Paul Chart [Interview]

Today’s interview subject is a multi-faceted human being who has done some incredible work in so many different positions within the world of film. It’s Paul Chart, Everyone! Paul has been in the business for over 40 years and has accomplished some amazing feats in his time. One of these great feats was what initially drew me into the hopes of having him on the site to answer a few questions. This would be the 1997 film he wrote and directed entitled American Perfekt. It is an absolutely incredible film that has lived in my mind since I first saw it as a young man. It’s wonderfully written and features amazing performances from the likes of Amanda Plummer, Fairuza Balk, Robert Forster (RIP), and our new friend and guest of TWS, Rutanya Alda. It is an absolute classic film.

Through getting to know Paul a bit more, I have learned that he has a wonderful short film making waves right now entitled, Nasty. And Folks, it is WONDERFUL. Mr. Chart was kind enough to let me check it out, and I will be sharing my thoughts with you soon! Like real soon. Like Sunday. It will be discussed on Sunday. It will also be discussed below in the incredible answers that Paul was able to carve some time out his schedule to answer for us. So Folks, please enjoy some brilliant words from the great Paul Chart!

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What initially drew you to the world of filmmaking? Was it something you had wanted to do since your youth, or did you just happen to find yourself in this world one day? 

The truth is, I can’t recollect a conscious time when I didn’t want to make films. From the age of about 4 or 5, I was totally obsessed. 

But what actually drew me? Two main reasons: One, a cliche, my childhood in London was a dark, dreary and lonely place to play in, and films offered me a glimpse of a completely different life, location and future. In short, they offered hope. Secondly, they also offered me control. I already suspected my thought processes were way too tangential and ill-equipped to navigate the conventional 9-5 life heading my way, and so I definitely needed a job that wasn’t a job. Film allowed me both a career and a way to make sense of that chaos. I was suddenly holding up a piece of film of someone walking across the room. I had another piece of mag film with their dialogue. Another with footsteps. Another with a ticking clock, etc. It gave the chaos around me a form and rhythm I could understand and control and even repeat. A way of making sense of my own story, and possibly offering something of value and entertainment to others along the way. Along with music, it saved me. 

As for getting involved in actual filmmaking, I had no idea what a director or producer did, let alone how to get into the industry. Movies seemed to be made only by highly qualified professionals, using complex and expensive machinery behind closed doors – and I was a working class kid with no resources and no filmmaker friends, acquaintances or relatives. And so I read books. Shot Super 8mm films on reversal, and learned how to shoot, process and print 35mm stills from negative. This was between the ages of about 8 and 14. My Aunt Yvonne also lived in Borhamwood and I would sometimes stay with the family. Elstree Studios was just a walk away, surrounded by a tall metal fence. But at the back, that fence was covered with bushes and trees. It was here that I cut a hole in the fence and would secretly walk the back lot when nobody was about, trying to figure out how everything was built. The excitement was unexplainable. It still gives me shivers thinking about it now. 

And then VHS arrived, and a certain amount of Heaven entered real life. I could now watch more movies than ever. One or two a day .. more if possible. So by the time I was offered my first industry shot, despite having no experience, I was fairly well educated in film history and production, and roaring to go. Maybe I’m now simply addicted to film. When I’m not writing or shooting or editing or something, I certainly suffer some kind of withdrawal effect. Therapy would probably help, but then I figure the films would be a lot less interesting. Plus I’d be forced to write crap to pay for the sessions. 

Best stay addicted to film and work out my issues that way. It’s the devil I know. 

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this project that you still value to this day? 

My first professional gig was writing a feature for The British Film Institute called White Lies. Although, that didn’t just happen overnight. There was a considerable lead up to it. 

I was studying for an Honors Degree in Fine Art at Sheffield University, and one of the reasons I’d applied to that particular college was that it also happened to have a half- decent film department which nobody really used. So every weekend, I’d take out as much gear as I could, and get to know how it worked. Before long, I was shooting 16mm neg and reversal, and recording sync sound with a Nagra. Can’t tell you how exciting it was to look across the room and see actual real film gear in a box in my own apartment. Anyway, while at college, I managed to earn a couple of Fuji scholarships which financed a couple of short films. Both films, a comedy called Hand in Hand (made with wonderful Glaswegian filmmaker Jim Shields), and a musical spy thriller called Foreign Bodies. The films ended up being screened at BAFTA, and picking up some awards and attention, the most important of which was some fantastic support from Sir David Puttnam, the most respected and influential British film producer of the time. Puttnam took me under his wing, and introduced me to Colin MacCabe at the British Film Institute. Within a few weeks, I was writing my first feature for the BFI, White Lies. 

Through Dave Puttnam I met Patsy Pollack, Joyce Gallie, Mary Selway and a whole host of other amazing UK casting agents, actors and artists. Through Joyce, I was introduced to writer/producer Joshua Sinclair (Night Porter, Shaka Zulu) who flew me to Vienna a couple of times to work on my first ‘international’ picture, a plotical thriller called Judgement in Berlin (aka Escape to Freedom). I was originally hired to rewrite Sean Penn’s dialogue but ended up rewriting the whole script with Joshua. 

