Mary Elizabeth Ellis stars in NBC’s new comedy “Perfect Couples” as Amy. Her character is married to the very funny David Walton on the show and they are break-up and make-up couple….who are getting married. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Mary Elizabeth about working on this show and with her amazing cast.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with the show “Perfect Couples”?
Mary Elizabeth Ellis: It actually was just one of many auditions that I had during pilot season last year. I wasn’t educated that Jon Pollack, Scott Silveri and even Andy Ackerman were the guys doing it, which was probably a good thing. I probably would have been a lot more nervous knowing the success of these guys. I went in and the scene I auditioned with was the one from the pilot episode, where we are doing game night. I get to freak out at Vance for telling me that my voice makes me want to kill himself.  So the opportunity to get to scream, be nervous and almost cry at someone was kind of [laughs] right up my alley. After I did that scene, I knew I totally loved the show and was all in.

MG: Tell us about your character Amy and how you enjoying playing her?
MEE: Amy is someone who is definitely jumps off the bridge and thinks about the broken arm later. She never questions what she wants to say or the emotions that she feels like normal people do. She just goes for it at like 110%. For an actor it is super awesome to get to play someone that is so emotionally available and just free. I also love playing her because I get to work with David Walton who is really so amazing and hilarious. The character he created with Vance is like nothing I have ever seen. It is a joy to get to go and play his other half.

MG: Tell us about how you and David Walton create such great chemistry on the set?
MEE: I was really lucky to have known David before the show started. His fiancé Majandra Delfino is an amazing actress and was on a pilot with me the year before. So through her I got to know David. Oh and also a few years, I had a guest spot on a show he was on years ago called “Cracking Up” with Molly Shannon. When we were doing the chemistry read, it was nice to know that, 1st: we know each other already and 2nd: we were in relationships with cool people. So it wasn’t going to be super weird making out with each other all the time…because we do. Vance and Amy make out a lot on the show.

MG: I love the “Man-Cave” episode, do you have a favorite?
MEE: Doing “Man-Cave” was a lot of fun because I got to some gymnastics. I got to prove to that myself that even at 31…I can still do a back-hand spring. That was pretty exciting. Plus it was really cool to get to do the chewing tobacco scene. My family is from Mississippi and my dad told me one of his friends came up to him and was like “I can’t believe she was doing chewing tobacco on TV”. I told him that it obviously wasn’t real chewing tobacco [laughing]. I also liked an episode that hasn’t aired yet, when Vance buys these super tight red pants and just because I don’t like them…he doesn’t take them off for days and days. I do everything I can to foil him. That one was a lot of fun as well.

MG: What can you tell us about the upcoming episodes, is there a wedding planned?
MEE: Yeah we started off the season with us going to Paris to get engaged. So the wedding planning has been happening throughout the season. Yeah, I am not sure which order it is going to play in but there is definitely going to be a bachelor/bachelorette party episode. That is going to be amazing what the guys decide to do and then what they end up actually doing. It is pretty classic what happens. Also Amy’s best pretty Dottie comes up from Louisiana and kind of steals Julia thunder as the maid of honor.

MG: If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?
MEE: I would have trained in something else like dance or music, so I could be good in it. That or I would be doing street art. I would love to do street art that would be amazing but I do not have the balls [laughs].

Christine Woods is the star of NBC’s comedy “Perfect Couples” playing the character Julia.  In the show Christine is married to Kyle Bornheimer’s character Dave.  The show is one of the funniest shows on television and gets better and better with each episode.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Christine to chat about her role and working with her fantastic cast.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got involved with “Perfect Couples”?
Christine Woods: I got involved in “Perfect Couples” by auditioning. It was definitely the best script I had read all season.  After a meeting with the creators, I knew it was a group of people I would love to work with. Luckily I got the part!

MG: Tell us about playing your character Julia in the show?
CW: I Love Julia. She’s the kind of person that thinks she’s got a clear idea on how the world works but really there are times when she hasn’t got a clue. She’s honest and always wants to do the right thing.

MG: How is it working with Kyle Bornheimer and having your character kind of taking the lead in the relationship?
CW: Working with Kyle has been unbelievable. He is such an incredible actor and never runs out of ways to make something funny. Whenever I think its done, he ads something to a bit that puts it on the next level of funny. Julia takes the lead in their relationship, but I’d say that as actors, Kyle is definitely the leader. He’s just so great.

MG: How is it working with the rest of this great cast?
CW: The cast is amazing. Its a very rare thing when everyone genuinely enjoys one another…and we do! We get to screw around and play all day long.

MG: Do you have a favorite episode that you have working on?
CW: I love every episode. I have to say that one of my favorites is coming up. It’s about how Dave has a tendency to poach friends. It’s awesome.

MG: How does this show compare for you than working on your other shows?
CW: This show has been a very different experience than the other shows I’ve worked on. The biggest difference for me has been the amount of time we actually get to spend together. When you work on a big show with lots of cast, you can go months without working with certain actors, which can be kind of a drag. I like the fact that “Perfect Couples” has just about every actor in almost every scene. It’s incredible to do this as a group. There is a real ability to bond that way.

MG: What can we expect from the rest of the season?
CW: The rest of the season is great. Every time I think I’ve just watched my favorite episode, the next one totally blows me away. There will be a lot of wedding party craziness and more animals. Definitely some fires. It’s gonna be awesome.

It wasn’t hard for Schuyler Fisk to think of a career. Her parents are Jack Fisk, an Oscar nominated art director and set designer, and Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek. Raised on the family farm in Virginia, Schuyler Fisk began acting in school plays, tackling the title role of “Annie” in the sixth grade. Her first major film role was in 1995’s “The Babysitter’s Club.” Roles in films like “Snow Day” and “Orange County” followed.

But Ms. Fisk also has a second love: music. Having learned how to play the guitar from her mother, she began writing her own songs. After graduating from the University of Virginia she began recording and touring. She has been featured on the soundtracks of such films as “Gray Matters,” “The Last Kiss” and “Dear John.” In 2009 she released her first album, “The Good Stuff,” which hit #1 on the iTunes Folk Chart.

This year she will be back on the big screen in Gus Van Sant’s “Restless.” Her new album, “Blue Ribbon Winner,” will be released this coming Tuesday, March 1st. You can purchase the title track now on iTunes as a pre-release single. Ms. Fisk recently sat down with MovieMikes to talk about her acting, her music and working with Gus Van Sant:

Mike Smith: Thank you so much for your time. I caught you at the Record Bar when you played in Kansas City last year and really enjoyed your show!
Schuyler Fisk: Thanks! I always have a good time when I’m in Kansas City.

MS: Though your first name is pronounced “Skyler” it has an unusual spelling. Is there a story behind that?
SF: Haha, well, as far as I’m concerned my name’s “unusual” spelling is the CORRECT way to spell Schuyler! It’s a Dutch name that means “Scholar” (or so I’ve been told), but it is also the name of a rock quarry near where I grew up. I think my parents liked the name because it’s strong. Actually, it is originally a boy’s name. They wanted to give their girls strong names and raise them to be strong women.

MS: Was acting something you had always wanted to do or something you just decided you really enjoyed doing?
SF: Acting is something I loved doing for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was in every school play and also involved in the community theater programs. I was particularly interested in musical theater because I loved to sing so much.

MS: After a five year acting hiatus you’ll soon be seen in the film “Restless.” Why so long between film projects?
SF: It was never something I really planned; it was just how things sort of worked out. I had consciously taken a break from acting to focus on my music (Ms. Fisk’s second album, Blue Ribbon Winner, comes out March 1, 2011). I always thought that I would continue acting at some point, but I wasn’t really actively pursuing it at the time. I had an opportunity to audition for “Restless” and, well, between the most beautiful script and an incredible director it was a no brainer. I really connected to the character of Elizabeth, and from the minute I went in to audition I was just convinced that I was Elizabeth. I guess they agreed! As far as juggling my two careers, my philosophy is to just continue to be creative, move forward, and go with whatever is feeling right to me at the time. There’s not some grand plan I have laid out.

