Sinqua Walls is co-starring in David Ellis’ “Shark Night 3D”.  Sinqua is also know for his roles in two of my favorite TV series “Friday Night Lights” & “Blue Mountain State”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Sinqua about battling sharks in his new film and his work on his TV shows.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us your role in David Ellis’ “Shark Night 3D”?
Sinqua Walls: My characters name is Malik. He is one of the leads in the film and he is kind of like the glue to the whole story. Basically, he and his friends are going on a spring break/summer vacation once the semester ends and trouble ensues. My character is the relative athlete. He is also in love with one of the girls and getting ready to propose to her. He is a good character and throughout the film has some really good courageous qualities.

MG: How was it shooting in 3D for the film?
SW: First off, yes we shot it in 3D. We used the whole 3D camera setup. We did not do it in post, so everything too a little longer because the cameras were heavier and you need to be lenient to the light. It was amazing though, we shot with three cameras to capture everything. Every when we got to see the dailies it just looks amazing. You see this shark and it literally looks like the shark is coming out of the screen to bite somebody.

MG: Where there any animatronic sharks used in the film or where they CGI?
SW: We had these huge animatronic sharks that literally can free swim and move on their own. All you had the do is just put them in the water and they just come at you. Once you see it on the screen it is going to look amazing. Most of it is animatronic…CGI doesn’t really come into play much. Also all the explosions were real. We blew up boat houses [laughs]. Boats were blown up…trees we knocked down [laughs]. But yeah, the sharks are real. I believe the budget for the sharks alone was between $1-2 million dollars. There were like three or four sharks I believe. I really only worked with one shark called Jimmy the most [laughs]. You are going to like it, it is really good stuff.

MG: Would you say it was it a difficult production to shoot?
SW: All throughout it was a really good experience. You’re waking at 5:30am in the morning everyday and it is long shoot, but David is a great director to work with. He really knows what he is doing and knows action really well. He can be having a conversation with you and calling action at the same time. He knows exactly what he is looking for. We shot it in Shreveport, Louisiana. The crew was really great too. It is just one of those projects that just from day one just go so right.

MG: You played football player with two hit shows “Friday Night Lights” & “Blue Mountain State”, how was it working on those series?
SW: It was fun. I am an athletic guy and I work out a lot. When you are shooting those shows you always have to use those physical tools. One time when Taylor (Kitsch) and I had to do a “40” on the camera, we actually had to run like we were doing running a fast 40 [laughs]. It is fun when you can incorporate acting and get a workout at the same time. It is like cheating the system a little bit.

MG: Do you find that the two series compare at all?
SW: “Blue Mountain State” is a comedy and it is hilarious. Working on that show I was laughing non-stop. “Friday Night Lights” is a drama, so it is more in depth and focuses on character analysis. I think it is an awesome show. Jason Katims is one of the writers on that show and he just wanted to capture it being so real. Both shows are so great though. I have been very lucky so far and been able to call this a job. I am just riding the wave man [laughs].

MG: How do you compare working on TV to movies?
SW: TV is a lot faster pace. You are working against the clock most of the time, especially for half hour shows. You get a little more time when you are doing an hour show like “Friday Night Lights”. “Friday Night Lights” is shot similar to feature style since that is the way that Peter Berg wanted to do it.  With features you just get more time to play. From an actor’s prospective you really get to delve into a particular character. For Malik, I wanted to try my best to make sure it was a character that the audiences would appreciate. This guy is fighting these sharks but he is actually a good dude also! So, I would say that it is fun to do both.

MG: Tell us what else you are currently working on?
SW: Right now, I just did a show for ABC Family with executive producer, Brenda Hampton. We are waiting to see if that get picked up. So once that happens we will hopefully be moving forward.

Ken Sagoes is known most for his roles in “A Nightmare on Elm Street: Part 3 & 4”. Besides acting, Ken is also an author, his latest is called “Seven Maids From Stockbridge”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Ken about working on the “Nightmare” series and his current book tour.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally get the gig on “A Nightmare on Elm Street” series as Roland Kincaid?
Ken Sagoes: There were a mass audition. They were really looking for a bodybuilder type guy, but the day I went in I was in such a bad mood, (Mainly because that day I had to catch a bus and it was raining very heavy, plus, I thought it was a waste of my time because I was far from the physical look they were asking for) but it turned out that was the mood they were looking for.