Those two very different job situations were the first ones that introduced me to the professional film world, and also ultimately bought me to Hollywood where I met my longtime mentor, and close friend, director Irvin Kershner (Never Say Never Again, Empire Strikes Back). Kersh had a formidable reputation as a man who did not suffer fools lightly, and I remember that first drive up to his house being a long and nerve-racking one. All for no reason, however. 

Kersh wasn’t so much gruff and loud, as he was passionate and childlike and intent on getting his shit right. He was also incredibly well-read and had a wicked sense of hunmor. We hit it off from the moment we met, and he immediately hired me to write a huge remake of Forbidden Planet – the first of many projects we collaborated on. Kersh also later produced my debut feature film, American Perfekt. 

This was all still relatively early on in my career – and what did I learn through all this? Well, there was the physical stuff – which I loved – like how to load film and operate a pro camera, record, edit and mix sync sound, organize a crew, create a budget and schedule, work gracefully under pressure and without sleep, and make sure everyone gets fed (that last one might actually be the most vital). 

Philosophically, however, and I don’t want to sound cute, but the most important thing I learned from all this, was that virtually anything was possible. I mean, as a kid from London, making films was just a dream. Yet here I was, in Hollywood, working with actors and directors I’d admired for years, while constantly shoving my own jaw back into my face in disbelief. That’s the thing I most like to pass on to any prospective filmmaker who feel such things are out of their reach. For despite the film schools and plethora of hyperbolic and technically adept students and social networkers with unprecedented access to amazing new digital gear – there are still dark and lonely places where meeker souls dwell. Souls who have interesting stories and unique points of view to offer, but who might never venture forth into filmmaking without a small shove and a gentle enthusiastic compliment.

“American Perkect” (1997) on set.

Your 1997 film American Perfekt was one of those absolute gem of a films that came out when I was young and very interested in the world of indie film. And it truly holds up. It is bizarre yet beautiful tale, and I am curious to know what inspired you to bring this story to the screen? Was there something personal behind this storyline? 

Firstly, thank you for the kind words. 

American Perfekt was an idea born out of my experiences in Thatcher’s Britain during the 80’s. It was ostensibly a warning about how relying on any one absolute system of reference for navigating life’s metaphysical challenges might ultimately breakdown and cause one to simply throw the baby out with the bath water in a desperate effort to change the direction of one’s life at any cost. 

At the time, Thatcher had promised to save the country by running it as business – which gave many a feeling of control and security. Issue I had, was that a business is not a democracy. It’s choices are ultimately governed by profit and loss, not compassion and justice for all. This direction seemed to embrace autocracy. Autocracy, historically, does not enjoy giving up power, and will lie, subjugate, dismiss and belittle any opposing voice it sees as a threat to it’s continued survival. That was the political climate which initially created Perfekt. Cut to America in 2020. The film is possibly still relevant. 

American Perfekt also posed the idea that we are all equally good and bad, all able to be friendly, to help those in need and be kind – and also able to be cruel, hate and to kill. It’s the freedom we have to make those choices which ultimately make up our characters. Perfekt was designed, therefore, in two juxtaposing parts. Two sisters faced with similar challenges, make different choices and behold different consequences. I even originally considered casting Amanda (Plummer) as both sisters. 

As for it’s physical production, I’d just landed in America with a dear friend of mine, John Conway, and we needed to make a cheap first feature – and how complicated could it be to shoot in the desert? Well, more complicated than you’d expect. But what really made a complicated script work was Robert Forster. I needed someone so comforting in the lead, that even if you turned around to find them standing over you with a bloody knife, you’d still only expect it was for thoroughly benign reasons. Luckily, I met Bob within the very first few weeks of arriving in LA. I not only knew I had my lead, but it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship 

Trouble was, even though everyone recognized Bob’s face, he was not box-office at the time, and when the script began receiving attention, the pressure was on to cast a bigger name. Plus – as is common- it made more sense to make the pic for a decent budget so folk could walk away with a decent fee even if the pic tanked. This was when it clicked to me that a 5 million dollar film with people taking large upfront fees, is almost the same as a one million dollar film with everyone taking scale and percentages. With that bold, and naive notion in mind, I called every other actor up and asked if they could take scale so I could use Bob in the lead. To my utter surprise and delight, everyone – Dave Thewlis, Amanda Plummer, Fairuza Balk – and everyone else involved – said, yes. Amazing actors, wonderful people, dedicated artists – all focused on making the best film possible. I still remember that night. It changed everything. 

So, anyhow, I recalculated the budget with a producer friend of mine, Andrew Schuth, and took this crazy film, with a great cast for an unheard-of tiny budget, to Irvin Kershner, who in turn, took it to Nu Image, where the mixture of names, genre and budget convinced them to finance a totally fucked-up film. 