MS: How was it collaborating on a project with Gus Van Sant?
SF: It was an experience I will never forget. He is very relaxed, and because of that the entire crew is relaxed. You hardly feel that you are working. There is something so interesting about Gus, almost like he knows something about the world that we don’t, but in a very good way. He is so creative and talented, and he makes it look so easy. I would look at him between takes as he smiled and joked, thinking to myself, “I would kill to know what is going on behind his eyes right now!” Certainly something incredible.

MS: What got you interested in music?
SF: I’ve always been interested in music. Music brings people together. Music makes you feel emotions. Music sets a mood. I remember my mom picking me up from grade school in her old white BMW and we’d crank the radio up really loud, roll the windows down and just sing at the top of our lungs! And my mom would always harmonize to songs on the radio and I remember thinking, “one day I’m going to do that too!”

MS: Your first album, “The Good Stuff,” was well received critically. Where do you draw your inspiration for your songs?
SF: For me, inspiration comes from all over. I’ve been inspired by films I’ve watched, by books I’ve read, stories people have told me, experiences from my own life, jokes… you name it. I think the key to being a good songwriter is to be connected to the world around you to and to be open to be inspired at all times.

MS: Tell us about your upcoming album, “Blue Ribbon Winner.”
SF: I am so excited about this new record. I got to record it in a barn on a farm in Virginia, where I grew up. It was just a really special experience for me and I think that comes across in the music. You can really hear all my influences from over the years come together in a way that is my own. I can’t wait for people to finally hear it!

MS: What do you prefer to do more, acting or music?
SF: You know, the answer to this question changes often, but right now I’d say that I prefer music more.

MS: Any other projects on the horizon?
SF: I continue to work with my hometown SPCA to raise awareness and money for their amazing organization. If you download my single “Love Somebody” on iTunes all the proceeds go to the SPCA! I also have a country-side project band called FM RADIO with my good friend and collaborator Tim Myers. It’s a lot of fun and very different than my solo stuff. www.facebook.com/ilovefmradio And of course, I’m hitting the road to promote my new record Blue Ribbon Winner! Tour dates are posted on my website www.schuylerfisk.com

Stevan Mena is the director of “Malevolence” and his latest “Bereavement”.  Both films are part of a trilogy that Stevan is creating.  I have known Stevan for many years personally and he is a really talented filmmaker.  His films reach a different level in the horror genre that a lot of filmmakers usually overlook.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Stevan again, rehash and chat about working on his latest and my personal favorite film “Bereavement”.  The film hits theaters on March 4th and should be checked out by all genre fans and it will surely become a cult classic.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell me about the process of making “Bereavement”?
Stevan Mena: We started shooting in 2008 and were really excited to get guys like Michael Biehn from “The Terminator”. I was thrilled he liked the script and decided to come on. Alexandra Daddario, who since I cast her has blown up in the scene. She just was in “Hall Pass” and “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”. She is really taken off. It was a tough shoot going back to the original location. It is a very precarious place to make a movie. I wouldn’t say it is a dangerous location but I do not think it will be standing for much longer. We got out of there in the nick of time. I wanted the film to explore all the things I did not get to do with “Malevolence”. I had things I wanted to shoot and explain and got to expand on all that stuff with this film, which is great.

MG: When did “Malevolence”, was this film always planned for you?
SM: Yeah, actually the whole thing was a conscious decision. Shooting “Malevolence” first was premeditated because I wanted to make sure the killer was as mysterious as possible. If I did “Bereavement” first where it is all about his torture by Graham Sutter and how he becomes a serial killer, then you kind of diminish the scare factor because everyone knows who he is in. Where in “Malevolence”, the first time around he is a complete mystery and that is always more scary.

MG: Are both the films able to be watched in sequence?
SM: You certainly can watch “Bereavement” and then “Malevolence” right afterwards. In fact if you stick around after the credits in “Bereavement”, there is a scene from “Malevolence” that you never saw before and it is really cool.

MG: Did you find it hard to work with such dark subject matter?
SM: It definitely was rough. I knew it was going to be a really dark film to make. There definitely were times, especially with the hook scene it was grating on all of us to listen to the screams over and over. That is the price you pay if you want realism. So, I think reaction when a lot of people watch the film is it feels so authentic and that is what I was shooting for. But to get it like that it is a very laborious process to get everybody up to speed and get ready to do that…then to watch it unfold. It feels real, so you wouldn’t be a human being, or you would be a slightly demented human, if you didn’t get upset doing it.

MG: What would you say was the most difficult part for you working on the film?
SM: I would have to say getting out of the car everyday [laughs]. You do not sleep at all when you are shooting six to eight weeks. You get up at 4am…get to the set by 5am…you are prepping and blocking the shots for the next two hours…then you shooting for twelve hours…then you come back and you are watching dailies for three or four hours…and then you have to sit and plan your next day and your shot list. Maybe you will get one hour of sleep but there was points where I was going 72 hours with no sleep. You have to get the actors up and motivated to hit their marks and get their lines right and also keep the crew going. I think the hardest part is keeping the momentum going and your energy up.

MG: “Bereavement” had quite a larger budget than your first two films, did that make it easier for you?
SM: No, not really. Same problems…more money just equals more problems sometimes. The good things are you can get the equipment you want for your shots and you can get the actors you want. That is what makes it better. As far as the day-to-day grime, it is all the same stuff.

MG: The score in “Bereavement” is so haunting and well-done and even reminds me of classic 80’s horror scores like John Carpenter and Goblin, tell us about working on the score?
SM: Well, I actually hired a couple of different composers but I wasn’t getting what I was looking for. So I ended up jumping in and doing it myself. It is really just me by myself. The orchestra is me and my computer. I have learned how to write music and then program it into the computer to basically play what I want. Then part of it is actually me playing, since I play piano and I can do a lot with keyboards. I love the old Goblin and Carpenter scores myself, so of course that is a huge influence for me.

MG: Do you know what you will be working on next?
SM: I do…I actually have a lot of different projects coming up. I will be focusing on the third film in this trilogy to end Martin’s story. So all of that is on the burner. As a filmmaker it is always, “What have you done for me lately”…so hopefully this film will perform and people will continue to back me. Then I will be able to make movies as long as people come out and buy a ticket.

Meaghan Rath is the star of SyFy’s new hit show “Being Human”.  Adapted from the British series, Meaghan is playing the character Sally, living in a house with a vampire and a werewolf.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Meaghan about her character on the show and what we can expect the rest of the season.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got involved with Syfy’s “Being Human”?
Meaghan Rath: I got the script and audition material from my agent.  I haven’t heard of the British show before.  I went home and read the scripts and immediately fell in love with them.  I really connected to the characters, the people that they were and the struggles that they were going through.  I just knew I had to be a part of it.  I auditioned a couple of times and read for the casting agent.  Next, I work-shopped the audition with Adam Kane, the executive producers and director of the first two and finale episodes.  Then they flew me to screen-test and that is where I met the guys for the first time.

MG: Tell us how you prepared for your character Sally Malik?
MR: I wasn’t trying to play her as a ghost…I was playing her as a real person.  I think that is the whole trauma of our show.  We are not playing the stereotypes of a vampire, a ghost or a werewolf.  We are playing them as real people.  It wasn’t too hard for me because I really saw a lot of myself in her and connected with that she was going through.  It wasn’t much preparation.  When people ask me “What type of research did you do to be a ghost?”, I have always believed in the supernatural my entire life…I didn’t have to research that much.  Sally is really new, so I am going through everything she is going through at the same time.  I am learning as she is learning.

MG: In the show you actually forget that she is a ghost until she disappears or something, that is planned right?.
MR: Exactly and that is great that you say that because that is sort of what we are going for. The show is a character based show and it is about their relationships but on top of that we have this element of the supernatural that makes the stakes higher.

