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.
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
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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.
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 4th 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.
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.
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.
This week we talk to Tonya Kay, actress, stunt woman and self proclaimed most dangerous woman in Hollywood. She is crazy and that’s what we love about her. Being a dancer, Tonya brings a lot of physicality to her performances which is unique in and of itself. She is an actress appearing as a series regular in the upcoming Puppet Master: Axis Termination by Full Moon Productions.
As a lead actress she has graced the screen with leading film roles in A Better Place (Cannes), Dark Space and Earthtastrophe on SyFy and The Other Wife on Lifetime Movie Network. The only female nominee, Tonya Kay won Best Villain from the Horror Society 2016 for her lead role in Bastard (20th Century Fox) and draws upon Meisner, Anthony Meindl, Second City and iO West training to shape her fearless instincts.
Adding to Tonya’s diversity she’s been a stunt woman for Pink and a stilt walker in American Horror Story. Tonya also used a whip on stage with Howie Mandel as a contestent on America’s Got Talent. This is guaranteed to be one of the most diverse Imperfect Podcasts to date due to the varied talents Tonya brings to the table.
Watch Puppet Master: Axis Termination starring Tonya Kay
Watch the Live Interview with Actress Tonya Kay
Where are you from originally?
I grew up in farm town in Michigan. Very rural. (a wholesome midwest girl?) My grandpa always said, “When they made you Tonay, they broke the mold.” I like that. I do appreciate nature and I do appreciate all the things that the small gave me and now I live in the city to pursue the things that the small town didn’t give me. I’ve lived in Chicago, I’ve lived in New york, I’ve lived and worked in Los Angeles. I’ve toured the nation.
I do appreciate that I did grow up in rural area because I can just sit down at a bonfire, stare at the stars and consider it a good time. I can also be around immense diversity in saturation of culture and art and feel like I’m still a pioneer, I’m still progressive and I’m still making shit happen. I’ve enjoyed that I’ve worked in all three cities so that I have a perspective on the markets and the type of vibe each city offers.
How long were you in New York?
I was in New York for a couple of years and I did Stomp, I did De La Guarda, I did concert dance and I taught dance as well. I worked in mostly experimental theater. New York is where I found out I was good at weird shit.
What are some examples of weird shit you’re doing?
I spin fire, I throw knives, I pole dance, I drum, body percussion and I started out as a tap dancer. As grinder girl, I grind sparks of my metal bikini cod piece. I swallow animal balloons whole.
What jobs have you landed because of grinder girl?
That’s my signature act. That’s landed me all over the world. I’ve done it in Spain, South Africa and the Caribbean. I’m brought in to do it because it’s so weird. I’ve done it in all sorts of music videos, television on Comedy Central. I have done stilts, dance and fire on Glee. On The Voice I just finished a stint doing dance, stilts and drumming. In LA its a small community after you do weird shit, then people know you do weird shit.
I’ve got this reputation where one day I fielded calls from five different agencies that don’t represent me. Everyone in town knows I do weird shit so this agent who doesn’t even represent me is like, “Oh this is weird, get a hold of that Tonya Kay girl.” It’s nice to know that if it’s the exact right gig its going to find you no matter what.
What came first dancing or acting?
When my parents read me bedtime stories, I acted them out on the stage of my bed. I’d say in my soul, acting came first. I started classes for dance first and then my first public performance was in theater, acting, singing, dancing, all together.
Where did you go to college?
I didn’t go to college, I was working before I graduated. I did graduate as valedictorian so I could have gone to any college I wanted but I didn’t want to. I’m very anti-system and I wasn’t into college and higher education. If you want to go to college that’s fine but it wasn’t right for me. You couldn’t convince me that going into debt was going to be good for my artist career. I couldn’t think of a single career that I wanted that I required a college education for and I didn’t want to go into debt.
I remember the time that I realized the whole system was lies. I’ve always been like this. I was in the fifth grade and we were handing in our social studies paper and all of the answers were guys names. I was a fifth grade chick walking up there going, this is lies. My history answers were all male. I said that’s not true, women did stuff. At
that moment I just thought I’m gonna ace this test and get outta here.
I was pressured to go to college. I had an argument with my Vice Principal. She was saying no valedictorian of ours isn’t going to college. She says what are you gonna do with your life? That’s the type of support I got and I said, “Be a tattoo artist.” I’m not a loser I’m an artist.
How was working with Eric Roberts in Paradise Club?
It was great, Eric is cool. He’s a vegetarian and he and his wife Eliza are big on animal rights which we share in common. I’m a vegan so we had a ton to talk about on set. He and his wife were both on set, she was in the movie too. It was fun to work with him, he’s such an old pro. He’s done more movies than I think any actor in Hollywood. (Over 400 listed on IMDB). He doesn’t turn down roles, he likes to work and I do too. I look forward to having 400 credits some day myself.
With over 63 acting credits, what roles have stood out and why?
I would say every single one. This year on Lifetime, a movie called The Other Wife was cool because I learned a lot about myself as an actor. Through that process the director Nick Lyon and I both found out I can do what’s called ‘cry-on-command.’ I’m pretty good at it and now know that. He used that to the extreme.
Every scene, they’d setup then do a rehearsal and get in place. Nick would walk up to me and say very quietly right before saying action, “It’d be good to get a few tears on this one. Action!” I did it for every scene and I learned so much about myself. I call it always on the verge of breakdown but in acting they call it cry on command. I’m really good at it. I’m good at accessing a genuine despair on command. That’s why I really like The Other Wife because I learned a lot about myself as an actor.
What about the horror film Bastard?
I get a lot of villain roles. Everyone says I’m nice off stage but you’re so evil on. Bastard was really cool, it was cool to work with the co-directors who were fresh out of school. This is their first feature every and look at it. It’s beautiful. They were a joy to work with, they had that comradery vibe, nothing was a big deal. The product was great, it got theatrical release, it got released by 20th Century Fox. People saw it, it got great reviews. I won Best Villain for it from The Horror Society. That was cool because I like villains. It’s my favorite. Who would want to be an ingenue when you could be a villain? I can be very cold inside and love it.