Now Nu Image mostly made low budget exploitation films and ran a hard-core, no-nonsense business – and I was an ‘artist’ trying to project a ‘vision’. My relationship with them was, therefore, complicated, mostly my own arrogant and fearful fault – What I must say, though, is that Avi Lerner, Boaz Davison, John Thompson and the rest of the Nu Image team never messed with my cut of the film, and they deserve a lot of thanks and respect for allowing such a film to be made – for any budget. The fact it ended up being chosen for Cannes among many other major Film Festivals also kinda blew a lot of people’s minds at the company (mine included), and I like to think it was helpful to Nu Image, too. I certainly remain grateful. 

As for how I approached directing the film – I grew up watching a lot of great movies, but I often felt I learned more from the ‘bad’ ones, mostly because there were so many elements I imagined how I might personally ‘improve’ if I was to have a go. As time went by, however, I began to see these ‘faults’ less as negatives, and more as unique character traits of the filmmakers themselves. To this day, I still love Fulci, Deodato, Lenzi and countless other directors as much for their moments that don’t quite work, as anything wonderful thing they’ve also succeeded in pulling off – a quality I find missing in pictures so well groomed and pre- visualized that personality is often forfeited for technique and spectacle. I’m not for bumper stickers, but I like the one that goes: We admire people for their strengths, but connect with them though their weaknesses. 

Consequently, if I was directing a scene in Perfekt, and knew how to make it work by emulating a scene from another film, I consciously threw the concept out and started again, until I could find an unexpected element of risk in every shot and every scene. Theory was, that some of this was gonna work, while other scenes may fail – but if the value system was consistent, and all my choices were distinctly my own, I might at least create a unique and intriguing total atmosphere – possibly full of faults but distinctly a consistent vision – which was what I always enjoyed most about the films I loved and remembered. They didn’t need to be perfect, so much as Perfekt. 

In keeping with the major themes of chance and fate, some elements also had to be completely surprising, while other elements had to remain almost infuriatingly predictable. 

That was only fair – the yin to the yang. Sorry (but not really) if that bothered some people. 

In the past, their have also been some other question about Perfekt I can maybe answer. 

No, I have never read The Dice Man, and it never played a part in the creation of the script. 

Although Perfekt preceded No Country For Old Men (both book and film) by several years, I have no idea if the Coen’s, or Cormack McCarthy, ever saw it, or drew inspiration from it. You’d have to ask them. I like the Coen Brothers’ work, however, so whatever, more power to them. 

“American Perfekt” (1997) on set.

Throughout your career, you have worked in what seems to be every position available. From writing and directing, to editing both film and sound, and beyond. With that I am curious to know what is your favorite aspect of filmmaking? If you were forced for one reason or another to only do one gig for the remainder of your career, what would it be? 

God, I love it all. Recording sound, photographing, editing, production design, special effects, the music. Except for acting (I don’t like being in front of the camera). Every facet of the process has something glorious and fascinating to offer. And it still kinda surprises me that so many directors don’t have more of a general knowledge (or even interest) of overall film production. The more you know, the more tools and skills you use to realize your vision, the less mistakes, and the more choices, you can make. Each of these skills are also simply a means to an end – that end being the finished film – so my interests in all of these facets probably simply comes under the heading of direction. Directing is probably where I’ll spend more of the future. Writing can take forever, and I have too many scripts already sitting in a drawer doing nothing as it is. I’m also very open to directing other people’s scripts. Budget or genre isn’t a factor. Only originality. I recently created a production company, Lionhart Films, specifically designed to make unusual films. The first film I directed for the company, Nasty, stars Robert Forster, and was dedicated to Kershner. 

If you were given the opportunity, as well as an unlimited budget, to write and direct the biopic of any legendary figure from world history, who would it be?

Sorry, don’t have anyone legendary I’d want to make a biopic about. 

My personal interests are far more insignificant and peripheral. I am drawn, however, to making a film about NY indie director Andy Milligan. Now there’s a filmmaker who fascinates me – on so many levels – and I am proud to say I probably own one of the world’s largest collection of Andy Milligan films – including mint 16mm prints of Legacy of Horror, and The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!, a fact that will only impress about five people in the known universe, but still makes me giddy to think about. I imagine, however, the audience for such a pic would be pretty small. 

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

Many new projects in development, or about to go into production. Too numerous to mention them all … 

A feature adaptation for Walter Mosley’s controversial novel Killing Johnny Fry produced by Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress) and Denise Grayson (The Social Network), an epic sci- fi TV series called The Fourth Kingdom produced by Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones) and Todd Garner (Aquaman, Mortal Kombat), a paranoid political thriller set in 1930’s Paris cafe society called Fay White’s Book of Monsters exec produced by Matt Kennedy, a music documentary following David Bowie’s ex band as they cover and re-record classic Bowie track “Rock and Roll with Me”, and a short thriller I wrote and directed called Nasty, also produced with the great Denise Grayson through my new production company Lionhart Films starring Robert Forster, Lisa Pelikan, Aaron David Gleason and Lenny Von Dohlen. ‘Nasty’ is currently screening at festivals across the U.S. 