MG: Since being a part of the show, did you go back as check out the British version?
MR: I watched maybe two episodes during the audition process just to get a sense of the tone.  We made the conscious choice not to watch anything while we were shooting because we wanted to just bring ourself to it and not be influenced by what we were seeing, or we didn’t want to see something we really liked and then not be able to do it.  We wanted to completely put it out of our minds.  Since we stopped, I haven’t seen any more but I think Sam Witwer bought the DVDs, so maybe we will all watch it.

MG: We recently found out a big secret about your character and your killer, can you tell us a little about that?
MR: It was a really intense episode to shoot.  I had a feeling of what it was though from the beginning.  The writers were very secretive about our character arcs and plot lines. I was really happy to see that they were going to go there pretty early on in the season and now that leaves a lot of room for development for my character.  I found in the first couple of episodes, I didn’t want Sally to just be mourning and luckily they got the death thing out in the open.  By the end of the season, Sally ends up in a completely different place then when she started and it is really exciting.  It is not necessarily a happy place. It is really exciting for an actor to be place to play that kind of thing.

MG: Tell us about working with such a great cast?
MR: It has been amazing to work with Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington and even Mark (Pellegrino).  The Sam’s are the two of the most talented people I have ever worked with.  They are so generous on set.  We never have to worry when we are doing scenes together, the three of us, we have so much friendship and history already to bring to these characters.  We find our ways through scenes and discover new things as we go along and it is really nice to work with them.  It is like going to work with your best friends.

MG: What has been your favorite episode to shoot so far?
MR: I have a couple of favorites.  You know that flying sequence we did, that was one of my most amazing times ever spent on the set.  There was something really special about it.  I also really love episode five, a lot of shit goes down in that episode.  I think that is really a pivotal episode of all of our characters.  It is where stuff really kicks into gear.  Also episode seven, it is just really good.  We are all just finding our grooves really well and it is working.  I think it just gets better every week.  I have only seen to episode ten and I am telling you each week  gets better and better and more dark and more funny.  It is amazing.

MG: What can you tell us about your characters’ storyline in the upcoming episodes?
MR: Expect to see a more darker Sally.  I am more sober…in the beginning of the series, she is kind of bubbly and excitable.  She does retain a lot of that during the season but I think she is constantly hitting these new rock bottoms.  She is now brought into this supernatural world.  I think that, especially with the reveal of how she died, she is dealing with a lot of feelings of revenge and she has a darkness to her that grows.  She is struggling and sort of on the fence of being on the light side of things to the dark side of things.  She is trying to find her way.  It is really cool.

Andrew Clement is the owner of Creative Character Engineering, an SFX company that has been around since 1993.  Just in 2010, Andrew has worked on the following films, 2010’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Repo Men”, “Let Me In” and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Andrew about his latest work and what he has planned upcoming.

Mike Gencarelli: Where you nervous re-designing one of horrors biggest icons Freddy Kruger in 2010’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street”?
Andrew Clement: I have to honestly say that the main thing that I was nervous about was getting the work done on time. We didn’t get Jackie Earle Haley until the eleventh hour, and we had a deadline for a makeup test a few weeks after that. I didn’t want to compromise the look, or how the makeup went together, so it meant a lot of crazy hours. I always have a certain amount of stress when I prep a makeup, because I want it to be the best it can be, and I’m a pretty tough critic. When I was awarded the film, I knew that no matter what I did, there would always be a segment of the fan population who would hate it on principle, just because we changed it. I was really happy that there was an almost universal acceptance of the make-up, especially with the people who were invited to see it in person.

MG: When working on make-up effects for “Let Me In”, did you refer back to the original film?
AC: I actually didn’t know that the film was a remake until after I began working on it. I asked Matt Reeves if he wanted me to see the film, and he requested that I not watch it, so my take would be fresh. I still have not seen the original, even though I bought a copy. I got too busy with projects right after we wrapped “Let Me In”. Again, like “Nightmare on Elm Street”, I got a lot of positive feedback on the make-up, even with people who were familiar with the original.

MG: How did you start working with Dick Smith?
AC: I had been sending photos of my work to Dick ever since I was a kid, and he would send nice responses to me.  Eventually, I would call him for advice and help when I began to get professional jobs. Around 1984, I heard that he was thinking of writing a book or something on make-up. I called him to say hi, and let him know I would be interested in buying a copy if he ever got around to it. A few months later he sent out a flier advertising his professional make-up course. I sent out a check to him for a copy that day, and my promptness resulted in me being his first student. Then around 2004, Dick called me to say he wanted to find someone to carry on the work of the course, and to update the material. I was his first choice, and would I be interested? Of course I said yes, and we have been business partners since. It’s allowed me to spend a lot of time and travel with him teaching, and it’s been a remarkable experience.

MG: You have worked on a few projects with Steve Oedekerk, can you tell us about how that became?
AC: Steve is one of my favorite people to work with. He’s terrifically funny and a nice guy. I was brought in on “Kung Pow” by a prop master friend of mine, and we hit it off. I wound up doing some small things for his “Thumb” series of projects after that. I look forward to him doing something big again, because he always has fun, silly things to do.

MG: What has been the most difficult project that you have worked on?
AC: I can honestly say that “Let Me In” was far and away the most difficult project I have ever been on. Working with a limited budget, in the mountains of New Mexico in the dead of winter, with effects in water, and on kids who have a limited schedule for filming. The production that did not have a lot of experience working with practical effects and that made it extremely stressful. But we got through it, and delivered work that I am extremely proud of.

MG: What has been your favorite project that you have worked on?
AC: My favorite project to date, in terms of work I have created has to be “Repo Men”. On that film, we got to do everything from tiny brand/tattoo appliances to full effect replicas of Jude Law and Alice Braga. We also broke new ground for ourselves in creating the futuristic artificial organs in the computer.  We then printed via a 3D printer and plated with actual metal to create these hyper real working props.

MG: Do you have a favorite genre to work in?
AC: I love to create characters, and some of my best memories came from when I worked at Jim Henson’s company. I love when an audience can have an emotional response, be it awe, or fear, or affection, to something that I have created. I would have loved to stay at Henson’s, but they have an edict that keeps them from pursuing films that are not family friendly.  I needed more latitude in my work than that, so I decided to form my own company where I could explore those kinds of projects. If I had the opportunity to create more fantasy or alien characters, I would be very happy.

MG: Tell us about your two upcoming projects “The Apparition” & Wanderlust”?
AC: Unfortunately, I’m not permitted to talk about either of those projects yet. I do have a lot of things in the works, including some exciting CG projects, that should really show the full range of the work that we can do.

Giovanni Lombardo Radice is known for his roles in such classic Italian horror films such as “City of the Living Dead” & “Cannibal Ferox”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Johnny (as called by his friends) about how he actually dislike for horror genre and “Cannibal Ferox”, as well.

Mike Gencarelli: You have made quite a career in the horror genre, has that always been a favorite for you?
Giovanni Lombardo Radice: Not at all. As a cinema goer I stopped watching horror films with Dario Argento’s “Deep Red”. I get easily scared (and don’t like it), I do not like gore, blood, violence. Curiously enough as an actor, I have been in it up to my hair (when I had hair).

MG: What was it like starring in the film “Cannibal Ferox”? they do not make films like that anymore.
GLR: And I am very glad they don’t. “Cannibal Ferox”, in my opinion, is one of the greater pieces of shit ever made. Tasteless, useless, cruel and fascist. Making it was a nightmare (Lenzi + jungle is a fatal combination) and I am still deeply ashamed about being in it and I also think I was terrible in that movie: Over the top, bombastic and bleah!!!!

MG: How did you feel when you found out that it was “Banned in 31 Countries”, that is something really incredible?
GLR: I couldn’t care less. Sorry if it comes to a disappointment to you or others but I really HATE the thing. If it had been for me it could have been burned in Times Square.

