Archives March 2017

Talking with actress Chanel Ryan we learned that being an actor is like being self-employed. That means you need to treat acting like a business. As an actor or actress have you asked yourself, should I take acting classes? It’s no secret that to make it Hollywood it takes guts and a whole lot of work. By taking classes you’ll get a solid foundation that will translate into confidence for yourself and the potential casting directors and other actors you’ll be working with.

Chanel Ryan is an American actress who has successfully navigated the acting and modeling industry over the past decade. Descriptions of Chanel are as varied as the roles she plays which you’ll see in our interview. A ball of energy with captivating eyes in a pretty blonde package. She’s a chameleon with strength, vulnerability, and great comedic timing in equal amounts. She shines in the lighter, bubbly types and specializes in darker material, playing edgy and troubled young women.

In 2011, she shifted her attention to acting full time. Her recent roles include a guest appearance on THE LATE LATE SHOW opposite James Corden and John Stamos; Starring roles in two independent films, horror film CIRCUS OF THE DEAD alongside genre legend Bill Oberst Jr., and the psychological thriller HOUSE ON RODEO GULCH. She can also be seen in the upcoming release of the comedy HYPNOTIZED starring Vinnie Jones and Kevin Pollak, as well as the drama BIGGER THAN THE BEATLES.

This past year, Chanel believed in getting a solid foundation for her career so much that she took time off to do just that. She’s been working on her craft daily to make sure she can lands the type of parts that will make her proud. We hope you learn as much as we did from Chanel Ryan.

Keep up with Chanel Ryan:

Web Site: http://www.chanelryan.com
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0752457
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chanel-Ryan
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChanelRyan
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/therealchanelryan

Watch The Complete Interview

Read The Highlights of Why Actors Should Take Acting Classes:

Are you a Los Angeles native?

No I grew up on the east coast in Pennsylvania but we moved a lot. From Pennsylvania, to New Jersey to Northern California to Southern California. I feel very fortunate to have had the best of both worlds. We had a pond so in the summer you swim in the pond and in the winter we would skate on the pond. Then when we moved to California there was the beach and we had a pool. I got to experience the country as well as the beach.

When did you catch the acting bug?

When I was little I wanted to do one of three things. I loved art and was always drawing and painting. A lot of the grocery stores where I grew had contests. Around Easter who ever colored the egg the best and Christmas it would Santa or a tree and Halloween it’s a witch or a cat. I would win every holiday. I’m a vegetarian but I would win my family a turkey or a ham. A couple of times a store manager thought I was cheating and had an adult do it so I had to go in there with my little art box and color for them.

I had an illustrated children’s book published when I was little and my stuff appeared at the festivals in Laguna Beach. That’s what I always wanted to do.

I always liked the thought of acting but it seemed so far away. I don’t have any friends or family in the industry. I’m not from LA or New York and I had no idea how to get into it. I laugh now because I thought it would be a very glamorous and easy job. There are parts of it that are glamorous but 95% of it is not glamorous.

How did you transition to acting?

I was fortunate. In junior high I was living in Southern California I was approached on the beach to model for a swimwear campaign. From there a few other jobs came in. Around the same time I was at a park with my girlfriend and someone approached us to audition for commercials and I got that as well. It was a series of events like that. A friend was doing wardrobe on a film and I went for dinner at her house and the director was there. He thought we were all cute and asked if we want to be in a movie and that’s how I got my first part.

I was planning to go to art school because I really wanted to be a fashion designer or an interior designer. I started working so much, modeling first and acting equally with a lot of success modeling in other countries.  It’s really hard to turn down a paid job in an exotic location rather than stay in town in hopes that you’ll get an audition and then from that audition hope that you’ll get a call back and then hope that you’ll get a job.

Does acting account for more of your career than modeling now?

It does. I still model a little bit. They are both really full time jobs. You can only do so much. A few years ago I decided if I didn’t want to be one of those girls who used to have a career. I kept saying I wanted to be an actress so I needed to switch my focus, stay in town and buckle down.

The first few acting jobs I had were huge studio productions and I no clue what a big deal that was. When I worked with John Frankenheimer I auditioned on the set and he offered me a part. I worked on the film for about 2 weeks and you barely see me.  He had said to me I’m going to put you in all of my movies, I’m going to make you a star. His assistant would call my home to try and book me for stuff and I would come to messages on my answering after I was off modeling wherever I was.

The first movie I did regardless of what IMDB says is called Waitin for the Rocket. I was about 16 years old and I had switched my ID to say I was older so I could work. It was Disney style family comedy and I was one of the lead roles I had no idea what a big deal that was to book the lead in any film. Shortly after I worked with Frankenheimer. I did an Easter special with Andy Williams for the BBC with 60s themed skits. I did a pilot with Bill Murray called The Sweet Spot. I did a lot of big things when I was very young and unfocused.