I also recently finished the scripts for Six Million Dollar Detective, a neo-noir detective story about a ageing detective who gets rebuilt by a bunch of low-end plastic surgeons, and thrown back onto the streets of Hollywood to finish off a case in spectacular fashion, and a giallo thriller called Clean Me about a late-night DJ who comes to the conclusion his new apartment is either haunted, or he’s sharing it with a cleanaholic madman who refuses to ever reveal themselves. 

The next studio feature film I develop, and will also direct, however, will most likely be The Flint Heart, a large budget, highly irreverent adult fantasy along the lines of Princess Bride from the book by Edon Philpot and Catherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia). 

And, of course, anyone out there with a new and interesting project they wanna run by me. I’m all ears and eyes … 

What was the last thing that made you smile? 

Well, that’s easy. Picking up my kid from school today – and watching them walk along the road towards my car. Oh, my God, you can’t beat that kinda love. Oh, and the 5k digital movie camera sitting on my work desk right now, complete with matte box, follow focus and a gorgeous set of prime lenses. Thrills me as much as the 16mm NPR I had sitting in my damp Sheffield apartment so many years ago when I was a student. Some things don’t change.

Being ever so kind as he is, Paul Chart was gracious enough to share a few photos from over the years from American Perfekt and Nasty, which were discussed in our interview. Please enjoy!

 American Perfkect

Nasty

Peter Rowe [Interview]

Today’s interview subject is a man who did one specific thing that initially made want to have him on the site. And oddly enough, it was an acting gig, which turns out to not really be his main gig. It’s actually Canadian filmmaking legend Peter Rowe! And the acting gig I am speaking of was also wildly specific, which was his portrayal of the late and brilliant Hunter S. Thompson in the docuseries Final 24. I will admit, it’s not the most glamorous interpretation of the final days of HST, but I was still so intrigued to ask the man who was tasked to portray the ailing Thompson in this series how that experience was to do so. So, I hit up Mr. Rowe and graciously enough he accepted our invite. Which is something we are always so grateful for here at TWS. Tomorrow, Feb. 20^th, is actually the 15^th anniversary of Hunter taking his own life, making many of the events that Rowe depicted on screen, 15 years ago today. It’s so hard to think about such a loss, but knowing it was Hunter’s choice should give us a bit of peace, I suppose.

And as I began to do a bit more research on this fella, I came to learn that Peter has done some amazing work in just about every field imaginable in the world of film and television. From writing and directing to special effects consulting and cinematography, there really isn’t anything that this man can’t do! For over 50 years, the 3-time Gemini Award nominated Peter Rowe has been bring so much joy to the world through his work, and we are so excited to be able to share a few words from him today. So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Peter Rowe!

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What initially inspired you to get into the world of filmmaking? Was it something you had dreamt of doing since your youth, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

There was very little local filmmaking going on in my youth. Instead I first worked in live theater – three seasons of Summer Stock theater in the U.S. and Canada as an apprentice and Assistant Stage Manager and Lighting Technician. There were no film schools at that time, except for UCLA, USC and the Lodz School in Poland, and since none of them were in the cards for me, I instead attended McMaster University  in Hamilton, where I pretended to study philosophy and in reality became film reviewer for the student newspaper, and then one of the founders of an underground filmmaking group we named the McMaster Film Board. We managed to scam some money together from the university to be able to make a number of films, some of which I directed, others I photographed. Our group attracted a number of budding actors and filmmakers, some of whom, such as Eugene Levy and Ivan Reitman went on to Hollywood fame and fortune. One of our sexy wilder efforts led to some notoriety, including a lead story in the big newspapers and on the CBC National News, which led me to…

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affects your work today?

My first job in the film biz was working as an assistant film editor and projectionist at the CBC. Realizing that if I stayed there it would be a very slow rise through the network, I left after three months, and then, with the help of my calling card underground experimental film made at McMaster, joined a wonderful film company / film co-op called Allan King Associates, run by iconic doc maker Allan King and his filmmaking partner Richard Leiterman. I got to work on many films there, and most especially got to produce and direct my first feature, which was titled The Neon Palace. From there I continued to work as a freelance filmmaker both on projects I initiated and ones I did for others. I’ve made over 190 films, including ten features, such as Treasure Island, with Jack Palance, The Best Bad Thing with George Takei and Lost!  with Ken Welsh, Helen Shaver and Michael Hogan. In the 80’s and 90’s I mostly did dozens of episodes of dramatic television series. In this century I mostly have done documentaries. My most notable was 49 episodes of the series  Angry Planet. In 2013 I wrote a book about it all titled Adventures in Filmmaking, that is available on Amazon. The book gets lots of great reviews, and so did most of the films.

I recently caught an acting performance you gave on the series Final 24 in which you portrayed a personal hero of the mine, the late Hunter S. Thompson. I am very curious as to how this experience was for you? What kind of research went into the process of becoming such a legendary figure?

