Mark Rosenthal [Interview]

We have spoken with many folks from the world of film here at Trainwreck’d Society.  From Oscar winning screenwriters, to beloved indie writers and filmmakers, we have had many extremely talented folks who have been the masterminds behind some of your favorite films both in the big studio Hollywood world, and the independent film world.  And one job title in particular that has us the most intrigued is that of the screenwriter.  The screenwriter is the man who puts the wheels in place.  Whether he or she is simply a hired hand being paid to bring a millionaire’s dream idea onto the written page, or he/she has developed a story in the screenplay format that he/she has put their heart and soul into to see it make it on the big screen, the writers are some of the most fascinating creatures in the world of film.  Where many writer’s in the world of literature have existed for the simple fact that they fear the public, and simply want to put words to paper to set their mind at ease, this is not a duty of a screenwriter.  While they might very well be reclusive characters at times, the ultimate goal of any screenwriter is to create a story that is going to be manhandled, dismantled, and thrown up on a screen in a visual medium for the world to know.  I could only imagine the first time a screenwriter sees the blood, sweat, and coffee stains thrown up on the screen, either being horrified or delighted, or feeling as though they are simply watching something totally different from what they intended. And all they can do is dry their eyes on moderately sized paychecks, and continue to create and create again.

I do not mean to sound somber in these descriptions, but simply express my love and adoration for the great work that these people do.  And I am extremely honored to announce that we have yet another wonderful screenwriter in the house who has agreed to share a few words with us.  And this time we went all out!  The wonderful and talented Mark Rosenthal has agreed to do our longest interview to date, as I asked our dear friend, Trainwreck’d Society contributor and filmmaker/screenwriter Chris Eaves to throw some questions at this legend of the film world in his own right.  And Mark was a damn trooper and answered them all!  His tale is one of personal triumph that should act as a great source of inspiration to anybody out there looking to accomplish, well, just about anything, let alone becoming a part of the world of film.  This guy has worked on  a plethora of wonderful projects that have been beautiful and diverse.  So please enjoy our interview with the illustrious and brilliant screenwriter, Mark Rosenthal!

For over 30 years you have worked alongside fellow writer Lawrence Konner.  How did this partnership come to life?  And what do you think it is that makes you guys such a great team?

We actually met at the University of Vermont. I was a TA in the English department and Larry was grazing through a pre-med curriculum. We’d scurry across the campus in thin, very Flatlander leather jackets and meet in the UVM Student Union and talk about movies. Mostly to avoid course work. A good strategy for anyone in college who wants to go into the movie business: avoid coursework at all costs!

Simply, we tend to fill different ecological niches. I can spend an hour at the keyboard on the right adjective; he’s more a pace and move-it-along type. I’ve found that writing teams often separate this way: ground and canopy, fox and hedgehog. Plus he have the essential personality type of avoiding confrontation so we tend not to sulk over disappointments.

Do you and Lawrence have any type of system when working on a new project? Have there been any large disagreements and if so how were you able to over come them?

This has changed enormously as the kind of films being made have shrunk and TV beckons more. I’ve done a few scripts on my own recently, small stories with lower budgets, trying to find a way to write drama. The truth is jobs are harder to find and that takes precedent over everything.

You have expressed in the past, some of the difficulties you had during the making of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.  But, as you look back today with even more Superman projects coming out and coming to life, how do you feel about your contribution to the legacy?  Why do you think it is important, and how does it feel to be a part of it?

The comforting memory of what turned out to be a sinkhole of a film was getting to hang out with Chris Reeve — a warm, ebullient and passionate guy. We’d stroll through the West Side near his apartment and talk story, gossip, trade stories, watch how kind and unpretentious he was with the public. Really good guy. While there’s an undeniable ‘black comedy cool’ to the fact that we were part of an historic movie madhouse, with an epic cast of Dickensian characters, no writer loves to watch a script that gets a greenlight transmogrified. As Major Clipton says at the end of Bridge on the River Kwai, ‘Madness!’

“A shot with the ‘villain’ from Jewel of the Nile that MAD Magazine asked us for after Mort Drucker did a parody.” – Mark Rosenthal

You have previously described your childhood as growing up watching movies every Saturday afternoon with your fellow neighborhood kids. Can you tell us more of what that experience was like for you and some of the most memorable films you saw? 

