all and I ended up redoing it. I am really blessed to be on that show because the people on that show are so freaking funny. Talk about a group of insane people. It is just so fun and it just got picked up for season three, so I am so happy.
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