When did you start taking your acting career more seriously?

I had done a lot of commercials so a lot of agents were interested in me because I could make them money. I’ve studied with some of the biggest acting teachers in Los Angeles and each one of them I took something away from them. I had really been looking for a more solid foundation so about a year ago I started studying the Meisner technique with Alex Taylor. I recommend any actors in Los Angeles study with him. It’s a big time commitment but it’s worth it. With the intensive program you go the first 4 months 4 days a week.  It’s like condensing 1 year into 4 months.

I’ve been turning down a lot of jobs so I can focus on class. A lot of films I had been in I felt like some I was good in and some I was terrible. When I did something that was good I didn’t necessarily know how to do it again. This is why I was searching for a solid foundation and he’s given me that. I feel like I can handle anything now. Every Monday we would do a different accent and every Thursday we would do a different impediment. It’s a full on drama school. I’ve given myself a gift and taken some time off to grow as an actress so I can always deliver good work and feel confident about it.

Whats the difference between indie films and studio work?

I go back and forth between studio and indie. Comedy is actually my first love. On the indie films it’s hard for me because I know what it’s like to be on a studio set. I know how its run, what the rehearsals are like, everyone’s fully trained and memorized their lines. It’s really easy to do good work under those circumstances. I love the indie world and I’m booked for indie roles coming up but one of the problems I was having and really wanted to study was a lot of times you only get one take. There aren’t many rehearsals. Sometimes the people you are working with are trained sometimes not. Sometimes they’ve memorized their lines and other times not. It’s challenging to good work.

I was on a film recently and the other actor hadn’t memorized his lines. He said he had the gist of it.  I had to explain that each character has an arc with a beginning middle and end. If we don’t by the script we will never get to those. Depending on the director there may be room for improv but if you don’t have everything down there is no room for improv.

Do you have any audition war stories to share?

I’m sure I do but I tend to block out the traumatic stuff. We’re all busy. There are times you run into an audition and you’re not prepared, looking it over in the car. That can never be good. There are a few instances where you just have the right look and you get the character but for the most part it’s never good if you’re not prepared. I’ve done some terrible auditions I’m sure.

Which actors did you work with that inspired you?

All of them. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been cast so often among people that are way more talented and successful than myself. You’re only as good as the person you’re working with. Each person I worked with I learned different thing. Bill Oberst Jr. and I had a great time shooting Circus of the Dead. We were laughing and joking between takes and then I’m crying and running and screaming. I’m a vegetarian and at one point he licks my face after he had just eaten meat for dinner. It actually helped me because it smelled like meat. Bill is the nicest guy and would apologize in advance.

Judd Nelson was great to work with in Bad Kids Go To Hell. It’s interesting to see actors who are seasoned veterans how they come to the set. He was much more experienced than anyone else on the set in front or behind the camera. Judd was offering his advice to everyone about the scenes and stood up and fought for what he believed was right.

What was working with John Stamos like?

So nice, such a professional. Everyone was jealous and I’m a huge James Corden fan and watch his show every night. I heard about the audition while out of town and I had to put something on tape. It was me being a complete fan girl. The guy that taped me was like, “Are you sure you want to send this in?” I was like yes and I got it. I never watched Full House if you can believe that. John Stamos is ridiculously good looking. His comedic timing is amazing and a consummate professional.

When you work with people who have that sort of status it can be intimidating. I’ve been lucky that everyone I’ve worked with has been super nice.

Is establishing relationships important for getting more work?

I have a lot of the same people that hire me over and over since I was a teenager, especially commercially. I probably have 8 to 10 producers that book me. If I just worked for them, everything would be great and I have the same thing with a lot of theatrical directors which is great. Don Richardson I did a fun comedy called Attack of the Bimbos and we are about to do called Busted Reality. It’s about 3 girls who wanted to be famous by getting reality shows.

When I had first auditioned for him he was interested in me for a role but I was leaving for Canada. He really wanted to have rehearsals but I couldn’t be there. I was in Canada at a convention hosting different events and I get a call from Don offering me the lead role because he was having issues. Long story short I ended up cancelling some things in Canada and learned the script on the flight and started shooting.

What advice do you have for actors & actresses looking to break into Hollywood?

Don’t do it! There’s so many amazing things about it but I think a lot of teenagers are so influenced by reality television and think you can become famous by doing something stupid. What a lot of people don’t understand and only see the glamorous side. You’re basically self-employed and there are not enough hours in the day. You have to treat it like a business.

If you wanted to be an interior designer you would go to school for that, study for that, get an internship, start working under someone to learn the ropes before you go off on your own. It’s the same with acting. It’s a job. Every day you should be taking a serious class and working towards your goal. Whether it’s working on an accent, memorizing, researching casting directors or scripts. That way when you get an audition with one of these casting directors you understand how they operate.

