Interview with Kane Hodder

Getting a chance to interview Kane Hodder, a horror legend, in person is one of the reasons why I started this website. Sitting in an office in AMC Pleasure Island 24 in Orlando, FL, we got a chance to chat in person with one of the horror legends. Kane is one of the coolest guys I have ever met, this time though he promised not to choke me (see picture below). Kane is known for his role as Jason Voorhees in Part VII-X. He is currently traded the knife for a hatchet in his newest character, Victor Crowley. Kane is currently starring in Adam Green’s follow up “Hatchet II”, which is currently in theaters. Victory Crowley has already turned into a horror icon. We got a chance to talk with Kane about his role as well as a few of his other roles.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about working on the “Hatchet” series”?
Kane Hodder: It has been fucking fantastic because it is Adam Green. Not just because he is such a good director and so talented as a writer. He always challenges me every time we do a movie. He gets me to do something in my character that I have never done before each time. “Hatchet”, I have never really cried on screen. I did that and it opened up a bunch of other doors. Now I am doing a lot more of dramatic roles. “Hatchet II”, he called me I was in Montreal and he said “I got the script done, you are going to love it” and hells tells me I have a sex scene. I said “Yeah, ok sure, what is the script really?” and he said “you have a sex scene and a love scene”. I was shocked. It was exactly the case. We just did a new project, one part of an anthology, and he has me [hesitating]…dancing. Which I have never done before either [laughs]. He always comes up with something.

MG: How the character Victory Crowley changed or evolved in “Hatchet II”?
KH: I have tried to make him consistent because the second movie picks up exactly where the first one ended. So I didn’t want to change what he was doing too much, since it is the very next night. Even though they changed the makeup and the actress. I wanted to keep Victor consistent. I think they changed the actress for the good though because Danielle Harris is fantastic and really good in this role. Tony Todd is in it a lot more also but that was always the plan even during the first film. Victor has become even more murderous in this one, with more than twice as many kills.

MG: Tell us about the makeup process for creating Victor Crowley?
KH: Well, they streamlined the makeup for “Hatchet II” to make it less bulky. The face and the body looked good but a little too puffy in the first film. It meant I had less facial movement. Now with the makeup streamlined, there is a lot more movement to the face. But at the same time that makes the applicable process take way longer. It took three and a half hours to put on for this movie and a good hour and a half for removal. That is the longest removal time I have ever had on a movie. The whole top in the first movie, the foam latex goes down into the overalls, so there was no blending. In “Hatchet II, it ended here (pointing to just under neck level) and every part of it had to be blended to my skin and that is what takes so long.

MG: How was it moving from playing Jason Voorhees to Victory Crowley? Is one harder than another?
KH: Boy, I would say that they were pretty equal as far as difficulty. The makeup was roughly the same. To work in the makeup it is never easy when it is all glued to you. It is very similar physical stuff I had to do in each character. I do not know if either one was harder than the other. “Jason X” was probably the easiest. The makeup didn’t take to long and wasn’t that uncomfortable.

MG: How do you feel about Victory Crowley already becoming a classic horror icon?
KH: People have really latched on to the character. I believe they have done that because these movies are so well written. All the scenes in between all the violence are just as enjoyable to watch. Adam is very good in casting people that can really pull off their characters well. Instead of just going through the motions and waiting for next kill. It is fun to watch the whole movie.

MG: What has been the hardest project that you have worked on to date?
KH: It has to be some of the makeup roles. It is one thing to go into work and do some difficult stunts but when you have to do the stunts in makeup like that with limited vision, its hard. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood probably has to be the most difficult one I have done. So many stunts happened to Jason because the character Tina had those powers. It made it really difficult. One eye was completely covered and the other had a yellow contact lens. We have to do fire stunts, roof fall down on your head, going through windows, doors, and all kinds of shit. Then also the last two days of shooting the movie was the underwater scenes. Fucking absolutely exhausting. I was underwater for four hours at a time, without ever coming up. They cabled my leg to the bottom of the dive pool. I was underwater about four feet. With the makeup I floated but if I wasn’t held down I would have floated to the top. I had to hold my breath so many times, over and over. When they would cut, I would get the regulator to breath. Catch my breath and do it again, over and over for two days. It was a really hard way to end a show. So that might have been my most difficult physically. Most difficult working conditions was probably “Frozen” because it was so fucking cold. No matter how somebody describes it you cannot believe how cold it really was. We were at 7,500 feet in February/March in Utah at a ski resort. You are out in the open with the wind hollowing. When you are outside for so long and can never go inside, you get so cold through your bone, as they always say.

