Geoffrey Arend is known for his comedic roles in such films as “Super Troopers” and “The Ringer”. He is starring in the recently released horror film “Devil”. Movie Mikes had the chance to conduct Geoffrey’s first ever phone interview so it was an honor to speak with him about his roles and his new movie, “Devil”.

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Mike Gencarelli: You started your career as the stoner in “Super Troopers”, how did you get the role?
Geoffrey Arend: It’s funny this guy, Pete Lengyel, who is the Executive Producer on the movie, saw me in a play like two years before. He remembered me for two years and tracked down the pizzeria that I was working at in New York. He called me up like three or four times. Finally I called him back, I was like “Why is this creep calling me, who is this guy? He asked me to come and audition, which was pretty wild. I do not even think the casting director liked me, but the Broken Lizard guys did. Pete said “I am funding the movie, hire this kid!”. I only had one day on set for the first scene. They ended up calling us back then for the scene at the end. That first day was so fantastic, I have never been on a movie set before, it was pretty wild.

Mike Gencarelli: You stole the show in “The Ringer”, tell us about working on that film?
Geoffrey Arend: It was great. The Special Olympics were part of that movie, so half the cast was handicapped in some way. I have never had an experience like that before. I might have one or two great lines in the movie. For the most part I didn’t really have a part. Barry Blaustein, who directed it hired me. The movie was supposed to be made three years before it was made because I remember auditioning for it. When I auditioned in front of Barry, we were going through the script and at some point I was in character and I threw the script down in frustration. Barry is a funny guy, he used to write jokes for Eddie Murphy on SNL. Barry started asking me questions and I stayed in character and I started answering all of the questions. I was improving the whole thing for like five minutes. He called up and said “There are a couple of holes in the movie I want you to fill. I don’t have a character for you. I would love for you to play any of the characters in the movie but I really want you to come in and do what you did in that room for the entire movie”. The improv is difficult alone. But improv of a mentally handicap role, it was kind of making me a little crazy. You kind of can’t write it,  it is a kind of stream of consciousness. The ice cream line, “When the fuck did we get ice cream?” I remember I did it and everyone laughed, except Peter Farrelly. He started yelling “How am I supposed to make a movie, if everyone is going to laugh?!” I thought, “What happened, I finally came up with something that worked”.

Mike Gencarelli: You not only starred in “500 Days of Summer,” you also sang, did you enjoy working on that film?
Geoffrey Arend: I remember reading the script. After I finished it, I turned to my wife and said I really want to be in a nice movie like this. It was a really nice movie. I went in and met Marc Webb, who couldn’t have been a nicer guy. I went in three times. On the third time, I went in and read with Joe Levitt, who was awesome. The second time I went in, he made me do one of the scenes as an Indian guy. He was laughing so hard he fell off the couch and hit his head on the floor. [laughs] It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. I looked at him and said “I have to get this role now, right?” It felt like a bunch of romantics made this film, that is why it came out so nice.

MG: Tell us about you role of Vince in “Devil”?
GA: I have made it this far without saying much. I remember I had to sign this whole thing. M. Night will come and beat the crap out of me. I grew up in New York and I started out doing theater. I got married and the day after I got married, my wife left to do a movie and I went to Toronto. We didn’t see each other for two weeks from the day after we got married. I was in Toronto with these people and it was like the greatest thing that could ever happen to me. The whole movie was setup in one place. All of my scenes, except the entrance into the elevator, everything takes place in one little room. It was like theater. I was trying to figure out how to stand in a tiny room with four other people and how to make my body act in this tiny space. It was the best experience ever. The Dowdle Brothers are absolutely fantastic directors. I haven’t seen it myself but I am very excited to see it.

MG: You have done a lot of comedy, was it hard to switch to horror/thriller mode?
GA: I didn’t find it hard at all. It was one of those challenges you come home from everyday and you’re exhausted but you just wanna sleep because you worked to your highest ability. That was how I felt after that movie. Getting to the question, the comedy-drama thing, I go at it the same way.
You treat whatever situation you’re in realistically and to behave under the given circumstances realistically. I mean it is not any different than “The Ringer”. I can try and say a bunch of things that sound funny or I can sit there and try and figure out how my character’s mind works.

MG: On a scale from 1 to 10, how scary is this movie going to be?
GA: Depends if you are claustrophobic or how you feel about elevators. When we auditioned, we didn’t get the script. I think that is the standard practice with M. Night’s movies. When I read the script, I had the same feeling when I read “500 Days of Summer”. Two totally different movies but I thought it was going to be a really good movie. You never know how it is going to turn out but when I first saw the trailer I think they nailed it. It looked really scary. I think it is going to be up there, around 8 and up, just from the trailer.

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When you hear Bob Marley, I am sure you think of the reggae singer but when you think of “The Boondock Saints” series you think of Bob Marley the comedian from New England, who plays Detective Greenley. Bob has also released 20 comedy albums and have been featured on Comedy Central. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Bob to discuss his movies and his comedy acts.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally get the role in “Boondock Saints”?
Bob Marley: Troy and I had a mutual friend named Tom Chabot from Maine. He was living in L.A. and hanging out at the bar that Troy worked at. And when the movie got the greenlight to begin casting he told him “you have to check this guy out, he’s really funny.” They came to see me at the Laugh Factory on the Sunset Strip at one in the morning. The place is packed and I’m on stage and this guy starts yelling at me so I’m just hammering the guy and the place is going nuts. So I walk off stage and Troy says “hey, I want you to read a script” and I’m thinking, “Jesus, everybody has got a script in Hollywood.” So I took the script and after two pages I thought “Holy Shit! This guy really DOES have a script.” The writing is brilliant. So I phone him up and tell him, “this is great.” And he tells me he’ll let me know when casting starts. But I didn’t hear from them for like three months because they were having trouble with the funding. And the casting. They (the producers) were trying to get Brad Pitt and Stallone and Steven Dorf and Troy was telling them “you just don’t get it.” So finally Troy called me and asked me to come to his apartment to read. It was the scene in the alley that I had to read. And the uncut version of that scene is four minutes of just me just going off. I was there with Troy and Chris Brinker (the producer). Chris leaves to go get some coffee and Troy asks me to do the scene. He hands me a script and I tell him I don’t need the script. It’s about a three page scene but I tell him I don’t need it. And he smiled. I ripped the whole scene apart…boom, boom, boom…and when I was done he looked at me and said “you’re the guy.” And I was like “are you shitting me?” I had lived in L.A. for eleven years and had actually had eight development deals for sitcoms but had never shot a pilot. Next thing I know I’m off to Toronto and I’m standing next to Willem Defoe.