I’ve thought a lot about villains. What makes a bad girl/guy different than a villain? The difference is if you’re the bad girl/guy you are that way from the top of the film all the way to the end of the film. As soon as people lay eyes on you they are like that’s the bad guy. If you’re a villain, they don’t know. You win their affection, they engage with you, root for you and even support you. They relate to you and then, flip, you’re a villain. You destroy their world but they’re still in admiration of you because you’ve earned their respect and the relationship before that. That’s why villains are way better than the bad guy/girl.
How was working with Penn Jillette?
Working with Penn Jullette was unlike working with anybody else in the world. He has a loud voice. He has a strong presence and he has big opinions. And he’s a big dude. By the way I can say after we worked together he stopped eating animal products and lost over 100lbs. I’m not saying thanks to me I’m just saying there could be something to it. Working on that show it had a lot of heart. It was called Street Cred on Travel Channel. It took us out to the streets and we went to Boston for example and unbeknownst to the street performers in the square we were watching them.
We were on microphone broadcasting back to our secret lair where we were judging them. We had someone on the ground walking around talking about what they were seeing in person and we were back in the room judging them from different camera angles. In the end, we saw so many street performers and award $10,000 to one of them just by putting it in their hat but they have no clue they are even on the show. It had a lot of heart to it.
America’s Got Talent or The Voice or whatever talent competition show, the heart isn’t there like it was for this show. Because all those people have expectations. They are going to be seen by 11 million people. They’re going to be a star. They have ideas of fame and these people were just street performers, performing for the people in front of them and we gave them $10,000.
Didn’t you whip a rose out of Howie Mandel’s mouth on American’s Got Talent?
I’ve been on Amercan’s Got Talent a few times, Season 1 and Season 8. Howie Mandel was very brave. I got to work with him for five minutes. He did a great job.
What’s the craziest stunt you’ve ever had to perform?
The craziest stunt I ever had to perform is drowning. It was in a supernaturl thriller and I’m scared of water, I don’t swim. In the shower I don’t get water on my face. In fact I don’t even take a shower, I take bathes. It’s more controllable that way. We shot in Maryland and it wasn’t in the script. I knew I had a death stunt. I don’t remember what it was supposed to be but it wasn’t drowning.
We got there, all the way to Maryland, Washington D.C. and we did the table read and the script was different than the one I had read back in Los Angeles. Now it said you’re going to pulled by the unseen force under water. Pulled! Forecably! Under water! I said I’ll do it but looking back at the playback the terror in my face is true. That was the craziest stunt because I don’t like water.
I think indie film making, in some cases, we’re doing 10 to 13 pages a day. I’ve also been on blockbuster sets where they do half a page a day. When you think of the team work and the ability that needs to come together to accomplish a 12 page day, you feel like, who’s the real film makers here? And we don’t have money! That’s some real film making when you can do that day after day and get it done. It’s like boot camp for film making.
What was the job like as a stunt double for Pink?
It was for a commercial campaign for Cover Girl, she was their Cover Girl. It was pretty easy actually. At the time I looked a lot like Pink. My hair was cut like hers, I’m a lot taller than her but we do some of the same specialties like fire and aerial. That’s why I got it because I looked like her and could do the same specialties. On the day it wasn’t that hard because she does a lot of her own stuff.
It wasn’t an uncontrollable stunt like drowning. They had me doing specialty stuff like fire and breaking glass, kicking glass and standing in for the aerial stuff. It was cool working with her because she took the time to learn my name and some celebrities don’t. She took the time to acknowledge me and say hi to me and talk with me so I got a lot of respect for her.
Tell us about your role as a series regular in Puppet Master on the El Rey Network?
Puppet Master is a franchise by Full Moon Features. You have probably all seen Charles Bands work, Evil Bong & Puppet Master. This is number 11. I was hired on as the villain in a feature length film but because distribution is so interesting these days it is actually going to premiere on the El Rey Network as a mini-series first. Can’t wait to see it on El Rey Network. They feature a lot of grindhouse stuff and they’re interested in entertaining the English speaking Hispanic audience. Puppet Master is a perfect fit for that network. It was a quick shoot for the actors but the animitronics takes months.
It’s going to take months but I think, don’t quote me on this, but February 2017 is a projected idea so it’s still a short amount of time. Puppet Master is Full Moon Features 273rd film. This is a production company that knows how to make their product. They know how much time it’s going to take, who’s going to be working on it, they know the budget and what they’re going to recoup. Charles Band is brilliant. Full Moon Features is brilliant. There is such a cult following for these films.
Do you have aspirations to produce your own films or web series?
I have a television pilot that I’m working on with a development company and we’re going to pitch it. I’ve pitched in the past, TV series ideas. Just the other week I was thinking I should executive produce my own film. It’s time.
How has your diversity including Burlesque dancing helped or hindered your crossover to network television?
It’s both. I’ve worked as a performer exclusively for my income for 26 years. I’ve never had to waitress or do any other jobs. My diversity in performance genres is why. If I just acted it would be so much more difficult to make the money I need to live in LA or New York. I happen to be good at many things which works to my advantage. On the other hand, sometimes it’s a hiccup.
I try to keep things segregated even on my website. If you go to my website, if you’re there for acting hopefully I make it easy on you to look for the acting stuff all in one place. Because burlesque especially and grinding sparks of your metal bikini cod piece, it’s so sensational, once you see it you can’t forget it. You can never unsee that. I kind of keep it away from my acting contacts until it comes up.
Where can people find you online?
I’m on every social media there is and available to interact because I likes my fans and interacting and having genuine connections with people. I think that’s why we do it. In theater its very easy. It’s to go, those are my employers sitting in the seats because they paid for a ticket and that pays my wages. We sometimes forget that when we are on camera. We see our employer as the studio or the network. They’re our buyer but they’re not our consumer. Our consumer is still the audience and the fans and the people that watch us and support us. To me those are the most important people to please and be interactive with and have a positive conversation with. Find me, I will interact with
you.