MG: Tell me about working with the cast of the films?
KS: It was great, from the first day of walking on the set, we became a family. All of the “Dream Warriors” were like brothers and sisters, and Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund became our big sister and big brother. And thanks to Facebook, we keep in touch more often now. Even when Rodney Eastman (Joey) and I stepped on the set of “Nightmare 4”, we knew it was just a going to be a short time, but the new cast were very good to us, suddenly, we became the big brothers. Tuesday Knight was wonderful too, and was a great new Kristen and big sister.

MG: How was it seeing Robert Englund for the first time as Freddy Kruger?
KS: When I first met Robert Englund, he was going to his dressing room. He stopped and welcome me, made me feel very welcome. Robert Englund is one of the most giving and gentleman you would ever meet. Then, the next time I saw him was on the set in make-up, and was somewhat eerie; hard to believe a man that kind was under that make-up. But Robert is/was a true pro, he was no longer Robert Englund – it was Freddy Kruger. So I think because I had met him first, then met him as Freddy made it more eerier to me.

MG: Any behind the scenes stories from working on the films?
KS: I have none. I was one of those actors that stayed in his dressing room when I wasn’t shooting. Mainly because I was working on another project at the time. But I do remember when we were filming the boiler room scene, we were really in a very, very hot place, and everyone was trying to complete the scene to get out. The place in itself was eerie, even without Freddy.

MG: Tell us about your process you are working on a book?
KS: It really is a long process. Most people don’t know it, but I was a staff writer for Paramount television before I was an actor. I even won a CableACE award for writing a Disney movie called, “On Promised Land”. First, I get the story together and then the characters. Because I was a stand-up comic, I am able to bring in comic even when there is drama. I like story that I can put a little history in and view by all
ages and race.

MG: Can you explain what a scriptnovel is and why do you use that format?
KS: A scriptnovel (one word) is half novel and half screenplay – all in one. I like that format, because first, it becomes a very easy and fast read for the reader. It also, put you, the reader in the story. You often can get a sense of feeling what the characters are all about, which can make the story more interesting. My first scriptnovel, “Latch of the Shadow”, which was a horror, received great reviews, and I will have a few of them when I’m in Orlando, Fla, Friday and Saturday for the book signing of my latest scriptnovel, “Seven Maids From Stockbridge”.

MG: Tell us about your latest book, “Seven Maids From Stockbridge”?
KS: “Seven Maids From Stockbridge”, is a powerful story, and I mean really powerful story that takes place during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s. It’s about families and lives of seven women – six black and one white. It may appear that the title is about females, but it is not totally true. It is about everyone’s life, and yes, it has comedy, drama, adventure, and I would say a touch of horror. What the women and men had to experience during that time is unbelievable. This story came about from a couple of trips I had with my mother as a maid when I was around five years old. I never forgot the journey. I honestly believe that whatever type of stories you like, you will find some of it in this story. I believe that no matter who you are, you will find it to be a part of you, and because it is written in the scriptnovel format, you would like it even more.

MG: Tell us about your book tour this month?
KS: I will be in Orlando, Fla at the Orlando Public Library Central (downtown) Saturday, Feb. 26. I will be a the main downtown library from 11:30 to 2:30. I will talk about the movies I’ve been in like: “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Rosewood,” which was filmed in Orlando by John Singleton, and what it’s like in Hollywood. I also will have a Q&A section, plus will personally sign each book and take a picture. The
library’s number is: 407-835-7323. Saturday, Feb. 26, please call the library. The address is 101 E. Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801.

MG: Do you have anymore scriptnovels planned in the future?
KS: Yes, I am working on my third as we speak, it’s called, “The Genesis Experiment.”

Joel Moore is known best for his roles in films like “Dodgeball” and “Grandma’s Boy” and most recently a little film called “Avatar”.  Joel also stars in David Ellis’ “Shark Night 3D”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Joel about working with James Cameron on “Avatar” and on his upcoming films.