If you lived in a ‘rowhouse’ neighborhood in Philly when I grew up there was always a kids’ matinee on Saturdays around 1:15. Movies in those days were pretty much for grown ups — meaning no Sci Fi, Horror, or Mayhem at night. So they dumped the expanding slate of Baby Boomer films on weekend afternoons. We hardly paid attention to the name of the film — just lined up dutifully and filed in. I was so ‘into’ movies as a little kid that when it was some new state-of-the-art effects film (quite crude by today’s standards) like The Mysterians or The Tingler I’d man-up and watch it with the kids, then have massive, paralyzing nightmares through the night. I still have them. The first house I ever bought was deep in the Vermont woods. Friends would ask me if I feared a criminal breaking in when I was alone out there. I could never tell them, ‘No, I’m not afraid of some psychopath with a gun. But I’m frozen with dread at night that Dracula is hiding in the bathroom when I get up to piss.’

How did your life guide you into screenwriting? Why movies over books or theater?

When I drove myself to L.A. I’d never seen a screenplay. Films course were pretty much ‘appreciation’ courses taught in English departments. Papers never talked about the process and hardly mentioned box office. The movies were as secret as the Masons. I was finishing a doctorate with a concentration in Chaucer. Then in 1976 my brother, who was working for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was killed by terrorists in Istanbul. Waiting with my parents for his body to come back so we could bury him, unable to sleep, I made a vow to at least try to do what I dreamed of doing — I guess to acknowledge what Ian McEwen later called ‘this brief privilege of consciousness’. So I just drove myself to L.A. right after my doctoral defense in a private way to honor my brother. Lived in a garage for a while. Read scripts for Mark Rydell and the new studio Orion Pictures. After a 1000 scripts (he exaggerates, as always!) I thought I understood the form. Then I saw a tiny article in the back of the NY Times about a 15 year old girl named Phoolan Devi who was raped by a group of men and though a poor girl from a low caste instead of keeping quiet went back to avenge herself. And when the police came to arrest her she fled and was hidden by other poor villages. So I sat in a brand new shopping center called The Beverly Center and wrote a script in two weeks that became The Legend of Billie Jean.

Can you elaborate on your first venture into screenwriting with The Legend of Billie Jean. How do you feel about your involvement in the film today? How much, or any, has your opinion on those events changed?

Larry Konner gave our very first script to his agent, Bill Block, and it sold within days. I found out back in Philly in a hospital ICU where my father was having an emergency triple bypass. I was stunned. I think I flew back to L.A. without a plane. The phone was ringing as I entered my apartment — and it was the director saying he’d been put on the project and “I can’t direct things I haven’t written.” He fired us before we even had a chance to get studio notes. It was my baptism-by-fire of a writer’s life. We watched the script simplified and dumbed down, much of the character drama removed. A year later on a rainy night in Westwood we saw some women giving out passes to a test screening — it was for our movie. So we went to the MGM Lot and stood in line with lots of 12 year old girls to watch a rough cut. Took me a year to get over that. But film is a director’s world. Has to be that way. When the film opened poorly I actually sent (as opposed to literally?) a sarcastic note to the producers and one threatened to ‘rip my throat out’ but that’s another story.

“A drag queen review tribute to Billie jean.” – Mark Rosenthal

Since The Legend of Billie Jean, do you believe that screenwriting has changed?

Immensely. ‘Indies’ have replaced much of the dramatic studio projects and the competition for high-paying job is furious. Biggest change is that many projects are generated in-house so if there’s not relationship to them already, it’s hard to get in. All the cliches are true: more people trying to get a piece of a smaller pie. TV is more friendly to writers. Etc.

As I cannot number my own favorite films in order, generally, what have been some of your favorite films and could those movies still be made in Hollywood today?

I can only say that I can’t rise above seeing only the things that didn’t go right, the changes I never could palate, or the lost opportunities. So mostly I like other people’s films.

How do you pitch your ideas and what are your thoughts on this process?

The pitch is like stand up comedy with one person in the lounge. Not hard to bomb.

At what point do you decide your script is done?   

When there’s a paycheck! … The truth is, I think most writers can always re-write endlessly. We’re our own Scheherazades!

Would you please talk of your days at Orion and how you became initially a script reader? 