MG: How was it working with the late Lucio Fulci in “City of the Living Dead”?
GLR: To me he was always very kind. He liked my acting and respected me. The atmosphere on set was edgy, because he was always shouting (at the production mainly) and work was quite hard. But all in the same, I have good memories. He surely had a bad temper and frequently mistreated people. He was very unhappy both for tragedies that had happened in his family and because he was unsatisfied about his career. Once I invited him to a party in my house. He went to the toilet and found out that whilst theatre posters were displayed in the living room, the horror movie posters were decorating the bathroom. He came back yelling “Hey, people, I’m in the loo!” Anyhow, he was a cultivated man and respected me for my family background and for my theatre credits. He was always very polite and friendly with me.

MG: Tell about playing your intense character in “City of the Living Dead”?
GLR: I liked the character of Bob and, as I always do, had most of all a physical training, working on the character’s body, his frailness, the slight twist on one shoulder.

MG: How do you feel Italian horror films differs from American horror films?
GLR: I haven’t seen many from either countries because, as I told you, I don’t like them. What can I say is that Italians are generally less technical and more inventive. They rely more on fantasy than on special effects.

MG: How can you reflect how your films resonate with new and old fans still through today?
GLR: It’s a mystery. I learned to accept with gratitude. It’s quite strange to be loved and at times idolized for something you don’t like yourself, but I think an actor must always be grateful to his audience for affection and esteem.

MG: Going on working on zombie horror films to “Gangs of New York”, how was that process for you?
GLR: As I told many a time, in “Gangs Of New York”, I have almost an extra role, which I accepted (against the opinion of my agent). I was paid as an actor and because I was very curious about the huge reconstruction they had made of 1860’s New York. As a matter of fact these characters in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” originally had lines, but they were cut before shooting because of the movie length. Anyway before zombies I had been on stage performing Shakespeare and others plays. I kept doing theatre all the way and being in a lot other stuff than horror film. Mainly period European miniseries, some of them really good.

MG: What are you favorite types of films to watch if not horror?
GLR: I like mysteries, ghost stories, thrillers. I could name “The Others”, “The Sixth Sense” and the recent “Hereafter”, which I thought a work of genius.

MG: Tell us what are you currently working on?
GLR: I recently made an independent movie in Texas called “The Infliction” by Matthan Harris. I translated and directed a Neil Simon play here in Italy called “The Dinner Party” and occasionally acted in it, sharing the role with another actor. I am now starting to translate “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, which will be staged next year.

Sandy Collora created the short film “Batman: Dead End”.  The short is believe to be one of the best adaption of Batman on film.  Sandy recently completed his first feature film, “Hunter Prey” which was just recently released on DVD.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Sandy about his films and what inspires him.

Mike Gencarelli: What were you thinking when you originally made the film “Batman: Dead End”?
Sandy Collora: A lot of things. It was really just a big experiment. So much of what I was attempting to do, had never been done on film at the time. I wanted to present the Batman that I knew and loved from the comics. A dark, brooding, creature of the night, that didn’t need a rubber suit, nipples or a credit card. That’s really mostly what it was all about. A lot of people didn’t believe I could make the cloth and leather suit work. Even simple things like the white eyes, the over-sized cape, the rain, no one had done those things previously in a Batman film. I think a combination of all those elements is what made it unique. I chose Batman because at that point, I had already made a few short films. No one really seemed to care… I thought if I made a short with Batman in it, people would at least watch it. I wasn’t sure if they’d dig it, but at least it would get watched, as opposed to “Solomon Bernstein’s Bathroom” and “Archangel”, which nobody watched. LOL.

MG: Can you believe the reception it received?
SC: No. To this day, seven years later, I still get emails and requests for the film, autographs, interviews, what have you. It seems to resonate… I think the fact that so much time has gone by, especially with the Nolan films being so dark and realistic, people are realizing finally that I was on to something. That little film definitely put me on the map as a director, and eventually led to making “Hunter Prey”. It took much longer than I would have liked, especially with the reaction I got from “Batman: Dead End”, but I got to make a feature length film, that you can walk into a store and buy on DVD. That in and of itself, in this town, is quite the feat.

MG: How does it feel to have created one of the most beloved depictions of Batman?
SC: That’s definitely cool. To have people that I really respect, guys like like Alex Ross, Neal Adams and John Byrne, say that they really dig it and it’s still the best depiction of the character on film, is pretty damn cool. I run into fans all time at shows or the comic shop, who say it’s still their favorite version to date. To be honest, all I did was take what so many talented artists before me drew in comic books, and put it on film… That’s really about the long and short of it.

MG: Would you ever consider doing a follow-up?
SC: No.

MG: How was it working Stan Winston?
SC: That was a very special time in my life. Stan was cool guy… He and all the talented artists working there, kinda took me under their wings and taught me a lot. I learned so much in the time I worked there. I actually miss those days. It was at the beginning of my career. I was 18 years old. So young, so idealistic… So naive. Back then I actually thought this industry was different. I thought it was about making art and that I could make a difference. But it’s really about making money and what I think or what I do, makes no difference at all. Stan had a way of understanding all this, because he was very successful at being both an artist and a businessman. I admired him for that, and always will. Learning that Hollywood is much more of a business, rather than an entity that cultivates art, has been the biggest learning experience for me in my journey through my career.  Stan was really an integral part of that. I really miss those early days of my career and I miss him. Another really cool part of working there, was hearing all the Cameron stories from “The Terminator” and “Aliens”. Those guys all talked about him like he was some kind of God. They showed me his drawings and stuff and told me stories of working with him, and how awesome it was to be involved with a guy who knew so much about FX, creatures, making models.  I absolutely loved those films, but working at Stan’s was where I kinda got my first dose of what a juggernaut Cameron was and how much he knew about every aspect of the filmmaking process. You gotta remember, this is like 1988, there were no DVD’s with all the extensive “making of” features that are so commonplace now. Back then, you got all this stuff through magazines and word of mouth. It was almost like these guys painted Cameron as this unearthly apparition… A character, like Stan, who in and of himself, was such an interesting person. It was just a different time… There was so much more magic to it all then because you couldn’t just pop in a DVD and get the entire story behind the scenes. These days, director commentaries, documentaries, and all the special features that come with every movie, kind of ruin the mystique of the movies. Exposing the man behind the curtain, so to speak.

MG: You have worked in FX on various projects, what was your favorite project?
SC: “The Abyss” by far, even though the guy who ran the FX shop I worked for on that show, was the polar opposite of Stan. He was neither a good artist nor a good businessman, but getting to work with Jim Cameron is still the absolute highlight of my career. I learned so much, just by watching the guy. He’s brilliant. I would sneak on the set even when I wasn’t supposed to be there, just to watch him. I even got to do some pre production art for “Spider-Man” back in the day, when he was supposed to direct that film. In the short time I was around the guy, I learned more about being a director, than I ever have anywhere else, on any other set, or working for any other director. He’s just a pure genius in every sense of the word. Cameron is my hero. Period.

MG: Tell us about your latest project “Hunter Prey”?
SC: Well, I kinda got sick of waiting for a bigger studio movie.  So I just went out, raised a little money and made “Hunter Prey”. I simply thought it was time to make a movie instead of just pitching them. There were a lot of limitations, especially regarding the budget, but I did what I could with the resources that I had. I felt good to kind of get the monkey off my back and actually make a feature film. A film that actually got distribution. A film that you could walk into Target and buy, or a go into a video store and rent. It was a long two years and I sacrificed a lot to make it. A lot of love and hard work went into that little film.

MG: What are you currently working on?
SC: It’s winter in Southern California… When the waves are up, we surf. When the waves are down, we dive for lobster.

Kristin Carey plays the sexy cougar Aunt Meg in the upcoming Farrelly Brothers film “Hall Pass”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Kristin about her role in the film as well as some of her other projects.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your lastest film, “Hall Pass”?
Kristin Carey: It’s an adventure of two guys played by Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis who receive hall passes from their wives…which is good for one week off from marriage. We always think that the grass is greener on the other side, however once these two guys start out on their adventure…they start to realize that this might not really be the case.

