Sean Stone [Interview]

Sometimes you can get the feeling that some people are just born to be influential in their own ways. It can sometimes feel like some people have a hereditary disposition that leads them to do great things. Others it may simply be influence and the lifestyle in which they are brought being positive and enlightening. Or it’s neither, and nowhere close to either of these things. Who really knows? We are all individuals in our own right, and we all create our own destiny in the long run. But, it seems to be far too much of a coincidence that sometimes the spawns of great people are able to create even better versions of themselves. Individuals developing individuals. For better or for worse, this really does seem to be the often times very confusing state of things.

Sean Stone has been appearing in legendary films before he can even rightfully remember. And as he grew older, his acting ability never faltered, but it has been behind the camera, and amongst the world of news media, that he has really came out into his own. Shocking at times, but always informative and intelligent, Stone manages to bring real and genuine stories to life that not only must be told, they are stories that NEED to be told. His beautifully developed A Century at War is the sort of film that needs to not only be watched, but taught in an academic setting. It is not only informative, it is absolutely compelling. With a film like this, and his work on the show Buzzsaw, Sean is consistently bringing the world into a different light, one in which we should have always known, but often times just refused to notice.

So, we are very excited that Sean was able to take some time out of his busy life to answer a few questions for us here at Trainwreck’d Society. We discuss his childhood memories on set, the strangeness and joy of working with the likes of the great Rodney Dangerfield in a surreal setting, and how he is attempting to change the world for the better, whether he notices it or not. So please enjoy so great words from the amazing actor, writer, director, and so much more, Sean Stone!

When did you make the decision that you wanted to join the world of acting and filmmaking? I know you may have had an obvious influence, but when did YOU decide that this was going to be the world you wanted to live in?

Well, I was ‘acting’ before I understand the concept, as a child in films like Wall Street, The Doors and JFK. After JFK I auditioned for Searching for Bobby Fisher and quickly realized memorizing dialogue was not my forte at 8 years old. I didn’t particularly enjoy being in the spotlight, so I was happy that I didn’t get the part. Ultimately, I’d say being on set at a young age didn’t get to my head; I maintained a normal childhood, with school and friends, away from Hollywood. I think that was the greatest blessing of my childhood, that I didn’t become enamored with the celebrity lifestyle, instead focusing on school and going to a good college. But even in my teens, I did love to write scripts during the summer; creative writing was always a means of expression for me, that I believed would ultimately lead me to making movies. I just wasn’t sure how long it would take to be able to have that opportunity because it’s one thing to write a script, or many scripts, and it’s a much tougher endeavor to actually get that script produced and made.

So, you have been making appearances in in film’s since before you could even walk, but what was your earliest experience on a film set or location? And what was it like being around that kind of setting at such a young age?

Even though I was 6 months old in Salvador, my first memories would have been on the set of Wall Street when I was 2. I just remember this massive sound stage, and all that candy on the catering truck was certainly appealing. But there was this larger than life feeling to a movie set – and especially considering my dad was making war films like Platoon and Born on the 4th of July – you had this sense of awe at the toy guns and fake blood, and what seemed like hundreds of people all moving in an organized chaos toward that moment when they said, “all quiet on set.” It was a saner version of All Quiet on the Western Front.

You were a part of one of the most bizarre movie sequences in film history, in my opinion, as Kevin in Natural Born Killer alongside the likes of Juliette Lewis and Rodney Dangerfield…and you were like 9 (10?) years old! That HAD to have been insane? What was that like for you at that age? And how much therapy was require for you to recover from it?

Well that’s a funny scene because it was obviously super camp, with the KISS make-up and the shoe in the soup. But it was not done in a way that a 9/10 year old would understand the undertones of the sexual abuse by the father. I think Rodney was more concerned about the dialogue than I was; it’s like the kid who doesn’t know what sex means so he laughs along with everyone else to not look like a fool, when really, he has no idea what you’re talking about. The most interesting take-away from that scene, though, was this dialogue with my dad after Mickey and Mallory have killed our parents; my dad and I were brainstorming [about] what happens to Kevin? Should he pop up with them later in the story, like he came along on the killing spree!?

And being a huge comedy fan, and knowing I will never have the chance to meet him, I have to ask….How was Rodney? Was his stage persona similar to his real life one?

He was very sweet and funny in my recollection. I only spent a few hours with him, but I know my dad had a great time with him, so that’s a good indicator.

How did you find yourself working on your spectacular news program Buzzsaw? What inspired you to go down this road?

Buzzsaw was the spawn of Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura. I had been approached by Mel Gibson’s son Will who was producing for this online channel The Lip TV, and they were looking for content. Ultimately Tyrel Ventura, Jesse’s son and my co-host on Conspiracy Theory, came on with me and his co-host Tabetha Wallace to create Buzzsaw as an alt-news channel. Buzzsaw was essentially picked up by RT America to become Watching the Hawks, where we continue to do news commentary. And then Buzzsaw now lives on Gaia.com, where I continue to probe fascinating interviews, a la Conspiracy Theory, into questions that I have, in topics ranging from the occult and esoteric to conspiratorial and extraterrestrial.

Would you mind telling our readers, who may not be familiar, about A Century at War? And why do you think it is important that people see it? 

A Century of War is a documentary produced and released by RT on our Watching the Hawks show. I created and directed the documentary because I was curious to investigate the forces that had led to America’s de-industrialization and infrastructure decay. I felt that we had sacrificed our physical economy for the financial economy typified by Wall Street and the bail-outs of 2009, which turned these already monolithic international banks into structures that are now too big to fail, too big to jail. But in order to understand the financialization of what used to be a science and technology driven industrial economy, we have to look at the emphasis America has placed on permanent militarization to defend its access to resources abroad, particularly oil, which has created the petrodollar economy. And all of this history is important, because it justifies Trump’s platform to ‘make America great.’ The point is, there are legitimate grievances and problems with the structure of the US economy, even if the mainstream media will never admit it, because they’re owned by the same corporations that profit from making the world purely globalized at the expense of the national middle and working class economy.

If you were handed the rights to create the biopic of any world dictator in history, who would it be? 

Ha. I’ve never been that interested by dictators. I’m much more interested in the occult ‘powers behind the scenes’. I’d be more interested in a true story about the Rothschilds than Napoleon, for example.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug here?

People should keep an eye out for the martial arts comedy Enter the Fist. We’re working on distribution, so I’m not sure which platform it’ll be released on, but it’s an outrageous satire of the ’80s action hero film. And given the polarization of left and right, and the media’s emphasis on political correctness, I guarantee this film will offend everyone, but make you laugh…

What was the last thing that made you smile?

The last thing that made me smile was that I [initially] missed this question, so I had to laugh and smile at my mistake 🙂