This week we chat with award winning actor Richard Graff who’s best known for his role as Lucky Luciano in AMC’s Making of the Mob. Rich talks to us about taking a leap of faith into acting, his childhood inspiration John Ritter and what Hollywood is doing wrong.
Rich was born and raised in the heart of New York City and had the acting bug since the day he was born, quite literally. When Rich was born, a producer at the hospital requested Rich as a Gerber baby.
A man of many talent, Rich Graff is an accomplished musician and also attended aviation school in NYC. Talking with him, you can tell he’s a man that follows his passions. Leaving a stable career in law for the risky road of acting. To develop his acting skills, Rich studied with a number of acting teachers including Wynn Handman at his private studio, and with Peter Minor at T. Schreiber studios.
Rich has quickly racked up 26 acting credits since 2010. His first major television role was as a detective on “Law & Order Criminal Intent” in 2011. His breakthrough role on the big screen came as the love interest of Heather Graham in “My Dead Boyfriend” in 2015, directed by Anthony Edwards.
The role of Lucky Luciano conjures up all sorts of connotations but to play the role experience may be all you need. As a native New Yorker, Rich Graff grew up around the mafia right in his own backyard. The success of Making of the Mob New York on AMC fueled a second season taking place in Chicago.
Capitalizing on the success of the show and his passion for creating great content, Rich is producing a film called Amaranth. He is also working on a new television series and more. Keep an eye out for Rich Graff, he’ll be coming to a screen big or small near you!
Watch Making Of The Mob
Actor Richard Graff Interview Highlights
We know you’re a fellow New Yorker, we’re here on Long Island. Where did you grow up?
I was born in Brooklyn but raised in Queens. My parents still live in Howard Beach, they still have a house there. I was first raised in Ridgewood Queens, now i live in the city. I’m in Los Angeles quite a bit for work.
How long have you been acting? Did you ham it up when you were a kid?
It’s a strange story, there was a producer in the lobby of the hospital. As my parents were bringing me out, they offered to put me on the Gerber label. I don’t know where they saw me or who connected us, its a strange story. That’s been my life really. I’ve always been geared toward stories and film. As a child I would go the matinee about 10am and I would leave half blind at about 8:30 pm. I rented every movie that ever existed as a teenager. Just always loved the storytelling part of film & TV.
Any professional acting classes? Did you train professionally or is it all just natural ability?
You know I think we all have something about us that draws attention to us. I’ve been with some great acting teachers Wynn Handmann who’s taught everyone from Red Buttons to Richard Gere. I was at T Schreiber Studios, I went to a lot of studio and professional acting schools. I actually had my graduate law degree before I started acting.
My bachelors degree is in literature and writing and then I went on to my graduate law degree after the fact. I did not even get into acting until about six years ago.
Then you were cast in your first television role as a detective on Law & Order Criminal Intent?
Correct. That was actually before I even had an agent. They brought me in, I was of course nervous as all can be and fortunately I booked the role which was nice. Slowly but surely I was able to gain some confidence, get an agent, get a manager. I was always thinking there’d be a perfect time to leave my 9 to 5 job but there never really was. I had to take a bit of a leap of faith and do it on my own.
At what point do you go from working a 9 to 5 job and doing this on side to saying I’m going to be a full time actor as my career?
There is never going to be a perfect time. There is never going to be a time where you make enough money to say OK, even if I don’t work for a couple of months I’ll have made enough from whatever that was to support myself. There’s never going to be that time. You have to take life in terms of what gives you pleasure rather than just working for your life making money because as we all know you can’t take it with you.
It’s not for everyone. Some people are just interested in accumulating wealth and being defined by how much they are worth. That’s just not for me. It’s not really a dream for me, it’s more of a predisposed vision that I’ve had since I was a young child.
Growing up as a child being a fan of movies, what actors or movies did you get inspired by?
As a young boy, I really liked John Ritter from Three’s Company. His physical comedy, his disposition it made me laugh. It gave me great joy. He’s one of the reasons I went into acting. He’s a great man too. His father was a country singer and a TV personality. His son is a pretty good actor now too.
And you’re a musician as well is that correct?
I grew up playing the piano, the horn, the drums all of that by ear. I started reading music but somehow I knew that I could play it just by playing with it a little bit and finding which notes are the correct notes.
What type of horn do you play?
I played the two valve, the three valve, the trombone…The piano I still play from time to time. You guys are musicians, it’s like anything else. It’s physical memory, its a very fine tuned type of skill to have and its acquired over a long period of time.
Have you used any of your music in films?
No, but my ear for music has allowed me to help with putting music in that I like in certain scenes.
How did the auditions go for Making of the Mob? How did you land the role as Lucky Luciano?
Honestly, I had auditioned for six different roles in the show. I first auditioned for Al Capone. I think I went in for every role except Lucky. The next audition, they said the director loves you, the production company loves you, all you have to do now is paint your hair black, put on some brown contacts, put on a vintage 1920’s suit and then we’ll send the pictures to the executives at AMC and if they like you you’re all set. I’m just glad that I got accepted.
Are there plans for a Making of the Mob Season 3?
There was never really a plan for a second season. I think we created such an enormous fan base that the viewers demanded it so I couldn’t see why they wouldn’t go somewhere else like Las Vegas. They could even move up the dates in New York if they wanted to.
If they go into a 3rd season do you think you’d be a part of it?
I’m the type of person that would rather see something rest well than try to resurrect something and destroy what was layed out already. I think we did a fantastic and to go back and ruin what we already did? If it’s done the right way and the writings good then that’s fine.
I don’t want to be type cast either. Rober De Niro played a lot of tough guy mobster rolls but also played other roles like in the film in the hospital with Robin Williams? Awakenings, one of the best films ever.
How much did you study for the character of Lucky Luciano? How much did you know about Lucky Luciano before landing the role?
The broad strokes we all knew about. In terms of preparing for the role, as you guys know I grew up in Howard Beach. Growing up unbeknownst to me I was best friend with the head of the mafia in the 80s and 90s era. I grew up with Peter Gotti whos John Gotti’s youngest son. Jesse Burke who’s Jimmy Burke’s son.