Long story that must be short. I had literally (correctly used here by the way) just finished my doctoral exams. I didn’t know how to get a Reader’s job but someone told me to look in Variety. I saw an announcement about Orion and called the Story Department. Now here’s the first act main beat: I was so stupid and callow I called at lunch time. Everyone was out. But on this particular day Sarah Altschul, the Story Editor, was working through lunch at her desk and grabbed the phone and said, ‘What?’ I fumbled out something about grad school and she just asked if I could be there in 30 minutes. Orion was on the Warner’s Lot and I didn’t know where that was. I didn’t know where to park. Or which gate. I parked somewhere in Burbank and ran sweating profusely into her office very, very late. Again, she should’ve kicked me out but instead gave me a test script to read. I went home and did what I’d been trained to do in Grad School. I wrote a literary essay about it. With Latin literary phrases. And again, when I brought it back, she should’ve kicked me out. Instead she ripped me and teased me but gave me another chance. In a couple months Orion asked me to be an in-house Reader. Then I started reading for Mark Rydell. It kept me alive in my tiny studio apartment till I sold me first screenplay. By the way, today that position would probably be filled by an intern working for free — and maybe I wouldn’t have stayed around long enough to write. Every free internship is a scandal, an exploitation, and should be illegal. The nonsense about ‘but you’re learning’ can be said about anything including the US Congress, studio executives and business affairs. Let’s not pay lawyers congressman or exec’s for their first few years and see how they like it.

With works such as the comedy The Beverly Hillbillies, science fiction such as Star Trek IV and Planet of the Apes, as well as the romantic adventure The Jewel of the Nile in your career, how have you managed not to be forced into a specific genre?

It goes back to that kid standing in line at a Philly theater for a matinee. I never asked ‘what genre was playing’ — I just loved them all. Most genres have the same structural challenges. The characters demand the same attention to detail. My feeling is a writer doesn’t look at project in terms of theme or tropes. A writer thinks in terms of ‘hard and easy’ (not that any writing is ever easy!) Plot and dialogue are hard. Comedy the hardest. But whether a character falls in love with an alien or a jet plane rockets forward but never leaves the ground, good writing is the common denominator — and not genre.

Outside of screenwriting and the entertainment industry, how do you spend your time?

Time? You mean, like, ‘free time’, ‘carefree time’ — hmm, I used to know what that was? Like everyone, the world seems to spin faster on its axis. I have college-aged kids which takes management (there is no ’empty nest’ — the nest merely widens and deepens). But my passions are bicycling (everyday!), reading literature (love iBooks), defeating Republicans, plus I’m involved in conservation — particularly with the Center for Great Apes in Wachula, Florida. It’s an amazing sanctuary where many ‘movie, TV, and commercials’ orangutans and chimpanzee’s are rescued from tragic circumstances by a real modern saint named Patti Ragan. Patti re-constitutes their family groups and lets them live in a forest preserve with grand walk-ways through the canopy. She even has some of the apes from my films. Michael Jackson’s Bubbles is there, too. The re-boot of Planets of the Apes has been wonderful because they use CG apes. Because if you see a chimp or orang in any film, TV show or commercial remember it means: first, the ape is pre-adolescent, some parent has been destroyed or hurt to take it, and it will be killed or dumped when it reaches puberty — often into a brutally horrid cage in the dark to live out it’s days immobile and in pain. (Your readers can go to their website to see video of the sanctuary and its apes!).

In your opinion which have your scripts have been your best and/or favorite?

Oh, far too many. Again, I don’t rate scripts from high art to low brow. That to me is a false calibration. Hard and easy. Most recently,  Looper was a great script within its genre, as was The Conjuring. A Serious Man,  and, of course, Social Network were masterful. But these kind of questions, to me, only make sense year by year, country by country, and even based on budget. Topic by topic. That’s why, to me, JC Chandor’s script for Margin Call was infinitely better than Wolf of Wall Street and comparing them a great lesson to a new writer.

Bob Krist, senior photogrpaher for National Geographic asked me to do a Planet of the Apes shoot (tongue in cheek).

What has been your proudest moment?

Best moment — that’s easy. It occurred at Leavesden Studios when the very wonderful and gracious Alan Rickman and the director Mike Newell arranged for my kids to be extras in Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. They actually made it into the final cut (for 3 whole seconds) in a Great Hall scene. That made up for years and years of grumpy producers and directors!