Mike Gencarelli: We recently interviewed Brian Mahoney and he mentioned that it was almost impossible to play it serious when you were so funny. Was it hard for you to not laugh as well?
Bob Marley: I’m really the kind of guy who will bust everybody’s balls, you know…but in a good way. We had a great time. What was worse was me and Billy Connolly. The first day on the first film I went to see Billy. Remember the house that they blew up in the first film? I had scenes earlier that day, then I went to that set and Billy showed up. He had seen the rushes of my scene in the alley the day before and when he saw me he said (in a heavy Irish brogue), “Oh, fucking great!” He took me aside and we sat in the grass for two hours just talking about stand up comedy. And I’m thinking to myself, “this guy is the balls, man.” And on the last movie, when I’m laying on the floor dead, he walks in and I told him, “listen, when I’m on the ground my head is going to be tilted your way so please don’t fuck around.” And he looks at me and asks, “what do you mean?” I said, “don’t give me that fucking smirk or I’ll be done.” Thank God I was dead when he came in. And when you die they give you the option of having your eyes open or closed. I asked a friend of mine who was a cop and he said that most of the time when he comes across a dead body their eyes are closed. So I kept mine closed. When Billy walked in I couldn’t see what he was doing. Because I didn’t see him as a mob boss. I saw him as Billy Connolly.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you reflect on the fan response to the “Boondock” movies?
Bob Marley: Here’s what I can tell you…after “Boondock “ one…the radio stations are very picky about who they have on to promote comedy shows. So if the club calls the station and says “I’ve got Bob Marley coming in” they usually say “who’s Bob Marley?” And if they say “he’s from ‘The Boondock Saints’ they usually say “bring him in!” Being in the movie really buys you a first time pass with radio stations. But if you go in and you’re not funny, they won’t have you back again. It opens doors, certainly. But am I selling out shows just because of “Boondock Saints?” No. Do I have fans that come because of the film? Absolutely. But it’s pretty much a cumulative thing. I’ve done a hundred t.v. shows….Leno and Letterman…Comedy Central stuff….it all contributes to a full house!

MG: What do you love most about doing stand up comedy?
BM: I love picking little things apart. The average person when they walk around in everyday life always has that moment where they just go “what the fuck!” It’s like when you’re in a bar with your buddies and someone walks by and you go “what the fuck!” Being a comedian you can actually take that moment and bring it on stage. Like the other day I stopped a convenient store and there’s a new beef jerky product called Sasquatch Beefstick. It’s two and half pounds of beef jerky shoved into a tube with a picture of an angry Sasquatch on it. So being a wise-apple I ask the lady behind the counter if the meat is mostly meat from the Sasquatch and she says “I don’t know.” And in my head I’m thinking “how do you not know? How do you not know that Sasquatch isn’t real?” And I’m thinking “you’re the one who’s in charge of shutting the pumps down if there’s a fire and you don’t know?”

MG: Do you find it hard to come up with material? You’ve released almost 20 different comedy CDs.
BM: I’m pretty lucky because I have a good eye and I can picture out things. And I know my voice. A lot of comedians don’t know who they are on stage and they struggle to write material. But when I look at something I immediately know what my approach on stage is going to be. In fact, on September 22 I’m going for the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest comedy show. The record is 36 hours and 15 minutes of stand up. I’m doing it for a charity…for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Maine.

MG: Are you looking to do any more films in the future or focusing on the comedy?
BM: I would love to do more films. We moved out of Los Angeles about five years ago when we started having kids. We live in Maine now. I just shot an hour special that I’m trying to get on Comedy Central. The whole family went to see the second movie and my aunt, who’s 85, comes up to me and says “Bobby, you were very good. I don’t know why you don’t do more movies.” Like it’s my decision not to do any more. It’s so many crazy how many actors there are and how many movies there are. And I just don’t live out in L.A. anymore. But if something comes my way I’ll certainly do it. But between the first and second “Boondock” movies my stand up has taken off so much. So I’m keeping busy!

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Danny Trejo is the star of the recent film “Machete”.  “Machete” is Trejo’s first starring role and starred off as a faux trailer from “Grindhouse”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Danny about his new movie and his career.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally get involved with Robert Rodriguez?
Danny Trejo: Originally I cast for a movie called “Desperado”. I walked into his office and he told me “You remind me of the bad guys in my high school”.  I told him “I am the bad guys in your high school” and we just hit it off.

Mike Gencarelli: Your character Machete was featured in Robert Rodriguez’ movies going back to first “Spy Kids”, how was that character created?
Danny Trejo: Robert Rodriguez told me about Machete when we were doing Desperado.  Everyone thought I was the star of the movie.  Nobody knew who Antonio Bandaras was.  Everyone was crowding around me and asking for autographs.  Robert came up and said, “Hey they think you are the star of the movie” and I told him “I am, aren’t I? and he cracked up.  He told me about this character Machete and said that I am perfect for it and that was 15 years ago.  He made me Machete as a joke.  He named me Uncle Machete in “Spy Kids”.  When we did the fake trailer for “Grindhouse” he said “At least we did the trailer, just in case we can’t do the movie”. Then the fans demanded we did “Machete”.  We got more response from “Machete”, then we did “Grindhouse”.

Mike Gencarelli: With “Machete” opening up number two in the country, you must be thrilled right?
Danny Trejo: Its awesome.  George Clooney had a bigger budget and his film, “The American”, opened up on a Wednesday.  We opened on Friday like regular and we came close.  Just to be in the room with George clooney is an honor.  I giggle everytime they compare us [laughs], I mean come on its George “Fucking” Clooney.

MG: What has been the hardest film that you worked on?
DT: I think “Machete” because I was there everyday.  Usually I come in two or three days.  I would kill a couple of people and call everyone motherfuckers and leave.  On this one I was there everyday and Texas had 70 days of over 100 degrees. It was pretty brutal.  It was my first lead and also the first Latino action hero.  It was fun but a lot of work.

MG: I hear your son and daughter are also in “Machete”
DT: I got my whole family in the business.  My daughter Danielle, was the machine gun toting mechanic.  When they gave her a machine guy, they asked if she knows how to use it and she said, “Yeah”.  Rodriguez laughed and said “Trejo’s Kid” [laughs]. My son Gilbert played Jorge in the movie but he didn’t have any lines.  It is so unbelieveable, he is 22 years old and putting me in a movie called “Skinny Dip”.

MG: Tell us about “Skinny Dip”, it also co-star Michelle Rodriguez?
DT: Yeah, It’s me and Michelle Rodriguez so far.  We just started working on it, we are trying to get Eric Roberts and some other people.  We’ll see, they’ll jump aboard.  It is going to be one hell of movie.

MG: You also play Johnny 23 in one of my favorite action films, “Con Air”, must have been a blast to work on?
DT: YEAH!! CON AIR!! [yelling]. Yep, that was the biggest test of testosterone that I have ever had in my life.  EVeryone was in competition.  If you would spit, somebody would spit further.  Pretty soon, 25 guys would be spitting [laughs].

MG: What else are you currently working on?
DT: We are getting ready to sell a movie called “Vengenance” right now, it should be coming out this October.  After this I am flying to New York for a premiere of a movie called “Modus Operandi”.  It was done by my son’s business partner.  He is name is Frankie Latina.  Yeah man, we are doing it all.

MG: You are also involved with some charity work, tell us about it?
DT: My wife and I have a foundation called Canine Compassion.  what we do is we help people that rescue animals.  We put up fundraisers and Jillian (Reynolds) is going to get involved with us from “Good Day LA”. It is great.  I also work with drug addicts at Western Pacific Medical Corp. You got to give back man!

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Electra Avellan is known best for her role of one of the Babysitter Twins in “Grindhouse”. Electra also appears in this year’s “The Black Waters of Echos Pond and “Machete” with her sister Elise Avellan. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Electra about her roles and how was is working in Hollywood.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us you involved working with Robert Rodriguez?
Electra Avellan: Robert Rodriguez was married to my Aunt Elizabeth and I have always have known him as my Uncle. When I was 16 years old, he thought I was too young for “Sin City” and too old for “Spy Kids”. He told us to work on our English and a few years later when my sister and I were 18, he asked us to come and audition for “Grindhouse”. I auditioned first and the role was originally only for one babysitter. My sister and I started arguing. He wrote down everything that we said and thought it was perfect. He was said he wanted us both in it and wrote the Babysitter Twins based off that.