Jimmy Burke is the real name of Robert Deniro’s character in Goodfellas. In the film his name is Jimmy Conway but his real name is Jimmy Burke. Watch the film Goodfellas and there are people in that film who lived in my neighborhood. I lived around the block from John Gotti. He used to walk around the block and say hello.
How much interaction did you have with Ray Liotta who narrated Making of the Mob?
Ray was not hired until we finished shooting. They didn’t even have Ray attached until they finished shooting. Chazz (Palminteri) I had a lot of interaction with especially from when we did the opening, premiere night. I got a chance to speak with him privately. Really great guy. We were very similar in terms of the way we grew up A Bronx Tale is really how he grew up. I was parking Cadillacs when I was 12 years old for money. It sounds ridiculous, it sounds made up but somehow true.
You recently wrapped on My Dead Boyfriend with Heather Graham. Tell us about the movie?
For some reason it got really bad reviews in The Times and other newspapers but it’s doing really well. That happens a lot with good pictures. Critics will bash it but the public loves it and that’s what’s happening with this film. It’s a great film. It’s retro film, we flashback to the 80s. The costuming is really nice. Heather and John Corbett are fantastic to work with. It’s Anthony Edwards first film. I’m really happy its doing well in spite of the reviews.
You played Mary’s boyfriend, a drummer in the film?
Of course she comes home to find John Corbett dead and as she’s flashing back in his past, she’s int he past and we’re in the same band and I’m drummer. Of course she dumps me. I’d rather be the dumped boyfriend than the dead boyfriend. Heather is beautiful and professional and really fun to work with.
I’m producing a lot of stuff that I’m going to be in. One film is Amaranth, directed by a young talented direct Mark Shoonmaker. It’s an apocalyptic end of the world but bringing together humanity kind of film. We have a great cast but we can’t name anyone just yet. We have a budget in place and will be scouting locations in Mississippi to start filming in 6 months.
Another film I’m excited about is Mr. Chicago. It’s deals with the life of a man who was right hand man of Mayor Daley in the 60s, 70s era of Chicago. You can imagine the murder and money laundering going on at that time. The interesting thing about criminality in Chicago, there’s not a lot of dirty laundry coming out of there. We have a couple of people attached to the picture already like Michael Madsen and Paul Sorvino who loves the script.
Next is a TV show called The Undetected I’ve been working on with the producer for about six years he’s been holding onto this and meeting with investors in New Orleans. There’s also another pilot I’m working on called Dead Exit based on a graphic novel.
If you don’t start creating things on your own you will get left behind.
What tips do you have for indie film makers looking to have their work produced?
You have to find people who are going to do it the right way. There a lot of colleges out there, kids looking for talented people people to create a piece. Find actors that are willing to take very little money or no money to create something great, submit it to some festivals. That’s how it’s done these days. A lot of things that are produced take way too much money and make
very little money. I don’t know how it keeps going on.
The thing that Hollywood is doing incorrectly is thinking that they are going to make a lot of money if a large name is attached and it’s not happening. It hasn’t been happening for the last 10 years. Im not waiting for them to wake up about it anymore. I’m just going to do my thing and make some great movies.
That’s the one thing you can do is create great content and someone will buy it from you.
This week’s guest on the Imperfect Podcast is actor Marshall Teague. Marshall is a Navy veteran, a gentleman and a scholar. He has 114 acting credits to his name, that includes the small screen and the big screen. We found out what it was like to work with Sean Connery on the set of The Rock and all of the painful details of the epic Road House fight scene with Patrick Swayze.
He’s a long time friend of Chuck Norris, having starred in Walker Texas Ranger. He most recently completed work on the the indie film Road to the Well. You’ll never believe how he got the role!
Marshall is as humble as he is a bad ass. His physical strength and confidence continue to win him roles in an industry that is quick to turn over many actors in a Hollywood minute. We thank Marshall for his service to this country and wish him continued success in his acting career.
Keep up with Marshall Teague on Twitter & Facebook:
Gabrielle Stone started acting at age eighteen. No stranger to the festival circuit, Stone starred in three festival winning shorts Henry John and the Little Bug, Sugartown and Once When I Was Dead. She lept onto the big screen starring in The Lighthouse opposite Danny Glover. From there she has begun carving her way into the industry with feature films like Fuzztrack City, The Jazz Funeral, and An Old Man’s Gold.
In 2014 Stone starred in Lionsgate’s Speak No Evil and then went on to star in Anchor Bay’s Zombie Killers; Elephant’s Graveyard. Stone then took on two leading roles in the festival dramas Stray and Grief. This year she can be seen in ‘Ava’s Impossible Things’ as well as ‘Dance Night Obsession’ and the highly anticipated ‘Death House’.
After finishing her directorial debut ‘It Happened Again Last Night’ she wrapped filming on Tom Hollands ‘Rock Paper Dead’ opposite Michael Madeson & Tatum O’Neal. Stone is currently working on ‘The Competition’ alongside Thora Birch and Chris Klein.
Insights & Highlights from the Kyle Hester Interview
First of all, Kyle is one of the nicest guys you are going to meet in the indie film world. He’s got a wealth of knowledge from the extensive resume he’s built up over the years with 20 acting credits to his name including films like The Book of Daniel. His popularity on Twitter is what made us take notice due to his involvement with the crowd funded independent horror film Zombie With A Shotgun. We even had a laugh discussing his first gig where he played Phipps in Rock and Roll Fantasy during the panty raid. Yup we said panty raid.
All kidding aside, he knows what it takes to get a film crowd funded and why independent films are so important to keeping creative control. We learned a lot and know you will too. Check it out and let us know if you have any additional questions for Kyle in the comments below. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to answer them. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @kyledhester.
You can help #SupportIndieFilm by donating to Kyle’s projects below:
We interview actor Kyle Hester, who was born in New Orleans to a professional football player. His father is Ray Hester of the New Orleans Saints which is pretty cool. Kyle is an actor and producer and has been in some notable independent films like Zombie With a Shotgun that’s coming out soon, as well as Preacher Six which is in production right now.