What has been your lowest moment?

Besides waking up and realizing I have to write — I can’t just chatter around a desk and ‘talk’ ideas like executives and actors and directors — I have to sit by myself, alone again, eating M&M’s, locked in solitary confinement with my mind, for life! You mean besides that? Oh, I could say the times I’ve been replaced on various projects but that comes with the job description. That’s when you just tough it out and run home and write ‘FADE IN’ on something new,something that surely this time won’t be botched in the birthing — the writer’s greatest and unique consolation. In some ways it’s when tiny and assorted bon mots you’re dying to see come to life from your script on the screen get cut out instead. In Mona Lisa Smile we had a bit where the Italian teacher (Dominic West) sings the old Italian pop hit Volare (‘Nel blu dipinto di blu’) to the girls at Wellesley — but the producer never heard of it (along with lots of other things like ‘Catcher In The Rye’!) and cut it out. Writers shoot the whole film instead their heads when they’re writing so it’s hard to drop the ‘scene’ just because it never got made!

In a long line of dream accomplishments for most people, do you still have a dream project you have yet completed?

Hundreds. A few scripts I’d still like to see get made. Many, many more I have on the ‘back burner’ hoping to get to. Writers are all creatively promiscuous.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Literally? (Sorry, the novelist Zoe Heller wrote an hysterical piece for The New York Review of Books about the misuse of ‘literally’ — so now I try to live dangerously and use it a lot.) Last night I saw Fault In Our Stars and was charmed by it and the performances (despite of it’s softening of how ugly cancer really is), and the kids in the theater were sobbing so hard, so long, so loud, so deeply, that I smiled because in our increasingly callous world it was wonderful to see a story affect an audience this way. These were not easy, Lifetime channel tears or dopey Disney Family tears –no, wracking, existentially transformative crying. Catharsis! In comes art — out comes, we must believe, better people! You have to smile. There’s still hope!

Heather Burns [Interview]

So, we have reached what some might call the pinnacle of our little website when we reached 100 interviews a few days ago.  Well, I like to call it a summit.  And to prove it, I wanted to jump right in and get another interview up and going as soon as I could.  And I will be hot damned if I don’t have a good one for you fine readers!

Heather Burns is easily one of the finest actresses in the game today.  She has had quite an illustrious career in the world of film and theatre, but it is her work in television that really struck a chord with me.  I recently marathoned the entire 3 season run of HBO’s Bored To Death, which is without a doubt one of the finest displays of dark(ish) comedy I have ever witnessed.  The writing by Jonathan Ames is brilliant, unique, fresh, and original.  But as anyone knows, even the greatest writing can be destroyed if not delivered properly.  And the cast of this wonderful show deliver perfectly.  Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson deliver their finest performances they have done (and probably ever will do!) but for me it is all about the other two people: Zach Galifinakis and Heather Burns.  Zach and Heather play a couple that has some “issues”, to put it lightly.  And together they create one of the finest one screen “couples” in goofy television history.  Sadly, the show never made it past a third season, but I am not giving up hope.  This much talent in one spot deserves to be highlighted once again.

And just as we tend to realize around here with our interviews, this is a person who has had an absolutely stellar career that she should be extremely proud of, and we know just how fortune we are that she would agree to speak with this digital paper for the peasants.  So without further ado, here is our 101st interview, with the wonderful and talented Heather Burns.

When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actress?

My aunt always tells me that I came up to her when I was 3 years old and said, “I’m going to be an actress when I grow up.” I don’t remember that, but I believe her. I had very good acting teachers in high school, and I think it was around then that I thought that it actually was something I wanted to do professionally. Also, growing up in Chicago, I was exposed to a lot of really good theatre. I think seeing shows and coming into contact with people who had started theatre companies made it seem like something that was possible.

I understand that you worked on a project with your husband, actor Ajay Naidu, called Ashes. What is it like to be work so closely on a project with your significant other? Is it stressful at all? Have you worked together before on anything?

Ajay and I have worked together on a number of projects. I really enjoy it, as long as we don’t have a love scene together, because that is just really weird for both of us. We met doing a play when we were kids and have worked in a few films together. He was also on Bored to Death, but we never got to work together.
Yes, it was stressful working together at times. Making a film is, in general, stressful. Especially when you have a very low budget. So, yes, we had our fights. But, I think at the end of the day, we both tried not to take the stress of the job personally. I would do it again. I feel we both learned so much. It is fun to watch something evolve from nothing into it’s own entity. There is so much that is out of your control, and there are so many happy accidents.