Mike Gencarelli: You and your sister, Elise Avellan have appeared together in a few movies now together, how do you find it working with your sibling?
Electra Avellan: I love it, it is amazing. I have been working with her for as long as I can remember. My mom is a very well-known actress in Venezuela. She got us in the industry there and that is where we started. When we moved here, we got the opportunity to break into the industry together which was a great opportunity. We are seen as a package deal. Even though my sister is not 100% interested in pursuing the acting career at the moment, she is still open to working with me. She is my best friend.

Mike Gencarelli: We recently interviewed Sean Clark and you worked with him on “The Black Waters of Echos Pond”, can you tell us working on that film?
Electra Avellan: Sean Clark is a good friend of mine, I love him. We met a few years ago right after I finished filming “Grindhouse”. He told me about the convention scene and wanted me to work with him. I went to a couple conventions with him and loved it. He told me he has written a movie and wanted my sister and I to be in it. The movie was so good and the script was phenonomal. Sean is awesome to work with and it was such awesome experience. The director Gabriel Bologna is insanely creative, he has so many great ideas for the film. Sean Clark took all of his ideas and made it into an amazing screenplay and that is what you see in the movie.

MG: Are you a fan of the horror genre?
EA: Yah, tell me about it. I have never liked horror movies. I have though been drawn to “The Exorcist” and the Freddy Kruger movies. I have always liked but never watched all the time. I rather have scary than gorey. “Saw” movies are too much for me. “Hostel” movies are too much for me. I love the horror more now that I am apart of it though. It is not real, but I play with those emotions and I create awareness in different aspects of life. I love it, I just love it.

MG: You recently appeared in “Machete”, how was it working on that film?
EA: Oh my God, it was life changing. It was so incredible and amazing. Working with that cast was so great. Jeff Fahey is a good friend of mine and working again with him was awesome. Danny Trejo has taught me most of the things I know in the American industry. He has taught me so much. Lindsay Lohan is a phenonomal actress, I learned a lot from her. Robert Rodriguez was great, he treated me like a princess. It was a blessing.

MG: What else are you working on?
EA: I have two projects, the first is called “Perfectus” with Danny Trejo, Malcolm McDowell, Sid Haig, Dana Rosendorff and my sister and I. It is a sci-fi action thriller, you will love it. The other is called “Ushers” and it was written by Nicholes Cole and Jeff Tuttle. Lindsay Lohan and Edi Gathergi are in it with me and it is a really cool comedy/action movie about these kids in the 90’s that work in a movie theater and who start a gambling ring in the theater. It is so great. I can’t wait for you to see it. You will love it.

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Denise Nickerson is know most for her role as Violet Beauregarde in 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. With the 40 anniversary of the film approaching, Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Denise and travel back in time to visit the set of “Willy Wonka” and talk about her experience on the film.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your experience working on “Willy Wonka”? Was it a positive experience?
Denise Nickerson: I was one of the few kids that had actually worked as an actor before “Wonka.” I had already been doing “Dark Shadows.” I used to get mobbed every day coming out of the studio. And I was also doing a Broadway show at night so I was getting up at five in the morning, going to the studio and doing “Dark Shadows.” I’d get off at four, go home and eat dinner, then go to the theater. I was getting home every night around eleven. And my schooling was all through correspondence. This was the late sixties so of course there was no FedEx. I would get a week’s worth of school assignments in the mail. And I had no tutor because a tutor wasn’t required in the state of New York. I would have to complete every single assignment and mail it back to the school. And I got straight A’s. I would usually do my work while doing the Broadway show. The more important role you had in a show decided what floor you were on. The stars were always on the first floor. I was on the fifth floor. And the performance is piped into the dressing room. So I’d do my homework while listening to the show and sometimes in the middle of a problem I would stop, run down five flights of stairs and do my three minutes. Then I’d run back upstairs, do some more math problems, listen and when it was my time again, out I’d go. It was an unusual childhood. When it came time for “Wonka,” I was so tickled pink when I went on the first interview because I was going to be able to work with kids. I started in the business when I was 2 ½ and I very rarely got to work with other kids. I worked with Henry Fonda. I worked with Margaret Hamilton. I worked with Lee Grant…Gig Young (note, with the exception of Ms. Hamilton all of these actors won Oscars). These were all adult actors. Very famous actors but still, they were adults. So when I got the script I was like, “Oh my God, there’s going to be kids and chocolate. How cool can that be?”

Then when I heard they were filming in Germany I thought, “Oh my God, a foreign country. I’ve got to get this role.” And when I got it I was over the moon. I went over and met the other kids and it was great. There was never the internal strife that you sometimes see with kid actors…or any actor for that matter. We became good friends and had a wonderful time. It was a great memory for all of us. They flew us back in 2003 for a documentary and we all stayed in the same hotel. You know how they say you can’t go back in time? I kid you not I was 13 again. We all picked up like we had just seen each other yesterday. Even though we were older and having different discussions, we were interacting the same way we did thirty some years earlier….what a legacy. I am so fortunate. What you see on screen does not mirror what I saw in reality. As beautiful as it looks on screen…the chocolate room was one entire building. It was a fantastic experience doing it and, almost forty years later….well I never get tired of it. How lucky was I? And how lucky AM I, to be a part of this legacy.

Mike Gencarelli: Were you familiar with the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” before working on the movie?
Denise Nickerson: I actually read it on the plane over to Germany. I had just finished eight weeks in California doing one of the very first television movies of the week (“The Neon Ceiling”). I flew back to New York. I was there for 36 hours, just enough time for my mother to unpack my summer clothes, pack my winter clothes, and get on a plane to Germany. I arrived the day they were shooting the “I’ve got a Golden Ticket” scene. I arrived on the soundstage and, on a break, Mel Stuart (the director) came over to me and asked what shoes I had brought with me. For whatever reason we had to bring out own shoes. I only had one pair of winter shoes and he went off on my sister, who was my chaperone. “How could you only bring one pair of winter shoes!” But those were the shoes I wore. And during filming one of the shoes broke and new ones had to be ordered from New York. It’s funny how one pair of shoes can stick in your mind for so long. And they were ugly shoes. They looked like something the Pilgrims wore. And I wore them for eight weeks. And when the one broke I remember thinking “you can create a chocolate river but you can’t create a damn shoe?”

Mike Gencarelli: What was it like filming in Germany? Did you get to tour the country at all before/after filming?
Denise Nickerson: On the weekends my sister and I would go to Austria, which wasn’t too far of a drive. We saw some magnificent castles. I wanted to stop in London on the way back but I had another engagement book so there wasn’t enough time between when I left Germany and when I had to start my next arrangement. And I’ve always regretted that…I still want to go to London.