AL: Can you tell us about your character?
KC: I play Aunt Meg who is a crazy cougar with an insatiable sexual appetite [Laughs].  I hear about the hall pass through my niece who is Owen Wilson’s characters babysitter. Aunt Meg decides that Owen’s character is going to be her pray. I am one of many characters that the two guys encounter on their adventure.

AL: How was it working with the Farrelly Brothers?
KC: This was my second time working with them, as I had done a Sprint commercial with them previously. They are amazing! They are very down to earth and are interested in getting to know each person they work with on a personal level. We bonded over our love of the Boston Red Sox. It was like working with family but without the arguing. They like to hear your input on the character and scenes. It’s a very democratic set.

AL: How did you become attached to the film?
KC: When I met the Farrelly brothers for the first time, we just really bonded.  They wanted to know everything about me…which was great. I had kept in touch with them after the Sprint commecial shoot was done.  One day I got a call out of the blue to test for New Line.

AL: Had you seen the entire script prior to your audition?
KC: The night I was set to fly out for my test something had happened with the computer and I was only able to see part of the script. I went to the test knowing only a small portion of the script, but after I got the role I read the entire script. I very rarely laugh out loud when I am reading but this script was really funny!

AL: From your work do you have a role that sticks out as a favorite?
KC: I really love my role in “Hall Pass”.  You always hear that there is a little piece of us in each character we play and I think there is a little bit of Aunt Meg in Kristin [Laughs].  I also got to play a National Security Advisor in a play called “The War Room” that I enjoyed. I liked the politics in that play and the role was feisty and intelligent which I loved. I was actually the only female in that cast and I produced it. That play was just a great experience. Another role I did that really sticks out for me was I played an Irish singer in a small indie film. I actually got to go into a studio and record a CD which was a pretty intense experience.

AL: Can you tell us about some of your upcoming projects?
KC: I am attached to an untitled film right now where my character is sort of a younger and sexier version of Jane Lynch. I play a college professor who is sort of a militant lesbian (Laughs).  The film revolves around the experiences my character has with her students. It’s still in the planning process but we should be underway around spring time.

Kyle Bornheimer is the star of NBC’s hilarious new comedy “Perfect Couples”.  The show is really catching on with its audience and is consistently funny each episode since it has premiered. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Kyle about working on the show and what we can expect from it.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about what drew you to the show “Perfect Couples”?
Kyle Bornheimer: What I liked was that it was just such a simple concept for couples. I knew exactly where I taught we could go with the show. When I met with the creators Jon Pollack and Scott Silveri, I just liked what they had to say about what they wanted to do with the show. One question you always ask about when you do a show is “What is this going to be week-in and week-out?” They had a great answers for me and it got me really excited. Not even just for one season, we all had plenty of ideas on what we could do with these couples. In case of my particular character, it just the right neighborhood for me. I was immediately getting ideas and writing them down and playing with the material they had. When something inspires me and makes me go into my office and spend a couple of hours playing with material and coming up with ideas, then I know I am in something that I like.

MG: Do you find on the show, you have a lot of creative freedom?
KB: We have a nice collaboration. We are all committed to making it something really special. The scripts come in incredibly polished and we are working with some of the best writers in the business. Due to that, it makes our job a lot easier. After that it is just us playing around with it and coming up with even more ideas and trying to nail the right tone. For me it is the perfect thing, the scripts are so well done and plus we are still able to play with it during filming.

MG: The cast of the show seems to all have such great chemistry, tell us about working with them?
KB: It is has been great working with such a great cast. We are all hitting our stride as performers. You go to work and everyone is just cracking up. Everyone just wants to do extraordinary work and it is just inspiring. Everyone is really feeding off of each other. I really enjoy the six person scenes personally. We would get really excited when all six of us get to be in the same scene together. Just from a purely hanging out and having fun perspective, it is was fun days. The material was so good and we were playing off each other so well that it was like being on a constant comedy high for a bit.

MG: Besides cast you also seem to have a strong behind the scenes for the show?
KB: Yeah I agree. We are fortunate on this to have just a lot of good people working on it. Jon and Scott have a real rich history of working on television. Andy Ackerman who has directed the episodes, has also directed most of the “Seinfeld” episodes, so we are in good hands. So combined with our inspiration and drive to make it excellent with Andy’s direction and editing team and finally the scripts, we are very lucky. It is fun on the days we are filming and then fun again when we get to revisit it and see it edited together and get to experience it all over again.

MG: What has been your favorite episode to date?
KB: The episode that airs on February 24th called ‘Perfect House’, is one of my favorites. We discover that Dave and Vance’s friendship is like the fourth perfect couple. Once we realize what a great friendship they had…we started really playing with that. Those were some of my favorites scenes. I love the way David (Walton) works and the material that the writers comes up for us together. David is always making me laugh and I love trying to make him laugh during the show. That episode really plays around in a unique way with the intense friendship between these two. In some ways it is more intense than some of the relationships in the show.

MG: I feel that the show seems to get better with each episode, did you notice that during filming…once you all got comfortable?
KB: I felt pretty good early on. It is hard to step away from it though…I can’t be 100% subjective. I was confident we were making a good show. As it was put out there, we found people have to learn about these characters sometimes before the full richness of them could be understood. With comedy once you have learned the characters, then you could follow them a little easier. If we do something funny that goes against character or someone’s character, you would have to know them first to do that. If we would have explored the interesting friendship between Dave and Vance too early, people might not have gotten where it was coming from. That is always the tricky thing with comedy. There are always those legendary stories of show that got off to a slow start like “Seinfeld”…”Will and Grace”…”Cheers”, comedy is harder to get audiences on board right away. I think we have gotten better with each episode as well even though I really like the first episodes. I was just excited to be doing good work and then we start thinking we were getting a hang of it and then by episode three we totally had it. It was just smooth sailing from there.

MG: How does working on this show compare to the other shows you’ve worked on?
KB: Generally, I have been very fortunate. I have worked with really fun and creative people. I have been able to do work that I am proud of and this show is no different. I got very invested and into this project as soon as I started. It has been very family-like working on it. All of us in the cast and crew meet almost every week to watch the episodes together, it is really cool. Even if someone is out of town, we would call them as we are watching it. I think we all really bonded. I literally have like seven seasons of ideas for the show. There is plenty of material when it comes to couples. We are all kind of waiting on the edge of our seats to see if we can get a season two.

MG: Can you give us a sneak preview of the upcoming episodes?
KB: We have teased about marriage between the most intense couple on the show, the fight and make-up couple, Vance and Amy. So that through-line of their wedding has provided a lot of hilarity throughout the season as we go on towards the later episodes.  Anytime we got scripts about the wedding from the writers, we would get so excited since it was since a unique take on a wedding and was always out of left field. I think they knew that it would be natural for a wedding situation to be in the cards for that couple, but they didn’t want to write just a wedding. They wanted to think of it in a different way. I think it is going to work out really well and I am incredible excited about what is upcoming.

Charlotte Ross is known for her role of Det. Connie McDowell in “NYPD Blue”.  Charlotte has recently worked on the show “Glee” and is co-starring with Nicolas Cage in the new film “Drive Angry 3D”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Charlotte about her role in “Drive Angry 3D” and what else she is involved with.

Mike Gencarelli: How was it working on the film “Drive Angry 3D”?
Charlotte Ross: Well it was really intense and awesome at the same time.  I have passed on nudity quite a bit in the past. It is interesting because the ass scene I did on “NYPD Blue” has been brought up recently because the FCC has sued Disney for $1.4 million over that scene. It was just overturned in the NY Federal Appeals Courts.  I guess I pushed the envelope pretty far in TV.  As far as full frontal, it is something that I had never wanted to do but I have already said that clichéd comment that when the right role came around.  I think it works for this role and I really liked it.  I was just very thankful to have this role.

MG: Tell us about your role in the film?
CR: My character is a tattoo covered – horny – on the edge of white trash – hard knocked life kind of gal.  It is funny because I was shooting this the same time as “Glee” and those two cannot be any different of characters…which I love [laughs].  My family keeps asking me when is it coming out and I said “I am not going to tell you”.  It is not something I picture my mom sitting and watching.