MG: Tell us about some of the other projects you have coming up?
KH: I have several movies coming out. One called “Sickle”, where I play the sheriff of a town and I kill who comes to my town. Another one called “Old Habits Die Hard”, I play a guy that runs a mortuary and kills people to stay in business. Another one called “Exit 33,” where I run a gas station in an out of the way place and kill people [laughing] that come to the gas station.

MG: I am seeing a pattern here, Kane.
KH: That is why I have killed more people on film that any other actor. We (referring to himself and friend and co-author Michael Aloisi) are currently writing my book and telling my story. Mike and I are working together, he is a writer and I am not. We are writing a biography. The website is http://kanehodderkills.com. This is kind of a really cool thing. I have always wanted to do it and finally decided it was the time to do it. I have my stunt career, my horror career, my other acting side, my burn injury…which is a book in itself and I grew up on a tiny island in the South Pacific. Right now we are calling it “Kill!” because of the tattoo in my lip.

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Interview with Tim Roth

Tim Roth is well known for his role of Mr. Orange in “Reservoir Dogs”. He also steals in the show in “Pulp Fiction”. Tim is really good at playing very different and interesting roles in his films. He plays villains in the the “Planet of the Apes” remake and the “The Incredible Hulk”. Tim is currently starring in Fox’s TV series “Lie to Me”, which is heading into its third season. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Tim to discuss his hit TV show and go through his amazing roles that he has played.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you originally got involved with Quentin Tarantino?
Tim Roth: I have only just arrived in LA and really didn’t know anybody. My agent at the time had me look at this script. I think Quentin had seen me in “Vincent & Theo” and “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead”, since he is very film savvy. He knew the stuff I had been doing over in Europe. I think the note on the script originally said to look at Blond or Pink characters. I looked at it and loved Mr. Orange. I knew he was on to something special and I quickly reached for the phone. We met and got along very well. Then him and Harvey Weinstein were trying to get me to read and I wouldn’t do it. I am really bad at auditioning. I will meet anybody but I won’t read for them. Eventually Quentin got me drunk and I ended up reading every character like five times in my apartment. Faced the fear. And that was that. I think it was a very great relationship we made, along into “Pulp Fiction” as well.

MG: Between “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction”, both huge cult classics, do you have a favorite?
TR: I think “Pulp Fiction” is a comedy. It is a brilliant stylish comedy. I think “Reservoir Dogs” is a much more serious film. I find them both very different film and love them both. I was watching “Pulp Fiction” the other day and thought it was hilarious. At first I would have to say though “Reservoir Dogs”. Since that when we were all very much raw…trying out new things and experimenting. “Reservoir Dogs” is also the beginning of me not taking myself so bloody seriously as an actor and just enjoying myself.

MG: Tell us about working on “Planet of the Apes”, was it a difficult shoot?
TR: I had the best time doing that film. It was fantastic work with Tim (Burton). We really didn’t get to make the film we wanted to make. It should have been a very dark and twisted film, but we were under a lot of constraints. The makeup started out at around five hours but got it down to around two and a half, which isn’t bad. But that was just to get it on. The shoot I believe was five months long and I ended up getting the flu. I would just put myself into the mood, fool around and enjoy myself and it would distract me from what was actually happening. I really enjoyed making that film.

MG: How do you feel about the prequel that is doing CG apes?
TR: I suppose that is just reflects what today is with films. It is great we have the technology to do that. There is something about the original film especially and even the TV show, the fact that it is a person in makeup that makes those films special. I just don’t known if with it all CG if it will be as special.

MG: How was it working “The Incredible Hulk”, it seemed like a pretty intense role?
TR: I really really had a great time [laughs]. I just enjoyed myself. I did it really for my kids. I wanted to be in a movie that they would get a kick out of when they see it. Originally I know what they planned to do and it would have made it a better film. There was some very good sequences that I think the audience would have loved. I usually like to throw myself into these things. I like the idea of doing very different things as for as being an actor. Experimenting with different kinds of film and now working on TV, I enjoy that.