MG: Why did you chose to leave acting shortly after Willy Wonka?
DN: True story…I moved out to California when I was sixteen, which was probably the worse career move I could have made because I was close enough in age to 18 year olds, so they would hire 18 year olds instead of me. In New York there weren’t any of the Jackie Coogan/Child Labor laws at the time, so I was able to do soaps during the day, Broadway at night and I was able to work 18 hours a day. But when I moved to California the law there said I had to do four hours of school work, then four hours of work. So at 16 they were hiring the 18 year olds. It was really a bad career move. So I kind of limped along. I did a movie with Melanie Griffith and Bruce Dern (“Smile”)…I did “The Brady Bunch.” I did a few things but it was real sporadic. Which was fine because all I really wanted to do at this stage of the game was be a normal kid. I had been working, usually two jobs at a time, since I was 2 ½, plus going to school. So I hung in there for a few more years. I did my last film (“Zero to Sixty,” which starred Darren McGavin and Lorraine Gary) right before I turned 21. I had the lead role…I repossessed cars. The people at First Artists (the studio that produced it) decided to tinker with it and it was never released. So if you see it on DVD give it a look. It was 1978 and I knew that the average “life” of a television actress was about 10 years, which would have taken me to age 31. I had always wanted to be an attorney. However, because there were no Jackie Coogan laws in New York my parents had spent all of my money. And it was a lot. In a slow year like 1966 I made $46,000. But all of my money was gone and my hopes of being an attorney were dashed. So I’m 21 with no money to go to college. I know I need to get a job. Back then you didn’t need a college degree to get a position. It’s much harder today. But I realized that if I started at the bottom and learned through “on-the-job” training, I might be able to make it. I had decided I didn’t want to act anymore. So the first thing I did was go cut my hair. And my agent just lost his mind…as did my mother. But I went ahead and got a job. I’ve really had two very different lives. I had that life. And now I have this life. And I’m very blessed. I’ve seen both sides of the coin. I’m a very rich person. You know what’s really interesting about us “Wonka” kids? We still get along and we’ve all ended up pretty normal people. And we had a great experience. I mean, nobody got to see what we saw. Even if you see it on the big screen you will never be able to recreate what I saw. And I had the weirdest experience after I was done shooting. I’m back at school in New York and we’re at the Museum of Modern Art. All of a sudden some kids start pointing at me and I turn to my best friend and she says, “Oh my God, you’re turning blue!” I go into the ladies room and look in the mirror and everything…my face, my hands, my neck…is blue. So I was it off and go back out. A few minutes later I’m blue again! This went on for 48 hours. Finally I learned that the “blueberry” make up they had used in Germany had blue food dye in it and it was coming out through my pores!

I remember when I was in the blueberry costume, rather than have me get out and back into the costume Mel Stuart left me in the suit hanging from the rafters while we broke for lunch. He gave a crew member instructions to turn me 180 degrees every five minutes. So for five minutes I’m looking up at the ceiling, the next five minutes I’m looking at the floor.

MG: How long did it take to film that scene?
DN: A whole day of filming. Eight hours. The day before they had me lay down on a piece of paper and they did a tracing of my body. The next day I come in and there is a giant Styrofoam ball with a place for my body in the middle. It was like an Oreo. So they put me inside the ball. And after five hours of flapping my arms, I was pissed off! If you look at my face in the film, I am not acting…I’m pissed. And those damn Oompa Loompas did not have their blueberry drivers license so every time they’d try to push me out the door they’d lose control and I’d slam into the door frame. Every time it would happen I’d hear Mel yell, “Cut! Do it again.” And I’d think to myself, “you sons of bitches!” Watch the film…by the 32nd take I’m looking at these little guys and thinking “look here, ass holes, if we don’t clear that door frame I’m making you shorter then you already are!”

MG: What do you think about the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp remakes for Willy Wonka and now the confirmed “Dark Shadows” remake?
DN: That Johnny Depp is always on my tail. He’s trying to follow my life. He must ask himself what else can I do that Denise Nickerson did? It’s obvious that he’s trying to mirror my career! (laughs) The local television station filmed me going to the theatre to see it and talked to me afterwards. The Denver Post found out that the girl who plays Violet in the remake was also from Denver so they ran a story stating that Denver has cornered the market on blueberries.

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Paige O’ Hara is known for voicing the character of Belle in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”. She has since reprised that role numerous times for Disney. Paige is also a veteran of the New York stage, she made her Broadway debut playing Ellie May Chipley in the 1983 Broadway revival of “Showboat”. Since that she has been in numerous production including Broadway’s “Les Misérables”. With Disney releasing its timeless classic “Beauty and the Beast” on Diamond Collection Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack release of on October 5th, Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Paige about her career and her work for Disney.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally get involved with Disney and become to wonderful character voice of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”?
Paige O’ Hara: Well you know, I was working in New York as a Broadway actress for many years. I read about the movie in the New York Times and asked my agent to get me an audition. I went in and auditioned several times. It was odd because they would close their eyes when we would audition, then send the tapes back to the producers in in LA. Eventually the directors and producers came in and I auditioned in front of them and they would close their eyes again. So out of 500 actresses I was the lucky one to get the part.

Mike Gencarelli: You also have reprised your role as Belle numerous time in other Disney projects, how have you become connected to the character?
Paige O’ Hara: It is a lifelong effort. I am constantly recording different project for the CD-ROMs, the sequels and whatever comes up. It is kind of great because I made my voice higher when we started to record and Howard Ashman said “No no no no, we want that womanly sound”. That is why now as I get older I can still do Belle.

Mike Gencarelli: Are you excited about the release of “Beauty and the Beast” coming to Disney Bu-Ray?
Paige O’ Hara: Yes, I didn’t even have a Blu-Ray player. My husband went out and bought one. We watched it and after seeing the movie a few times, I was absolutely blown away by it. The clarity, the depth, the detail was just remarkable. It was something I had never seen before with the original. The technology has improved so much. What was so wonderful and as an artist, I also paint for Disney as well, I could look at the characters that were hand drawn and see details and little things like Belle blushing. These are little things you couldn’t see in the original DVD. It was remarkable. I really got goosebumps watching it.

MG: Was it fun having a cameo for Disney’s live action “Enchanted”?
PO: Oh I loved it! Wasn’t that fun?. I thought It was so great that the director Kevin (Lima), brought myself and Jodi Benson and Judy Kunn and we did little cameos. Actually Jodi’s part ended up being pretty big. It was great fun. I really enjoyed it. I got a lot of fan mail from it.

MG: Tell us about playing the role of Fantine in Les Misérables on Broadway for almost 10 years?
PO: It is amazing. It was a tough part to play. You were exhausted by the end of that play. Mostly when I was in New York for the first 15-20 years, most of the roles I did were comedic roles. Elle in “Showboat” and Ado Annie in “Oklahoma”. I did a whole series of Jerome Kern’s Princess Theatre shows before “Showboat”. We did those at Carnegie Hall. I kind of switched over and got to play “Evita” for quite a long time off and on at different companies. I changed over to being leading lady then.

MG: How did you realize you have such a beautiful voice, have you sang your whole life?
PO: Yes, pretty much so. As little kid, I was in acting class. I would sing and dance around the living room with my mom to show records, in particular Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand and Ella Fitzgerald. I probably realized around 10 or 11 years old that I actually had a voice. I had been already studying acting so then I started studying signing with an ex-New York opera performer who had retired in Fort Lauderdale. I worked with her and then went to a performing arts high school my mom was the director of in Florida, then went back to New York at 17.