MG: How was it shooting in 3D?
CR: It was really interesting shooting in 3D. The director Patrick (Lussier) really knows the 3D genre since he did the remake of “My Bloody Valentine 3D”.  It is a different way to shoot and requires a different visionary sense.  I also think we have a really cutting edge script and a great cast.  David Morse, Amber Heard and William Fichtner were all great.  You always hopefully that something you do does well but I think this looks like a really cool film.

MG: What was it like working with Nicolas Cage?
CR: I have always wanted to work with Nic Cage.  I certainly did [laughs].  I was on top of him day after day [laughs]. He was all about the work and we just had a blast.  I think we did improv and ad lib for almost all of our stuff…which was so much fun.

MG: Tell us about your role in the hit show “Glee”?
CR: The role I play on “Glee” is Quinn’s mom Judy Fabray.  I love her to death because she is so much fun to play.  She is kind of Ann Coulter – wrapped into some people I knew growing up in Winnetka, Illinois – wrapped into Ryan Murphy.  The minute I get in my wardrobe, I tangle my purse from my elbow and my whole walk changes.  It is just a joy to play.  I joined it before it aired and I was just really happy to work with Ryan Murphy and be a part of the show.  Then I came back at the end of season one and by then it was already a phenomenon. Everything had their limos waiting everyday to go to award shows.  I was just blessed to be a part of the show.  Having been on television so long, it has just amazed me what a rarities it is to be such a hit in less than one season.  I haven’t been on much this season but it sure is a fun character to play.

MG: Looking back on working on “NYPD Blue”, how do you feel working on TV has differs?
CR: I have recurred on shows like “Fraiser” and “Law & Order”.  I have starred in one hour dramas, half hour multi-camera, half hour single camera and they are all different genres.  A one hour drama playing a detective that has to deal with rape and incest cases all day compared to a single camera half hour comedy is a whole different experience. But that is what I love about it.  My number one priority is to play different characters.  I love switching between something that is very intense and drama heavy to something light and comedic.  I really love to consider myself a character actress.  I love jumping back and forth.

MG: Tell us about some of the charity you support?
CR: I have been an animals rights activist for years.  I actually did a PETA campaign years ago…again with my ass.  You would thing all I talk about is my ass but I don’t [laughs].  I did a ad that “I’d rather rather show my buns, than wear fur” and I was really proud to be a part of that.  I am also producing a documentary right now about the tragedies of how many dogs and cats at the local county and city shelters that have to be euthanized on a daily basis.  It is just so tragic.  I am also the spokesperson for an organization called Blankets of Love, which I really like.  My son just did a fundraiser at school.  These shelter animals are usually on concrete floors and only have 3-7 days before they are put down.  So if someone does come walking by and they look cold and depressed it reduces there chances of getting adopted.  But if they have a blanket or a doggie toy it can make the difference and in turn save there life.

MG: Tell us about your recently sign on to “Street Kings: Motor City”?
CR: Yeah, I play Ray Liotta wife in the film.  Like many people I have been a fan of Ray Liotta’s for a long time.  I think he is an amazing actor and I love his intensity.  I was just excited to get in the ring with him, as they say.  We just shot that in Detroit.  It was very different again from “Glee” and “Drive Angry 3D”, since I play the more supportive “did you like the dinner I cooked you” wife [laughs].  I was just really excited to be involved with the movie.  I took a break after “NYPD Blue” but I am just glad to be back working.

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John Ottman is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, and composing the scores for “The Usual Suspects”, “X2: X-Men United”, “Superman Returns” and most recently “Unknown”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with John on his past scores and what he is currently working on.

Mike Gencarelli: What is t he first step you take when starting to compose a film?
John Ottman: First, I take a Xanax and take a deep breath. Or is it the other way around? Kidding aside, at first glance, having an entire film ahead of you can be a daunting prospect. Especially the ones I get, which always require such an enormous amount of score. Composers are usually up against the wall, and are the last great hope of the film; all the other areas of the film are at the exhaustion point and they’ve tried almost everything, or are still tinkering when you come on board. I live with the film for a bit, watch it a couple times, ruminate about it in bed and while driving to the store until a concept or approach comes to mind. I want to crack the sound of the film almost like deciphering a code. But before things have gelled too much, you have to dive in. When I have an approach I discuss that with the filmmakers. The director will also have specific or broad ideas about what he’s looking for. Then there are the inevitable problem areas that the music can try to help or solve in a pragmatic way. My next step is to come up with motifs and themes for the film, characters, situations, etc. This becomes the inspiration and well from which I draw. It’s a lot of work up front to preconceive these themes, but for me it pays off in the end. Just winging it as I go along is much harder, as I’m more in a fog as to what the thematic structure should be for the story. Scoring a film is a bit of both – planning and coming up with new ideas as you go along. But if I have a template ahead of time, those new ideas are going to be more refined, and a better musical story will be told. You have to know where you’re going.

MG: How did you get involved working with Bryan Singer and his films?
JO: I was the editor on a USC student film that Bryan was a PA on. He saw what I had done to the film (I replaced a previous editor), and we became acquaintances. He then got money together to do a short film and I cut and co-directed it with him. We did an industry invite screening with other short films and got the attention of a Japanese company looking to produce low budget features. They financed $250,000 to make “Public Access”, which I ended up editing. When the composer dropped out at the last minute, I volunteered to score the film, which I had been doing as a hobby. Public Access ended up winning at Sundance, and after that the Usual Suspects deal was put together. Bryan refused to make the film unless I was both the film’s editor and composer. In other words, he refused to let me just score the movie. And to this day, the enforced labor camp of editing a project for over a year in order to score it continues.

MG: You have worked a quite a few superhero films (i.e. “X2”, “Superman Returns” and “Fantastic Four 1 & 2”, do you find it difficult to distinguish the sounds?
JO: That’s always the concern going in, but every film has something very different that I draw from – usually the characters’ plights. I can’t score a film unless I approach the music from the point of view of the characters. They are the genesis of everything for me. So even though these films are of the same genre, the music ends up addressing different issues and characters within a super hero context: “X-Men” is darker and more serious; “Fantastic 4”, lighter and more on the sleeve; “Superman”, emotional, even introspective, and grand.

MG: What has been your hardest film to work on to date?
JO: Well, you wouldn’t think so but “Lake Placid’ was difficult because it’s the one score I’ve done where I couldn’t draw from any characters. The humans were cardboard or one-liners (great one liners), and the crocodile didn’t have any history or plight for me to grab onto. So much of the music was just to keep things fun, exciting or scary. There’s basically one major theme that encompasses the mystery, adventure and the crocodile himself, who’s part of that mystery.

MG: Do you have a favorite?
JO: My most enjoyable score to write was “Astro Boy”, and it ranks among my favorites. But also “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” was a blast for me to do, and is certainly one of my best. My favorite work always seems to be for films no one sees, or hears. Sigh.

MG: Do you feel that the budget of the film reflects your flexibility with the project?
JO: Well it affects the ease of working on the project, and your writing speed. With the low budget synth- supported scores, it’s ten times more labor intensive because there’s so much synth producing eating into composing time. You spend the bulk of your time finding samples, designing sounds and doing detailed mixes. The sounds you’re using aren’t merely for mock-up purposes, but the final product. The irony is that a lot of the synth work is working samples to sound like the orchestra. When it’s mainly an orchestral recording I can write much faster, as I’m not producing a final product. It’s going to be recorded later. The producers don’t understand that when they pay you less to do a synth score, you’re working at least twice as hard to get it to sounds non-low budget. It’s a double f**k.