MG: Tell us about your hit show “Lie to Me”, what can we expect for season three?
TR: I think we have the strongest of the writers from last year stepping up. Alexander Carey is now taking over the running of the show with David Graziano. They form a very solid team. The script this season shows a great consistency of that. They feel like little movies for TV. There is a lot of looking into Lightman’s relationship and the things with his daughter. There is also new women in Lightman’s life as well, it kind of opened up everything really. We have a lot of fun stories. We have all kinds of different stuff which is what good about the character, you can really go anywhere with it.

MG: How was it been playing Dr. Cal Lightman?
TR: What is interesting about doing TV for me is that I didn’t I would like it so much. But I am really enjoying it and a lot of that comes down to these two guys that are running the show. The character is season one is quite different and he gradually gets built up from season two to now season three. In the one end, you are playing the same guy but he is changing all the time. That is what is refreshing about doing TV, you can expand the character as you go. I know he is a bit of a dick but I quite [laughs] love him really. I just do not know how he survives. I would imagine him getting shot pretty quickly. Unfortunately for the bad guy, I get away with murder. I just find him fun to play and he makes me laughs a lot. I just sort of build on the guy from week to week.

MG: What is the best part of working on the show?
TR: I like the hours. Well actually not so much the hours, more so that you are working so much. Where in film you are doing three pages a day, we are doing seven here…just running at it. I actually like that. I do like a day off occasionally though, which happens very rarely. You are busy all the time and I really enjoy that. Working with the writers and working as a producer, I sort of enjoy that as well. I found it very difficult to adjust to at first. Gradually as I have met people that are talented and passionate about it, it has become a lot more pleasurably.

MG: Any other projects in the works?
TR: I have a couple of films I want to direct. So hopefully after this TV show is done, I will have a little bit of money in the bank. Then I can take some time off and direct…cause their is no money in that. There are a couple of really good scripts, that I have come across. They are very unusual and interesting. I do not want to say what they are but they are very well written and hopefully will have some time to do those.

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Interview with Adam Green

Adam Green has become on of the biggest names in Hollywood in what seems like overnight. He directed “Hatchet” starring Kane Hodder as the instant horror icon, Victory Crowley. The film has become such a cult classic already that Adam make “Hatchet II”, which will be in theaters on October 1st unrated and uncut, courtesy of AMC Theaters. Adam not only cares about his job, he takes pride in it. This show in the fact that “Hatchet II” is actually better than its predecessor, which is rare for a slasher flick. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Adam about his road to stardom and his work on his “Hatchet” films.

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Mike Gencarelli: When you originally made the first “Hatchet”, did you think it was going to be as successful as it has been?
Adam Green: Absolutely not! It was the type of thing that we got a bunch of friends together who liked this type of stuff. It was a very selfish movie because we made the type of movie we wanted to see. The reaction in the industry to the script was interesting. My agency at the time was sure if it was funny or scary. They didn’t really understand the tone of it. I told them it is both, it is just a fun movie. They said nobody is doing this type of movie any more and that it went out of style in 1989. They sent it around and one of the first major studios to respond said “We really enjoyed this. The writing is brilliant. However this movie is not going to get made because it is not a remake, not a sequel and not based Japanese film.” I used the rejection letter as part of the poster in the festival tour. For a lot of fans that is what drew them in.  Once the movie actually came out though, Anchor Bay took that off the poster and really pushed it as really serious scary movie. I wasn’t happy about that. We premiered at Tribeca and all of the sudden our  slasher movie was getting good reviews. Audiences were standing up and cheering. We were winning awards. It was crazy. It was a dream come true.