Through my career on stage and in film I continued to dabble in acting. In 2006 I learned of the series Final 24 and that the producers were planning a one hour special on the last 24 hours of the life of Hunter S. Thompson. I auditioned for the lead part and got it. I simply researched the part by re-reading the books of his I had read, and reading the early ones (like The Rum Diaries) I hadn’t. It was generally a ball shooting the film. Snorting  cocaine (icing sugar), guzzling bourbon (apple juice), berating my “wife” and generally behaving like an asshole, improvising wild dialogue, shooting guns (blanks, but still fun) and blowing stuff up – what’s not to like? It was a strange shoot for me, because my own father had died in hospital the day before the first day of the film, and Thompson killed himself, he claimed, because he didn’t want to end up like his father, lying in a hospital with a dozen tubes stuck in him. I did it in tribute to my father, a writer himself, and though no fan of Thompson or television, was a big supporter of my filmmaking and a believer in the showbiz adage that the show must go on. The film is available on YouTube.

If you were handed the opportunity to create a biopic, with unlimited resources, of any legendary figure in Canadian history, who would it be? 

It isn’t a hypothetical question. For years I have been trying to make a film about the world’s first movie star, Canadian born actress Florence Lawrence. My film is not a biopic but rather a re-imagination of Lawrence’s life, based on the novel by William J. Mann, titled Biograph Girl. Instead of our story ending with a Hollywood suicide in the 1930s, as the real one did, our film imagines that she did not die but instead was rediscovered in the 1990s and then turned, by a down-on-his-luck documentary filmmaker into a star (of TV and tabloids) all over again. My partner on the project is Canadian star actress Jennifer Dale, who’ll play Lawrence. We’ve had fun doing about 15 drafts of the script. It’s a good one. Who knows, at this point, whether we’ll find the financing to make the film, but we keep working on it.

When you look back on a career spanning over 50 years in the business, what would you say you are the most proud of when you look back on it? Not one project in particular maybe, but your career as whole.

I am very pleased that in the sometimes shaky world of filmmaking I never had to “get a real job” and instead continued to keep working and have fun in a biz where every day is different from the last. I’m also pleased to have two daughters who have continued in related fields, one as the co-anchor of the evening news at WKBW-TV, in Buffalo, and the other making expedition films and teaching adventure filmmaking on National Geographic Society student expeditions. As for my own projects I’ve enjoyed almost all of them, but probably none more than filming adventurer George Kournounis as he hosted my series Angry Planet, filming in the most remote parts of 40 countries on all seven continents. Its available on Amazon Prime.

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

I’m focused these days on two things – painting – I paint mostly pop art work that I display in Toronto galleries and on my Instagram (peterrowepicsandpaint) and Facebook (peter.rowe.123276) sites, and writing. I am deep into a new book titled Music vs The Man, that is about the long-running contentious relationship between musicians, singers and bands, and the authorities – police, border guards, mayors, the FBI, the Kremlin, etc. Hope to soon have a publisher for it.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Probably an episode of The Simpsons (over 30 years of brilliance) or maybe Jiminy Glick (Marty Short, also a McMaster alumni, is the greatest ever). Or maybe Colbert or one of the other late night comic geniuses. We live in a crazy age of politics that has led to a golden age of both comedy and journalism.

Harris Goldberg [Interview]

Folks, we are kicking the week off right with an interview subject who is an absolute legend in the world of film and television, especially (but not limited to) the genre of comedy. It’s Harris Goldberg, Everyone! Harris may be best known for penning the screenplays to modern classic comedies like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Master of Disguise, and the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama, Numb. He also has a story credit alongside our old friend Mitch Rouse for his work on the hilarious buddy comedy we know and love known as Without A Paddle. He is a damn fine writer and filmmaker, who we are so honored to be able to steal some time from to tell us about his career thus far, and what the future holds for him.

So Folks, without any further babbling on my part, please find some wonderful words from the great Harris Goldberg!

What initially inspired you to get into the world of screenwriting? was it something you have had as a passion since your youth, or did you just happen to find yourself in this world one day?

My older brother was/is a very successful screenwriter/producer. I witnessed his journey to Los Angeles and two back to back hit movies at the time (Meatballs & Stripes). That inspired me to follow in his ‘quite large’ and daunting footsteps. I had also been doing some stand-up at a very early age.

What was your very first paid gig in the world of entertainment? and were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affects your work today?

My first paid gig came very fast. within weeks of being in L.A. It was a writing assignment for National Lampoon and producer Matty Simmons (who had produced Animal House & Vacation).  After I got the job, a more experienced writer friend in town said, “Don’t get too cocky. It’s not usually like this. The dips are so low you’ll need a shovel to dig yourself out.” I didn’t believe him. I thought he was just a bit bitter. Ten movies later, I realized exactly what he meant.

You made your feature film directorial debut in 2007 with the brilliant film Numb, which I heard was quite a cathartic experience for you on a personal level? Can you tell our readers a bit about the making of this film and how the story came to be?

