On this episode of Comic Movie-10, the Kane brothers discuss the recent news about Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck leavening the DCEU. These two are currently playing Superman and Batman respectively. Joe and Dan recall growing up with these beloved characters and vent some frustrations with the recent portrayals in the current run of movies such as Superman “Man Of Steel”, “Batman V Superman” and The Justice League”.
Pointing out many highlights from the franchise so far, they go on to site the success of the Wonder Woman movie. Although some of the other films that are in the DCEU have not had the box office power that that film did by no means were any of them flops.
There are also many movies to come from DC such as Wonder Woman 84, A Flash movie and this December the Aquaman Movie. Keeping the train rolling for the universe are there any signs of a total reboot. One option that was talked about was just plainly starting over. The downside to that was losing actors that have already proven themselves in the films. Joe and Dan site how Gal Gadot and Jason Mamoa have knocked it out of the park and they can’t wait to see more from them. Rebooting the series would be a giant mistake to lose the rest of the characters. They do say that they look forward to seeing more of Ezra Millers Flash.
There rumors of the departure originate from several different places. First is that Ben Affleck has become a liability to the studio due to him reentering rehab for the third time. Henry Cavill posted a video on his Instagram showing him raising up and lowering a Superman doll to the tune of “Blue Danube” performed by barking dogs. “In our opinions neither of these things should warrant a rumor of them leaving, what is this middle school?”
The brothers discuss the possible additions to the Justice League that could possibly save the run such as Green Lantern, Martian Man Hunter and the Green Arrow. The Curiosity is if they add other characters would this keep the franchise running.
Do you have a possible solution for Warner Brothers? What are your thoughts on the possible departures of the actors from the series? Leave your comments, questions, and opinions, and as always, tune in to the next episode of Comic Movie-10!
Tom Jennings is an award winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. Tom has written, directed and produced more than 400 hours of programming on a variety of topics including politics, religion, history, crime and sports to name a few. His documentaries have been seen on channels like National Geographic and The History Channel.
The best way to sum up our interview with Tom was that it was like taking a masterclass in documentary film making. We reached out Tom’s production company 1895 Films to talk about his latest release on Netflix, Diana: In Her Own Words that was produced for the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s passing. The journey of producing a documentary of this magnitude is a true test in problem solving and ingenuity that every filmmaker should take notes on.
Tom stresses you need to love what you do to be a documentary filmmaker. There are growing numbers of documentary television programming but Tom think it’s probably easier to sell a reality show. Don’t ever give up. If one network doesn’t want your story, maybe you can tailor for someone else. Sometimes you just have to step up and figure out how to make things work the best you can.
Before becoming a filmmaker, Tom Jennings was a journalist in Washington D.C.
Having moved to Los Angeles, Tom ended up covering the O.J. Simpson criminal trial and got burned out
Cable television networks were taking off and needed writers to write non-fiction television with Discovery and History
Writing led into producing which led to directing
Tom sold his first project in 2004 to the Discovery Channel and had his own company since then
Learning to Make Documentaries On His Own
Tom didn’t go to film school and had no film background
His education came from being in the field and learning from the crew
“People like to talk about what they do if you show a genuine interest in what they do.”