Mike Gencarelli: You started your career with notable comedy roles in “Dodgeball” and “Grandma’s Boy.” Has comedy always come easy for you
Joel Moore: Yes. When I was younger I always wanted to be a clown. But when I got old enough I realized that was probably a bad career move so I got into acting. But I learned very early on that I won’t get beat up by the bullies at school if I just fall on my own head. So that really worked out. I think that comedy comes naturally to me, though I don’t consider myself a “comedian.” I see these guys doing stand up and I know that it’s very hard work…probably some of the hardest work in this business. And acting also gives me the opportunity to bounce around and do comedies or do drama. I made a point to try to do both comedy and drama early on so I wouldn’t get type cast into one little area of this industry. And that made things much easier on both sides. Right after “Dodgeball”, I directed a feature where I played a sort of out of touch guy who could be a serial killer. A movie called “Spiral.” And one of the reasons that we did it was because it was completely the opposite of what I had been doing before that. It was an exciting move and something I really want to pursue, being on the director’s side of the camera.

MG: Tell us about what it was like working on such a big film like “Avatar”?
JM: It was a two and a half year process and whenever you’re working with Jim Cameron you’re working with a guy who has the bar raised so high that it forces, in a healthy way, everybody’s endeavors to reach that same level. He’s the hardest guy working on the set. He’s the first one in and the last one out. It’s the best example of “helming” a project that I’ve ever been a part of and I think I ever will be. I can’t wait for the sequels coming up. Working with Jim is like going to graduate school. It really was. It was such an experience and such an education for me that it’s almost beyond words.

MG: Would you say it was the hardest project you have worked on to date?
JM: Yes, because of the technology…because of the fact that a lot of it was being created and built as we were going so you’re really doing two things at once. You’re creating the idea of what it’s going to look like as you’re shooting and building the project at the same time. It really was the chicken and the egg at the same exact time. It was fascinating to watch. You know with all of that pressure I would have been having panic attacks every day but the guy is made of stone…he’s made of giant stone balls! Two giant stone balls and they’re very heavy!

MG: Obviously the sequel(s) are a few years away,.. do you hope to be involved?
JM: I have no idea about what’s coming up. It’s all in Jim’s head at this point and he’s going to be the person who will be asking and answering all of the questions. It should be fun to see what happens with it.

MG: You co-directed, produced and wrote “Spiral” with Adam Green as well as starred in it. Tell us about that experience?
JM: The experience was something I’d always been interested in ever since college. I wrote a play and it got put on at the college and I thought “this is interesting…to see my words come alive on stage. So Adam and I set out to write something small. Something we could get the funding for privately so we didn’t have to go through the studio system. It was hard wearing a lot of hats which is why Adam and I decided to take this adventure on together and co-direct it. It’s very hard to do so many things at once because you’re not really wearing a bunch of hats, you’re taking one hat off and putting another one on. So when I’m in front of the camera I just have to wear the acting hat. If I’m behind I have to wear the director hat. It’s a lot of shuffling, but I happen to be a good shuffler! (laughs)

MG: Any future plans to direct?
JM: Yes. I’m putting a project together that’s currently under wraps. It’s a dark comedy and we’re really excited about it. It’s going to get off the ground around the middle of this year and it will be a good follow up to “Spiral.” It’s a little different and on the lighter side of things. I’m really excited about it and excited to get it going and add another “feature director” credit under my belt. I’m going to actually say the name of the film so we can have it in print. It’s called “Killing Winston Jones.”

MG: So you’ve just given me an exclusive here?
JM: Exactly! An exclusive.

MG: Tell us about your role in David Ellis’ upcoming 3D shark thriller?
JM: It’s actually really fun. I think people are going to enjoy it. It’s based on true events that happened post-Katrina where, because of the levees breaking, sharks could come into the waters around the area. Chris Briggs, the producer, he’s kind of a genius. He was behind the whole “Hostel” franchise. He come up with the great marketing ploy that sharks sell movie tickets. At first I was like, “oh no, a shark movie” but it really falls into a fun realm. I like to pop in and do some commercial fun stuff. It’s a big movie and it’s full of action. It’s fun…it’s funny! The whole cast was wonderful. We became a tight knit group. There’s a lot of talent. They were the young talent and I was the old talent on the set. All those young kiddies running around…they didn’t listen to me at all!

MG: So was the film actually shot in 3D?
JM: I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t. That was one of the key points when the offer came through…that it was going to be shot in REAL 3D. There’s no shitty transferring afterwards that makes the 3D look crappy. It’s the real deal. It really was important to me. If I’m going to do a silly fun movie like this I want to do something that honors the true side of 3D. David (Ellis, the film’s director) is good at what he’s done. He’s done it before and he knows how to make all of that action work really well, which is a big driving force to making an action/thriller.