MG: You just realized a new CD correct?
PO: Yes the CD is actually one that I revised. It is a lullaby CD for children. It is so funny, I have a lot of girlfriend that I work with at the Luxor that have children and little babies. They say that that CD just does the trick. One little boy that screams all the time teething, she put on the Merry-Go-Round song and she said it’s a miracle, it puts him right to sleep. That is a good thing. It is an easy listening CD.

MG: What else are you currently working on?
PO: I am currently working at the Luxor in Las Vegas, we are in our fifth year of “Menopause: The Musical”. I play the aging soap star. It is great. It is a great empowering point for women, it makes them feel great about themselves, makes them laugh a lot. It is really fun.

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Akihiro Kitamura has written, directed, and starred in two feature films, “Porno” and “I’ll Be There With You” (starring Daniel Baldwin). He was featured in TV shows such as VH1’s “New York Goes to Hollywood” and MTV’s “From Gs to Gents” and also NBC’s “Heroes”. His most recent role was in the horror film “The Human Centipede (First Sequence)”. Thanks to the beauty of Skype, Movie Mikes was able to get a chance to chat with Akihiro about his role in “The Human Centipede” and his career.

Click here to purchase “The Human Centipede” on DVD or Blu-Ray

Click here to purchase “The Human Centipede” on DVD or Blu-Ray

Richard de Klerk stars in the film “Repeaters” which is a gritty mind-bending thriller about three twenty-somethings living in a mandatory rehab who find themselves waking up to the same day over and over. The film will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 13th. Richard was last seen in the award winning film “Cole” and received a 2010 Leo Award nomination for “Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama” for his portrayal of the title role. The film is being distributed by IFC Films and will be available on September 15th via their Sundance Selects label which is currently available in over 50 million homes across the United States. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Richard while he was attending the Toronto Film Festival to talk about his films and his love for movies.

Mike Gencarelli: You are in the “Repeaters”, opposite Dustin Milligan and Amanda Crew, tell me about the film and your role?
RK: “Repeaters” is a story about choice. It is framed in a rehab institute. Myself, Dustin Milligan and Amanda Crew are in a rehab facility and we are about try our step nine, which is about the people that we hurt. The day goes horribly and we are all in a horrible place.  That night we all get a shock of electricity. We wake up the next morning in bed, no memory of how we got there. We realize the day has started to repeat. The film takes a turn since we were unable to get away with things in the past, maybe we can get away with things now. I take kinda that a little too far at one point in the film. It becomes more about if you slate is wiped clean, do the consequences even matter? It is a thriller but it has that nice little drama element too. I think it will play really well.

Mike Gencarelli: You also server as producer on the film?
RK: I did yes, my sister and I took the reign on it. We actually have a production company that we formed a few years ago. The first film that we did together as a whole family, my mom, dad, sister and I was “Cole”. We did “Cole” with Carl (Bessai) as well. Carl and I were talking and we really enjoyed working together on that film and we said why don’t we do it again. He had a script optioned and we decided to do “Repeaters”. It was a really good experience producing. It was really cool playing the actor as well because it was something so different. “Cole” was such a heartfelt beautiful film and “Repeaters” is a great and dark but also beautiful film. So my producing role on both of them kind of took charge more so when the film was wrapped. For example finding deals in Vancouver for special effects or finding composers. It is really cool and I think it also makes you a better actor.

Mike Gencarelli: Are you exciting about the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next week?
RK: I am very very excited and a little nervous. I do not think that is every going to go away. I was nervous last year when “Cole” premiered too. I think that is a natural reaction. I am very at ease now but I think that once the film starts I will be very nervous.

MG: Tell us about your film “Cole”, in which you play the lead?
RK: I play Cole in “Cole”. “Cole” takes place in Lytton, British Columbia, Canada. It is about three hours north east of Vancouver. He is a small town guy, a really good guy who has aspirations of becoming a writer. He drives three hours to the city every day and takes a writing course, under the objection of his sister who wants him to run the family gas station. Cole also helps his sister take care of their mother.  While following his ambition and taking the class he falls in love with an African American girl played by Kandyse McClure. It really becomes about balancing your life with your obligations, your family, your ambitions and your love.

MG: Has the film been released worldwide yet?
RK: “Cole” has played all over the world now. People in Moscow really responded to it. That is the power of film to me.  That is why I am in this business because if you can make a film that is so blatantly set in one location and it speaks to people on the other side of the world, that is really cool. Even though it was subtitled, all the laughs and emotions came through at the right time. Everywhere in the world, you have people who have ambition and who move to the big city against their family wishes who want them to stay in the small town. It is all about balance. Some people came up to me and said I went through that exact same thing. Hopefully people will say the same thing about “Repeaters”, I do not know about the day repeating but it would be kind of cool. It comes out on Sundance Select video on demand on September 15th.

MG: Do you plan on doing any more producing or perhaps directing?
RK: Yeah, I working right now on a documentary that I started shooting last year. It is about a charity based out of Holland, they are called Miles 4 Justice. They are a sailing team and every mile that they sail they raise money from pledges. I was just there recently and I had the kids filming interviews of each other. I am going to go through that footage pretty soon. It will be kind of an on going project. I am really excited.

Lester Speight is one of the busiest guys in Hollywood. If he is not tackling office colleagues (“Terry Tate: Office Linebacker”), then he is fighting alien robots (upcoming “Transformers 3”). Lester has plans to take over the business, though his main goal is to host Saturday Night Live and I know that this will happen for him because he will tear that roof down. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Lester about his career, how he got started and what is to come for the future.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally get started as the “Terry Tate Office Linebacker”?
Lester Speight: Back in 2000 I got a call from my agent, he said he found the perfect character for me. I was in Baltimore at the time and I told him to fax it over. I was just a short movie, but once I read it I said “If I can’t play this guy here, I cant play anybody” [laughs]. I went in and did an audition. When I walked into the room I was in character. When the audition started I just ripped right into it. I am half Jamaican, so I have a big mouth as it is. I knew that I knocked it out of the park when I left. We shot the original pilot in November that year. It went around Hollywood as a viral funny joke campaign. Terry Tate originally had a gold tooth but I told them I am not doing a gold tooth. An ad agency representing the Arnell Group saw it in 2002 and took it to Peter Arnell. Peter Arnell then took it to Reebok. They gave us a six figure budget to shoot four more shorts. They had a big sales meeting at Reebok in November of 2002. Micky Pant brought me into the sales meeting. During this meeting they are showing Venus Williams and Shakira and then they popped in Terry Tate and the whole place just erupted. I was in the back with Micky during the meeting. He was going to be on stage after the commercial. During his speech he got a call from his wife and started talking to her on stage. Terry Tate came out the back and blasted him over his chair. The place went bananas. He took a nice bump and tore his suit and everything. I screamed on stage “You know you can’t be on the phone unless you all alone. Who do you think you are, WOOOHH?” I stomped off stage. The next day they called ABC and bought the third quarter spot of the Super Bowl. Reebok’s stock quadrupled. It was the most visited website for three months, it got like 11 million hits. I even got to ring the closing bell at the NYSE.

Mike Gencarelli: Did you improv a lot of those tackle lines or were they all scripted?
Lester Speight: I added my flavor to every scene. The basic core of the dialogue were written by Rawson Marshall Thurber and Jason Mercer. The Wooh’s and the double Wooh’s were all me. I would add whatever I thought would fit the character. It was a marriage made in heaven. With Rawson’s creativity and my energy and acting creativity coming together, it was just one of those things. We caught the lightning in the bottle.