This is how he learned how to put non-fiction documentary television together
Tom admits he would have failed film theory classes but he knows how to get the right material in the can to make for a good documentary
Selling His First Documentary About Roanoke Island
Tom’s first project was for the History Channel about the lost colony of Roanoke Island
This was at the time when networks like History were interested in cool stories
Today, having a cool story doesn’t cut it. There has to be something new, information that was never known before
By complete luck, every year in the town of Roanoke Island actors recreate the story in a play
Tom was able to get the actors to participate in the documentary and the rest is history…pun intended
Tom also notes, recreations can be poorly done if you’re not careful
For his first film, Tom had interviews, a great mystery and on top of it these great images to go with it
Diana: In Her Own Words
This film commissioned by National Graphic is now available on Netflix
It’s a difficult type of programming to do in film making because there are no interviews or narrator
Archival footage and audio was the only content used to make Diana: In Her Own Words
The archive they got for the Diana story was from author Andrew Morton who wrote Diana: Her True Story
It consisted of private interviews of Princess Diana through tapes that were made for Andrew Morton through a mutual friend
When they approached Andrew Morton about the tapes Andrew’s response was get in line
Tom explained this would be a film about Diana, narrated by Diana which was something that had never been done before
There were many rules put in place by Tom and his team to in regards to the use of imagery when talking about particular time periods
Watch Diana: In Her Words
Telling A Story With Archival Footage
Depending on the source material available, every production is different
For Diana: In Her Own Words, there were 7 hours of audio that they mapped out as storyboards
They listed all of the story beats she talked about at length or momentary asides
There were 140 story cards stuck on a board at that time
Tom and his team knew they had to tell the broad strokes of the story people knew about Princess Di
Then they found the stories they knew people had not heard before
The story works so well because Tom purposely chose story beats where they could find footage of the event
Winning an Emmy for Best Documentary Research
Whether its a feature film or a documentary, filmmakers always need to think outside the box
The Challenger story had been told many times before but not in this way
Tom received 30 beta tapes from the NASA archive and having gone through 28 of them they found gold of Christa McAuliffe rehearsing her lesson plans aboard The Challenger
When they called NASA to tell them what they had found, NASA had no idea that footage existed because nobody else had gone through the tapes before
Remembering Christa McAuliffe was from New Hampshire, Tom called a local radio station who had kept all the footage of her training and their news director was actually on the launch pad broadcasting live
All of this added to the most unique coverage of the events of the Challenger disaster in decades which ended up winning an Emmy for Best Documentary Research
Talking to Brimstone, you can see how important his personal brand has been to his success and what it takes to make it as a diverse entertainer. Brimstone is an actor, pro wrestler and Long Island radio personality that has been responsible for his own success as an entertainer for over three decades. He’s been called a Renaissance man by many, but is more accurately described as a well-seasoned entertainer and entertainment entrepreneur. We had some laughs discussing his roots dating back to an appearance on Sesame Street and relived some memories as a musician right here on Long Island.
Brimstone is the co-founder, President, and CEO of Hound Comics, Inc. (Hound Entertainment Group), that launched a comic book series, Brimstone and The Borderhounds that went worldwide via Barnes & Noble, B.Dalton, BN.com, and Amazon.
You can listen to Brimstone on The Grindhouse Radio, a pop culture talk-based podcast and series that is currently syndicated on eighteen digital & terrestrial radio networks (including iHeartRadio & Google Play Radio) with a listenership of between 3.5 – 4 million weekly worldwide.
Quote: “You have to be in the industry touring for a couple of years. After a couple of years you know if you really have the heart to be in entertainment. Even though you need the money, you know its not about the money.”
Little Brim Lands on Sesame Street (7m )
Brimstone discusses his appearance on Sesame Street and his personal story about being traumatized by Big Bird and Snuffleupagus.
Family Entertainment (10m)
We debate whether there is entertainment worth watching as a family anymore.
His love of beating the drums may have had something to do with his career as a wrestler.
While working for the Long Island Voice, Brimstone meets the Iron Sheik and Bret the Hitman Heart and the rest is history
Quote: “It doesn’t matter how many people you’re getting up in front of, you’re always going to have those butterflies.”
Radio Personality on Grindhouse Radio (20m30s)
It was always something I wanted to do but wasn’t sure how I was going to do it.
Catch Grindhouse Radio on iHeartRadio every Thursday night at 7pm EST.
Brimstone talks about how his audience crossed over from his days in music, wrestling and more
Quote: “I’m not into people that disrespect others. I’m an open book, I wear my heart on my sleeve, I’m a good guy and I help people. If you can’t help yourself and don’t want to help yourself, I don’t have time for you.”
Sales, Marketing, Personal Branding & Entrepreneurship (28m20s)
Brim talks about how growing up in not so great neighborhood on Long Island motivated him to be successful.
Quote: “Back then you had to sell yourself because you didn’t have the internet to sell you.”
Check out his mobile game Forza Infernis on iOS & Android
Remember that guy in the famous Got Milk commercial in the 90s who couldn’t say Aaron Burr? How about the kid with no tongue in Wes Craven’s People Under the Stairs. That’s just two of the 116 acting credits for a guy who face you’d likely recognize before his name. Today we had a great talk with character actor Sean Whalen who gets mistaken for Steve Buscemi more often than himself.
Sean told us about his upcoming role as Satan in Harrison Smith’s Death House, how Drew Barrymore stuck up for him on the set of Never Been Kissed and rubbing elbows with other talented actors as the Comedy & Improv teacher at James Francos Acting School in Los Angeles. Plus, we got to hear about his latest feature film now crowdfunding on IndieGoGo called Crust.