MG: What else do you have planned for the future?
JM: I signed on to “Hawaii Five-0” this year and that should be fun. It’s a big show and people seem to enjoy it. I just finished my first episode. The cast is great. Alex (O’Loughlin” and Scott (Caan) are great. I couldn’t say kinder words about them. They’re having fun. As they should…they’re shooting in Hawaii! You can’t get much better than that. Then I have the upcoming film I’m going to direct and play the lead in. And I’m filling time between now and when the “Avatar” sequels start. I’ve got a couple movies coming up, one I’d like to mention called “Janie Jones.” It’s just a fantastic little story that stars Alessandro Nivola and Abigail Breslin. I’ve seen it and it’s such a wonderfully touching story. I’m excited for people being able to see it. The cast is great. Frank Whaley…Elisabeth Shue. It should be coming out at some point this year. Just a great little movie!

Patrick Fabian is known most for his role in last year’s hit “The Last Exorcism”.  He is currently starring along side Melissa Peterman and Ed Asner in CMT’s new show “Working Class”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Patrick again to discuss he new show and how it has been working on it.

Click here to check out our interview with Patrick for “The Last Exorcism”

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you got involved with “Working Class”?
Patrick Fabian: I got involved because I was on “Reba” about five years ago and I played the character of, and I kid you not, Reverent Yummypants and that is how I met Melissa Peterman.  Five years later I ran into her for a charity event in Los Angeles for under privledged kids and she mentioned she is doing a show for CMT. She asked me to do a table reading with her.  So I did the table reading and got to be reunited with her basically. I was thrilled since I think she is the funniest girl on television and then you add in Ed Asner…he is a TV legend.  So between her and him, I was over the moon.  We went into production last Fall…shot twelve episodes and started airing them four weeks ago.

MG: So I am assuming it was easy then working with Melissa Peterman again on the show?
PF: When I was on “Reba”, it made it seem maybe Reba and I would be getting together, but instead Melissa’s character turns out to have a crush on me.  In this show we are kind of playing off that dynamic again. I end up playing her boss in this show. We are from different sides of the tracks.  She is from the poorer side…trying to work her way up.  I play a Richie Rich guy who owns the store. We are attracted to one another. What is great about working with her because it is an easy job on my end. All I had to do put on a suit and stand there, she does all the work.  She works overtime making all the funny happy and I get to be her bounce guy…which is a great working relationship to be in.

MG: Tell us have you enjoyed playing your character Rob Parker in the show?
PF: What is really fun about it is that Martin Mull plays my father.  So I got to meet and hang out with him.  He plays the matriarch of my family and he owes the entire chain of these supermarkets in the nameless midwest.  He gives me this store to run and to kind of cut my teeth on.  What is nice about it is that even though I am a manager of a grocery store…I am dressing in black Armani suits.  That is why I like television because that works out fine for me. Somebody asked me before if I had any experience with grocery…which I didn’t but I was a grease monkey at McDonald’s for four years right through high school.  So I know what it is like to make the minimum mage and put your nose to the grindstone.  So it is kind of fun to be the guy in charge of those people as well.

MG: How does it feel to be working on the first scripted series for CMT?
PF: Working with CMT is great, they are just as nice as you would expect. A company based out of Nashville is just as polite and fun to work for like you could imagine. This is their first scripted and there is a lot riding on it.  But they love Melissa since she is the host of “The Singing Bee” which has been on CMT for numerous years.  There is also something really great about being attached to something that is brand new. Since it is CMT, it is a smaller audience.  It is not NBC, CBS or ABC. The quota for success is whether really the people in the office like it enough.  If CMT likes this show, they will be behind it all the way. The fact is, we shot twelve episodes right out of the gate and in these days it is hard to start with twelve episodes on regular network TV. The shows fail so quickly and the bar is set so high in order to give the show a chance.  What I like about our chances here is that this show is exactely their audience and they always talk about the station being “Television the whole family can watch”. I certainly think that this is that. This is not the snarky kind of bitter humor that a lot of shows tend to have today on network TV…I am not saying it is a bad thing, since there is definitely a place for it. I think though that CMT is a place to sit down with your family and laugh at jokes that make everyone laugh.  We haven’t seen the light of this since “Roseann”, “Everybody Love Raymond” and “Cheers”.  Those shows are in our memories and also in reruns but they do not exist freshly on TV. I think that is the whole that this show fills.