On Bored To Death, you played opposite Zach Galifinakis. The relationship between you and Zach on the show makes for some of the best television I have seen in a long while. What is like creating that show? Did you enjoy going into work each day? 

Thank you! I did enjoy going to work every day. So often as an actor you work on things that you aren’t sure you would actually watch. You’re like, “um… I’m not sure if this is good, but, okay, I’m glad to have the gig.” The humor in Bored to Death was really up my alley, though. Jonathan Ames has such a unique, eccentric voice, but the characters are so relatable. The guys were great to work with too. I’m a fan of all three of them and they are super nice and funny people. Also, I live in New York. There is nothing better than getting to work at home in the springtime. And, the parties were fun!

If Bored To Death ever got the chance to make a comeback, what would you like to see happen? Especially with your character?

Well, I hope she and Ray would try to work things out. I’d hope they’d live happily ever after, although, that probably wouldn’t be too funny. The show ends with him still being into elder love. Hopefully, that phase would pass. Or else, Leah would become older and let her hair go gray, and things would stand a better chance. But, I do like them together. They are a very sweet, almost childlike couple.

You have been performing for television, film, and the stage for quite a while now. So, which one brings you the most joy?

I’d have to say my first love is theatre, but I usually love the most what I am not doing at the time. The grass is always greener with me. If I’m doing a film, I start itching to do a play, and when I’m in a long run of a show, I want to do a film or TV. I think, “What was I thinking? This takes so much stamina.” I do enjoy all mediums, though, and I feel very grateful that I have been able to work pretty regularly in all three. When I did my first movie, You’ve Got Mail, Gene Stapleton said that balance is what makes a person happiest as an actor. That doing films is really fun, but that feeling of telling a story without it being fragmented and in front of an audience, is important too. I always remember that. It was very good advice. I continue to strive for balance. I guess that’s why the grass is always greener.

If you could portray any well-known woman in American history, who would it be? 

Jane Goodall, because she is an incredible force, a beautiful person, an inspiration, and it would be fun to work with monkeys… or maybe it wouldn’t, on second thought.

What does the future hold for you? What can we expect to see you doing in the near future?

I have just finished a long run of a play, Dinner with Friends at the Roundabout Theatre. It was a heavy play, so I am itching to do comedy. I really loved doing it, but I’m ready to be silly again. I am also in the early stages of another project with my husband, that I hope to get off the ground in the not too distant future.

What was the last thing to make you smile?

I live over a community garden, and my neighbors got some little chicks and a coop. They really make me smile, especially when they sleep.

Leslie Easterbrook [Interview]

So, we have reached quite the milestone here at Trainwreck’d Society!  Today’s interview marks our 100th official interview!  It has been an amazing run bringing so many wonderful and talented folks to the site!  We have been fortunate enough to be able showcase some pretty amazing folks from the worlds of literature, film, music, art, and more.  And here is to 100 more!

We have been especially prone to asking some questions for some amazing actors and actresses.  So, it seemed only fitting that our 100th interview that we speak with yet another brilliant actress!  And we definitely found one for you fine readers!  The great Leslie Easterbrook is here!  You may remember her best from her hilarious and brilliant portrayal as Callahan in the Policy Academy series, as well as starring as the delightfully charismatic, yet ditzy, Rhonda Lee on Leverne and Shirley.  More recently, Leslie has been making quite the splash in the world of horror, working with the likes of Rob Zombie in The Devil’s Rejects.  She is a brilliant actress who has had a body of work that is absolutely stellar.

And we could not be any happier that Leslie has agreed to share a few words with us on this wonderful occasion.  I can think of no better person to celebrate with on this glorious occasion.  So dear readers, thank you so much for joining us over last couple of years, and off we shall go towards our next 100 interviews!  Enjoy!