My first jobs were offered to me but I was always prepared. If I was asked to bring wardrobe, I brought the best wardrobe I could. I always gave 110% and took advantage of every opportunity that came my way. I get to work with creative people in ridiculously exotic locations I might not otherwise see.

Have more questions for Chanel Ryan? Ask us here and we’ll make sure she gets em!

Download The Melanie Wise Interview For Free:

An accomplished actress and stunt woman, Melanie Wise has been acting professionally for over a decade. As lead actress of the award-winning horror-action film, Hanah’s Gift,  Melanie won best actress at the IndieFest Film Festival. She is also an accomplished producer, video and sound editor with skills in sound effects, graphic design, 2D motion graphics, and specializes in polishing troubled projects.

Melanie is the founder of the Artemis Film Festival. Now in its 3rd, it’s more than your typical indie film festival. It not only celebrates women, but women who kick ass.  From female action heroes and stunt women to female activists and business women, the Artemis Film Festival features 3 days of action packed content in Santa Monica, CA.

Talking with Melanie we learn what it takes to run a film festival, what being a female stunt woman is like in Hollywood and why women kick so much ass!

Support The Artemis Film Festival:

Crowd Funding page:  http://www.WomenKickAss.com
Artemis Film Festival:  http://www.ArtemisFilmFestival.com
Artemis Motion Pictures: https://www.artemismotionpictures.com

Every Wednesday at 7pm PST join Melanie for the #WomenKickAss Twitter chat

Twitter Handle(s):
Melanie Wise, Founder @IamMelanieWise
Artemis Motion Pictures:  @ArtemisPics
Artemis Film Festival:  @Artemis_FF

Team Members:
Sean Newcombe, Co-Founder: @therealnewk
Megan Hubbell, Social Media Goddess: @MeganHubbell
Indus Alelia, PR & Outreach Mgr: @IndusAlelia

Watch The Entire Melanie Wise Interview

Read The Melanie Wise Interview Highlights

How did you get involved in the film industry?

I started out modeling and that was a non-starter which doesn’t make sense at my height. They say models have to be tall but in Los Angeles it was the bathing suit industry and all the models are 5ft tall. I eventually ventured into acting and I’ve always been physically inclined so stunts were a no-brainer. One of the first jobs I worked was a Sunkist commercial. They only hired me because I was big enough to tackle a guy.

It was a non-union with just a day rate, no residuals and no bumps for stunt hits and I was dumb enough to not know to ask for it. There were a pile of people jumping into this one thing and I would end up at the bottom every time we did a take. I was covered in bruises from one end to the other but it was fun. At the end of the day, I got paid for a day on the beach to tackle a guy.

Was that your first professional job?

It wasn’t the most professional, but yeah. Some people consider low budget film making, not very professional and I’m not sure I align well with that sentiment. Anytime you have less resources, the thing that you need to excel at is creative problem solving. I think that’s where the professionalism does show up.

How did you make the jump to film and stunt work?

I’ve done all of my own fight scenes and I love fight stunts. I don’t get into things like fire burns and high falls. I consider the stunts that I do to be the simplest version. When people call me a stunt woman it’s kind of a lie because there isn’t much an “oops” factor to it. If I screw up I might break a bone but in some stunts if you screw up you might be dead. I have a long athletic history so doing a fight scene is a long athletic dance.

Have you had any formal martial arts or fight training?

I do have some martial arts training, some boxing training and some stunt training. I want to start training on wire work.

What’s the craziest stunt you’ve ever done?

It wasn’t crazy, just difficult. The film Hanah’s Gift was shot from the point of view from one of the characters and in real time. The whole movie looks like a 90 minute cut. There is a fight scene in it that’s kind of short but the actual take was 9 minutes long. In most fight scenes you setup angles and takes and directions. For what we shot there were not cut-to’s. You had to nail it. We wound up taking that 9 times and when it was all said and done I had broken two bones.

I don’t know if I could live with myself if I was careless and actually hurt somebody. There was a fight scene I did with a guy and we choreographed and rehearsed. We know it was going to be dark on set going in. I’m supposed to swing a flashlight at him and for whatever reason he stepped into it and I rotated my hand and I actually clocked him in the head. It was just an extraordinary error. Looking back I’m just glad nothing serious happened. Simple simple things can cause big big problems.

What goes into choreographing and prepping a fight scene?

It depends on the difficulty level of it. Punches and kicks and basic throws aren’t bad to do. When we shot our crowdfunding video we shot 4 short action sequences. I think our entire shooting time for choreography and shooting was probably 12 hours. We choreographed and rehearsed on one day and shot on another.

When you choreograph you’re not necessarily doing it on location so you have to make some adjustments on the day of. It depends on the skill level and strengths of the people you have. You wouldn’t ask someone who’s not good at kicks to do a head kick.  Part of doing stunts is getting bumps and bruises.