We hope you enjoy our interview with That Guy Sean Whalen on How to Succeed as a Character Actor in Hollywood. Be sure to leave us a review on iTunes to help get the word out and
Watch How To Succeed as a Character Actor in Hollywood
Watch People Under the Stairs
Sean Whalen Interview Highlights
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Maryland right between Washington DC & Baltimore. It was kind of rural and I loved it there.
Were you a theater kid growing up?
I did a lot of plays but 5th grade was a turning point. They said I could do a class project so I directed and starred in Rumpelstiltskin. I’ll never forget doing it and then at the very end when I ran out on stage I slid across for my curtain call and got a huge round of applause from the whole school. Not only did I have fun doing the show but I also got huge accolades for it. In high school I was active in community and school theater.
When did you move to Hollywood?
I received a scholarship from my high school when I was accepted into the UCLA theater program. A lot of people have lived in different places. I basically grew up in Maryland for 18 years and then came out here. I didn’t get to do Chicago, New York and London like some other actors but I like it here.
I always tell actors, give it two years and 100% of your time and energy. If after two years you can say things are proceeding, that doesn’t even mean you’re getting a paid gig. It means you’re doing well in acting school or things are going well, then stick around. After two years things were going well for me. I was performing in the Groundlings and thought things were going okay. In the summer of 1987 I started to pursue things again and I recorded my first commercial in the fall of 1988. I just kept going and kept at it.
I had Alan Ruck (Cameron from Ferris Buller’s Day Off) in my acting class recently. He told me he had done Ferris Bueller and moved to LA and it wasn’t really going that well and was working in a factory. It goes to show you the ups and downs out here. I can’t imagine being in such a huge movie and then lugging boxes in a factory.
What was your first paid acting gig?
My first commercial was for Kaboodles that ran on MTV. It was a makeup fishing tackle box that you could keep makeup in. It got me my SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card and it got me my first car after driving around on a Vespa out here. After that I started doing a lot of Little Caesar’s commercials. Then I got People Under the Stairs in 1991.
What was it about the character Roach that stuck with audiences?
It took me a long time to figure out why. They used me in the publicity for People Under the Stairs with these weird pictures they took before we shot the movie. It was me with long spikey hair and I never really looked like that. Recently I was asked which character would you like to be in real life? I thought I don’t even know and then I thought Roach.
Now I understand why people like Roach so much. It’s because he was smart enough to leave the basement as a 15 year old kid and not be caught. Obviously if he was smart enough to get out and be behind the walls, he was smart enough to leave. He stuck around to not only give shit to the people that put him there but also to make sure that little girl was going to be okay. He was a martyr, dying to save Fool so he could help Alice get out of the house and have a new life. Roach did it all with an innocence. I actually wasn’t that young. I was 27 playing a 15 year old.
What was working with Wes Craven like?
I always say he’s like the favorite uncle at the BBQ. Not the one that’s behind the thing grill screaming but the one who hands you the hot dog and takes it from the loud guy. Wes Craven is so mellow and nice and very nurturing. He wanted us to do good acting work and really cared about that. Wes was protective of that and it made you want to do a good job. You could tell he was so nice and wanted it to be good that you instinctively wanted it to be better. You just didn’t want to suck for him.
It’s a weird twisted movie but he made it so safe. I thought if I’m going to be in this movie I may as well play and give 100%. At the time I was very lucky to be with a coach, Mark Speigel and I was also at Playhouse West with Robert Carnegie and they taught me to act act. I had come out of the Groundlings with comedy. So I was at the right place to be able to say I want to create this character and play this real. Wes let me go for it.
When I had my death scene I sat in the corner for over an hour by myself and he kept everyone away and let me prepare for it. I said I’m going to be over there getting ready while you guys setup the lights. Wes Craven was very sweet, nurturing and mellow but obviously a very dark twisted imagination.
Recently I feel like Rob Zombie is the same way. Super nice, mellow and kind of dorky. If you sat down to talk to him you’d realize he’s a cinephile. Same with Guillermo Del Toro. He was giddy when I met him on the set of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He remembered me as Roach from People Under the Stairs. You realize those are the best kind of people because they are fans of good work and the genre.
How important was studying acting to your success?