MG: With the sequel “Hatchet II”, you were able to get an unrated and uncut theatrical release, that must feel good to get that great accomplishment?
AG: It does and it doesn’t. With “Hatchet” when they gave it an NC-17, we were absolutely shocked. We keep re-cutting and re-cutting and they kept giving us an NC-17 for violence. I eventually went to trial against the MPAA because I didn’t feel we were being treated fairly. During my trial, I sited a lot of other movies that were out at the time. My biggest one was “The Hills Have Eyes” remake, which I really liked. But I was saying to them though, here is a movie that has a scene where a women is raped in front of a baby, they sucked on the mom’s tit till she lactates only to shoot her in the head, bite the head off of parakeet then drink its blood and follow-up by running off into the night with a stolen baby they are going to eat while daddy is outside crucified and on fire….and that is ok? But a swamp monster with gas-powered self sander killing a bunch of comedians like Monty Python is too much? I asked them where are there standards? The fact is we were an independent movie.  We weren’t paying their salaries.  That is their jobs to keep the studios films in the spotlight and bury films like ours. They will deny it but it is true. There is a great film by Kirby Dick called “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”. If you see the movie, those are the exact people I had to deal with. When we submitted “Hatchet II”, they gave us an NC-17 again for violence. I cut two whole minutes out of the movie just of gore and told them I wasn’t going to fight with them again. They still gave us an NC-17. So then Dark Sky Films, who was distributing, brought the movie to AMC because they knew the head of AMC was a “Hatchet” fan and is in the Hatchet Army. They showed him the movie and he loved it. They asked him how would you feel if none of the kills were in the movie.  He said “You can’t do that”.  It was really them who made the decision to release to the movie unrated. It hasn’t happened with a horror movie is over 25 years. It is very exciting. But I am officially like a marked man by the ratings board. I didn’t want any of that, I was just standing up for myself. It would really mean a lot if the fans actually show up and support this movie. What the industry looks at is those per screen averages. If we make enough noise and enough people see this, it is going to start blowing the winds of change at the ratings board. This is a very pivotal movie in the history of cinema. I wish it wasn’t my movie. I wish it was somebody elses because then I would be campaigning like a fucking politician. But I have to watch what I do because I do not want to be conceived as a car salesman, who is just trying to show his product. Hopefully the fans show up. If they like it hopefully they go twice or three times and bring their friends. They need to cast their vote that they agree with what we are doing.

MG: I know the second film is just coming out but do you think we will see Victor Crowley again?
AG: I am personally looking to make other films. Pretty much what I did after “Hatchet”, I did “Spiral”, I produced “Grace” and I did “Frozen”. Then I was ready to do “Hatchet II”. They wanted a sequel right away but I needed sometime to spread my wings and do other things.  So I wanted to come back to this with the same excitement and passion that I had the first time around. We will see what happens, if “Hatchet 3” ends up taking several years to make, maybe I will come back to helm. If they want to go right away, I will most likely pass the torch and stay as producer and hopefully hand pick who they will choose to carry on the series. I kind of feel like I have done my part with this at this point. Victor Crowley can always come back. One of the cool things about the 80’s slasher franchises is that we saw so many great writers and directors got their first chance by doing some of those sequels. I would love to watch someone elses career get started with a “Hatchet” movie. At the same time I know for a fact that “Hatchet II” is better than the first one and if they make “Hatchet 3”, I would want it to be better than this one. I would love to have a slasher franchise that actually gets better as they go and not just spiral out of control.

MG: Most of the films you directed are from your own script, do you find that easier as a director?
AG: As a director, I get more excited about the things I write because I am writing them for me to direct. I get submitted scripts all the time from my agents with offers to direct them. Even though they are good scripts, I just don’t get that feeling. I already have like ten of my own things that I am working on and that I am much more invested in and excited about. There are other directors out there and all they do is direct and look for that good material. I am not really the guy to be sending stuff too. One of the hardest things of writing and directing, it was also one of the best lessons from “Hatchet II”, was at some point the director has to take over. The writer in me is always so concerned about the script and not cutting anything. I am always making sure the character arcs the way I designed them. At some point you have to trim and edit and it is so hard to do that when you know that it is hurting the writing but in return making the playability of the film better. Joe Lynch is one of my best friends, he is also a director. He saw “Hatchet II” a couple of time and I told him I know there are a couple of moments that I know the film is dragging but if I cut those the characters do not have the same arc. He said “Dude it is “Hatchet II”, no matter what…nobody is going to respect the writing…no matter how good it is”. He told me to go for playability and make the movie move as fast as I can without completely sacrificing it. I cut like four minutes of dialogue and character stuff out and it really helps the movie flow better I feel.