Well thank you very much and I’m glad that we can all be imperfect together, I’m very comfortable now.
HKC: Yeah, we are as imperfect as it gets and we love it that way. It takes the pressure off.
Absolutely. It’s like apologizing at the beginning of a party so then whatever happens you know you’re covered already. I love it. That’s fantastic. It’s like all bets are off after that point. Absolutely.
What happens on the podcast stays on the podcast (until we distribute it.)
So let’s get to know you a little bit.
Q1: Where did you grow up? Reading your bio on IMDB we know you were born in New Orleans. Did you spend your youth there? Where did you land for most of your childhood?
Kyle Hester: Why yes, I was born in New Orleans. That’s where most of my family is and then I grew up in Houston. So pretty much from the fourth grade all the way through High School I was in Houston, so I definitely have the southern experience. Yeah, it was cool.
Q2: How long did it take before you got out to LA?
Kyle Hester: Basically I got in my Mustang when I graduated High School and I drove to California.
HKC: What year was the Mustang?
Kyle Hester: It was a 69 Fastback. It was so nice. It’s one of those things, like if I knew now I would have kept it and lived in that.
Q3: What was the first project that you got involved with? Was it before you you got to LA or was it after you got to LA?
Kyle Hester: Okay, since you don’t know how my life weaved through the country, it wasn’t as linear as that. So I came out to LA and then I ended up going to school at USIU in San Diego for a semester doing musical theater. Then I was like, you know I think I probably don’t want to make a career out of musical theater so then I ended up going to Cal Arts, which is up here and now I’m in Valencia. And then after that, I moved to New York, then Atlanta and then ended up back here in the early nineties. It was a trip around the country
Q4: Are you a musician also? Growing up in New Orleans you got good music, good food and I saw on your reel, in a film you were playing guitar and singing. Do you do that in real life as well?
Kyle Hester: Well I do sing but I’m not a musician. Basically, the guy who wrote that song that’s in the clip on my acting reel, it was his guitar. He’s like, here are these three chords, get to know those and that’s what you’ll be doing. I said alright, I can do that.
HKC: We know a lot of musicians that can only play three chords so it’s not a big deal. A lot of bands made it famous just playing three chords a matter of fact. I can’t play anything more than three chords! It’s like Ralph Macchio in Crossroads. He didn’t play guitar either.
Kyle Hester: You know what, between all of us, we could have like a really bitchin kind of guitar situation. I’ll just jam out. You take the A and the C, and I’ll get the G.
HKC: Kyle when you actually see this podcast if you look behind us and those who follow the podcast regularly we have a a wall of guitars hanging behind us. That’s kind of our thing. It’s not just for show either. We do play actually.
Kyle Hester: That is awesome and I’m glad that I got you to psychically talk about guitars.
Q5: musical theater that wasn’t your thing huh?
Kyle Hester: Well, no I love doing it but it was one of those things where the choice was what do I want to do in life. That was the thing and I always wanted to do film so it was a matter of what’s going to get me to doing film as opposed to touring the country and doing Broadway and all that kind of stuff. I know some friends of mine who are in New York and have been doing Broadway forever. They went to the same high school that I did. It’s just the choices we make.
HKC: And sometimes you get locked into doing something, it’s hard to break out once you do that, so you’re right, you have to choose wisely.
Q6: You obviously have the performance bug but what actually drew you to film and acting and drew you away from the musical theater? What appealed to you about acting?
Kyle Hester: Okay let’s cut to the seventh grade and I’m watching Fame, the TV show. Remember that show fame? So I’m watching this guy Leroy and he’s on stage and he’s dancing and singing and jumping over mannequins and stuff like that. Everybody was having a great time and I’m like holy shit, I gotta do this! That looks awesome. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but that was it. I saw fame and Leroy dancing and I was like that looks like a blast let’s do that.
HKC: That’s great and I love Leroy’s line, “I”ll speaks how I likes.” That always stuck in my mind for some reason. That was Leroy. But you’re right, it looked so fun. You say, hey man if I could do that for a living, man look at these guys, they’re having a ball. I felt the same way. That’s awesome.
Kyle Hester: That’s fantastic, it’s like once it gets in there something resonates. Whatever it is, you get that one thing and you say alright let’s do that and hopefully you know we can do something with it or it becomes an awesome hobby, but you always gotta do what you love doing.
Q7: I’m looking at your IMDb and it shows here your first credited roll was “Rock and Roll Fantasy” and you played Phipps during the panty raid. I want to hear more about that.
Kyle Hester: That’s funny. That was the very first film that the guys from the “Asylum” did. That was the guys who did Sharknado and all those kind of films throughout the years. I think I didn’t get paid anything, you know it’s like my manager was like hey here’s an opportunity to be in a movie. I’m like alright, let’s do this! I don’t need to eat. I don’t need money. This is cool.
HKC: I’m all about the art man.
Kyle Hester: So I was a frat guy doing the panty raid and you know it was pretty simple but it was fun as the first thing to do when I was out here.
HKC: Well it’s always fun doing a panty raid regardless of whether you are acting or in real life.
Kyle Hester: Oh yeah right, that’s like a bucket list thing. Okay, panty raid, okay done.
HKC: I did that, we’re finished, moving on. Now I think I’m gonna visit Andersonville instead. What the hell, what’s gonna happen in Andersonville after a panty raid. I started with the panty raid I don’t know where to go from there. You can’t get any better than that.
Kyle Hester: There was a segue into Andersonville. I don’t know how you go from panty raid to Andersonville, but we can get do it, we have the technology.
Q8: How long was it until you got your first paying gig in LA? What was your private life like? Were you waiting tables? Were you that guy? Were you the typical stereotypical starving artist?
Kyle Hester: I managed a coffee shop here. I was slinging cappuccinos. So it is kind of the same thing but not really. You know, food and beverage. You do what you got to do. I had a blast and that’s actually where I met my wife. It was at that coffee shop.