Definitely. I feel like an acting teacher said it to me best. You don’t walk into a hospital and go, “I wanna do a brain surgery.” It doesn’t work that way. You put in hours and hours and become a doctor. You put in hours and hours and become a lawyer. And we put in hours and hours and you don’t even know if we’ll succeed. At least they know they’ll have a job when they finish school. Actors don’t.
My acting coach told us we better know plays and movies. I loved movies and entertainment anyways. When I was working with my class and said we need to do a film noir thing, they said what’s film noir? My students think being good and putting out some videos on YouTube, that’s not what it is. Every meeting you have someone will it’s just like Repo Man meets Edward Scissorhands and you better know what that means.
Not only do you study the craft but you have to study the industry and know movies. You don’t have to watch the shows but you can at least go on Wikipedia and read about it and watch a YouTube clip so you know. I’ve never watched all of Dexter but I know what it is. I met with a young set director for my new film Crust and I mentioned Repo Man and he was like oh yeah, not like an early Tim Burton movie.
What TV shows and movies influenced you?
I watched I love Lucy. That redefined comedy in the modern age. Desi Arnez was a pioneer, 3 cameras with the audience, it’s still done the same way because of him. I watched the Three Stooges and Warner Bros cartoons, Fantasy Island, 6 Million Dollar Man and Gilligan’s Island.
Saturday morning cartoons were the greatest thing ever. You’d get a huge preview on Friday for what’s coming on Saturday like HR PufnStuf.
How did the Aaron Burr Got Milk commercial boost your career?
People Under the Stairs was number 1 for six weeks and I thought my life was going to change and it didn’t which was interesting. All my guy friends that were character actors would all audition and we were all there for this one. They gave us bread and a big jar of peanut butter and said this is what’s going on, just go with it. The radio announcer lines were playing and I shoved a shit load of peanut butter in my mouth. What was told after I got the commercial was that they didn’t have an ending. Most actors were angry and throwing the phone and screaming. I was the only guy to just show he got screwed. I just did what I thought was funny at the time.
When I got there, Michael Bay, who directed the commercial said just do what you did in the audition. That was his last commercial before he broke into movies and got The Rock after that. The commercial blew up and won all kinds of awards and Michael Bay got a lot of accolades and a huge career. For me, I was in acting class and somebody said your life’s going to change. Steven Spieldberg saw that commercial and said he liked it. It’ll mean good things for you.
After that I got cast in Twister which Steven Spieldberg executive produced, Men in Black which he executive produced. His friend was Tom Hanks who put me in That Thing You Do and Drew Barrymore put me in Never Been Kissed.
I was working a ton in commercials, 5 or 6 per year and then it all ended. I think I’ve done 2 since then and that commercial is 20 years old. It was a huge campaign and I’m so associated with it. It started my theatrical career and ended my commercial career.
What are the similarities and differences of horror and comedy?
Comedy is just fun because when you say cut the crew laughs. If you can make the crew laugh you’re doing well. Horror is usually like drama, unless it’s a horror comedy which is rare. In drama, it’s more draining emotionally because of the intense circumstances. Usually in a horror, the circumstances are so intense that it’s exhausting to put yourself through it.
I did NYPD Blue with Dennis Franz in my face interrogating me thinking this is awesome but that was exhausting. I just like giving it 100% and getting a reaction.
How did you get involved with Death House?
My good friend Felissa Rose who’s a producer and I had worked with Harrison Smith before or we were trying to work together before. They wanted as many iconic horror people as possible. It was a fun part, playing Satan. I can’t talk about more than that but it was very cool. This is one they are trying to keep under wraps.
What actors have you worked with that were memorable?
One was Drew Barrymore, who fought for me because I wrote my part for Never Been Kissed. It was supposed to be one line and the director wanted to keep it that way. She thought what I created was funny and working and wanted to see it through. It was her first time as a producer and Drew wanted to let me do my thing because it was better and it was working.
The other that was Dennis Franz who stunned me. After we were done on NYPD Blue he said he was sorry. He had a bit of a cold and was worried he was giving as much as he should. I was like that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! He’s great, that’s how I want to be. I never forgot that and now on any set I try to introduce myself to the extras. He was so gracious and talented. I realized that you can be really good and still be super nice at the same time.
The biggest people I’ve worked with, Tim Burton, Tom Hanks, they were always the coolest people. It was the younger people who had attitudes. I never really understood that.
How important are relationships as an actor?
My daughters will laugh because I say it’s all about the hustle. Networking and then being really good when you get an opportunity is the most important thing. The more people you know, the bigger your funnel is and the more stuff that can come in. Relationships are key.