You’ve been doing a bunch of work in the horror field in the last twenty years or so.  What is it about this genre that intrigues you?  And besides the obvious, what are some similarities and differences between doing a comedic performance versus a role in some films that are scary as hell?
I must be the luckiest actress in the universe.  I owe my “bunch of work in the horror field” to casting director, Monika Mikkelsen.  She brought me in to read for another character in The Devil’s Rejects.  When I read the material, I was wildly impressed with the writing.  So, when she sent the ‘sides’ for Mother Firefly to NYC a few days later, my temperature went through the roof.  It was the interrogation scene, if you’ve seen the movie, and offered a big juicy chance to chew scenery.  Never had I read such a scene for a woman.

I flew back to LA to audition again on a wing and a prayer — hoping I would get to play HER. Rob writes extremely well for actors, by challenging us and asking us to go deep — THAT job in THAT movie triggered an entire career change for me, and one I am certainly happy about.

The horror genre intrigues me in many ways, but I am always amazed by the stressful nature of the entertainment.  Much of it is grizzly and grinding, but when I meet the fans, they are the most cheerful and delightful people in the world.  I meet their children, and their parents. They are good, law-abiding, regular, delightful people.  My favorite theory is that they have found a venue to exorcise their demons — and are probably the healthiest folks around.

I love the question about the differences and the similarities between acting in a comedy and a horror flick.  Truthfully, it’s all the same for me.  If I read the character, she comes alive inside of me — as a fanciful reality.  Both comedy and horror take a total commitment to the material, the character, and the environment.  If you are lucky, and I certainly have been, this is all described and set up well in the script.

Both genres will push you to extremes — you just have to be willing to go there.  And allow yourself to push the envelope of safety.  It’s kinda funny, though, taking a hit or being stabbed is easier for me to pull off than not stepping on my own jokes in a comedy.

As an actor who specializes in character work, I constantly have to remind myself that my job is total commitment, not subtlety!  If I accidentally pull off a quietly poignant moment, it’s a fortunate mistake that had nothing to do with planning!

Your portrayal as Rhonda Lee towards the end of the run for Leverne and Shirley is an extremely memorable and hilarious role that always sticks out in my mind when I think about sitcoms in the 80’s.  What was it like working on this show, essentially jumping in on an already fairly established cast of characters?

First of all, thank you for the kind words about my Rhonda.  When I was asked to audition for the role I told my agent to tell them I was busy!  I wasn’t.

She was everything I wasn’t, even physically.  Just way out of character for me — I’m fairly fearless, but the thought of playing a sexy starlet had me quaking in my boots!

Yes, the show was a big hit already, and I was a complete TV newcomer.  I was very intimidated.  My manager insisted on driving me to that first meeting for fear I’d chicken out and blame it on car trouble.

But, I committed to that audition and the 5 more I had to barrel through to get the role.  Up until the last episode of the final season I was convinced they would fire me — as an imposter.

It was a troubled show in many ways.  Unhappiness was all over the process, but I loved working on it.  I loved the cast, the writers, the producers and the crew… and I always will.  It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I will never stop being grateful!

This may be a bit of a stretch, but we talked with 90’s television star Karyn Parsons about her role as a self-absorbed young woman, but who you knew meant well enough.  Your character of Rhonda was similar, although in a different setting.  Tell us if you would, was it estranged to you to be playing a character with such self gratifying ways and means? 

Ha!  Yes it was.  But I committed!!  There’s that word again., eh?

The worst part about playing her snotty-self-absorbed ways was that Rhonda and I never got sympathy from the audience.  We all want to feel people are pulling for us, right?  Oh, that was so hard.  But, here’s the secret sauce — if you play conceited, it helps you ward off your own insecurities.  Mind over matter!

Before each entrance I would be shaking behind the set thinking ‘Leslie’ things like, “my thighs look bigger than Kentucky in these stupid pants,” but the minute I hit the lights, I felt like Miss America flaunting her perfect thighs for all to see!   If you commit to the material, and truly trust in a character, it can help you through anything, even snotty know it all moments…committing is believing, for the moment.

When you look back on all of those years portraying the wonderful Callahan in the Police Academy series, what are you most proud of?  And is there anything with that character you would have liked to have been able to add or omit?

Such great memories!!  Such a great group of people to work and play with!  We did the first PA movie over 30 years ago, and just today I spoke with Marion Ramsey (Hooks) for an hour on the phone, and talked her into doing a new musical presentation with me.  Then I emailed David Graf’s (Tackleberry) widow, Katy Graf, to set up our dinner date for tomorrow night — we ‘re going to dine and listen to singers at the M Bar…In some respects, Police Academy is still the best part of my life!!

