Archives 2017

This week we interview actress Tami Stronach who made her acting debut as The Childlike Empress in the Neverending Story in 1984. The Neverending Story, which catapulted Stronach to stardom, has been a huge inspiration in pop culture and is just as popular today as it was when it was first released. She was studying acting in California, when she was chosen for her role as the Childlike Empress in the iconic 80s movie and the rest is history.

Tami Stronach’s Company: www.papercanoecompany.com
Follow Tami Stronach on Twitter @NeverendingTami

After a couple of decades of making dance and theater in NYC, Tami has now turned her attention to laying the foundation for a content shop that makes ‘family friendly’ work – not unlike “Neverending Story”. The brand is called Paper Canoe Company, which she founded with husband, Greg.

Tami made one album “Faerie Queen” that nostalgia buffs will remember was a sleeper hit in the ‘80s. This new project is the first in a series of collaborations with a notable crew of indie folk rock artists in Williamsburg. In the coming months she’ll be choreographing and performing in videos for the album and doing promo concerts in preparation for launching a full live theatrical experience later in the year, that will be built to tour nationally and internationally in theatrical concert venues with video projections, puppets, and Tami performing the role of Harmony, the Giant’s Rock Star Daughter.

Watch the Entire Tami Stronach Interview

Read The Tami Stronach Interview Highlights

Where were you born?

I was born in Teheran Iran. My Father is a Scottish archaeologist and my mother is an Israeli archaeologist. They met on a dig site and I grew up in Iran on excavations looking for artifacts. It was much more boring than it sounds. After the revolution of 79 we bounced around the globe a bit until we found home in the US and we settled in the San Francisco Bay area.

Were you taking acting classes in California?

I was dancing and acting throughout my childhood. In California there’s a wonderful acting school in San Francisco. I used to take singing classes and acting classes and I was also in ballet recitals. That was my world as a kid. I came out of the crib hamming it up. I would actually carpool to San Francisco to those acting classes on my own. I was super determined to get to those acting classes.

How did the opportunity for The Neverending Story come about?

It was a happy accident. I was in an acting class and a casting agent, her name is Anna Gross, was in San Francisco looking to cast somebody for the roll and she was friends with my acting teacher. She wanted to have lunch and came to Fort Mason where the school is and happened to be a little bit early and saw the tail end of class and thought that I might be a good person to audition and she invited me to audition.

I had no idea what she was asking me to audition for. I still have an issue with taking on too much. At the time I was in a traveling troupe that performed at local schools. The morning of the audition I had a show and I arrived really disheveled. I was playing Piglet in a Winnie-the-Pooh show so I had makeup smeared all over my face.

Did you enjoy auditioning as a child?

I think as a child you have less fear. I really love to be inside stories and figured if I didn’t get chosen I would just do another one. I think I just got really lucky and the material really resonated with me. I really identified with the character, I fell in love with her. By the third audition in Germany I was like I really want this. It got progressively more nerve racking.

Did you understand the gravity of the Neverending Story at that age?

I don’t think I totally understood the gravity of the Neverending Story and don’t think my parents understood the gravity of the movie. Partly it was filmed in Germany over the summer. It was sort of like, let’s go take this family vacation in Europe and you’ll do this little European release and we’ll come home and no one will ever see it and you can do your next dance recital. We didn’t really understand what we were doing. Maybe I was blessed to not know it really because I just didn’t have any expectations for it to be seen or to become iconic in that way.

What was your favorite character in the Neverending Story?

I didn’t spend a lot of time with Falcor. The Empress and Falcor don’t have a lot of scenes together, any in fact. I saw Falcor once as a head with a green screen behind but I never saw the whole thing, he was in pieces whenever I saw him. For me the Bat, the rock biter and that little enclave of puppets, I was able to watch their scenes get filmed, and I was able to watch the people move the levers on the side. I loved the fact that it was a person and a puppet that they sort of mixed together. I also sat in on the swamps of sadness scenes which was completely amazing. I’m so happy wasn’t around for the scene with the horse.

What was it like working with the puppets and animatronics?

That’s a really interesting question. I know there is a difference between acting for film and acting for stage in the sense that you want to make your gestures larger for stage, body language is more important for stage and you want to be more subtle on film. But at the same time it was much more a kin to theater than a lot of films are today. The set was real in the same way you would have it like a set onstage. Everything was physically there and touchable.

I’ve been on sets with green screens where you’re imagining the whole thing and the director promises you that there’s going to be a lot of people. I had a really good acting teacher who always said that acting is 99% listening. It’s not how you’re delivering the line it’s how you are responding to the line you were given. I think that with a puppet you’re able to do that listening part where as if the thing gets filled in later it’s all your choices and not so many reacting to other choices.

What’s happening now is really cool because they are combining animatronics with CGI and there’s a better sense of when to use what aspect and why.

You might also like our interview about the short fantasy film The Lookouts

What was it like working with all the young actors on set?

We got along which is good. They were boys and I was a girl at age ten. I was all business “Does anyone want to go over their lines. Let’s go over the scene” and Barret would have his little GI Joes and be like let’s play with these. But I really liked them both, they were wonderful. I have fond memories, we definitely got along.

I have a funny story with Noah. We were at a German outdoor pub, there were these train tracks next to the pub. We spent all of our time off set at pubs. That’s where the camera people and the makeup people were. There was a train really really far off and he was sort of playing this hero. So out of nowhere he suddenly grabbed me and flung me across the railroad tracks into the bushes. I was like what’s going on and he was like a train is coming. And we sort had to wait for the train to sort of come for a long time. Then I had to be like thank you for saving me.

What is life like for you today?

Mostly theater work these days. I founded a company called Paper Canoe Company with my husband actually. After the birth of my daughter I wanted to start making family theater again. The Never Ending Story was sort of family oriented. For me, trying to bring all of my passions under one umbrella seemed really important. I was a mom and I wanted the stuff that I was making to relate to my kid and to my community and all of those things to exist together.