What is your latest film Crust about?
It’s about a former child star working in a laundry mat. All his co-stars have either killed themselves or are addicts. He collects the single socks from the dryers in the laundry machines and blows his nose in them, wipes his sweat off on them, bleeds on them and they are all in a little pile. One day he cries into the sock pile and it becomes Crust, the sock monster. It avenges and kills for him unbeknownst to him ala Little Shop of Horrors.
I started in August of 2016 but I’ve been teaching workshops for 3 or 4 years. We just had our new teacher meeting yesterday with James Caan. We spoke yesterday which was cool because I got a call from the supervisor at the school saying James Caan really likes what I’m doing and the way I think. Wow James Caan! I’m going to dinner with him next week which is cool. You come in and learn comedy and we put on shows regularly. I’m trying to build a comedy department that rivals the Groundlings or Upright Citizens Brigade. It’s every Tuesday night throughout the year.
I love teaching. It’s like giving back. All you want to do is teach them things I wish I knew.
Have more questions for Sean? Leave them in the comments below and we’ll make sure he gets them! Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly email and if you really love us, leave us a review on iTunes.
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
Read The Tami Stronach Interview Highlights
Where were you born?
I was born in Teheran Iran. My Father is a Scottish archaeologist and my mother is an Israeli archaeologist. They met on a dig site and I grew up in Iran on excavations looking for artifacts. It was much more boring than it sounds. After the revolution of 79 we bounced around the globe a bit until we found home in the US and we settled in the San Francisco Bay area.
Were you taking acting classes in California?
I was dancing and acting throughout my childhood. In California there’s a wonderful acting school in San Francisco. I used to take singing classes and acting classes and I was also in ballet recitals. That was my world as a kid. I came out of the crib hamming it up. I would actually carpool to San Francisco to those acting classes on my own. I was super determined to get to those acting classes.
How did the opportunity for The Neverending Story come about?
It was a happy accident. I was in an acting class and a casting agent, her name is Anna Gross, was in San Francisco looking to cast somebody for the roll and she was friends with my acting teacher. She wanted to have lunch and came to Fort Mason where the school is and happened to be a little bit early and saw the tail end of class and thought that I might be a good person to audition and she invited me to audition.
I had no idea what she was asking me to audition for. I still have an issue with taking on too much. At the time I was in a traveling troupe that performed at local schools. The morning of the audition I had a show and I arrived really disheveled. I was playing Piglet in a Winnie-the-Pooh show so I had makeup smeared all over my face.
Did you enjoy auditioning as a child?
I think as a child you have less fear. I really love to be inside stories and figured if I didn’t get chosen I would just do another one. I think I just got really lucky and the material really resonated with me. I really identified with the character, I fell in love with her. By the third audition in Germany I was like I really want this. It got progressively more nerve racking.
Did you understand the gravity of the Neverending Story at that age?
I don’t think I totally understood the gravity of the Neverending Story and don’t think my parents understood the gravity of the movie. Partly it was filmed in Germany over the summer. It was sort of like, let’s go take this family vacation in Europe and you’ll do this little European release and we’ll come home and no one will ever see it and you can do your next dance recital. We didn’t really understand what we were doing. Maybe I was blessed to not know it really because I just didn’t have any expectations for it to be seen or to become iconic in that way.
What was your favorite character in the Neverending Story?
I didn’t spend a lot of time with Falcor. The Empress and Falcor don’t have a lot of scenes together, any in fact. I saw Falcor once as a head with a green screen behind but I never saw the whole thing, he was in pieces whenever I saw him. For me the Bat, the rock biter and that little enclave of puppets, I was able to watch their scenes get filmed, and I was able to watch the people move the levers on the side. I loved the fact that it was a person and a puppet that they sort of mixed together. I also sat in on the swamps of sadness scenes which was completely amazing. I’m so happy wasn’t around for the scene with the horse.
What was it like working with the puppets and animatronics?
That’s a really interesting question. I know there is a difference between acting for film and acting for stage in the sense that you want to make your gestures larger for stage, body language is more important for stage and you want to be more subtle on film. But at the same time it was much more a kin to theater than a lot of films are today. The set was real in the same way you would have it like a set onstage. Everything was physically there and touchable.