Just a note about Kathy:  After David died she began to write.  Her first play was about David.  Then others followed.  She is now an award-winning playwright!  I hope your readers will have a chance to see some of her plays.  They are awesome.

She and screen writing partner have just finished their first screenplay.  It’s horror, and it’s brilliant.  I read it last week and haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since.  I’d tell you to look for it, but they are changing the title.

I am most proud of the fact that all of us in those movies have been applauded and accepted by real police officers all around the country. We were all afraid they we would be ‘open season,’ when we shot the first movie. I was asked to help raise the funds to build the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington DC!  They allowed me to be a real part of the process…and I have visited the memorial. It was a long time in coming and is a national treasure.

I would change one thing that was thrust upon Callahan in PA 5.  I absolutely detest the outfit ‘wardrobe’ made me wear to Miami.  It was Callahan’s first outing, and she absolutely would have worn sensible shoes, and a conservative plaid suit — a tight blouse, of course, but not the sexy outfit they insisted I wear.  Irritates me to this day.  I would have omitted that outfit!
What do you believe it is about the The Police Academy film series that has kept the films a relevant and cult classic series after all of these years?

Truthfully?  I have no idea!  It astounds me to this day.  The only thing it might be is that we were all misfits that won the day … Truly, that’s the only thing I can think of.  Except I just had a thought.  Now, it makes no sense that this is what caused the continued success, but as a group, we bonded.  The respect and the love we developed for each other started on day one of the first movie, and that script was truly magical.  Perhaps it was a charmed moment in time that broke free and reached out to include the world…none if us will ever know…

What is most impressive about your career  is just how well-rounded your body of work has been.  You’ve managed to defy stereotypes, break down walls, and perfect your craft in so many different genres and fields.  You are truly an inspiration for up and coming actors and actresses these days.  So how do you do it?  And if you were to give any advice to up and coming artists out there, what would you tell them?

Again, thank you for your nice and generous comments.

Well, first I would tell them to test their passion for the work.  Without enormous passion, you won’t be able to weather the disappointments — which will far outnumber the victories.

Now is a great time to follow that passion.  Cheaper (and very good) video cameras and sound equipment have rearranged the industry.  Production is everywhere.  Learn the craft in a good acting class, and then start to work.  Make yourself available — be willing to play anything.  Consider being an intern or a PA on a set.  Watch everyone.  Figure out what they all do.  Don’t be a diva, be a sponge.  Get an idea of what everyone on the crew is doing.  This knowledge will be invaluable when you act — if you feel comfortable on a set, your acting and commitment will deepen.

Come to LA with some experience under your belt.

My “body of work” only exists because of a decision I made 40 years ago. I was a budding opera singer, who loved to do musicals, which led to plays and then became movies and TV — I navigated my career like an improv exercise.  I just said “YES!”  In an improv if you hesitate, or say “NO,” the exercise is over and everyone goes home.  Just say yes…it’s so easy, but it takes guts.  Be nervy and open.  The only things that should stop your ‘yes’ are things that morally disturb you, or are too physically dangerous…
I noticed that you have a ton of projects in production and coming soon, and also heard you are had been working on a musical.  Is there anything you can share with us as far as what you have going on in the near future?

Some of those projects are already shot and getting distribution. They are all small movies, limited by budget restrictions, and some were produced and directed by first time filmmakers. This has been my secret pleasure lately. Helping when and where others think I may make a difference.

If you check my IMDB page you will see the list. If you search the titles, you may find them available ON DEMAND or on Netflix.

I finished Daddy last month, and will begin shooting Give Till it Hurts next week. In July I will shoot Sugar Skull Girls and, I hope, Penance Lane.

I am working on two musical presentations:  Bluebeard’s 8 Wives,  where I play all 8 wives, and Dear Little Euphoria.  Both musicals were written by dear old (87 years old and 96 years old) friends, and they are labors of love.

What would you consider your greatest non-artistic achievement?

Yikes, do I have any?  Oh, I do. In the early 90’s I learned to shoot a shotgun.  I was injured on a Police Academy video shoot.  Was asked to fire a starting pistol.  The camera operator directed me to hold the pistol next to my face so he could get a good camera shot of it going off to start a foot race.  When I fired the gun, the sharp sound shattered my eardrum.
I had been given no earplugs — I didn’t even know I needed them.