MG: Tell us about your latest score “Unknown”? What was the process you used when working on the film?
JO: “Unknown” is more of a psychological journey than action score. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson), is a biologist, and in love with his wife, Liz. At least that’s what he believes. Therefore the audience has to believe this as well. When he doubts himself, so must the audience. And that was the musical challenge. The music’s aim was to get into his head and experience the world through his eyes.The film taunts you to ask questions and make suppositions via Martin’s experience. The idea was to establish a familiar musical place and slowly morph it to sound more confused as the film goes on. The story begins with him and Liz driving to a hotel where they’re attending a conference. This music is a place of normalcy for Martin, marked by a piano melody connoting his world and his connection with her. When things start turning upside down, I tried to signify his “confusion” by taking the melody and “stressing it out” with atonal elements. I wanted the music to reflect his bewilderment, yet do it with empathy. I had a personal mission to keep a large portion of the score free of electronic loops. The temporary score was basically a giant collection of flavor-of-the-day rhythmic wallpaper. Even when Martin was alone to contemplate, or lay on a gurney in a hospital, it was synth rhythms – almost to a comical degree. It felt like a TV show. I kept commenting that there was actually an intriguing story under all that noise. The common fear is that without a constant beat, the film will drag. The opposite was true. By breaking it up and stripping out the incessant bologne, the film transformed to something far more captivating. There are, of course, a lot of aggressive rhythms in the action cues, but I tried to keep it sounding organic, or classic. But most of the score is lyrical in nature. It’s a journey.

MG: Tell us about some of your upcoming projects?
JO: I’m off to editing prison for a year and a half for “Jack the Giant Killer”, based upon the “Jack and the Beanstalk” fable. It’ll be a big budget motion capture project. MoCap, as they call it, is apparently is an editing nightmare based upon what I’ve seen about “Avatar”. I’m off to London for six months of that sentence in a few days. So I’ll get one score to write in the next year and a half. I don’t know why I do this to myself. At least it will be a score with a good recording budget.

Christopher Lloyd has one of the most notable careers out of any actor in Hollywood. Christopher started his career with his well known role on “Taxi” as Reverend Jim, and starred in such films as the “Back to the Future” franchise, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and the list goes on and on. He is a man who does not need any introduction and will always be known and loved for his roles in his films. Movie Mikes had the absolute pleasure in talking with Christopher about his various roles and got a chance to pick his brain.

Click here to purchase Christopher’s films

Mike Gencarelli: What was it like working with such a wonderful cast on “Taxi”?
Christopher Lloyd: It was my first real job. I grew up in New York. I gravitated to various theater work in New York for many years before I did “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, which was my first film. When “Taxi” came along it was an area I did not expect to be in. I remember I was so astounded by the cast. They were all so wonderful and they worked so well together as an ensemble. They are all such good actors and brought such good personality to the show. I was amazed and really privileged to belong to that cast.

MG: What was your inspiration for your portrayal of Reverend Jim on “Taxi”?
CL: When I did the show, I would run into people and they would say that they knew somebody in their lives that was a “Reverend Jim”-type. During hiatus, sometimes I would come back after time off and it would take me a little while to get back into the character. I found I would start thinking of my oldest brother, who was 22 years older than me, and there was just something about his character that would help. Maybe it was his attitude or his facial expression but I would always then find myself back as Reverend Jim. My brother was a complete non-drinker or smoker. So besides a character resemblance, he bore no other likeness to Reverend Jim. But somehow I would think of him and I would get my character back.

MG: Looking back now 25 years at the “Back to the Future” franchise, what has been the best part for you being apart of it?
CL: With celebrating the 25th anniversary, certainly myself I never expected it to have the life that it has had. We all hoped it would have a good opening and be well accepted. What impresses me the most, which is also the most rewarding, is that how much it means to some people. Even young people, for instance someone who liked it back then is now making their children watch it. Once they watch it the first time, they are just completely hooked and they love it. It has lasted generation after generation and it still means as much as it did to the first audience back in 1985. I run into people from various walks of life and various countries, they have told me that in one way or another it has inspired them to do something special.

MG: How has it been reprising the role of Doc Brown in Telltale Games’ recent video game?
CL: It was a lot of fun. The game picks up where “Back to the Future: Part III” ended. It goes back to the story and develops new parallel lines of time and more adventures with Doc Brown and Marty. I liked having the chance to go back and reprising that role once again.

MG: One of our readers, Jim Baldassi, would like to know, do you have any good behind the scenes stories to tell about filming “Back to the Future”?
CL: Hmmm, I wouldn’t know where to start. Just after “Back to the Future” was shot and months before its release to theaters. We went up to Northern California to shoot the music video for the soundtrack with Huey Lewis. It was an all night shoot. Huey didn’t know anything about the film…or whether it had a future or not. I remember Huey Lewis coming up to me and asking me “Is this film ever going to do anything”? I looked back and shrugged at him because none of us knew. We were all just hoping it would have a decent run. I do not think anyone could have anticipated how popular it would become.

MG: What can you recall about playing Judge Doom in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”? Due to the animation, was it a difficult project?
CL: It included a lot more preparation than a non-animated film. They made a dummy Roger Rabbit. It was the actual size…probably about hip height and it had a certain weight to it. When we rehearsed the film, we were able to get a sense of the Rabbit and its weight when we were holding it. We would rehearse with and without the rabbit to get the feel and adjust our performance. When we shot the film, it would appear we were actually working with the rabbit. We also had Charles Fleischer, who did the voice of Roger Rabbit off camera. He even dressed up as Roger Rabbit and came up with the crazy voice. He really helped us so much to believe what we were doing and made it work. It was a lot more time rehearsing than regular movies but we had a lot more help from animators and the voice actors.

MG: How does it feel to be a part of the “Star Trek” universe from your role of Commander Kruge in “The Search for Spock”?
CL: I LOVED it. Commander Kruge was so evil and so nasty. He did not have passion or any kind of moral sense of any kind. It was just fun to play that kind of a character. It was a lot of fun. I loved the look of the character…its costume and the makeup. He even had his own language in the movie….Klingonese. They have even formulated a book with Klingonese vocabulary…verbs…the whole thing. It was just so great.

MG: How did you get involved with the fake trailer “Gobstopper” as an evil Willy Wonka?
CL: Yes, I just got a call. It was only one day’s work down in an abandoned warehouse in Downtown LA. I loved it. It was essentially a preview of a movie that hasn’t been made. I have been hoping that they would make a film out of it. I would jump all over that, I would love to do that. It was just so much fun. I think it would work great as a movie.

MG: Tell us about working on “Piranha 3D”? Do you think you will be reprising your role of Mr. Goodman in its sequel “Piranha 3DD”?
CL: Oh yeah! [laughs] “Piranha”. I thought it was a good film within its genre. They set out to do what they wanted to do…and they did it. I was at an award ceremony last year and “Piranha” was awarded the Best/Worst Film of the Year [laughs]…and I think they deserved it [laughs]. I had a lot of fun with that. I have no idea about the sequel, I haven’t heard anything about a sequel but I will be there if they want me back.

MG: We have a celebrity question from actress Sean Young: Who is your current favorite actress? Which actress have you had the most laughs with?
CL: I had a lot of fun working with Mary Steenburgen in “Back to the Future: Part III”. I worked with her before and she is such a wonderful actress and is very engaging. We did a film together before called “Going South” and we had a lot of fun and had real good chemistry between us. My favorite actress today really comes and goes with what I see currently. I do have a lot of admiration for Judi Dench. I have seen a lot of her work over the years and I just really appreciate her commitment and her daring to take on really interesting roles. She just does it so well and has continued to keep working. We all hopefully have our big moments but the real goal is to hopefully keep working.

MG: You recently starred as Willy Loman in the stage production of “Death of a Salesman”, how was that experience?
CL: That was wonderful. Willy Loman is not a role that I am normally considered for. I do not have a lot of credits for doing dramatic roles. The opportunity came up to do that and I jumped on it. It was one of the greatest experiences I have had in my career. It is such an amazing play…still very relevant and pertinent for today. For me it was a challenge to tackle that role but I felt I did it justice and I gave it everything I had. We also had a wonderful cast and director. Again, it was just a great moment for me and I was very grateful for it.

MG: What else do you have planned next?
CL: It just depends as to what comes up. Whether it is TV, film or stage. I just take it day to day as to what I am going to do next.