MG: How has it been working with such a legend as Ed Asner on the show?
PF: Oh my God, it is crazy.  I know it is Ed Asner.  I am aware I am going to see Ed Asner and I then show up on the set, I look up and I am like “DUDE, Your Ed Asner!!”.  He is everything you want him to be and then some. He is completely without ego. When it comes to work, he is really good about it and takes it very seriously.  There is a reason why he has been at this so long, he is a real legend. At his age and with his career behind him, he could have easily sat around and not done anything but he really comes out and works.  I have definitely learned a couple of things by working with Ed.  I have learned how to really polish up your funny and make your mark.  I have also learned that if you are in a scene with Ed Asner…don’t let him get upstage of you or he will steal it from you [laughs].

MG: What can we expect from the rest of the season?
PF: I can give a little sneak.  Obviously, we have it setup that Melissa’s character is trying to be above her station. Her and I have some chemistry going but I clearly have a girlfriend.  I will say this though, there is definitely some kissing involve sometime during this season.  I am not going to say between who…maybe it is me and Ed [laughs]. I don’t know, but that is definitely in store for us down the road.

MG: Besides the TV show, what else do you have planned next?
PF: I got two things right now.  I got a movie I did last year called “Pig”, which is a science fiction film and it should be coming out this summer.  Also I am talking to you right now from Berkley, CA where I am up doing a guest spot on a new movie called “The Eleventh One” which stars John Benjamin Hickey and Marin Hinkle.  It is being producing by Bryan Singer of “X-Men” fame. I am keeping busy between the cracks and waiting for the phone call from CMT to come back to work and get busy kissing Ed Asner [laughs].

Click here to check out our interview with Patrick for “The Last Exorcism”

Judy Reyes played Carla Espinosa on the hit series “Scrubs” and has also appeared in shows such as “NYPD Blue” and “OZ.” Judy’s most recent project “Gun Hill Road” has been accepted in the Sundance Film Festival. Movie Mikes had the chance to speak with Judy about her new film as well as some of her other projects.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your new film “Gun Hill Road”?
Judy Reyes: “Gun Hill Road” is a fantastic indie film that was shot in the Bronx. It’s a story about a father that has recently been released from prison and who is looking to pick up with his family where he had left off. What the father begins to realize is that everything has changed since he has been away. The man’s wife Angela which is the role I play has strayed and their son is struggling with some sexual identity issues. These problems are really going to mess with the family and put them through a lot of changes.

AL: How did you become involved in the project?
JR: It was such a compelling story and one that is very powerfully written from the Latino perspective. I had been thought of ahead of time by the director for this role which made it very appealing. I also really enjoyed the challenges that this role would pose. I had just become a mother a few months prior to taking this role and that created an excitement within me. It was an opportunity that was begging me to jump at.

AL: How was it working with Esai Morales?
JR: Esai was really fantastic! I have been a fan of his for a really long time and it was a pleasure to work with him. He and I really got into play acting with each other. We were really comfortable. Esai is a guy who is very well respected in the business and in the Latino community.

AL: How did you feel when the film was accepted into Sundance this year?
JR: I was beside myself! I knew when I got the phone call that it was going to be good news. I’m such a fan of independent films that this is really an honor. We worked so hard to see this film through and get it completed. It is really thrilling and we are all delighted to be a part of Sundance.

AL: A lot of our readers know you from the hit series “Scrubs.” Do you have an episode of the show that is a favorite of yours?
JR: I really enjoyed the musical episode. It was a really hardcore episode for us to complete. We spent about a month on that one episode! It was a lot of fun to sing and dance which was always my dream. That episode will always stick in my mind.

AL: Besides “Scrubs” you have also had the opportunity to be on a bunch of other really great series. Is there one of those that sticks out as a favorite?
JR: “Sopranos” was really delightful. I also did an episode of “Off the Map” recently which was great. It’s always wonderful to be on a show that is successful and where everyone involved works together to put out a really great product. “Third Watch” was another show that I really enjoyed being a part of.

AL: Do you have any other upcoming projects you can tell us about?
JR: I am currently exploring a few options that have come my way in the past few weeks but I don’t want to say too much right now as nothing has been set in stone. I also want to see what will happen after Sundance as well.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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”

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.

Click here to purchase “Star Wars: Clone Wars” merchandise

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS CAST INTERVIEWS:

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:

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”.”

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.

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.