MG: Ok, I need to ask about this crazy fact I read, how did you end up posing as Dr. Zaius on the cover art for Fox’s Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary box set?
AG: That was one of my highlights of everything that has happened so far. At once point Robert Pendergraft, who did the makeup effects for “Hatchet I & II”, he was working at a shop that was hired to high resolution of the apes for the “Planet of the Apes” Blu-ray release. A lot of the actors are not around anymore, though. Maurice Evans who played Zaius is dead. He told me that from looking at the costume, it looks like the same size as me. He asked me to come in and try it on and he said “if it works, we will put you in the makeup”. They told me I couldn’t tell anybody because they want the fans to think it is Maurice Evans but I will be in his costume.  So there I am like two days later, they are pulling out all of the old costumes and prosthetics. It was like a five hour makeup job. You can tell when you look at the eyes, it is me.  Somebody finally at Fox admitted it was me and now it is out there. It was such an honor to have worn that man’s costume. I am such a huge “Planet of the Apes” films and I can’t even tell you what that day was like for me.

MG: Tell us about what your next film will be?
AG: Due to the success of “Hatchet”, if I have a movie that could be marketed in that genre, people are always throwing money at you to make it. I hoping that something like that happens with the film I have coming up called, “Killer Pizza”, which is a kids adventure movie. I am working on it with Chris Columbus. Hopefully that will open some more doors for me. In a perfect world, I would do a big movie and then come back and do something like “Hatchet”. Independent movies are our movies. I get to work with the same crew. I get to work with my family. On a studio movie you really do not get that. I am very picky on what I am going to do. As much as I get calls to come in for these big budget remakes and things. I am not going to do one unless it is something I really want to do and believe in it. I am very fortunate that because of “Hatchet”, I do not have to base my decision purely on finances. I do have my own company and I can make my own films. I actually have people that want to finance these now. “Killer Pizza” was definitely the right one at the right time. Just getting the chance to work with 1492 and Chris. I mean Chris Columbus is giving me notes on my script…that is just so amazing.

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Outcome:
CHD referred to the self-service password utility.
CHD had caller log in with the new password conventions
Caller saw the security questions reset and said they could take it from there
CHD asked to stay on call but they said they could handle it

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Interview with Bill Plympton

Bill Plympton is an animator best known different approach to animation.  Bill has created such feature films as “I Married a Strange Person!”, “Mutant Aliens” and the upcoming “Idiots and Angels”.  He also has worked on various short films including “Your Face”, which was nominated for Academy Award.  Bill is also the subject of the upcoming documentary from filmmaker Alexia Anastasia, called “Adventures in Plymptoons!”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Bill to discuss his work, his inspiration and his current projects.

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Mike Gencarelli: Out of all the characters you have created, do you have a favorite?
Bill Plympton: Well the “Dog” is a particular favorite.  I was shocked with the reception the “Dog” got when I first screened “Guard Dog” at a Baltimore Film Festival.  The audience went crazy and they all mobbed me afterwards.  They just loved the “Dog”.  I never had that kind of experience before.  I thought it might be nice to do a sequel.  So I did the film “Guide Dog”.  That was equally well-loved.  I did “Hot Dog”, where he worked in a fire department.  “Horn Dog”, when we fell in love.  We are doing a new one now called “Cop Dog”, where he sniffs out drugs in an airport.  You know that is going to turn bad.  Throughout his life, he is looking for love, affection and someone to take care of him but he always screws it up.  That film will not be done till next year though, they take a while to make them.

MG: What has been your inspiration for your work?
BP: I have been influenced by so many people, both teachers and fellow animators.  Certainly Walt Disney and Tex Avery have been huge inspirations.  Preston Blair, Charles Adams, R. Crumb, Milton Glaser…I could do on and on.

MG: Tell us about your latest short “The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger”?
BP: It was inspired by a trip I took a couple of years ago in Oregon.  I was driving through this cow country.  I saw thes cows eating grass and I was taken by how intensely these cows were eating this grass.  It seemed like they were trying to buff themselves up in order to make themselves as good of a hamburger as possible.  I thought that could be a funny idea for a film.  When I got back I started playing with that idea.  I thought about it for a year or so. Last fall, I started Bill Plympton’s School of Animation and I was teaching a class, and I thought it would be a great teaching tool to show the process of me making a film from beginning to end.  I wanted to show the students the process a filmmaker goes through in creating a film.  I used “The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger” as a teaching tool.  Each week we would have a different step in the process.  One week was doing storyboards, then layouts, then character design, then backgrounds etc.  They loved it and thought it was great.  The only problem was the original ending I had did not work very well.  It was not a good ending.  So I went back to the beginning of the film and realized the beginning actually held the secret to the ending.  It was the mother’s love.  That is how I came up with the ending.  People, especially women, think it is so emotional and all about love.  People have really responded well to the film.