Q9: Your wife is a writer. Is that correct?
Kyle Hester: Yeah, She is. She’s writing Preacher Six. Very awesome, I’m totally excited about it.
Q10: Is that the first project you guys are going to work on together or have you done other stuff together?
Kyle Hester: No, this will be the first project that we’ve done together. We’ve done ton of stuffs not together and basically the way that it happened, there was this other project that I was working on which shall not be named. I was working on it for five years and then the writer kind of lost his mind. As soon as you start talking about money with people now you’re like if things become real or has potential like, “Hey You Could Be a Millionaire”, which of course hardly ever happens.
Once people start thinking like that they lose their freakin mind and it’s like all of a sudden it’s about them. They say, it’s my project and I’m going to control this and all that kind of stuff and it’s like you see ego completely destroy the whole situation which is what happened. And after five years of nurturing a project this guy loses his mind and we don’t do the project so I’m talking to my wife and we said alright let’s do something that we control so that this never happens again.
HKC: Sometimes that’s what it really comes down to especially with independent film. You start to think, hey to get this thing going we have to do it ourselves. When you put it in the hands of studios sometimes you’re waiting on a lot of different things but the one way to do it is to make it yourself then you can be as artistic as you want and the more control the better. Of course then there is more responsibility, which makes it tough but you have to make it happen.
Kyle Hester: Yeah, you said it all. I think, without repeating what you said, I mean there is two ways to go. You are either in the system and have been working at the studios, working your way up and you all of that happens the way that happens. Or the nepotism of Hollywood and you’re the son of somebody famous and here’s your shot with a five-million-dollar project, good luck. Or you’re like us, you just kick and scratch and figure out how we are going to do this. What are we going to do? Let’s go kick some ass and see what happens.
HKC: It’s funny these days the technology is there for regular people to do these type of things not in a studio. I remember when I was younger watching the movie magic and they said one day there will be a Spielberg just sitting in his bedroom or his basement and look what he could put together. So technology is there which is nice. When I was younger, I wish I had this technology. I had one of those old camcorders and you know it didn’t have the same editing power it does today so we gotta keep moving forward.
Kyle Hester: Yeah well I think you know with a ten-thousand-dollar camera you can shoot the same kind of quality that you could for the hundred-thousand-dollar cameras. It’s definitely a lot more accessible to people that are just trying to do something.
HKC: Right and then it becomes up to you what you do with that technology.
Kyle Hester: Yeah, the big thing there is once you have the technology is don’t suck! You bought all this stuff, you got the surround sound and the 3d modeling with the goggles and stuff and you suck. You got to be good at it.
HKC: Sucking is all subjective. Right, it’s subjective. I don’t know sometimes it just sucks.
Q11: What exactly is your approach to acting? Method acting? How do you tackle a certain role that you are taking on?
Kyle Hester: To me it’s pretty simple. Whatever the character is, you basically get out of his way for whatever is going to happen. It’s like in the chair, which is the horror film that’s about to come out. It was Roddy Piper’s last film. We, as the prison guards were all unique horrible people. So am I going to walk around being this like maniacal horrible person at home to my wife because I’m a method actor and I gotta get into the character. It’s like no, go fuck yourself.
So I I’m not about that and basically you just get out of the characters way. We all know how to feel and laugh and cry and get pissed off and get angry and run and jump over things. Whatever is called for. You do that and so it’s really just getting out of characters way. Don’t let me over simplify, because this is after going to the Performing Arts High school and I went to Cal Art. I’ve taken all the different kinds of methods and all that stuff. I can say this because I know what works for me. That doesn’t mean it won’t work for somebody else.
HKC: I think you’re being a little humble too. I’ll be frank about it. You have a great career in terms of your acting roles and what you’ve done. I mean you have the resume. You’ve built up chops so you’re able to do that. I think you’ve become more comfortable with your acting abilities so I think that probably speaks volumes. If we were having this same conversation back in 1992 before your panty raid, I’m sure you had a very different mindset going into that for your first role. And all of you who just turned in, yes he said panty raid. And method acting for something like that might not be the best idea either. You could end up in jail.
Q12: What else influenced you growing up? Actors or movies? Did you have a favorite childhood movie growing up? I know you mentioned “Fame” earlier, but what about movies?
Kyle Hester: I think the thing that influenced me the most as an actor was “The Shining” with Jack Nicholson and I think with his captivating presence throughout the whole film, you just wanna watch to see what he’s doing. That right there is something special, you know. And I think what is that? What is it that makes that magic to make people talk about this guy? And you can repeat the lines and you can hear him in your head the way that he says them. What is it that does that?
HKC: “Wendy, I’m home,” sorry I couldn’t resist.
Kyle Hester: Exactly, yes its in there. It’s definitely in there.
HKC: We keep Wayne at the end of the table for that reason alone.
Absolutely, in my career I hope to have some moments like that where that ear warmers are in there from something that I get to say. These are the goals.
HKC: You’re involved in some really high profile independent films right now, The Chair, which a lot of people are aware of, Zombie With a Shotgun, which is currently in post and Preacher Six that you’re working on with your wife. With all those films you’re obviously gonna get the opportunity to shine. Let’s talk a little bit about that.
Q13: How did that process go in terms of funding for Zombie With a Shotgun? Was it a good time being part of that project? Were you just acting or are you also a producer on that?
Okay, Zombie With a Shotgun, here’s how that happened. Hilton Ruiz, the creator ad director had basically contacted me on Twitter because of “The Chair” He knew I did “The Chair” and we’re Tweeting back and forth. I said call me. So we get on the phone and basically one thing led to another. So I asked what are you doing with this with this project, you have like a bazillion followers and you’ve done the web series and stuff and now you’re trying to do a film but where is it going? What’s happening?
So out of that kind of short conversation we’re like let’s do it. So we so we put the crowdfunding thing together which of course without crowdfunding these films would not be made. Like The Chair, was done through kickstarter and Zombie With a Shotgun through IndieGoGo. Will these things ever see a nickel, you don’t know. They’re really fan-driven entities.