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Yara Martinez is currently recurring on TNT’s hit show “Southland”. Yara’s character in the show is dealing with the death of her husband in recent episodes and promises it to be really intense. She will next be seen starring in A&E’s upcoming drama “Breakout Kings” with Laz Alonzo (“Avatar”) and Dominick Lombardozzi (“The Wire”), which premieres on Sunday, March 13th. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Yara about her current role in “Southland” and her upcoming show “Breakout Kings”.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about playing Mariella Moretta in “Southland”?
Yara Martinez: I play Kevin Alejandro’s wife on the show.  His character Detective Nate Moretta was killed on the show,s o my character has been dealing with his death and it has been really intense. Usually a death on TV lasts for one episode, but this is being carried throughout.  His partner Detective Sammy Bryant, played by Shawn Hatosy is staying at my house and helping me take care of stuff.  Instead of just dealing with the death, I am also dealing with the complicated emotions.  It comes to the line of what is true emotion and what is just comfort. It is really interesting to play that, I have never had to do that dynamic. I feel like it is more three dimensional then just like “Oh, I am sad”. It has been great to work on the show.

MG: Your character has some great episodes this season, what can you tell us?
YM: One scene that was definitely super intense actually didn’t have any lines but it was me finding out that he was dead.  I come out of the hospital room and I fall into Shawn’s arms and we are crying.  It was one of the most exhausting things I have ever had to do. It was very intense.  The cool thing about “Southland” is that they let the actors improv a lot. They let us do what feels natural and you don’t to hit every mark every time. It allows us freedom to do what feels right and let’s it just happen. It is really nice and a luxury for any actor, since a lot of real moments come out that aren’t planned.

MG: What stands out on this “Southland” that makes it different that other shows?
YM: The actors on the show are really amazing. It was originally on ABC and then switched to TNT after its first season.  It has actually been better for the show.  They have more freedom to do different things now and it feels even more real. Every actor on the show is just amazing. I am really proud to be a part of that show. I am just really excited for going to work everyday.

MG: Tell us about your upcoming role playing Marisol in upcoming “Breakout Kings”?
YM: I play Laz Alonso’s wife, who is a US Marshal on the show. Our characters have been together for a while and they are like high school sweethearts.  What is cool is that Laz and I are both Cuban and I have never acted with another Cuban actor.  It was nice since we had a lot of similarities, for example stories from growing up. They let us improvise in Spanish and come up with a few extra things. It was really cool. Laz’s character, Charlie Duchamp is really obsessed with work and I kind of bring him down to reality.  I am not sure how much more I can say though, since the show has not aired yet.  But I can say it is action packed show and there is a lot going on.  It is from the same producers as “Prison Break”.

MG: How did you becoming involved with the A&E show?
YM: I just auditioned for the show.  They actually shoot in Toronto, so I auditioned for one of the producers here in LA. That is just how I got it…good ole fashion auditioning.  I love being able to travel for work though…makes everything feel more glamorous [laughs].

MG: Last year you worked on both “CSI: NY” and “Chase”, tell us about those shows?
YM: Yeah “Chase” was really fun!  It was the first time got to shoot people and jump off a cliff and run around a lot.  I have never done that for any role prior. It was really physically active, but even though it was demanding…in a weird way I liked it.  Plus it was in Dallas, so it was like 100 degrees. It was nice be able to do that things, like I was hanging from a cliff.  It was totally safe but I felt like a real badass after doing it.  With “CSI: NY” was really cool because I got to work with Gary Sinise.  It was great just to get to see him work.

MG: What has been your favorite projects to date?
YM: I really like “Southland”.  I haven’t seen “Breakout Kings” yet but “Southland”, when I work on it…I get the rush like when I am doing theatre. Because of that I would have to say that that would be my favorite that I’ve worked on.

MG: When you are not acting, what are you doing?
YM: Well I read a lot…really exciting [laughs].  I grew up in Miami and constantly have friends visiting me, so I am always hanging out.  I go to a lot of live concerts. What is cool is that by my house, there are a lot of little movie theaters.  We like to go to the silent movie theatre.  This month they are showing some French films from the 60’s and 70’s.  We will go with some friends to dinner…take a bottle of wine…and watch French films [laughs].

Tory Kittles is an up and coming actor who has appeared alongside 50 Cent in “Get Rich or Die Trying”, as well as having a recurring role in the hit FX series “Sons of Anarchy.” Tory currently stars in the independent film “The Kill Hole.”  Movie Mikes had a chance to speak with Tory about his previous work as well as his upcoming projects.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your new film “The Kill Hole”?
Tory Kittles: This film is a psychological thriller about a soldier who sees some bad things happen involving his fellow soldiers while in Iraq. I play Carter, who is the guy that saw these things happen. Since those events he has lost his mind and become a wreck loose up in the mountains. Instead of going after the soldiers who carried out these actions Carter decides he is going to go after the higher up people who actually gave the orders. My character succeeds in killing one of the higher up people however the guy who Carter originally saw commit these acts is then sent to kill him.

AL: When is the film slated to be released?
TK: I received a call yesterday and it looks like the film is either going to be released at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival or at the Toronto Film Festival. This film was one of the greatest experiences I have had on set. We got to shoot on top of Red Mountain in Portland and the view was beautiful. I think the scenery really compliments the film.

AL: How did you originally get involved in the film?
TK: I was just finishing up a role on Broadway and I returned to Florida to help take care of a sick relative. I had heard that they were doing auditions in Los Angeles however I couldn’t make it out there to audition in person. They then asked me if I could Skype them. I met Mischa Webley on Skype and we just talked about various everyday things. I told him I had experience doing war themed films and he asked if we could talk again. We talked the next day like we were old friends and then I didn’t hear anything for some time. I came back to Los Angeles and got a role in the play “Bones.” Just after I got the play I got the call that they wanted me for the movie. I really wanted to do the role in the film however I also wanted to do the role in the play. I talked with Mischa and told him that if he let me do the play it would allow me to bring a lot more to my role in the film. The play has a very deep and dark theme, as did the role of Carter in the film. Doing that play allowed me to warm up for my role in the film. As soon as the play closed, I was on a plane the next day and we started shooting the following day. It all moved very quickly.

AL: How did you get involved with “Get Rich or Die Tryin”
TK: I auditioned out in Los Angeles and after my initial audition they asked me if I could come back and meet Jim Sheridan, who was going to be the director. I went in and did the audition again and it went pretty good. That night Jim Sheridan had dinner with Colin Farrell, who I worked with and became friends with on “Phone Booth.” They started talking about people for the film and my name was mentioned. Colin said that we were friends and after that, they called me with the offer to do the film.

AL: How was it working with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson?
TK: He was really cool. Everybody has the vision of him as a hardcore rapper and that was it. This was his first film so no one knew what to expect. When we got to the set he was the hardest working guy there. He was making the music for the film and also doing his scenes. He wasn’t afraid to ask questions because he really wanted learn as much as he could. He was very generous and open.

AL: How was it working with the cast and crew of “Sons of Anarchy”?
TK: Well I’m still alive on the show. They haven’t killed me yet! (Laughs) It’s a really great experience they have a lot of talent on that show. That cast is like a big family. They made me feel at home and I look forward to working with them again.

AL: Are you going to be on the next season of the show?
TK: I have heard that they are going to tell more of the back story during the upcoming season but we will see what happens. Like I said they haven’t killed me yet!

AL: Can you tell us about the television series you are developing?
TK: I have a show that I am creating called “Harmony.” I actually got the idea while my Grandfather was sick. It’s going to be a drama/comedy about a single mom and her misfit employees. It’s going to focus on her struggles of being a mom and running a business. She runs a hospice care business and has a very unorthodox relationship with her clients. We are currently in talks with HBO to put it out.

AL: Are you going to have a role in the series?
TK: I wrote it with my writing partner Mercy and there are some things that I think I need to have a role in but for this project I don’t feel I have to have a role in it. I want to see this happen as being a producer and creator. I think if we end up being on for 10 seasons I may show up somewhere down the line.?