MG: What is your creating process for coming up with these ideas?
BP: The ideas are just haphazard.  Like I said it could be something I see through my travels.  The idea for the “Dog” films came when I was running around Madison Square Park and I saw this dog parking at a bird.  I wondered why is this big dog afraid of such a tiny bird.  A lot of these ideas are sparks by mysteries of life.  Why is this? Why did this happen? Why do people do this?  How does this come about?  Answering those questions always leads to very wacky ideas.

MG: How do you feel about computers and CGI taking over animation world so to say?
BP: I think a lot of that computer films are quite nice.  I loved “How to Train Your Dragon”.  “Kung Fu Panda” was fabulous.  “Toy Story 3” was great.  I think there is room for all sorts of styles of animation.  There is Nick Parks and claymation.  Then you have Henry Selik and Tim Burton with stop-motion.  You have Japanese (Hayao) Miyazaki with drawn animation.  I think there is room for everybody.

MG: Tell me about the documentary “Adventures in Plymptoons!” directed by Alexia Anastasio?
BP: I have known Alexia for around ten years, maybe longer.  She works with a friend of mine, Esther Bell, who is a filmmaker.  We keep running into each other in film festivals and Comic-Cons and things like that.  Last year, she came to me and said “Someone should do a documentary about you, you are a interesting creature.  You are single handedly making these animated feature films when no one else can do it”.  I said “Yeah that would be really cool.  I would like that”.  So she has been following me around for about a year.  Not just me, she has been interviewing a lot of important people in my life such as filmmakers and actors that know me.  The list is pretty impressive, Terry Gilliam, Gus Van Sant, Sarah Silverman, Matt Groening and Michael Moore.  She also has interviewing my family, my brothers and people I went to high school with.  I think she has about 70 or 80 interviews.  It will be very comprehensive.  I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

MG: Do you have any plans to make another feature film any time soon?
BP: I am actually working on two feature films as we speak.  One film is called “Cheatin”.  It is  about these lovers who become jealous of each other and try to kill each other.  It is sort of along of the lines of “The Postman Rings Twice”.  It is a great dark film, very noir.  It is very similar in style to “Idiots and Angels”.   The other film, I probably should talk about much it is very early in stages, but it is about a whale named Tiffany that wants to be a super model.

MG: Tell us about the upcoming release of “Idiots and Angels”?
BP: This is the newest animated feature I just finished a few years ago.  It has been doing the festival circuit for a year or so now.  We are very excited about it finally getting released in the states.  It got a great release in France, Germany, Spain and Portugal.  America is very difficult to understand animation for adults.  They certain love Pixar and rightfully so.  Dreamworks as well and all the other sorts of kids animation.  But once you start putting adult topics in feature animation a lot of people are afraid, especially the distributors.  They feel there is no big success for something like that.  They feel that animation is primarily a children’s art form.  That really pisses me off because there are so many great ideas you can do with animation and adult topics.  Especially with love, jealousy, fighting and sex for example.  I am hoping I will be able to break through this sort of ignorance about animation as an adult art form.  It is strange Quentin Tarantino, who is a genius filmmaker, can have all sorts of sex and violence in his films.  I try and put the same thing in an animated film and people are like “Oh my God, you can’t do that.  You are going to destroy kids brains”.  I am trying to fight that stereotype with “Idiots and Angels”.  I think that this is my most mature film to date.  It is very spiritual.  It is a morality tale.  It also has great music.  We are very excited about this film.  It open in NY and LA starting October 6, then platforming into Chicago and across the country throughout the Winter and Spring.

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Interview with Olesya Rulin

Olesya Rulin is known for her role of Kelsi Nielsen in Disney’s “High School musical” series. She is currently starring in “Expecting Mary” which was recently released. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Olesya about her working with Disney and her new movie.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell what it was like working on the “High School Musical” series?
Olesya Rulin: It was the best 3 1/2 years of my life and was a really great experience. I got to meet some amazing individuals. Working with Kenny Ortega, the rest of the cast and the amazing choreographers was amazing. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. Plus I didn’t walk at my high school graduation ceremony, so doing “High School Musical 3” allowed me to have that same experience. I lived a lot of my personal life through those films as well. I enjoyed every minute.