HKC: That’s the beauty of it, you already have a built-in fan base for the release right? I mean that’s kind of the beauty of doing something like that and knowing that there’s some justification in making the movie now because you did get a fan base to back it and I think they all exceeded their goals too. It wasn’t like you guys couldn’t meet your budgets. You guys met and exceeded them I believe.
Kyle Hester: Yeah, one of the things that gave Hilton the confidence is that we do have a big following like each of us individually. And you know crowd funding is not easy. I see so many people, they say, “I have four thousand followers,” and then you watch kickstarter and then you just see it sit there because it takes a lot more prep work and getting people interested way before you your launch a project like that. You just don’t know. I wouldn’t know unless I had the experience of watching Peter Simetti with The Chair.
Q14: Can you give some examples of some of the steps that you have to actually go through besides just launching the the Kickstarter.
Kyle Hester: Yeah I would say get a following however you can do that. Whether you spend like 90 hours a day on Twitter getting people to know who the hell you are, that’s part of it. If no one knows who you are no one’s going to care so that becomes a big part of it, is just putting what you have done out in front of people and the people that are gonna like it will follow you and the others that don’t you know who cares about them anyway.
I kid, I kid. You get the audience, you get the people who you know are going to be interested before the project launches so that you have your people that are fans. They are like “Alright let’s do this and we can all make an impact in the beginning.” Because in the beginning, that’s when a lot of judgments are going to be made about the project. You know if you’re sitting there a week in and you have two hundred dollars you know that doesn’t give the rest of the whole project or Kickstarter the strength it doesn’t give confidence. People are going to say they only have two hundred bucks.
Even if it’s like, “Hey mom can you just throw in a grand just to make it look like there’s something going on.” It’s all an illusion. You have to build that illusion that makes people confident in what you’re doing.
HKC: It’s like putting money into the tip jar yourself and hoping everyone else puts in as well. Sometimes you have to build that confidence.
I saw one of the perks that was pretty cool. I think it was for $1000 or $5000 that you get to die a zombie death and be one of the zombies that actually get killed in a cool way. Did you have anyone for that?
Kyle Hester: Not the $5,000 but there was a $1500 I think where you can be a zombie, come in and do that. Yeah we did have somebody do that. A guy named Sam. He was a super cool. He came in and kicked ass. It was great, so it’s like everybody wins in a situation like that.
HKC: Obviously this story was launched from the original book and then was made into a web series and now there’s an innate following with that immediately because you’ve already, there’s already footwork that’s there. You weren’t part of that original series but the original actors that were in that series are also in this correct?
Kyle Hester: One of them, the lead, Brady. He is in the film, but I believe that’s only cast member that transferred because some people are doing other things and some were unavailable and so that’s how that happened.
Q15: What about the cinematographer or the composer? Are they the same people who were doing the web series? Is the music the same?
Kyle Hester: I think he’s talking to the music people right now and composers so the crew is different. Hilton being the director, he just kind of put together the crew that he wanted to use. He knows a lot of people so I think it was just like who was available and who best fits the project.
Q16: Did you guys do a lot of filming in New York?
Kyle Hester: We did all of it right in Chinatown.
HKC: Yeah bummer we didn’t get to hook up while you were here in New York. We’ll have to hit up Hilton and see if we can get a hold of him at some point. I’m sure he’d be glad to talk.
Kyle Hester: He’d definitely makes himself available.
Q17: Cool, let’s talk about your other project that just released as well, The Chair. I think that just went to festival right? I saw that just got picked up or entered into festival.
Kyle Hester: Yeah, actually it just now getting accepted into festivals as we speak and there is one that Peter announced today but I’m not in front of a computer so I don’t remember but yes so the first one has been announced. It’s a festival in Wisconsin. I do know that and I know he’s applied to several others so I think we’re going to be hearing in the next couple of weeks about that and there’s going to be a theatrical limited kind of release. If you sell enough tickets to the project per theater when the event happens and you get to see it so that’s going to be happening around the country. It’s like a slow roll out and then it’s going to end up on all the platforms that you can rent or buy the DVD.
Q18: Yeah, I saw your Twitter post or Twitter poll today about where do people watch movies. Are you doing a bit of research on your own to see where you’re going to release stuff?
I’m just curious what’s the landscape? What do people do now? You know, is it cable? Is it Amazon? I love DVD’s. The whole streaming thing, I mean I understand it, I’m not an idiot, but I don’t get it. You know it’s because I love the physical stuff you know I love having my own DVD that I can stick in a machine whenever I want. Where with the downloads if your computer crashes, now you’re out.
HKC: I think Wayne’s got a box of 8 tracks for you if you want them. You’re talking to the right guy over there with Wayne. There really is nothing like having your stuff. With iTunes and everything else. It’s different digital. When you actually hold the CD’s in your hands as well and these are mine, but the only problem is it causes clutter. I think that’s why they invented computers. One thing is it saves on clutter, especially when you move, believe me that’s a problem.
Kyle Hester: Believe me, it all works. It all facilitates watching something, so it doesn’t really matter exactly how you watch it if you are you interested in seeing something you’re going to see it. I’m just trying to get the landscape so you know what’s really happening and how to push as far as distribution goes. And the funny thing is it if you look on that list, half of the people are interested in DVD’s and Blu Rays. Like they would rather do that then stream, which was surprising. You know everybody’s talking about, yeah it’s all going streaming now. But if you ask people, 800 people have responded to that poll as it were. I think it’s about 50% or something like that, that prefer DVD’s and Blu Ray.
HKC:The group of guys you’re talking to right now would all prefer DVD’s. Yeah I got it right here actually. It was 37% percent Netflix, 30% DVD & Blu-ray, 26% in the theater and then you had a bunch of others Amazon, Hulu and iTunes lumped together and that was really low. I’d be curious to see if Amazon streaming was broken out on its own but regardless I think Netflix wins the war at nighttime viewing in TV. They have way more TV series than movies though.