Where did you get the idea for the Artemis Film Festival?

There’s a team of us. I’m called the founder but I prefer my title “Fucking Professional Picky Bitch.” I want to put Melanie Wise, FPPB but you know. All of us have known each other for a lot of years and love content that was action oriented with female leads. We struggled with putting that type of content into the world so we started our own festival. It’s a great thing and I’m honored we can do it every year but it’s a lot to do.

Our first year I thought we were going to get laughed out of the park but we actually got over 200 submissions from 25 different countries in 2 months. You get content that doesn’t fit but the majority was content with badass women in it including narratives, documentaries. Things about history that aren’t known from shorts to feature length films. We block together shorts that are similarly themed.

The regulation for the festival is that the film needs to feature a female in a leading or co-leading role in a physical action role or some type of activism. We don’t have distinctions that women need to produce or direct. On screen we just need to see empowered images of women.

What is your selection process like?

What’s interesting is, if you look at most film festivals, unless it’s a genre festival like horror or action, there’s not a huge number of festivals these films can play at. Most film festivals program documentaries, dramas and comedies. A lot of these films don’t have a good home and they should.

How many years have you been running the Artemis Film Festival?

We are in our 3^rd year. We are still very young and have been fan backed every year. I think it’s fair to say our fans like us. It’s been an amazing ride. I’ve had the belief for years that women in action is something that popular audiences are into. That’s true the world over because we are getting films from all over. Our first year we got a film from Iran about female empowerment.

What films standout as a favorite of yours?

I’m not a festival goer, I think it’s a yawn to me. We program exciting stuff. It’s not like you’re going to walk in and fall asleep. This year amongst our submissions we have a film that won Student Academy Award. It’s a period piece that features a female racecar driver. We’ve got a documentary from Tazmania of all places. The lady that actually brought the piece together and actually told her story through the events that happened. They took down a billion dollar logging company. Those kinds of stories are ones we really need to see.

When are submissions open for the Artemis Film Festival?

Submissions closed on December 15, 2016. For our 2018 festival we are getting ready to announce the submission schedule which we probably open in August. The festival takes place Thursday April 20 – Sunday April 23. Our red carpet will be in Beverly Hills and the last 3 days of the festival will be in Santa Monica.

What film makers inspire you?

One of my favorites is Joss Whedon. He does amazing action. From what I’ve read for Avengers is that he wrote so many female roles and fought tooth and nail and ended up with one female character. He tells amazing and brilliant stories and casts equal distribution of men and women roles.

Are women in film making headway in Hollywood?

I definitely think things are changing. I can’t look at it and say wow we’ve accomplished so much. The cool thing is TV is way ahead of film. We have a snobbery between the small screen and the big screen. The bottom line of it is cable is turning out some badass female characters. We still have a lot of room to make up in film and we aren’t anywhere we need to be.

I just participated in article discussing sexism in Hollywood. They included some quotes of mine and I read the stories from the others that were included. One lady talked about she was physically intimidated for saying something she didn’t say and tracked down to her by 4 men.

What’s in store for you in the future?

I’m trying to get a better sense of balance and either get my energy back to content making or something else. I really would like to see our whole team focus on making content. We’ve been working really hard behind the scenes. We have more honoree announcements to make for this year but I have so much on my plate I’m trying not to plan too much. Honorees this year include Tom Cruise and Nichelle Nichols, the original Lieutenant Uhura. The stunt people we have every year are legendary.

Herding film makers is like herding cats. The amount of people that make a film and don’t make cover art. When I start asking for deliverables like high res files and I don’t get what I need. We need Blu-Ray to be able to showcase their films or they come in with region 0 and don’t play in a region 1 DVD player. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it but film makers need to start mastering the business side of things.

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

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

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

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

Watch the Entire Tami Stronach Interview

Read The Tami Stronach Interview Highlights

Where were you born?

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

Were you taking acting classes in California?

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

How did the opportunity for The Neverending Story come about?

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

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

Did you enjoy auditioning as a child?

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

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

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

What was your favorite character in the Neverending Story?

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

What was it like working with the puppets and animatronics?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is life like for you today?

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

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

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

Watch The Neverending Story Streaming

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

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

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

Watch the entire Robert Craighead Interview

Read the Robert Craighead Interview Highlights

What brought you from Texas to Los Angeles?

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

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

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

What was your relationship like with your agents?

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

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

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

Do you prefer acting in comedy or drama?

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

Is Jack Nicholson a big influence on you?

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

Do you consider yourself an overnight success?

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

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

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

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

What’s working with Tyler Perry like?

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

What other projects do you have coming up?

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

How long have you been a country music singer?

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

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

What advice do you have for young actors?

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

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

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