Before Numb I was known as a broad comedy guy. I was branded in the Adam Sandler, SNL camps of comedy. the stress of L.A. was taking a toll. I was dealing with some profound anxiety, depression, etc… as a way to settle myself, I began to write a screenplay about the experience. Before I knew it, I was writing a screenplay – a screenplay I did not intend to show anyone really.  When I completed it, I was almost embarrassed to show it. I slipped it to a producer of note I had worked with before. He called back the next day and wanted to make it. Matthew Perry came on board in a big way and I was suddenly directing this very personal, autobiographical story.

While you have done so many amazing projects and I would like to ask about them all, but i feel like we would be going on forever. so, i would like to ask about just one more of your films that i truly loved as a kid, and that would be 2002’s The Master of Disguise. i have been a huge fan of dana carvey for as long as i can remember, so i may be biased. but, i am curious to know how this story was developed? what was it that made you want to create this very zany story?

Adam Sandler & Sony asked if I would write a  feature film for/with Dana. I was a fan of his as well. Same producers of Deuce Bigalow, which I had done in ’98 I think it was. I met Dana and we really hit it off. He could go into so many characters so quickly, I thought taking advantage of this skill could make an entertaining picture, as well as tap into his comfort zone for characterization. The first draft was a hilarious, R-rated comedy we were both pretty ecstatic about. The producer called us the next day with, “You have redefined comedy,” so he must have liked it. In any event, the studio executive in charge of the project hated it, wanted a PG version of the story to tap into the massive youth market. I assumed the project was dead. On a flight up to mill valley, where Dana lives, I came up with the idea of this Disguise Master, and a tamer storyline I thought would appeal to the studio executive. Dana slowly got on board and we wrote what is now the movie.

If you were handed an unlimited budget & free range to create the biopic of any famous figure in world history, who would it be?

Actor, Steve McQueen. I was very friendly with his wife of 15 years who told me incredible stories about this mercurial, charismatic icon. I’ve always been a McQueen fan. In particular, I thought I could really show who this man was and why he had such an impact.

What does the future hold for you? anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I’m currently doing a Sci-Fi thriller for Miramax.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

A dream last night where, for 24 hours, everyone in L.A. were honest, kind and not trying to rip your head off.

Chelsea Gilson [Interview]

Hello Folks! We have a wonderful interview to share with you all today. We have the inspirational and immensely talented actress, traveler, yoga instructor, and so much more. It’s Chelsea Gilson, Everyone! In 2019 alone, Chelsea worked on two of our favorite films of the year, which will be discussed below. She is a star on the rise and has an incredible future. We are so excited to have her join the TWS alum. She’s incredibly kind with her time and just an overall incredible soul. So please enjoy some brilliant responses from this incredible performer. Enjoy!

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What inspired you to get into the world of entertainment? Was it something that has been ingrained in you since you were a child, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I live to create.  There is nothing that fuels me quite as much as an opportunity to pour myself into a role and become rooted in a new character.  I wouldn’t say I always dreamed of becoming an actress or television host – or travel blogger or yoga teacher for that matter –  but I always had an inclination for the limelight. I was a pageant kid who realized quite young that the energy of being on stage, of being seen and heard, it’s pretty damn liberating.

What was your very first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affect your work today?

I can’t recall my first paid entertainment gig, but my first big break was when I booked a show on Travel Channel called Scambushed.  I can vividly remember getting the call that I was selected as one of four hosts for the show.  I was driving home from a fitness shoot, and I had to pull over to catch my breath – I was seriously too excited to drive!  That experience gave me the self-confidence boost I needed to pursue a career in this crazy whirlwind of a business.

We are huge fans of the universe that the legendary Kevin Smith has brought to the screen, having interviewed literally dozens of folks from this world. Including yourself! I understand you can be heard the most recent installment, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. I am curious to know how your experience was working on a Kevin Smith project? Was there anything that set it apart from the variety of other projects you have worked on?

I only worked as voiceover on Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, so I never got any set time with Kevin!  Everything was recorded in a sound studio 🙂 Voiceover is such a fun avenue of the entertainment world I’m just now starting to explore.  I’d really love to try my voice (see what I did there!) at an animated movie one day, how cool would that be?!

Another incredible project you worked on was the brilliant Dolemite Is My Name, which was high on our list of the best films of 2019. Same sort of question. How was your experience working on this incredible film? And what was it about this legendary story that made you want to be a part of it?

There were so many world-class actors on Dolemite Is My Name, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t star-struck on set.  I really loved how everyone was so professional during the takes – never missing lines, conscious of their blocking, grounded in their character.  But the second the director yelled cut it felt like one big party, with everyone cracking jokes and laughing it up like a backyard bbq.  It really was a dream experience and I’m so grateful I had a small part in such an iconic film.

If you were handed the opportunity to create & star in the biopic of any legendary figure in American history, who would it be? 