I’ve been on sets with green screens where you’re imagining the whole thing and the director promises you that there’s going to be a lot of people. I had a really good acting teacher who always said that acting is 99% listening. It’s not how you’re delivering the line it’s how you are responding to the line you were given. I think that with a puppet you’re able to do that listening part where as if the thing gets filled in later it’s all your choices and not so many reacting to other choices.
What’s happening now is really cool because they are combining animatronics with CGI and there’s a better sense of when to use what aspect and why.
You might also like our interview about the short fantasy film The Lookouts
What was it like working with all the young actors on set?
We got along which is good. They were boys and I was a girl at age ten. I was all business “Does anyone want to go over their lines. Let’s go over the scene” and Barret would have his little GI Joes and be like let’s play with these. But I really liked them both, they were wonderful. I have fond memories, we definitely got along.
I have a funny story with Noah. We were at a German outdoor pub, there were these train tracks next to the pub. We spent all of our time off set at pubs. That’s where the camera people and the makeup people were. There was a train really really far off and he was sort of playing this hero. So out of nowhere he suddenly grabbed me and flung me across the railroad tracks into the bushes. I was like what’s going on and he was like a train is coming. And we sort had to wait for the train to sort of come for a long time. Then I had to be like thank you for saving me.
What is life like for you today?
Mostly theater work these days. I founded a company called Paper Canoe Company with my husband actually. After the birth of my daughter I wanted to start making family theater again. The Never Ending Story was sort of family oriented. For me, trying to bring all of my passions under one umbrella seemed really important. I was a mom and I wanted the stuff that I was making to relate to my kid and to my community and all of those things to exist together.
We created two live shows in New York. The theater show was a light and dark comedy my husband wrote. It was a story where a scientist with good intentions steals the sun. We were speaking about how everything’s faster and everyone knows too much. In this world people stop dreaming, stop sleeping, the lights always on and everyone’s trying to be super productive. People lost the ability to dream and relax. The scientist creates a slumber yard and took away the sun so everyone could relax and over time everyone forgot there were lights. All the actors wore self-cranking machines with head lamps and we generated all of our own light in the production.
My vision is to turn the story into a graphic novel and possibly a feature film. The story would come alive on a graphic novel page even more so than the theater. I’m a creature of the theater, live theater is my medium. As we developed Paper Canoe we are finding that we are more and more curious about diving into digital content. Our third project is a digital project and that’s Beanstalk Jack which is a folk rock album.
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.
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.
On this week’s Imperfect Podcast, we discuss the Top 10 TV Show Theme Songs and what makes them memorable. We speak about how some theme songs set the tone for the show, such as the carnival type music in Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, while other theme songs seem to be detached from the show.
When a syndicated sitcom is shown in reruns, the familiar theme is often shortened to make more room for advertising. In recent times, themes from new shows are written with that in mind and sometimes have as little as one chord to begin the show, such as in the series Lost. We further discuss how some classic theme songs such as Gilligan’s Island, Brady Bunch, and The Jeffersons, three of our top ten favorites, supply the background story for the entire show.
Our seven other themes, in no particular order (you have to listen to the podcast for that) are The Flintstones, Happy Days, Sesame Street, Friends, Cheers, The Family Guy (we play a recording of Seth McFarlane and Alex Borstein singing live on the James Lipton Show), and The Fresh Prince of Bellaire (Dan Kane performs the first verse with a karaoke version). We speak of several honorable mentions that did not make our group list. They are the themes from Sopranos, Incredible Hulk, Dukes of Hazzard, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Welcome Back Kotter, Sanford and Son, All in the Family, and Frasier.
Us creative types can be really insecure and we need to know you care. Please Take some time to show us how much we mean to you. If you like what you see hit us up at Twitter, check out our behind the scenes at Instagram, and our YouTube is the best place to find all of our videos. If you don’t like what you see, mamma always said if you cant say something nice…
Watch Our Top 10 Classic TV Shows
Gilligan’s Island – This is a tale of a faithful trip
Happy Days Are Yours and Mine
The Brady Bunch – Here’s a story, of man named Brady…
Meet The Flinstones
The Family Guy – It seems today, that all you see…
Friends – I’ll be there for you!
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – Now this is a story…
I had Alan Ruck (Cameron from Ferris Buller’s Day Off) in my acting class recently. He told me he had done Ferris Bueller and moved to LA and it wasn’t really going that well and was working in a factory. It goes to show you the ups and downs out here. I can’t imagine being in such a huge movie and then lugging boxes in a factory.
After that I got cast in 