Mike Gencarelli: Your role got bigger with each film, did you enjoy playing Kelsi Nielsen?
Olesya Rulin: I liked playing her a lot, but I am definitely not a musically savant. I have never played the piano in my life. It was really fun to step in those shoes and pretend to do the things she could. I do where glasses and a lot of hats in real life, so I just got to wear things I like every day. It was really fun. I was pretty nerdy in middle and high school, so I think my own personal characteristics came through.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your recently released film “Expecting Mary”?
Olesya Rulin: It is a wonderful film. It is about a girl that kind of loses her way and is very much alone. She goes on a journey to try and find her dad in Los Angeles. While on journey hitchhiking from east coast to LA. She gets picked up by Elliot Gould’s character, Horace. He takes her to this truck stop/Indian casino, where she meet some of the best characters and changes her life. They teach her what love is, what faith is and what a family can be. It doesn’t have to be blood related, it can be your friends and people that love you. It is really great and emitts a wonderful moral. It’s hilarious as well. Cloris Leachman does a great job of putting a lot of comedic relief in there.

MG: Is it excited to have a starting role in the film?
AR: Yeah! It was really exciting. It was a very short shoot. We shot the whole movie in 18 days. It was insane. We had a small budget. But we had such a wonderful crew and cast. Everyone was so professional. It was seamless. Their was no problems or issues. Dan Gordon, our wonderful writer and director, knew exactely what we needed to get at the end of the day. We moved through the script very quickly. It was long hours but it was really fun. You really can’t complain when you are working with Elliot Gould, Linda Gray and Cloris Leachman [laughs]. Being the star is a different territory for me. I just had to make sure I was on top of my game. Linda Gray would help me every single day. Same with Dan, if I had a question with the script or if one of the lines didn’t seem like something Mary would say. They made it really easy for me.

MG: What was like working with such a fantastic cast?
AR: I auditioned for the film and got a call back. I had no idea the cast will be made up with such great individuals…such great Hollywood legends. I was blown away that Linda Grey and I would be in almost every scene together. On my first day I met Elliot Gould I was shaking, I said “Hello, Mr. Gould, I am Olesya” and he said “Don’t call me Mr. Gould, its Elliot”. He is such a wonderful person.

MG: What else do you have planned next?
AR: I just shot a movie called “Apart”, which I play a scizophrenic. That should come out probably around December/January. I shot an episode of “The Mentalist” which comes out in October. I’ve got a movie shooting in January called “The Family Weekend”. I am keeping busy [laughs].

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: 14th, arrives, bluray, exorcism, interviews, october, ...

Interview with Stephen Root

Stephen Root is most known for his role of Milton in Mike Judge’s “Office Space”. He is one of the most amazing character actors in the business. Stephen has worked on worked in comedies “Dodgeball: An Underdog Tale” to drama in HBO’s “True Blood”. He also worked a lot in voice overs starting from “King of the Hill” to the upcoming “Rango”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Stephen about his roles and what he is currently working on.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you start working with Mike Judge and play the role of Milton in “Office Space”?
Stephen Root: I worked on “King of the Hill” starting in 1996, so I worked with Mike about a year before he decided to do “Office Space”. I ended up doing the table reading for 20th Century Fox with Mike. He was originally going to read the character of Milton and he told me to do it last minute. I read Milton, the psychiatrist, one of the Bob’s and a whole bunch of other roles. He liked Milton and thought it was best for me and from that he cast me in the role.

Mike Gencarelli: Did you have any idea how popular of a role that would be?
Stephen Root: It just keeps going on and on. I think it resonates with the soft underbelly of America. Every two or three years there are these guys doing that exact job in a office, just like the movie. It keeps getting discovered by broader audience and keeps growing. I think it is a timeless story.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with “Finding Nemo” and do the voice of Bubbles?
Stephen Root: Well, John Lasseter really enjoyed the “Office Space” role and wanted to stick me in what he was doing at the time. He actually wanted to have the Milton voice animated up to Bubbles’ voice. It wasn’t done exactly. I was very happy to be involved with the movie. I think Pixar makes incredible pictures. Their storytelling is just phenomenal. I was very happy to be involved with anything thing that they are working on.

MG: Was it fun being a part of the “True Blood” series playing Eddie Gauthier?
SR: When I had done that show, it it was not as popular yet. I did it during the first season and it wasn’t quite there yet. They weren’t sure whether the show was going to be a success or not. I was happy to come on board. I have always wanted to work on a Alan Ball show. I was really a big fan of “Six Feet Under”. I like doing arcs on shows as oppose to getting stuck on one [laughs]. When you are doing like three or four episodes, you have more freedom to other projects like movies or other shows. You look for people that you want to work with and Alan Ball was certainly one of those for me.

MG: Do you have a preference perhaps works in voice over compared to on screen roles?
SR: No, I like to do it all. I started out in theater and worked in that for twelve years. I have done a lot of TV and there is different kinds of TV. There is audience TV for when you are doing a sitcom or single camera TV when you are doing drama. The later is more like when you are doing movies. I enjoy doing all of it. I try to mix it up doing a comedy then something serious. I am character actor that is what we do.

MG: How do you usually prepare for each role you do?
SR: Same way, whether it is animation or live action or sitcom. You find out what out what your character is like. You find out how you would feel comfortable in his skin. The same way you prepare for any role. Obviously animation is all about the voice, you need to be very specific about that. You are preparing pretty much the same way.

MG: You also start production on Kevin Smith’s “Red State” this month correct?
SR: Yeah that’s true, we are going to start in October. Melissa Leo is one board and a whole bunch of other people I can’t say yet because they are not officially signed.

MG: Tell us about the upcoming “Rango”?
SR: “Rango” is going to be a big film. I did a couple of roles. I play Doc’ and Merrymack in “Rango”. One is a banker and the other is a degenerate drunk. It is two different characters in one movie. Gore Verbenski was tremendous director. We actually filmed a lot of the movie on set just for reference material for the animators. That way they could use some of the body motions for us. It was a great project to work on as well. Johnny Depp was great and so was everyone was great. You have a lot of character actors in that movie as well.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: 14th, arrives, bluray, october, sherman

Interview with Jenn Proske

Jenn Proske recently starred in the spoof, “Vampires Suck” as Becca Crane.  It was her first starring role but is the start of an amazing career.  Movie Mikes was lucky enough to talk with Jenn about her role and her blast off into the entertainment industry.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you get the role in “Vampires Suck”?
Jenn Proske: I moved to LA after I graduated from Boston University in May 2009.  I believe it was late October.  I wanted to try and be an actor professionally.  Basically I started auditioning full-time.  Then in February, I had this week that was totally full with auditions and the very last one was for “Vampires Suck”.  I was actually called in for the role of Iris, which spoof the Alice Cullen character from “Twilight” series.  I ended up two weeks later for Becca, the lead in the movie.  I booked the role on a Friday and then flew out the following Tuesday to start shooting.

Mike Gencarelli: It must have been exciting for your first role in major motion picture?
Jenn Proske: It has just been unbelievable.  I am really honored that this is how I am starting off my career jumping head first into the entertainment industry.

Mike Gencarelli: Ok the burning question, are you fan of the “Twilight films?
Jenn Proske: Yeah I am definitely a fan.  I read the books and saw the movie before I got the role.  Yeah I am actually more of fan since I have done the movie.  It has an even more special place in my heart.  I think I can call myself much more of a ‘Twi-Hard” now than before.  I watched the movies literally over a hundred times to research the characters.  I feel like if you are not a fan and you are doing this kind of thing, you have to become one.  It is really done out of love for this phenomenon.

MG: Was their any cool moments on the set that you can tell us?
JP: Yeah, what is crazy on this movie literally every day was chock full of a new stunt, gag or some ridiculous situation you find yourself in.  I think one of my favorites was the baby bjorn, which is like a baby carrier that I get carried in on my dads stomach played by Dierich Bader.  I had to pull these levels that catapulted me head first onto the ground.  I didn’t pull one hard enough so I flew forward but I was still stuck in the carrier.  I was just dangling there upside down and everyone on set was hysterically laughing.  It was one of the more funny moments.  On a movie like this everyday you are laughing on set and having a great time.

MG: What else do you have in the works?
JP: I am working on it right now.  With this having been my first role, it has obviously opened so many doors for me.  I am taking advantage of that and meeting with as many casting directors, producers, and studios as possible.  Hopefully I will have some more news to share soon.  I hope that whatever is next will be really different.  I have been a actor since I was six, so I am not new to acting.  I am very excited to show the world and everyone.  Maybe a really dramatic piece or something very different.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: 14th, bluray, october
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