I’m smitten with Dolly Parton and would love to give tribute to her remarkable life story.  She is beyond talented and so fiercely grounded in her sense of self, it would be an honor to walk in her shoes!

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

This week I’m headed to Temecula to film a movie.  I can’t share any details yet, but if it turns out half as good as the script, you’ll be hearing about it soon!  Other than that, I stay busy blogging away at www.travelingfig.com, stop by anytime to connect or collaborate!  You can also find me on IG at @chelseagilson and @organictravel  & on Twitter @chelseagilson

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I am obnoxiously optimistic, so it’s pretty rare that I don’t have a smile plastered on my face.  But if I had to say the last thing that evoked a big grin, I would pick this morning when I was teaching yoga.  I always cheese during the whole class – I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to share the practice with my students!

Allen Strickland Williams [Interview]

Hello Folks! Happy Wednesday to you all! We have an incredible interview for you all today. We’ve had some wonderful comedians on the site in the past years, and today is absolutely no exception! Today we have some amazing responses from the brilliant Allen Strickland Williams! For comedy fans, Allen is a true household name, and one of the best in the game. For those sad few who aren’t quite familiar with Williams and his unique and brilliant brand of comedy, you are in for damn treat! You’re seriously going to LOVE him. He’s been hard at work with a brand new series that we will all hopefully get to see for ourselves soon! Until then catch him at a live show! Listen to his podcast The Male Gaze he does with Steve Hernandez each Monday! And because I know our readership is loud and proud in our homeland of the Pacific Northwest, he’s coming your way in March! More information below! Be there!

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Allen Strickland Williams!

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When did you first discover that you are a hilarious human being, and that you wanted to make people laugh for a living?

I ran a semi-successful blog when I was still in the womb called Baby Speak. Got some traction around the third trimester. Once the influencer opportunities started rolling in I thought, “Goo goo gah gah. Maybe I got a shot at this thing.”

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affect your work to this day?

Besides getting paid 20 bucks here and there for some live stand-up spots, I somehow got a gig to write an entire season of an animated show about a dog who, get this, was a little bit of a potty mouth. I wrote an outline and a bunch of episodes about this dirty—and when I say dirty I mean DIRTY—dog. I think the dog’s name was Pussy? Thank god it never got made. At the time it was a lot of money to get all at once, the most I’d ever seen on a check with my name on it. But, it took me forever to get paid, and the money went away pretty fast. That was a lesson in how work can come from anywhere, there’s a lot of bad shit that needs writing, you can get paid even if something doesn’t get made, and that one gig or check isn’t gonna change your life. Which sucks. Because all I want to do is get paid in one of those big checks and take it out to the desert, never to be seen again.

We always like to ask comedians who make their way across the country one thing: What are so unsuspectingly wonderful places for comedy? What are some of those “fly-over” cities that simply don’t get the credit they deserve as wonderful places to perform stand up?

DAVENPORT, IOWA. I cannot stress this enough. Daniel Bush and Sean Moeller have put on some of the best shows I’ve ever done anywhere. And it’s a beautiful town, no matter the season.

I recently heard you on our friend Amy Miller’s podcast, Who’s Your God?, talking about an upcoming project you are working on entitled Unmatched. Without giving away too much, can you tell us a bit about this project? What sort of hilarity should our readers expect to see when the show is finally made?

It’s a show about a world where everyone is monogamous because an app’s algorithm can match you to your perfect soulmate. But the algorithm isn’t perfect, and some people can’t be matched, so they’re living non-monogamously in a world that’s completely built for everybody else.

If you were handed the opportunity, with unlimited resources, to write and produce the biopic of any well known figure in American history, who would it be? Why?

George Washington. And I’d just make him look like an idiot who got really lucky.

What else does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I’ll be headlining in Washington, D.C. at the Drafthouse Comedy Theater on 2/7 and 2/8, and at the Funhouse Lounge in Portland, OR on 3/20 and 3/21.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Remembering I had my weed vape at my office.

Craig Hamann [Interview]

Hot damn do we have a good interview for you all today, Folks! We are kicking February off right with some words from an absolute legend in the world of film. It’s Craig Hamann, Everyone! Craig has been involved in filmmaking for almost 40 years, and is actually one of the reasons you may know the likes of one Quentin Tarantino. That’s right, Craig worked alongside QT on his very first film, My Best Friend’s Birthday, which has a making of story like no other, that you simply must learn about. In the interview Craig will talk about a great book by Andrew J. Rausch regarding the making of this film. And while I have not read it myself, I plan to. And if Craig is willing to co-sign on this venture, then I am totally down to do so as well.

Beyond the one memorable venture, Hamann has worked on many other awe-inspiring projects, including working with some of our old friends at Full Moon Entertainment, which he will tell us about in his answers below. He has an exciting new series in the works that we hope gets to see the proverbial light of day soon. And overall, he’s just a genuinely kind man and we are so grateful that he could take some time out of his busy schedule to share a few answers with us here today.

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the great Craig Hamann!