We created two live shows in New York. The theater show was a light and dark comedy my husband wrote. It was a story where a scientist with good intentions steals the sun. We were speaking about how everything’s faster and everyone knows too much. In this world people stop dreaming, stop sleeping, the lights always on and everyone’s trying to be super productive. People lost the ability to dream and relax. The scientist creates a slumber yard and took away the sun so everyone could relax and over time everyone forgot there were lights. All the actors wore self-cranking machines with head lamps and we generated all of our own light in the production.

My vision is to turn the story into a graphic novel and possibly a feature film. The story would come alive on a graphic novel page even more so than the theater. I’m a creature of the theater, live theater is my medium. As we developed Paper Canoe we are finding that we are more and more curious about diving into digital content. Our third project is a digital project and that’s Beanstalk Jack which is a folk rock album.

Watch The Neverending Story Streaming

Robert Craighead has been a notable character actor in Hollywood for over 30 years, with roles in over 40 feature films, hundreds of television appearances, performed in over 100 stage productions across the U.S. and recently seen success as a country music singer.

Being called an overnight success is not something Robert buys into. He’s currently a series regular as Sheriff Mobley on Tyler Perry’s new hit drama for TLC, “TOO CLOSE TO HOME” and has been a recurring Guest Star for the last two seasons as Sergeant Clarke on the Fox Comedy sensation, “NEW GIRL”.

This year will also see the release of a couple of new feature films he will be starring in, including the western “THE MUSTANGER AND THE LADY”, where he will play one of the most despicable characters he’s ever portrayed, and “THE TIGER HUNTER” a new comedy co-starring with starring Danny Pudi, Jon Heder and Kevin Pollack.

Watch the entire Robert Craighead Interview

Read the Robert Craighead Interview Highlights

What brought you from Texas to Los Angeles?

I turned 18 and graduated from high school and went to college briefly. I spoke to a counselor and they were telling me about all these classes I had to take and mostly I wanted to do theater classes. They said I had to do math and science and I was like why?! I said want to be an actor so they recommended I go to a professional acting school.

I auditioned for Juilliard and American Academy of National­ Arts and was accepted to both but I didn’t want to move to New York. Being a Texas boy I need a little bit more open space around me. Plus I’m a big fan of the movie industry and I just wanted to get out to Los Angeles and start working as an actor.

I came out in 1980 but left for a while. After being gone for 11 years raising my daughter I came back 5 or 6 years ago. I was on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful for 3 years. When that gig ran out I lost my manager and agent because they retired. I thought I had to start all over so I decided to take a break and spend some time with my daughter.

What was your relationship like with your agents?

Actually I’m on my 4^th agent since I came back into the business 5 years ago. The one that I’m with right now is one that I courted for 2 years. Her and I were together 20 years ago, Gloria Hinojosa. She represents Danny Trejo and helped mold his career as well as a lot of other wonderful actors. Gloria talked me through how to build my career and eventually the agency signed me on.

How do you view the differences between acting in theater & film?

My background is theater and I still do theater whenever I can. Unfortunately the problem is that theater does not pay very well in Los Angeles. As you know the cost of living here is quite high just like in New York. Theater for me is more about the love of performing in front of a live audience and getting that immediate reaction. Being able to experiment and expand myself as an actor in roles that I wouldn’t be given the opportunity to portray in TV & film.

Do you prefer acting in comedy or drama?

I really don’t but I guess if I was put on the spot I’d prefer a dramatic role because in either drama or comedy you bring elements from the other. Some of my favorite characters in film, like Jack Nicholson in The Departed, was the biggest asshole you’d ever seen in your life. Yet there are times you’re laughing about what he’s saying or doing. He’s the guy you love to hate. I try to find those comedic elements in all of my characters. Also in my comedic roles, like in New Girl a lot of the comedy comes from the drama you bring to it. It’s like the Naked Gun where they are being really serious and saying the most absurd thing imaginable.

Is Jack Nicholson a big influence on you?

I know you’re going to say I look like him and sound like him. I love Jack Nicholson he’s one of my idols. I don’t even realize how people compare my vocal qualities or demeanor because I grew up in Texas and Jack grew up in New York. I guess it’s just my demeanor that makes people compare and think that way. I never think of Jack Nicholson that way when I’m playing a role though.

Do you consider yourself an overnight success?

I’ve achieved more success in the last few years definitely. Early on in my career, because I had this deep voice whenever I was a young man it didn’t really match. People always told me, “When you’re older, you’re going to work, a lot.” I worked as a young man just not as much as I am now. When I came back to the business I was older, wiser, more secure financially so I think I’m having more fun with what I’m doing and that shows in my work. Everything is not do or die like some of the younger actors. If there’s any advice I would give to a young actor its have more fun with what you’re doing. Be in it for the long run. It’s a marathon. That’s what the business is. It’s about the longevity, it’s not about a flash in the pan.

How did you get the role of Sheriff Mobley in Too Close to Home?

It all happened quickly. I live in Los Angeles and they were auditioning people in New York and Atlanta. I was one of the last roles cast. My agent called me up on a Friday evening and I know this is unusual but can you go in Saturday morning and read for this role. I went in and the role felt very comfortable to me coming from a small town in Texas and I was playing a sheriff in a small town in Alabama. I kind of had a kindred spirit with the character. They said they wanted me to come back on Monday to meet with Tyler Perry.

On Monday we met at a hotel on Sunset Blvd along with a lot of other actors there to do a reading. I was one of the last actors to read and he had me do one little scene as opposed to the long scenes I had prepared. He was looking at resume and pointed out I sing country music and asked me to sing. So I start singing him a country song. Fortunately I had been doing a play about a country western singer. He said thank you and I was in my car on my way home and I got a call from my agent saying, “They want to hire you for Too Close to Home.” That was on a Monday and by Thursday I was in Atlanta.

What’s working with Tyler Perry like?