Mike Gencarelli: Do you have a favorite one?
Lester Speight: One of my favorite was when he said “That was Simone’s cake Phillip, next time you eat someone else’s cake again. I am gonna give you a slice of Terry’s special pain cake. And you WON’T want seconds of that, Wooh!!!”

MG: Have you always been a football fan?
LS: Growing I always was a football advocate and enthusiast. Playing high school and college football, but I didn’t have the pro career I thought I was gonna have. God, gave me a Super Bowl in this way with Terry Tate. I am ranked one of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time. There are thousands and thousands of football player but not a lot can do what I have done. I am an actor and singer before I even put on a football uniform. Football is a youthful window and you have to play in between 21-25 if you want to go pro. As I getting older, I see the Lord had a different path for me. I always wanted to be an actor. With football you have to play it when you are young and then its over. I can act forever.

MG: Tell us about your role in the “Gears of War” video game series?
LS: I was just at Comic-Con for the “Gears” panel. The room was packed with like 500 people. It was crazy. When I did “Terry Tate”, I never thought it would be what it was. I figured that Cole Train would be similar to Terry Tate though not Terry Tate. I didn’t think I would be the star of that game since Marcus Fenix is the star of “Gears of War” but people really love the Cole Train. New game comes out April 2011.

MG: Have you ever been approached to play live-action Augustus Cole in a “Gears of War” movie?
LS: It’s funny, cause I know that Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergunson know I am more than capable of handling that role. The fans want it. The fans get off on actually seeing the voice actor on the screen. That has never really been done because more voice actors do not look like their character. I think with some of my success with the character is causing them to rethink how they want to use the Cole Train in the movie. We spoke about in Comic-Con, that we would want to do it in the fashion of “District 9”. They know that I am here and ready. It is going to happen. I am the only person who can play Cole Train, I brought him to life. That is what the fans want!

MG: How long have you been acting?
LS: I have been doing this a long time. My first movie I was an extra in was 1991, was “The Meteor Man” with Robert Townsend. That was the first time I walked on a movie set. Almost 20 years. When I was in college. I snuck around and took a couple of theater classes. I didn’t want my teammates to know. They would always yell at me “You can’t be an actor and play football”. I can’t be in too toos going to practice [laughs]. I felt the pressure one year and I dropped the class. I was just a communications major. My heart was always in acting. I grew up signing in a choir. My mother plays piano and she taught her kids how to play as well. I have always been very active. That energy has carried over now I am still training and working hard.

MG: Do you have a dream project you would want to work on?
LS: I have always wanted to get the opportunity to make a movie about Reggie White from the Eagles and Green Bay Packers. I think I can shine some light on his story. Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion, I would love to play him. I really feel that one day I will have the chance do these great biographies. They are some of the bigger than life characters. I would really be honored to play them. Action stuff is great but as an actor you want to be able to try different challenges. I actually have a treatment for a Jack Johnson movie now that I am working on with a couple of producers. I always need to keep moving forward and up in this business.

MG: What other projects are you working on?
LS: I just did a movie with Billy Bob (Thornton) and Dwayne Johnson called “Faster”, my characters name is Baphomet. That movie will be out this Thanksgiving. Then I just did a movie with WWE called “Knucklehead”. Dennis Farina and I pair up. I play henchman named Redrum and I am the number one fighter in the movie. It is a comedy and it is really hilarious. I got a movie I did called “Peepworld”, my characters name is Wizdom. The film is directed by Barry Blaustein, who also worked on “Saturday Night Live” and “Coming to America”. I have been pretty busy man and pretty fortunate, especially in this recession.

MG: Do you ever think we will see the return of Terry Tate?
LS: Yes man. When I am done shooting “Transformers”, we are going to start pitching Terry Tate to all the apparel companies as well as some of the top corporate Fortune 500 companies. It will be called “Terry Tate: Superhero for Hire”. Reebok only leased the character for two years. So Terry is looking for a job. Maybe Home Depot. Maybe Nike. We were looking to run an angle with Terry Tate leaving Reebok to go to Nike. I love improv. My biggest goal right now is I can’t wait to host “Saturday Night Live”. I love sketch comedy. I am really looking forward to that day when I can stand up there and host that show. I got so many characters. You never know what can happen, the whole cast might be walking around as Terry Tate and I am a regular office worker. How funny would that be? The dramatic side has picked up for me recently. But when I get back to comedy people are really going to see that I have got the ability to entertain and make people laugh. We are going to do a major campaign to find Terry another company. You are leaking this news for the first time!!

At Media Mikes, we are a big fan of horror movie genre. When I heard that “The Last Exorcism” was coming out, I knew I needed to get interviews from that cast. I set out to contact everyone that I could get a hold of and below we have some amazing interviews from the cast of the film.

I really hope everyone enjoys these interviews as much as I did doing them. These people in the film are so great. Each and every one of them has fantastic stories from the film and they were a pleasure to interview. I would hope that I could have the opportunity to talk with them again very soon.

Enjoy and please leave comments!

Daniel Stamm is the director of the new documentary style horror film “The Last Exorcism”. The film opened at number 1 with over $21 million in its first weekend. Daniel’s career is going to blow up real fast due to this enormous success of the film. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Daniel to discuss the film and his passion for filmmaking.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get attached to direct “The Last Exorcism”?
Daniel Stamm: Originally the writers were going to direct it. They had committed to another movie and they had to contractual do that instead. Strike Entertainment and Eli (Roth) were looking for another director. I had made another movie called “A Necessary Death” and it is the same style. It wasn’t horror but it was pseudo-documentary style. We had the won the Audience Award at AFI and they really like it. Eli loved it. They asked me to come by and read the script. I loved it and we were good to go.

Mike Gencarelli: What was the hardest part of filming “The Last Exorcism”?
Daniel Stamm: What you are doing with the fake documentary is you are not creating an artificial movie reality. So you don’t have your own rules to play by. You actually have to play by the rules of the real world. That means your audience that lives everyday in the real world is verse to these rules. What look looks right. What sentence seems odd. Suddenly you are up against reality which is a scary thing. If there is one moment in there that feels fake the whole building collapses. That is something you have to shoot for. Sometimes you have thirty takes to get that one genuine sentence that you need. You know you need it so you can’t go on without it. You are at the mercy of realism to happen in your film.

Mike Gencarelli: Did you feel pressure following the footsteps of documentary style films like “Paranormal Activity”?
Daniel Stamm: It is almost the opposite. Do I feel any pressure in avoiding it completely? People think handheld and think “Blair Witch”. I think it is such a rich style and I hope it will involve into an actual style and genre and not as gimmick. These movies are so different. If you look at “[REC]”, it is completely different from “Paranormal Activity”. Both which I loved. “[REC]” is such a brilliant exercise in timing and anticipation, though it is not entirely based on its strong performances. “The Last Exorcism” is all about the performances and not about timing. All of these movies are all very different. People react to handheld in the same way and say “Oh it is the same, I have already seen this before”, but it is really not.