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What initially inspired you to get into the world of filmmaking? Was it something you had dreamt of doing since your youth, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

Two things inspired me. The first happened when I was maybe five or six years old. I always liked seeing movies, even when I was that young. As a result, my parents would take me to matinees on weekends. One day they took me to a double feature with Bela Lugosi in Dracula and Boris Karloff in Frankenstein. I was immediately hooked on horror and genre films, and the possibility of one day writing for film.

The second inspiration came while I was attending Eastern Michigan University, which is a good writing school. I just happened to notice screenwriting was being taught and so I took the class. I loved it. It completely erased any doubts I had about getting into the film business.

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affects your work today?

The first paid jobs were uncredited rewrites for a few low budget indie films. A couple didn’t even get produced. I also did some martial arts fighting stunts in a couple films best left forgotten. But my first paid gig where my name was seen was acting in The Tomb, directed by Fred Olen Ray. The experience itself was dope. Another big plus was I met Sybil Danning during the filming. She was drop dead sexy and such a nice person. During the shoot, I spent as much time as possible talking with Sybil about the independent film industry as I could.

If there is one thing working on The Tomb  taught me, it’s filmmaking is a job. A fun job. But still a job. Everyone is working hard to complete the shots on schedule. 

A number of years ago, you created a film with Quentin Tarantino entitled My Best Friend’s Birthday in the early days of both of your careers. I am curious as to how this relationship came about? I believe I’ve heard that you originally began the project? How did this all play out?

A great book by Andrew J. Rausch recently came out titled My Best Friend’s Birthday: The Making Of A Quentin Tarantino Film. It really goes into depth about the film. Quentin, Roger Avary and myself all participated in interviews for it. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the film. 

Quentin and I had become close friends at the James Best Acting School. We decided one day to basically hold our noses and take a plunge into making a film. It was a trying but rewarding time in our lives. Of course, the best part is I got to work with Quentin. That’s an experience I will always cherish. As for me originally beginning the project, make no mistake, despite what some people have said, Quentin and I originated and made the film together. We worked hard at it. As Quentin likes to say, it was his film school. I agree with that sentiment. It was the only sort of filmmaking school I ever attended.

I also like the idea of simply saying, “We’re gonna make a movie.” We didn’t know at all what we were in for and we didn’t really know what we were doing while we were filming. It was trial by fire. But what a learning experience! 

By the way, the camera we used to shoot the movie was a 16mm Bolex that Fred Olen Ray lent to us. He did us a real solid. I’ll never forget it.

I came across something pretty interesting whilst scanning the internet that I was wondering you could give some detail about. I understand that you reunited with Quentin a few years later as a consultant on Pulp Ficiton. I am curious to know what kind of consulting work you provided to the film? And how was your experience working on this project?

I am a former substance abuser. That’s a fancy way of saying I was a drug addict many years ago while living in Detroit. I talked in depth with John Travolta about the heroin use in the film and I met with Quentin and Uma Thurmond to talk about her overdose scene. I also talked with Quentin about what the overdose would look like. He did a superb job with it.

I would come to the set and always end up in John Travolta’s trailer talking about film, life, whatever. He’d make us iced tea and we would just sit and shoot the breeze. A couple times Quentin joined us for lunch. Quentin also had me present while he shot Christopher Walken’s incredible “watch” scene. It was amazing. Walken is blow away amazing as an actor. And Quentin wrote a brilliant scene.

My apologies for all the Quentin praise here, but I find the guy’s talent to be astonishing. He has to be looked at as one of the greatest signature writer/directors to ever grace the big screen. Of course, yeah, I’m a bit biased.

We’ve spoken with quite a few folks who have worked in the Full Moon Entertainment world, especially writers, which you did yourself in 1993 with Dollman vs. Demonic Toys. We love horror films around here at TWS, so I am curious to know about your experience working on this very specific type of horror camp-like genre?

My buddy Courtney Joyner introduced me to Charlie Band. We hit it off well. I ended up writing Dollman vs. Demonic Toys. It was great writing for Full Moon because of their colorful approach to films, but equally fun was having two friends on  board with Courtney as an associate producer and Tim Thomerson in the lead. 

One project I really was hoping to do with Full Moon was going to be their version of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth. It didn’t happen. I believe they had difficulty securing the rights to that one at the time.

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

Right now I’m excited about a project called Smokers, which I’m doing with my good friend Sam Dobbins. Sam is a smart and experienced actor/producer. We’ve put a lot of time and hard work into this one. To be honest the project is fairly fresh off the presses, but it’s ready to start being shopped. One of the reasons I’m so crazy about this action/horror/revenge story is because of the streaming TV shows on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Shudder (among others). We have 10 episodes already written and a complete story/character bible for Smokers. Admittedly, it’s gritty stuff, very violent, but it’s an intriguing plot with wonderfully offbeat characters. I firmly believe the cross pollination of genres in the story would be fascinating to viewers.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Here, right now answering the interview questions. It brought back a lot of cool memories. Thank you for doing that for me.