At that moment I decided if I was going to carry a gun in another movie, I had to learn everything I could about them.  I called my friend Lee Purcell, who is a shooter, and said “help!!”  She got me started, and the rest is history.

Despite my lopsided vision, I decided to go for broke and really learn to shoot a shotgun.  It was hard work, time-consuming and expensive. I worked my tail off anyway, and two years later I won first place in D Class at the California State Trap Shoot.  Okay it was D class, but considering how bad I was initially, it felt really good to beat 400 men who’d been shooting all their lives!

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Your questions!

Stephen Hibbert [Interview]

Some people do some of their finest work behind the scenes.  This can be extremely prevalent in the world of film.  For every Quentin Tarantino, there are hundreds of other brilliant writers and filmmakers doing wonderful things, for the simple joy of being able to do what they love for a living.  Some people hold this embodiment as a sense of pride, others maybe in frustration.  No matter, they are a crucial element to the world of film.

One man who embodies this idealism to the core is the very Stephen Hibbert.  His track record is extremely impressive, writing for shows like MADtv and Boy Meets World and more.  But, the embodiment of being “behind the scenes” can be hidden metaphorically behind the very iconic figure that Stephen will always get to know he was a part of.  The “man behind the mask” if you will.  I’ll just throw it out there: Stephen Hibbert was The Gimp in the legendary film, Pulp Ficiton.  You remember him.  You probably remember that strange sense of confusion when the phrase “Bring out the Gimp” was first muttered, and the strange shocking feeling when you saw man completely covered in leather, face and all, being violently pulled from a box that we can only assume he called home.  Yep, that was him.

But, as we love to do here, we wanted to explore the career of the man behind such an iconic role.  And what a career!  Stephen Hibbert has done some wonderful things, and we are happy to exploit them for our own benefit right here at Trainwreck’d Society!  Just for you fine readers.  That being said, check out a few words we were so fortunate enough to get back from Stephen!  Enjoy!

How did you become involved with writing the screenplay for Julia Sweeney’s SNL character, Pat, being brought to the big screen? And what are you thoughts of the end result as a film? 

Julia and I were married and writing partners, at the time, and Fox approached us to write a movie for Julia’s very popular (at the time) SNLcharacter, “Pat.” The film ended up at Disney. While the film didn’t turn out as well as any of us would have liked, I still think there are some wonderful performances: Julia’s, Dave Foley’s Charlie Rocket and there are lots of truly funny jokes and scenes. So I’m actually pretty proud of much of the movie, and think it’s fair to say it’s better than you remember it, that is (in the unlikely event ) you’ve actually seen it.

Many folks out there may not recognize your role in Pulp Fiction by your face, as we were not able to see it. Because you were The Gimp! You were the sort of human centerpiece of the infamous scene in any even more infamous film. So please tell us….What was it like to film such a distrubing scene?

It was great to be a part of such an amazing film. And, while being wrapped up in all that uncomfortable leather gig was a bit of drag – the rest of the cast and crew were amazing and we had a blast making it. I’m sure for many people “Pulp Fiction” is a highlight, if not the highlight, of their careers. I know that no matter what else I do in show business, I’ll never have a cooler credit.

You were a regular series writer for MADtv during its inception. What was it like in the early days of the show? Did you ever believe the success the show would later such a hit?

It was a fun gig. I was only there for the first season, but I made some great friendships. You never what will be a hit, and I never think about that sort of thing.

After your stint at MADtv, you moved on over to Boy Meets World, which seems like a pretty drastic change as an outsider looking in. Is this so? What was your experience like overall on this show?

Boy Meets World was a great place to work. And it was just exercising another part of my writing muscle, after MADtv.

What would you say the major differences would be between writing for an animated series such as Darkwing Duck or Animaniacs as compared to shows like Boy Meets World and MADtv?

It’s all about trying to be as funny as possible. And it really dooesn’t matter if it’s character in a one-off sketch, characters we know so well in a sit-com or animated little, bouncy things – stay true to them and everything generally works out.

So, what does the future hold for you? Anything in the works you would like to shout out?

Like nearly everyone else, writing a screenplay, Trying to stay busy with freelance work, acting whenever the opportunities arise.

What was the last thing that made you smile? 

Making my 3 amazing kids laugh, always makes me smile.