Interview with Grant Cramer

Grant Cramer is most known from his iconic role in “Killer Klowns From Outer Space”. The film has been such a cult classic over the years and only continues to grow. Since “Killer Klowns”, Grant has been acting, producing, directing and working hard on getting “Killer Klowns 2” made. Movie Mikes had the opportunity to sit down with Grant and he told us about his career starting with “Killer Klowns” and since and also how to not trust his IMDB account for an accurate filmography since he is merged with another “Grant Kramer”.

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Mike Gencarelli: What did you think when you got the role in “Killer Klowns From Outer Space”?
Grant Cramer: I always thought it has potential to be neat, cool, wacky movie. I do not think anyone had any idea that it would going to creep up and become this cult weird sensation that it became. The movie is ten times more popular now then when we made it 20-something years ago

Mike Gencarelli: Can you believe the film has latest over 20 years and become such a cult classic.
Grant Cramer: What’s weird is that as more times goes by the more popular it gets. More people has seem to come up to me and say “Dude man, ‘Killer Klowns’ is my favorite movie”, while reciting lines. This happens more to me now then it did when the film came out. As a matter of fact, some people liked it but most people considered it just to be a silly movie. Now people fanatically love that movie.

Mike Gencarelli: How was it working with the Chiodo Brothers?
Grant Cramer: It was great. Those guys are still really good buddies of mine.

MG: Are there any talks over a “Killer Klowns” sequel? Would you be interested if it ever happens?
GC: As a matter of fact, we have been working very hard the last few years on the sequel for “Killer Klowns”. We are hoping to make it pretty soon. It took a long time to get the rights, then it took a long time to come up with the story we were all happy with. Everything takes a freaking long time. Then it took a little while to get a script done, budget ready, and artwork done. We now feel like we have all of our ducks in a row. Now is the most important thing, we have to get money to make the movie. We are suppose to start our first meetings, basically right away. Our one partner, who in charge of the meetings is in the process of doing that right now. Knock on wood, some executives will bite on. It has a massive fan base but it is a weird industry. We have to find someone that not only has the money actually gets what it is. We are confident about it. You search “Killer Klowns” on Google it comes up with 100,000’s of hits that come up. When it was released on DVD it sold like 700,000 units in the first few weeks, without any publicity. We are armed with some decent numbers and we have a decent script. All the original filmmakers are attached to it, though I am the only original cast member.  We have a brand new story and we really want to keep it in the spirit of the original movie. We don’t want it to become the CGI sequel of “Killer Klowns”. Keep it with the costumes, Keep it with the old school effects. It needs to be an homage with the 1950”s aliens from outer space, blob-esque monster movies.

MG: You starred in soap “The Young and The Restless” for ten years, how does it compare to movies?
GC: When you start out ion acting everything is different for while, but everything becomes the same. In another words, you are just applying techniques that become unconscious. Hitting marks used to be really hard for me, now I really do not think about hitting marks. Acting becomes easier after a while, you are not putting the same focus that you were when you started out.  You also aren’t worrying about all the technical aspects like, How do I find my light? How do I hit the mark? You also have to deliver a performance at the same time. It is so nice when these things become pretty unconscious. I guess the biggest difference with soaps is if your story line is pretty big you got a lot of lines to learn every day. If you are doing the soap all the time, they seem to repeat themselves a lot. The lines are a lot easier to learn then the movies. Half of your lines are “You know, when Bobby killed Judy” and “Right before Stella’s wedding,  I really didn’t like it when you had dinner with Sissy’s brother”. You are basically repeating for the people that missed yesterday’s episode. With a movie you are saying everything for the first time. It’s all just acting.

MG: What is your favorite genre to work in? You’ve done a bit in the horror genre.
GC: No, I like good parts. I like parts that I look at and go “That is going to be fun to play”. I don’t care if it is a drama or a zombie movie. There are certain genres I would like to work.  I would love to be in a western, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I would like to ride around on a horse and shoot things as a cowboy. I would love to do a real space sci-fi movie. It depends I am like a little kid when it comes to movies and acting. I would want to do things that are fun and that I haven’t done before.

MG: In recent years you’ve switched gears to writing, directing and producing. Can you tell us about anything upcoming? How about “The Fallen”?
GC: There is different stuff. I just finished and editing right now a six episodes of a really cool
cooking show. It is something I produced and directed, called “Cooking is For Play”. A buddy of mine came up to me and told me he wanted to do a cooking show for guys. He said because “All guys love to cook and they pretend it is not a cool thing, but they are all sneaking and looking how to cook from the cooking channel”. The best way to get laid is to be able to cool an amazing meal for a girl.  It has been really fun. I have also got the “Killer Klowns” sequel that I just finished writing and getting ready to do. I’ve got a book, like a drama/romance that I want to direct, called “Chasing Windmills”. It is by the same writer who wrote, “Pay it Forward”. I have also got a movie that I am producing that will probably end up on Sci-Fi Channel movie called “The Fallen”, it stars Dean Cain, Peter Stormare, Mark Dacascos and Tito Ortiz. It has some really good actors and we just had a really cool creature made for it. Lots of different stuff, what ever interests me at the moment is what I get into to.

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