MG: Tell me about the ending change, why did that take place?
DS: The question was “How open ended do you want to go?” It’s funny because right now there is a lot of controversy even about the script, that the ending in the film is too open ended. Our original ending was even more open ended. People are saying that they are having problems wrapping their heads around this one. I am glad that we changed it though. To me it is important that it is open ended because we are working with the question of faith vs. atheism. Who am I to give an answer to that in 90 minutes. I cannot give you an answer to that if you gave me two years. So the best I can do is create the best answer I can. [WARNING: SPOILER ALERT] Everyone then needs to leave theater wondering whether or not God will come to Cotton’s help. If we would have shown him die, then obviously God wouldn’t have helped him or forgave him for not believing.

MG: Do you think there will be “The Last Exorcism 2”?
DS: No, there are definitely no talks about this yet. People think that producers will follow the money. Strike Entertainment and Eli Roth aren’t that way at all because first and foremost they are storytellers. They are directors themselves. I think unless someone comes up with a brilliant script that needs to be told and that the story of Cotton Marcus wouldn’t be finished without it. I do not think that there is going to be a sequel.

MG: What will your next film be?
DS: I have a very good idea and I couldn’t be more excited about it because it is produced by one of my favorite filmmakers in the world. The problem is they are negotiating the specifics of the deal right now. So I am unable to talk about it at the moment. But it is going to good. It’s scary how big that project is going to be and how different from “The Last Exorcism”. I do not even want to think about it right now because I will just panic. I just want to enjoy “The Last Exorcism” for now and then deal with the next project.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Callan McAuliffe is an Australian actor who recently had his American film debut in the Rob Reiner directed “Flipped”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Callan to discuss his role and what he has planned for the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: “Flipped” is your American film debut, tell us about your experience?
Callan McAuliffe: It is awesome to be in an American film. I have done things in Australia, like commercials and things like that but I have never been in a feature film. It was also my first American audition which was insanely nerve wreaking. I did five auditions and they I auditioned with Madeline (Carroll). Rob (Reiner) thought I was right for the role. Originally people were saying that I shouldn’t do it because I am Australian and the money issue would have been tough, plus I didn’t have a visa. Rob really pushed though and tried to get me in the film. I thought it was amazing. As soon as I got on set it was a fantastic experience. Everyone was so fantastic. Rob Reiner knew exactly what he wanted. He knew how to tell you if it was bad and if it was good. I think he also has most of the same people working with him on all of his films. Everyone knew each other really well. Because the set had a lot of kids, Rob tried to keep it as kid friendly as possible. Rob has this swear jar and you had pay $20 dollars if you swore on set. We sort of kept the swearing on the set to a minimum. I ended up owing nothing.  I did my swearing off set [laughs]. I think I was owed a couple of hundred dollars though for not telling on people for when they swore in front of me. If they swore in front of me I said “Can I have $10 dollars of the $20 dollars you are not going to put in the pot and I won’t tell on you.”

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get the role of Bryce Loski in “Flipped”?
Callan McAuliffe: Like I said, I did some acting prior. I was recommended to my American manager, Nicholas Bogner at Affirmative Entertainment.  Before I met him, he sent me an audition for “Flipped”. I taped it and sent it back over. We didn’t think think a lot of about it.  I figured it was my first American audition. Then we went over to meet him and found out I got a call back. So while I was there I did like four more auditions for the film.

Mike Gencarelli: Where you a fan of the novel by Wendlin Van Draanen?
Callan McAuliffe: I never heard of it or read it prior to getting the role. Out of respect I actually did read it. I really enjoyed it. It is not the particular genre that I like but it was really good. I read the novel and the script at the same time while on the plane heading to the set.

MG: What is your particular genre?
CM: I am really in fiction and the sort of stuff that doesn’t happen in real life. You can experience things in real life. I like the fantasy, sci-fi and that sort of stuff.

MG: How did you feel the character was between the book and the film?
CM: They had written the character very close to how he was in the book. Everything stayed pretty true. There are always going to be things different for example in the “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” series. You can’t always translate everything. I think that due to the simplicity of the novel and the film, they were able to able to translate most of the stuff. It stays really true to the book.

MG: Can you tell us about your role in “I Am Number Role”?
CM: I cannot say too much but I can say my name in Sam and it is an “alien-ey” action film. It is a good contrast from “Flipped”. It is directed by D.J. Caruso. Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay are producers, which is fantastic. It was a thrill to work on. It’s also got Alex Pettyfer from “Strombreaker” and “Beastly”. It’s got Teresa Palmer who is also Australian, so that is awesome. So its got two Australians in the film. It’s also has Dianna Agron and Timothy Olyphant. Really great line of cast.

MG: How was it like working with Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg on your second role?
CM: I have met either of them yet [eagerly]. They are doing all the cool stuff behind the scenes. D.J. Caruso was really cool to work with.

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We are obviously huge fans of movies here at MovieMikes.com but the directors, actors and other crew always get the recognition. But how about the guy that creates those amazing posters. MovieMikes had a chance to schedule an exclusive sit down interview with legendary poster artist Drew Struzan to discuss his work, his upcoming documentary and his new book.

Not only did we get to interview Drew Struzan, we filmed the whole thing, thanks to our West Side correspondent, Jon Donahue and his crew. While we are hard at work editing and polishing up the interview. Check out our teaser to get a taste of what is to come. The interview will be posted on Sept.14th, which is also the launch of Drew Struzan’s new book.

Also check out Drew Struzan’s website to see some of his amazing work.

You can also click here to purchase Drew’s new book “The Art of Drew Struzan” and his other books.

Ashley Bell is the star of the new horror film “The Last Exorcism”. She plays the tortured young girl Nell who gets possessed. YES, that really is her doing that back bend, BTW. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Ashley about her role in the film and her growing career.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Mike Gencarelli: What inspired you to be an actor?
Ashley Bell: I come from an acting family.  Both of my parents (Michael Bell and Victoria Carroll) are actors and my grandparents were actually vaudeville performers who went into publicity.  So it’s kind of the family business.  I like doing character roles.  I love researching and getting as far away from who I am as possible.  I discovered that in high school and have stuck with it since.

Mike Gencarelli: How does it feel to be starring in your first major role in “The Last Exorcism”?
Ashley Bell: Oh my God!  It’s incredible.  It’s incredible!  When I first went to audition for the role the character of Nell just hit me so strongly.  I fought so hard for this role.  The audition was actually me getting Exorcised in the casting office.  So there I was in this casting office in West Hollywood with a cameraman hovering over me while I’m having a demon summoned out of my chest and writhing around on the floor.  I thought to myself “my parents would be so proud right now.”  The character of Nell is so huge…to be able to research the role and go to Baptist churches…read every book on Exorcisms and talk to people…it was so much fun.  There was so much to explore.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you develop your character, Nell Sweetzer?
Ashley Bell: The director (Daniel Stamm) told me to watch all the “exorcist” films I could and “not do that.

Mike Gencarelli: What was the most challenging part of the production?
AB: When it ended, I think (laughs).  That day was the hardest.  I loved every single day on set.  We filmed on a plantation about 30 minutes outside of New Orleans on the bayou and between the bugs and the alligator that crawled on set and the humidity…it all lent to a really eerie and creepy feeling that is conveyed so beautifully in the film.  Actually one of the most fun and challenging days was filming the second exorcism scene when I did the back bend.  I didn’t know it was going to be required of me physically on set.  I prepared about a month before doing back bends and Daniel asked me if I had anything I wanted to try…any input.  And this being my first film I never would have dreamed in a thousand years that I’d be allowed to give any input. So I said yeah, I’ve been thinking about this and this and he said “good, good…put it in.” And the next day we ended up doing about 20 takes…we started early in the morning and went way late.  There was a thunderstorm in the middle of the day and I’m on the set just covered from head to toe in fake blood.  It was great fun.  Not only being challenged like that but having my opinion asked.