Kyle Hester: Netflix is like the big kid in the room. The problem for filmmakers is, yes it does give you a lot of exposure, but when you watch it, the filmmakers are not getting money from how many times people watch it on Netflix. It’s like a buyout. You’re gonna sell your project for however much, $2000 for a two-year contract to Netflix? I’m not gonna do that.
HKC: Most of the money actually comes from DVD sales. A lot of times, especially smaller movies, the movie proceeds are one thing in the theater and usually the DVD’s when you look back and see the gross income, it’s definitely more with the DVD’s, so where kind of hoping that does remain still. Like you said you’re not getting a credit each time someone watches Netflix. So from a business standpoint, you definitely still want the DVD’s around something physical that people could buy themselves.
Kyle Hester: That’s why there wasn’t a lot of stuff on Netflx. We find a lot of obscure stuff. A lot of super low budget or whatever for the people that just want the exposure of it but it’s like if you’re looking to actually make a living so that you can go and do another project that is not the answer.
HKC: You mean like Deathgasm? I don’t know what else I’ve watched on Netflix recently but yeah Deathgasm was up there.
Kyle Hester” They probably got like $1500 or $2000 to have their film on there for two years. You put in so much time and effort and energy and stuff like that it’s like that’s why people wait on Netflix. It will come out in the DVD’s and rentals and you know try to get in theaters like that then Netflix will be like down the line, basically when nobody cares anymore and you can just throw it on Netflix to see what they give you. At that point, you’re not fighting the whole thing, but if you throw it up on Netflix first, you’re done.
HKC: I was gonna say, it’s a smart move for you guys with the movie feature coming out. You could sell the web series potentially to Netflix as like an advertising preamble to the movie coming out if you can get that type of deal done. So selling the web series before the feature comes out that way you have kind of the build-up to the feature, that’s not a bad thing. Sal is our marketing guy. He always comes up with good ideas.
Kyle Hester: I’ll run that by Hilton. He’s got people already talking about it and are interested. I’m weary of everybody as far as distribution. You know because I’ve heard so many nightmares from friends of mine that made films. Yeah the sale figures show that I have $80,000 that came in but I only got $8k of it. So, how does that work? It’s basically, they’re papering, we had to fly to this place you know for that festival. We had to rent this amazing hotel room on your dime. Oh by the way you paid for the plane ticket too for us to go. They are trying to sell your movie. It’s like you got to be smart these days because you’re swimming with sharks and everyone wants to make money off of the creator’s.
Q19: You are now moving on to a new project and we’ve already talked a little bit about it, Preacher Six, what can you tell us about it without spoiling anything?
Kyle Hester: Well I can tell you that Preacher Six is going to be a grindhouse type film with lots of action and blood and comedy and demons and all of that kind of stuff. It’s about a small town preacher that comes to the big city and ends up fighting evil in a literal sense. So that’s where you see the art work on the site, that I am holding the sword and the gun all this kind of stuff. The preacher ends up battling demons like the real ones. That’s kind of the gist and there’s some super cool characters that are with him helping him out. They become a bunch of super hero type people that are not superheroes. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.
Q20: How far in the process are you with that one?
Kyle Hester: We are in development right now. We’re actually launching the fundraiser next month, so we’ll start that up in October on IndieGoGo. That’s gonna be another 24 hours a day on the computer you know trying to beg, borrow, you know, get a bumper sticker. All that stuff man but we’re definitely excited about it.
HKC: Nice, we’ll put out some reminders at that time as well from us to remind people that’s what’s gonna happen in October. Fantastic.
Q21: When is Zombie with a Shotgun coming out? What is your estimate?
Kyle Hester: Well I can say definitely in 2017 but right now we’re not quite done filming. My character is wrapped but there’s other scenes that we have to get, so if you see the fundraiser now, I’m basically trying to raise money to finish post production. I don’t know, maybe we’ll be done in six months. Fingers crossed on it. You know I mean it’s like The Chair, we shot over a year and a half ago and there was like lots of issues in post and stuff that had delayed it coming out, which is now why it looks like there’s so much going on. There’s The Chair, Zombie With a Shotgun, Preacher Six and it’s like all this happens to be happening now in various forms. The timeline of it was, we shot The Chair a year and a half ago.
HKC: Yeah, you seem like a real busy guy.
Kyle Hester: We are the new wave, it’s kind of the Wild West out there right now as far as filmmaking, so it’s either you’re one of the big guys or wer’e just all kinda in the same creative pool together trying to make something happen.
HKC: Kyle, thanks for doing this.
Kyle Hester: Absolutely, the way I look at this is we’re all in it together as entertainment type folks so it’s all good.
First of all, Kyle is one of the nicest guys you are going to meet in the indie film world. He’s got a wealth of knowledge from the extensive resume he’s built up over the years with 20 acting credits to his name including films like The Book of Daniel. His popularity on Twitter is what made us take notice due to his involvement with the crowd funded independent horror film Zombie With A Shotgun. We even had a laugh discussing his first gig where he played Phipps in Rock and Roll Fantasy during the panty raid. Yup we said panty raid.
Okay, Zombie With a Shotgun, here’s how that happened. Hilton Ruiz, the creator ad director had basically contacted me on Twitter because of “The Chair” He knew I did “The Chair” and we’re Tweeting back and forth. I said call me. So we get on the phone and basically one thing led to another. So I asked what are you doing with this with this project, you have like a bazillion followers and you’ve done the web series and stuff and now you’re trying to do a film but where is it going? What’s happening?
Kyle Hester: Yeah, actually it just now getting accepted into festivals as we speak and there is one that Peter announced today but I’m not in front of a computer so I don’t remember but yes so the first one has been announced. It’s a festival in Wisconsin. I do know that and I know he’s applied to several others so I think we’re going to be hearing in the next couple of weeks about that and there’s going to be a theatrical limited kind of release. If you sell enough tickets to the project per theater when the event happens and you get to see it so that’s going to be happening around the country. It’s like a slow roll out and then it’s going to end up on all the platforms that you can rent or buy the DVD.