Tyler Perry is probably one of the most talented, brilliant, generous men I’ve ever met in my life. He treats his people like first class in every aspect. He does however expect you to give 150% all the time. That goes for every crew member to the biggest star on the show because he’s giving his 150%. I remember when I first got to the studio I noticed that everyone smiled all the time and I thought this isn’t normal. I began to realize everyone was generally happy. If you’re being treated well, having fun with what you’re doing and you’re doing what you do well, why not be happy. Everyone smiles constantly on the set. We work really hard, really fast and I have so much admiration for the man.

What other projects do you have coming up?

I’ve written a screenplay that I’ve got some people interested in producing. It’s about a country western singer and it’s a cross between Crazy Heart and The Crossing Guard. It’s a weird combination but unique. I have Paul Overstreet who’s a multiple CMA & Grammy award winning singer and songwriter. He’s agreed to write the music for the film and I’ve already been to Nashville to record some songs together. Brad Benedict who plays JB on Too Close to Home is in love with the script and going to be playing my son. I’m hoping we get it into production by the end of the year.

How long have you been a country music singer?

I always joked around singing country music but people always said you should do country music comparing me to Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings. I wound up getting involved in this world premiere country musical and this movie I had in my mind for 15 years so I sat down and wrote it. The musical I did was based on 17 of Paul Overstreet’s hit songs like Forever and Ever Amen, Seeing My Father and Me. He and I became really close.

I had actually recorded two songs and put them out on iTunes before I met Paul. It’s a new experience for me and I’m having a lot of fun. A show is coming up in a few weeks in Santa Monica with Brad Benedict and a live country band. I’m trying to get the experience for my upcoming role, singing in bars and singing country music in front of live audiences.  I’ve performed in front of audiences and done live shows thousands of times. Last Saturday night my guitar teacher was doing a show and asked me to come sing. I was never more nervous. When you’re singing in a bar, people aren’t necessarily paying attention to you. You don’t know if they are yelling at you or people are laughing trying to struggle and get through the songs.

What advice do you have for young actors?

I would say one of the most important things is to get a solid foundation for your work. In today’s day and age there’s a lot of social media stars and that’s great but I strongly encourage everyone to get training whether you want to be an actor or singer. Get a solid background because the opportunities when they present themselves to you, you have to be able to get the job done and make sure people want to keep hiring you.

That’s what I did when I came out here to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. You weren’t allowed to work professionally while you were going to school there. For 3 years that’s all I did. Do you remember the show Fame? I was doing vocal lessons, acting lessons, dancing lessons from the classics to productions of plays. It’s all you do 8 hours a day is classes like that. I continue to train.

I’m invited to speak to young actors and the one thing I tell them is acting is like a baseball player. You can’t hit homeruns during the game if you don’t go to batting practice. You’ve got to continue to sharpen your tools. Stay on top of your craft is probably the soundest I could give.

Gene Blalock is the founder of Seraph Films and an award-winning Los Angeles-based Director. Gene is known for his touching, heart-warming films as much as his eccentric short horror vignettes. Bringing a decidedly human perspective to each of his projects, Gene’s works reflect our common humanity—as if from a mirror of compassion for us to examine and consider. Regardless of genre, Gene’s work rings true in a thought-provoking way.

We had a great conversation with Gene about his production company Seraph Films. They have a number of projects on the horizon including The Art of Murder featuring actress and most dangerous woman in Hollywood, Tonya Kay. Seven Days In Mexico is a documentary about finding something that’s impossible to lose. It tells the story about musician, singer songwriter Johnny Indovina of the band Human Drama.

Keep up with Seraph Films and Gene Blalock at http://seraphfilms.net

Watch Seraph Films Short Horror Film Among The Shadows

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Watch The Complete Gene Blalok Interview

How long have you been making films in Los Angeles?

It’s been about 5 years now. I came out to LA as a musician. I’m originally a musician from Chicago. My band got picked up by a label out here. The first few years I was doing music and now film.

How did you make the transition from music to film?

I went to film school in Chicago. My initial goal was doing film but sidetracked having a band and doing music and then jumped back into film about 5 years ago. It’s fulltime film making these days.

What was the first film you worked on professionally?

It was a film called Unlucky Girl, a zombie film that my friend James and I tried to make a few years ago. I was taking a break from music and decided to try and make some films. My friend James had this cool idea for a zombie film that he wanted to do. It’s almost like a music video for one of his songs. We do a lot of horror films but it’s not exclusive to what we do.

Watch Unlucky Girl – A Short Zombie Film

What was your motivation to go to film school and make movies?

I’ve always been the emotional drama kid I guess. My desire to be in front of the camera these is not something I have. I’ve always been interested in how you make films. How they come to life.

What’s the film making process like at Seraph Films?

It started out with me writing and doing everything on my own. Now I have various partners I team up with that do scripts. These days I lean towards directing more than anything else. Coming up through the indie film community you have do a little bit of everything. I’ve certainly done everything from writing to directing to cinematography.

How has the indie film industry changed over the last 5 years?

It’s never been a better time to be an independent film maker. We’ve done it all from having to funding, to crowdfunding. You get to write, create and fund it from top to bottom.

How are you distributing your indie films?

YouTube has been our single biggest outlet so far. The Nightmare Gallery is a feature we are working on that we are going to shoot in May or June. We are not sure how distribution is going to go yet. Distribber is definitely one that we are thinking about. https://www.distribber.com/

How did you connect with Tonya Kay on the Art of Murder?

When we started Horror Haiku there was this one character, The Artist that’s continued through multiple series of Horror Haiku. There was another vegan film maker that said you need to meet this person and she became The Artist through 4 seasons of Horror Haiku. Art of Murder is an idea we have for a feature length film based off Tonya Kay’s character in Horror Haiku. It hasn’t come to fruition yet but hopefully one day we’ll get to make it.

What exactly is Horror Haiku?

We had just finished a web series for a production company that hired us to do a weekly anthology series. When we wrapped production I remember thinking we should do something for YouTube and that we can make this happen for our own channel. James Boring came up with this idea to do a horror anthology and people will submit different haikus and will turn them into separate episodes. It went on hiatus for a little while because of other work but we are going to bring it back for 10 more episodes this year.

How important is social media marketing for finding your audiences?

We try to use all of the social media platforms but YouTube has been the main platform for growing audiences.

What are your top 3 horror films?

I have to go back to when I was very young. The original Nightmare on Elm Street scared the crap out of me because I wasn’t even supposed to watch it. I don’t I slept for 3 days straight because I was so young. If you go back and watch it now, it’s very dated and it doesn’t work very well. The Exorcist is another one that to do this day still bothers me for some reason.

What was the inspiration for the documentary Seven Days In Mexico?

I met Johnny Indovina while I was still living in Chicago. He’s a musician that I had a lot of respect for and was a fan of his music before I even knew who he was. When I moved to LA, he was always there just to go grab coffee or discuss relationships. He and I obviously developed a friendship. One day he said he wasn’t sure if he was going to ever write another song. Johnny thought if he’s done writing music why should he be on this planet anymore? That really struck me and two weeks Johnny said he had the money and was going to Mexico try and write new songs and find his love of music again.

How do you plan to release Seven Days In Mexico?

In Mexico distribution is all set but here in the US I’m not sure yet. We’ll probably do some film festivals and screenings here in the US.

What other work should we look out for?

We are about to begin our first narrative feature here in LA called Nightmare Gallery. Shooting will start sometime in April.

Geoffrey Cantor is best know for his role as Daredevil’s Mitchell Ellison on Netflix. As a trained actor with a background in theater as well as an acting coach himself, Geoffrey brings a unique style to his role on Daredevil. Geoffrey received his degree in theater from Amherst College and also attended the National Theater Institute Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Conn. He continued his training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, in London, England. As we found out in our interview he has a love of British Theater and can mimic a British accent quite well.

We had the pleasure of meeting Geoffrey Cantor in person at the MixKnowledgy event here in New York where he participated in the actors panel along with Christian Frazier and Tanya Wright. In this interview we dive deep on Geoffrey’s acting philosophy, how an actor with an affinity for British Theater ended up in the Marvel Universe and does his beard help him land roles.

Geoffrey’s film credits include the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Ceasar!, Men in Black 3, Pascal Farran’s Bird People, Thanks for Sharing, The Longest Week, Man on a Ledge, Fair Game, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, When in Rome, The Notorious Betty Page, One Last Thing, the short film 411 with F. Murray Abraham, and the title role of Karl Manhair in the short Karl Manhair, Postal Inpsector.  Geoffrey Cantor has been featured in over 200 television and radio commercials, including two award-winning campaigns: Let It Out (Kleenex–the Good Listener), and FAIR ENOUGH (part of the Truth campaign). He also has five audio books to his credit, including the award winning The Family, by David Laskin.

Where did you grow up?

I was born on an Air Force base in California and lived there for about 4 years. My dad is a doctor but he joined the Air Force. Then we were in Philadelphia for a year, Cherry Hill New Jersey for a while and then Bergen County from about 3rd grade on. We’ve been in the New York area since I was in 3rd grade.

Moving around definitely impacted me. I remember thinking I didn’t really need to have a house. My little family unit was my home. We were moving every two or three years. I never felt like I was the person that had that family home to go back to.

I also lived in England over a 6 year period and 4.5 years I was in London.

When did you figure out you wanted to be an actor?

I was brought up in a household where there was always music and my parents liked the arts. My mom is a painter and my dad did Community Theater. We listened to musical theater and folk music. We were sort of progressive, liberal, Jewish people growing up in a time when were weren’t at the cutting edge of that. I was in choir in grade school and did some plays but I thought I was going to be a doctor or a lawyer.

Certainly by the time I got to high school I thought I was going to be a lawyer because I was a nice Jewish boy from Bergen County, NJ. I was doing a lot of theater and when I got into college I did West Side Story. I played Action and the head of the drama department wrote me a handwritten letter about my work and described it in ways I had never really considered. That’s when I understood that what I was doing was more than just recreation.

I would say it chose me, more than I chose it. I didn’t want to be an actor. I still don’t think it’s a great way to live a life logistically but it’s an amazing art form. It chose me in college, it grabbed me by the balls in college and it hasn’t let go.

What actors have inspired you through your career?

My favorite actors tend to have come out of British theater. Anthony Hopkins is one of my favorite actors. Ian McKellen as well. As I’ve gotten older I’ve met some of these actors who I remember seeing. Roger Rees, I saw Nicholas Nickleby back in the early 1980s. The royal Shakespeare company brought Nicholas Nickleby over and it was the first time the tickets were over $100. It was an 8 and a half hour play and you could see it all in one piece and I got to see it. It was a birthday present from my parents.

I remember, there was a very long interval for people to get a meal and some of the actors were strolling around and I remember seeing Roger Rees. He was just brilliant. Many years later I saw him at auditions because my English accent is pretty good and we would audition against each other for British voice overs. I remember finally getting the guts to tell him how much he meant to me and what that play meant to me. He was extremely gracious but also taken aback because here we were colleagues and yet at the time I was this kid watching him on stage.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten to work with some the actors who at one point were so untouchable to me and now we’re doing a scene together. I’ve worked with Glenn Close, Rober DeNiro, Judd Hirsch and a lot of these people I’ve put on pedestals when I was younger. I actually respect them a bit more cause now they’ve looked at me in the eye and said lines with me. We’ve done scenes together.

How does an actor inspired by British theater end up in the Marvel Universe?

That’s a really good question. I had meniscus surgery and then slipped two weeks later because I didn’t rehab it. Then I ended up dislocating my shoulder and broke two bones. With a broken shoulder I remember having an audition for both Daredevil and The Blacklist within days. I was also asked by Warren Leight to do a play. So with a broken shoulder I was doing a play and was also doing two TV shows.

The overall lesson is, there is no real difference even though that’s not the question you asked.
Daredevil happened while I was about to do a play. For me there is no real difference between the core of the work. The real difference is the end experience. When you get to do a play, whether it’s a 20 minute or a 3 hour play you’re there for that entire period of time and you get to live a longer event. You have rehearsal time before hand to figure stuff out.

When you do film and television there’s much less left to the imagination for the actor and the audience. You go on to a set for Daredevil, everything is there. They’ll put a bottle in a box and you know if you open that bottle it won’t be real alcohol but it will be the right color. There’s something that takes away the burden of having to imagine so you can really focus on what’s going on in the moment. That’s true of television and film.

What you don’t get is you don’t have the time to spend with your colleagues discovering the same way you do on stage. The doorway in is exactly the same. You have words that tell you what the character is thinking, what the character is doing, what his relationship with the other characters may be and that’s exactly the same. So the process pretty similar. It’s a bit intuitive, it’s a bit analytical, its thoughtful.

When I have the opportunity to work, especially in Daredevil Season 2, Deborah Ann Woll spent a lot of time talking on the phone and even in person to dissect what’s going on. It allows for greater freedom when you’re in front of the camera and you can actually discover in the middle of it. Daredevil has been very unique in that regard. I don’t know that I could say that about other shows that I’ve done where there’s been the amount of time and energy spent by the directors and the writers with the actors. Certainly with a supporting level actor. I’m certainly not the star of the show and they spend time with me and we get to figure stuff out.

Is there a difference in the work because its not a network TV show?

I don’t know if it’s budget. I can’t talk to budget. Actors are the low end of that totem pole. No matter how much you’re getting paid less money is spent on actors than anything else. That said, I think what makes Netflix so different and I think it may be true of Amazon and Hulu, is that they are not bound by the same time restrictions that network television is bound by. You’re filming everything and then you’re editing as your filming and you’re not showing it next week. They have a longer editing window and creative process that you don’t have on network television.

With Daredevil it’s a 13 hour movie. They allow relationships to develop. They allow these moments to happen. I don’t think it’s a financial thing but they aren’t bound by the restrictions of making sure you have the beginning, the middle and the end of every episode. You look at any Law & Order, there are very few long through lines. You have the same actors so they started to do that. I’ve done 12 Law & Orders and I can tell you they have a beginning middle and end.

Daredevil has taken the long view. It’s a 13 hour movie and that’s how you can binge watch it. I think House of Cards did the same thing. I remember seeing the first season of House of Cards and I thought it was the best thing I’d ever seen. You have stories that go through the entire season, West Wing did it too but each episode has that episodic formula too. Network television is starting to pick up on how people are going to watch their shows. I watched the first season of Madame Secretary on Netflix. I would binge watch 3 or 4 episodes at a time.

I thought the 4 minute webisode was going to be the end of my career but also what it was going to be. Everyone was banking on the fact that nobody had any attention span and Netflix proved that wrong. Netflix also proved that reality television is a short lived fad. People want character driven content, story driven content and they want to be able to engage. Marvel is even more unique. Marvel has this audience that’s been waiting for this.

Did your knowledge of Daredevil help you land the role?

I actually was a fan. I was more of a Marvel fan than a DC fan. I’m not sure looking back I could explain why that was. What made Daredevil cool was that he was Batman like except wasn’t quite as rich. He had his own challenges. I think that’s one of the things that makes Daredevil even among other Marvel shows so unique. You’re looking at a guy who has enhanced normal physical ability. You don’t need much suspension of belief. You don’t have to go where someone is from another planet. That’s what drew me in even back then.

I didn’t go nuts doing a ton of research but I did a little bit. I wasn’t going to play my character like other Marvel or DC Daily Planet or Daily Bugle editors. It wasn’t written that way. My knowledge of Daredevil was enough. I didn’t go back and watch Spiderman or Batman because that wasn’t the tone they were setting. Knowing about it intrigued me. Knowing the importance of Urich intrigued me. What they’ve done for me is made me more Urich like than editor like and I appreciate that.

It’s not all the TV show is being derived from the comic book. You’re seeing this give and take. You’re seeing this dialogue between how the comics are being written. Comics are now showing a different sensibility because people can see it on television. In a way, comics have always been the storyboards of movies.

My first introduction to the graphic novel was The Watchmen. I remember reading those individually and then getting them all combined. That for me, was when I got it. Daredevil feels like its talking that language.

What is your philosophy as an acting coach?

The approach I have in my teaching is very similar to the approach I have in my acting. I’m a product of training. What I focus on as an actor, therefore what I focus on when I’m coaching, teaching or directing is really what the text is. What is the playwright or the screenwriter, what’s the story they are telling? Basically all dialogue is a revealing of thought. That’s you’re only clue, what are you thinking, what are you doing. I don’t care what the medium is really. I don’t differentiate in terms of my approach and that’s what I tell my actors.

A director will tell you to “stand here” or “I need this bigger or smaller” but your job as an actor is to define the truth of the text. Writers who have much more experience than I do tend to hear conversations and are observers of life and are sharing that observation. But screenwriters don’t go deep with each character to define the motivation for the behavior that they are describing on the page. That’s your job as an actor. That’s what makes it a collaborative art form.

Your job as an actor is to dive down deep into what that person is doing, what’s motivating that person and what justifies the behavior and the thought process. Not to judge them, at all but to justify that behavior. That’s what I’ve spent 99% of my time doing with my actors. We look at text, scene or monologue and try to figure out what are you doing and what’s the motivation.

Whatever my approach is you can apply to every medium because three directors will tell you three different things in the room. Your job isn’t to please everybody or make people like you, it’s to figure out what’s going on.

How secretive are the Marvel scripts?

I’m not allowed to talk about any script information that I have ahead of time obviously or they will break my knees. My first season I was getting sides very later. I’m the newspaper editor and I found myself not knowing what I was supposed to know. I didn’t even know what was going on in Ellison’s world. What did Ellison know? What’s blown up recently? They heard that and I would get calls from the showrunners and I only need to know what I need to know.

I don’t need to what’s going on in the prison or things in a place that Ellison wouldn’t know. In fact, that’s useless data for me. It’s curious and interesting but it doesn’t help me as an actor. What helps me as an actor is what does Ellison know? If you saw Daredevil Season 1, what Urich thought Ellison was doing and what he really was doing were two very different things. I needed to know what I had done and what I knew and I had to ask for that. That wasn’t an automatic gimme.

Is your beard helping you get work as an actor?

I don’t know if helps me get roles or not. It certainly helps define the roles that I get to some extent. If you walk into a room with a beard you’re going to get different roles than without it. I auditioned for Hail Caesar with the beard and we ended shaving it because it wasn’t right for the time period. The Coen brothers could luckily see through the mass that I have on my face. The job defines my facial hair more than the other way around.

Because I hurt myself I auditioned for The Blacklist and Daredevil with the beard. I just couldn’t shave. I grow a beard quickly, within 2 weeks it looks like I have a beard. By the time it came to shooting, they said to keep the beard. Now if I’m shooting with the beard I’m also auditioning with the beard. Work has dictated my facial hair more than the other way around.
So now I can’t shave it until Marvel tells me I can shave it. If my role in Daredevil continues and we are hopeful it will. I guess it’s, likely because nothing bad happened to me in Season 2. I know they like it and I will honor that. I don’t know that I’m legally bound. But do I want the job? Yeah! It’s more of a gentleman’s agreement.

Any possibility Ellison’s character will show up in other parts of the Marvel Universe?

I don’t know and if I did know I wouldn’t be at liberty to say. There have always been hints, even in Season 1 that Ellison could show up in somebody else’s show. As the only newspaper editor in all of the Marvel Universe on Netflix I’m hopeful and it’s always possible.

I do know that after Season 1 there was some debate as to what Karen was going to do. Was she going to go into the law practice or was she going to work for Ellison. I’m grateful and happy that they decided that the window of the newspaper into the world of Daredevil is something that is better for the audience. Hopefully that can be translated into some of the other shows.

Certainly from a career standpoint it would be great but I also think it’s a very good convention to have a newspaper access, especially now. What an interesting thing to take what we are seeing with our own government and press translated into the Marvel Universe. Lies in the press and who’s telling the truth especially when the truth is already a bit funky in Marvel. That might be an interesting thing for them to address.

If you could play any superhero in Marvel or DC who would it be?

The Editor of course! I could see it now, people coming to Comic Con in their suits and ties and beards. At one point I liked The Flash but I feel a little old to play a super hero now. Who was The Watchmen with the ink blots? Warshak? As an actor that’s who I’d want to play. If someone were to cast me I think it would be the little overweight owl with all the contraptions. I liked Warshak though, he was a very troubled individual.

What advice do you have actors trying to break in the industry?

If there is something else you would rather do, I would advise you to do that. The good news is there’s more work than ever before. It pays less, but there’s more work and its better than before. That said, there’s also more people doing this than ever before. More people with less training are doing this than ever before. I still think you have to get trained. I think you need a liberal arts education cause you need to have knowledge about a lot of topics. Then go to drama school or get training afterwards.

You need to take the tools you have intuitively and get the skill to apply them to those intuitive, artistic, sensibilities that you have so that you have a lasting career. You have to realize you are a student all the time. Lastly you can’t do this please other people or become famous. You might become famous and you might please people but your job is to do neither. You have to be driven to be a discoverer, to love that process beyond anything else. Then you’ll find that even auditions and rehearsals are fun and that the art itself is what drives. If that’s not what interests you then please do something else.

In this Hollywood Know How we teach you how to make a cheap homemade version of a blood squib. Film makers use a blood squib to create gunshot effects and blood splatter. In case you weren’t sure, a squib is a miniature explosive device used in a wide range of industries, from special effects to military applications. Add the blood and you have a blood squib that mimics what it would be like to get shot. The good news is our version doesn’t require any explosives and costs less than $1.

Blood spatter and gunshot special effects are as old as Hollywood. Blockbuster films use the latest technology to make it all seem real but there are plenty of ways for an indie film maker to pull of blood splatter and gunshot special effects on the cheap.

The best part about making your own effects and props is that you’re only limited by your imagination. If you film yourself using this tip, leave us a note in the comments with a link to your work! We’d love to see what you create.

To make your blood squib you’ll need a few items:

• 1 Ziploc Sandwich Bag
• String or fishing line
• Duct tape
• Fake Blood

Steps to making your cheap blood squib

1. Lay a strip of tape flat and then put a smaller piece of tape sticky side together in the middle
2. Attach the tape to your stomach and add extra pieces of tape for strength along the sides
   • This creates a guide for the string to slide through
3. Attach one end of the string to the zipper on your sandwich bag
   • Make sure the zipper still functions after the string is attached
4. Duct the empty bag to your body and make sure the bag is secure
   • Make sure the top of the bag is positioned at a downward angle
5. Run the string through the guide you made in Step 2
6. With the string on the floor, pin one side down with your foot
7. Sliding your other foot will now open the zipper on the bag
8. Fill the bag with blood and then….

This week on the Imperfect Podcast we are talking to actor and comedian Christian Frazier. He’s best known for his work as Henry Weaver on FOX’s Gotham. Having had the opportunity to meet Christian face to face at the MixKnowledgy event in New York, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to find out more about his acting career.

Christian gives us insights on what it’s like day to day as a working actor. With 21 credits to his name including Gotham, Blue Bloods and Law & Order to name a few. A former military veteran and real estate agent, acting was not his first career. Listen to the full episode to hear his story about how he broke into the industry and landed one of his dream roles.

Keep up with Christian at his web site: http://christianfrazier.com

Watch Gotham on Amazon Prime

Download the Interview with Actor Christian Frazier

MixKnowledgy is a unique social experience that combines elements of a mixer & a forum. This event in SOHO New York was run by Co-founders Erman Baradi & Brandon Waites. They invited Heckler Kane Creations to capture the event so everyone can share in the knowledge.

This event featured TV and film casting agents, publicists, actors, producers and directors. MixKnowledgy puts together events for film, TV and entertainment professionals coast to coast and now internationally. For more info on MixKnowledgy visit their twitter account at @MixKnowledgy

Executive Producer Matthew Penn

Matthew Penn is best known for his work on Law & Order. He is also the Executive Producer of Queen of the South and Director on Royal Pains. Moderated by Keren Robinson and Jade Voight, Matthew Penn shares wisdom from his journey in television and what it takes to make it in this business.

Law & Order Executive Producer Matthew Penn

Matthew Penn is best known as the Executive Producer of Law and Order. He was the first panelist at the MixKnowledgy event held in Soho New York on January 12, 2017.

His career didn’t happen over night and Matthew talks about the hard work that goes into producing a television series like Law and Order. He is also the Producer on Queen of the South and a Director for Royal Pains.

Actors Tanya Wright, Geoffrey Cantor & Chris Frazier

Moderated by Gary Jenkins of NY Film Loft, these three seasoned actors candidly discuss their journey and longevity in this business . From auditions to being on set, we get a glimpse of what its like to work on major productions.

Tanya Wright is best known for her work on Orange is the New Black. Geoffrey Cantor has a fantastic resume and is best known for his work on Daredevil as Mitchell Ellison. From Gotham we hear from Christian Frazier.

Casting Associate Bess Fifer of Stranger Things

Bess Fifer is the casting associate known for her work on Daredevil as well as the award winning Stranger Things on Netflix. Bess gave actors the scoop on what it takes to make an impact on an audition at the Mixknowledgy Soho event in New York on January 12, 2017.

Publicist Ashton Fontana & Talent Manager Michelle Kittrell

Ashton Fontana is a publicist at 42West and has managed campaigns for Meryl Streep, Daniel Day Lewis, Matt Reeves, Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight and Martin Scorcese’s Silence. Don’t miss her words of wisdom on what it takes to get the word out.

Michelle Kittrell is a talent manager that also joined this panel at the MixKnowledgy event in New York on January 12, 2017.

1800POPCORN Founder David Blackstone

David Blackstone is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of New York’s first popcorn truck. He dropped in to the MixKnowledgy Soho event on January 12, 2017 at the WeWork in Soho. David wanted to share his story and of course bring everyone some of his amazing popcorn! What we learned was that being in the indie film industry isn’t so different from being an entrepreneur

Today we talk with Jean Francois Rouze. Jean is the co-founder of a video production company and a video game agency. The production company was founded when Jean was only 22 years old. Now they have over 10 years’ experience producing and developing entertainment content for Disney, Marvel, BBC and Porsche. Jean is passionate about video games and movies ever since he was a child.

We will be talking to Jean today about Zombie Office. We were so impressed with the trailer that was made for Kickstarter that we had to find out more. Zombie Office is shot like a movie to be played as an interactive video game. This is the modern day version of the choose your own adventure books we all had as kids.

Visit Zombie Office at http://www.zombieoffice.com

Follow Zombie Office @ZombieOfficeTW

Download the Zombie Office Interview

Download the entire Rey Gutierrez Interview

Read More

This episode of the Imperfect Podcast, we interview Juliette Miranda who is host of The Unwritable Rant podcast. The Unwritable Rant features storytelling, celebrity interviews, and bourbon. Lots of bourbon. She was kind enough to give us a quick review of Russell’s Reserve 10 Year bourbon during to kick off the interview. We get into her cast of characters featured in her stories like The Jackass, The Pinball Wizard and The Warden.Juliette is also the author of the book Morning Neurosis. Morning Neurosis is a mostly true story about rock ‘n roll, relationships, and reality.

Juliette is also a smooth operator when it comes to interviews. Her southern charm has been winning over audiences with conversational style of interviewing musicians, actors and authors. This past year Juliette interviewed actors and musicians such as Eric Roberts, Charlie Daniels, Ed Begley Jr. and Don McLean to name a few.

Connect with Juliette Miranda on Twitter at http://twitter.com/morningneurosis

Download The Unwritable Rant Podcast at http://morningneurosis.com

Download Juliette Miranda’s Book Morning Neurosis

Look for Juliette Miranda’s latest projects:

• Featured character in the upcoming Snug Comics graphic novel “The Kindred” released in February
• Appearing on “The Joey Canyon” show on Comcast/DirecTV in the coming months
• Recently released the second best-of interview collection, featuring Eric Roberts, Charlie Daniels & more

Watch the full interview with Author Juliette Miranda

How’s that bourbon you’re having tonight?

First I gotta take a sip. This is a genius bourbon. It truly is. I’m having Russell’s Reserve 10 Year. It’s got this smokey sort of flavor to it with a little bit of vanilla and it’s so smooth. It’s from the Wild Turkey family which is surprising because necessarily associate a really high quality bourbon with Wild Turkey. This stuff, aged 10 years and so awesome!

[bctt tweet=”Writing is a big passion of mine. Hemingway, Fitzgerald those are my idols.” username=”hecklerkaneinc”]

When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing since birth I think. It’s always been a part of my life, whether it’s journaling or telling stories to friends.

What was the inspiration for your book Morning Neurosis?

It’s based on my experiences living in Los Angeles, working in the music industry and the events that let me back to Chicago. I say they’re mostly true stories because I had to change a few of the details to make sure it made sense. For the most part they are all things that have happened to me. It’s kind of like my podcast in book form.

Have you used your book as inspiration for podcasts episodes?

No, not at all. Some of the characters in the book have appeared in other stories on the podcast, but the book stands alone. I wouldn’t want to repeat the stories for people who’ve bought the book or want to buy the book. I like to keep separation there.

Download Morning Neurosis at Amazon

What year were you out in Los Angeles?

I can tell you that hair bands were having a moment. I was doing a little bit of everything. I went out there assuming I was going to be the next big thing on MTV and that never really happened. As a writer I was able to find tons of gigs. Writing rock reviews for magazines. Then I wound up doing publicity for a couple of record labels. I did PA jobs in TV. Whatever I could get my hands on to try.

Ultimately after being there for 7 years, I had been laid off from 7 different jobs. I hit a wall where nothing was working for me. That’s what brought me back to Chicago. I had opportunities out here that I didn’t have in Los Angeles.

Is there a hidden tape you auditioning to be an MTV VJ ?

 I do a lot of commercial work here in Chicago. If you’re watching late night TV you can see me in some random late night spots. One day you’ll be watching late night cable at 2am and be like, “I know that chick.”

Where were you born with a pen?

I was actually born in Chicago in the south suburbs. Everyone thinks I’m a southern gal but the closest I’ve come is the south side of the burbs. We spent so much time in the south though. I practically lived in New Orleans for a while. We’re in Nashville a couple months out of every year. It’s a place that I’m very familiar with.

What’s the theme song for the Unwritable Rant podcast?

He’s an independent artist. That one particular song is so New Orleans. It really sets up the vibe for the show. Just kick back and ease into this great conversation.

[bctt tweet=”I would kill for some gumbo right about now.” username=”@hecklerkaneinc”]

Tell us about your latest flambé incident in the kitchen?

I love cooking and I have had success doing it. I’m a good cook but the stories that are the most fun are the ones where things don’t turn out the way you want them to. With that particular story I went in with the best of intentions thinking that I was going to make this New Orleans style flaming Cajun shrimp dish. I was ready. I had my lighter with the pot sizzling in front of me. For whatever reason, those stupid shrimp would not catch on fire. It was one of the most frustrating things I’d ever been through.

I had this lighter in my hand, sloshing Cognac into the dish hoping that something would catch on fire. Finally, my guy had to wedge this thing out of my hands asking me to back away.

[bctt tweet=”I went to a casino and one of my exes was the dealer!” username=”hecklerkaneinc”]

His name was “The Jackass.” He earned that name

Give us a rundown of your cast of characters?

There is ‘The Jackass’ there’s the ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘The Warden’ and I have a new character coming up called ‘The Crazy Blonde.’ She was the one who accompanied me in the episode where we did that scavenger hunt with the Pinball Wizard.

How long have you been podcasting?

With 70+ episodes of The Unwritable Rant that puts me at about a year and halfish.

What was the inspiration for launching the Unwritable Rant?

It was two things. For starters I was feeling frustrated as a writer. The way the publishing industry works right now is that it’s incredibly hard. It doesn’t matter that I’ve already released one book. People aren’t reading the same way that they used to. Books aren’t being published the way that they used to. Creatively I was feeling a bit stifled.

My guy and I were sitting on the driveway having some cocktails and we were listening to Bill Burr. He’s my favorite comedian on the planet. His podcast was just so cool. It’s laid back and conversational. I’m thinking I can totally do that. I looked at my guy and said let’s give it a shot. He had some gear that we could use and we went from there.

Did you have a cocktail on your first episode?

Yeah, I did it on my first podcast just because I thought it would loosen me up a little bit. I was drinking it throughout the episode. I like bourbon and I like talking about it and I liked the way it lent itself to the conversational aspect of the show. If you listen to the shows please don’t listen to the first episode but if you do you’ll hear that it’s kind of rambling and crazy. They develop as they go along. We’re sitting down, having a drink and telling stories. I think it flows really well.

[bctt tweet=”My goal all along is to make it feel familiar.” username=”hecklerkaneinc”]

Who was your first interview?

That was my producer’s idea. He thought it might bring in some new listeners and it might be a cool thing for me.  We initially started talking to people who had written books.  My first interview was with Gary Wright who sang the song Dream Weaver. He also wrote a book about his relationship with George Harrison of The Beatles. From there we started targeting other authors.

After him came A.E. Hotchner who was Ernest Hemingway’s best friend. That is hands down my favorite interview. Talking with someone who went to Spain with Hemingway, who went to bull fights with him. Who has a book dedicated to him by Hemingway. He’s the man.  Then we started expanding. We started talking to musicians and actors and it just became its own entity.

What got you into film?

When I was living in Los Angeles I did a bunch of work in production. I was a PA in a couple of different movie sets. I worked with a couple of different directors as a personal assistant. I’ve always liked the process of making movies and I love the creativity of it. It’s all about storytelling in the end. Movies are just another way to do that.

What are your top 3 movies of all time?

Number 1 would have to be Midnight in Paris, the Woody Allen movie. It’s beautiful, set in the 1920’s and it’s got Ernest Hemingway in it and Fitzgerald. Beyond that I am a huge horror movie fan. I like the weird messed up horror movies, like the 1970’s exploitation style ones. Maybe the original Last House on the Left. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original is great. This is going to sound really weird after saying that but I love The Muppet Movie.

If you could interview anyone living or past who would it be and why?

I gotta say that would be Jim Henson. He was such an innovator. He came up with something that is beloved by people. What I love about The Muppets so much is that they’re kinda like regular people. They’re wacky, they’re crazy, they’re snarky and a little mean sometimes. It’s the best combination, with such heart at the same time.  Just the legacy that he left behind, I would love to hear his inspiration right from him.

You might also like our interview with Director David Bousquet

“The Lookouts” a fantasy short film

What was your experience like interviewing actor Eric Roberts?

It was crazy. Going into interviews where you’re talking to someone you’ve admired, whose work you’ve watched for decades, it’s a little daunting at first. He’s such a nice guy, open and friendly that you can just roll with the conversation. The moment I had to just pause and picky my jaw off the floor is when he did his character from Pope of Greenwich Village. He did this quick impression of him.

It was so incredible to know that I was talking to this guy and he’s telling me his stories. He’s telling me how he created this character. It’s moments like that where all the hard work, all the hours spent prepping for these interviews that just makes it all worthwhile.

What’s the reason for sharing so many of your personal stories with your audience?

It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there that way.  I think it initially started off as therapy for me. My book kind of was. I was trying to work out the details of a really messed up relationship and I did a lot of that through writing the book. Now it’s just fun.