MG: Have you seen the finished film? More importantly, did it scare you?
AB: I did see it.  I saw it for the first time at the L.A. Film Festival.  It did scare me.  I live in Los Angeles and after the movie I went back to my old room in my parents’ house to sleep.

MG: Are you a fan of the horror genre?
AB: I am a fan.  I started watching horror films with my dad when I was about eight.  I saw “The Exorcist” when I was ten…and also slept with the lights on.  We watched everything.  We watched “Jaws” and “Pumpkinhead” and “The Gate”…”Poltergeist.”  I was raised on all of these horror films.  And Greg Nicotero (a long time friend of MovieMikes) did all of the special effects work.  I did all of the physical stuff but he handled the effects.  And getting the chance to go to his studio and see the “things” I’ve watched for years was mind blowing.  And Eli (Roth, producer of the film) is such a master in the genre’.  He knows how to build stories…how to build suspense.

MG: What are you working on next?
AB: There are a couple things brewing but I can’t really go into details.  But everything is going well.  To get the chance to experience the whole aspect of the job…doing publicity and getting interviewed…photo shoots.  Sometimes you can go your whole life as an actress and never get to experience that.  This film has been so much fun.  And it’s opened up so many doors.  I’m writing and developing a cartoon show.  I continue to work with the Groundlings (her mother was one of the founding members of the improve group.  I guess I’m hoping to just continue to work.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Patrick Fabian is the star of “The Last Exorcism”.  He plays Rev. Cotton Marcus, a preacher without faith himself, trying to expose an exorcism that goes totally wrong.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Patrick to discuss his role on and how it was working on “The Last Exorcism”.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to the role of Cotton Marcus in “The Last Exorcism”?
Patrick Fabian: As an actor, anytime you’re given a role that is automatically a larger than life character, who is a man of words and theatrics, anybody worth his salt would want to take that role on.  Think Burt Lancaster in “Elmer Gantry”…all the bully pulpits you get to see great actors do.  It’s usually something you can sink your teeth into, you can usually get away with going over the top.  And when you’re the exorcist in an exorcism movie you’re going to get a lot of things to do.  He’s somebody who’s at the end of his rope.  He’s seen too much.  He can’t function because he’s growing a conscience about what he does.  By bringing a documentary crew along with him on an exorcism he’s trying to…maybe…make up for all of the wrong that he’s done.  And by exposing exorcism as a sham he’s able to save other people from losing their money and pinning their hopes on something that is ultimately false.

Mike Gencarelli: What was the most challenging scene during the production?
Patrick Fabian: Two of them come to mind.  First was preaching.  I’ve never preached before.  When I was preaching in the Baptist church they filled the congregation with background artists who were local hires from New Orleans.  And they were all good church-going folk.  They can tell a good preacher from a bad preacher.  So I was pretty nervous in front of them.  And finally I just said to them “you know, it’s a movie, so I need you to pretend that I’m good.  I need you to help me.  If I’m saying something that doesn’t square with you, or if I’m doing a gesture that doesn’t seem right…if it appears false or a little bit hinky let me know.  They were more than happy to let me know when I was wrong, there was no doubt about that.  But the great thing about it was that even though I was pretending to preach, when I was preaching they got into the spirit of it.  It’s just that weird thing that when you’re in a church and you’re talking about God and you’re talking about Jesus Christ and you’re talking about being saved…the fat ladies with their purses and their Sunday hats will start going “praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!”  There’s no acting there.  It was just like a giant revival meeting.  I was nervous going into it but it ended up being good.  The other scene, obviously, that I was nervous about was when we performed the exorcism.  You’re worried about coming off as a clown.  You want to be authentic to the material that was written by the writers.  And I think we got it.  I think we got a really good tone.  We straddled a line.  You’ll see on August 27th.

Mike Gencarelli: On a scale from 1 to 10, how scary would you rate this film?
Patrick Fabian: I really can’t give anything a 10, but I’ll give it an 8.  Absolutely.  (the phone connection breaks – after Mr. Fabian calls back – ) I guess that was God telling me to shut up!  I gave it an 8 because, even having been in the movie and sort of knowing where it was going, at the premiere I had at least five or six really good jump out of your seat “Whoa!” moments.  If I can get five or six good moments like that during a scary film I call it a goody!  It’s a good take your date film…it’s a good go by yourself film.  And I can proudly say that it’s not a “hack and slash.”  It’s not a gore film.  If that is what makes people squeamish you can safely say they don’t have to worry about that.  However, the creepy factor…the skin crawl factor…is definitely pretty high.  I know that sometimes people prefer seeing somebody’s head chopped off because they can go “aw, that’s totally fake,” as opposed to being totally creeped out.

MG: Are you a fan of horror movies?
PF: Absolutely.  I’m a suburban boy from Pennsylvania.  I grew up waiting for the late night horror shows on Saturday.  Movies like “The Omen.”  “The Changeling.”  “Burnt Offerings” with Oliver Reed is awesome.  It’s really creepy.  I don’t know if it stands up to the test of time but it creeped the shit out of me when I was 13 years old.  Of course “Alien,” which was the first big one I got to see in the theatre.  Even the old Hammer stuff that I used to watch on Saturday afternoons.  Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee…that’s the stuff that I really did.

MG: You recently attended the LA Film Festival for the premiere, how was it watching the film with an audience? How was the reaction:
PF: I thought everybody laughed at the right moments.  There’s a lot of humor in the film as well.  They really enjoyed those parts.  Then at the end everything gets rolling.  People got creeped out.  They got scared and when the film was over the audience burst into spontaneous applause.  I think they were very, very glad to have been one of the first ones to have seen it.

MG: You’ve done quite a bit of TV, most recently, “Gigantic” and “Big Love”, how do you feel it differs from movies?
PF: I’ve been around.  I’ve got a lot of television under my belt.  I really enjoyed doing “Big Love” on HBO.  It’s really fun to work on.  They’re good actors…it’s a good show.  “Gigantic” is a new show where I play a dad.  Plus I play a movie star so I get really good clothes and the best house.  The only big difference between television and film is that television is more day to day.  It’s sometimes a grind because you’re doing an entire show in seven or eight days.  The work hours sometimes get long.  On the film we worked equally as long.  We worked six days a week, twelve hours a day for six weeks solid.  It was like a slow punch.  A big roundhouse of working together.  We all start with this thing…we don’t really know what we’re doing…and by the end you get into a groove…you get an idea…you have a beginning, middle and end.  In television you sort of have an idea of what world you’re entering.  When I went to work on “Big Love” I knew what world I was entering.  On “The Last Exorcism” we created the role as we went along, so it was a little more explorative.

MG: After “Exorcism”, what do you have coming up next?
PF: Right now the movie is the big thing…August 27th.  I’m anchoring my first feature and I’m so happy that Lionsgate is behind it.  They’re so excited about it.  And having Eli Roth attached…he’s so enthusiastic it’s hard not to get excited.  I have a seventeen year old nephew and the test of whether Uncle Pat is successful is when he and his friends come back and say “that was cool.”

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray