Renoly Santiago [Interview]

Hello Folks! Today we have a very special interview to share with you all. I have actually been attempting to have this incredible artist grace our digital pages for quite some time, as I have been a fan for quite some time. It’s the acclaimed actor & musician & more Renoly Santiago! And let me tell you, Renoly is the absolute real deal and such a sweet person. In recent years, you may have caught him on wonderful series like Netflix’s The Get Down, Hulu’s Difficult People, or HBO’s The Night Of, or even more wonderful projects! And if you live in a nostalgic time capsule as I tend to do sometimes, you will definitely know him for his work on two of the greatest films to come out of the 1990’s, for VERY different reasons, which would be his role as Raul Sanchero in Dangerous Minds, and good ole Sally-Can’t Dance in Con Air! And you will remember that Renoly is AMAZING in both of these films, and even more!

We are seriously honored to have Renoly with us here today, and I know you are going to love the incredible and informative responses he has for you all today. So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the great Renoly Santiago!

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What inspired you to get into the line of work that you are in? Was it an early aspiration that you have had since you were young, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I always had a deep desire to be a part of this field since I was very young after watching movies like E.T. and the film Fame, where I saw people singing and dancing and acting and singing cool songs. Then there was the TV show Fame that got me thinking about it at a young age. I always dreamed about being an actor and a singer, at the time it seemed a universe away so I started trying out early on, even though I felt oddly out of place. Lol.

What was your very first paid gig in the business? And were there any sort of lessons learned that still affect your work today?

My very first paid gig in the business was a musical named Sueños (which means dreams in Spanish). I was 14 at the time, I played a blind boy from a poor country and I sang a solo song and was part of the chorus where we sang rhythmic latin songs and did African dance it was awesome and wild. A lesson I remember learning was on opening night when my character was guided on stage by someone else we had never rehearsed me going up the stairs so when I was guided on stage I deliberately stumbled on the step a little and then felt my way up with my blind stick. The older actors complimented me on it and said that maybe  I could really have a career at this. It gave my confidence a needed boost and I learned about how spontaneity is part of acting and along with rehearsing how to always stay in the moment and allow realism in.

In 1997 you appeared in one of the most ridiculously entertaining films of all time, the action packed film Con Air. To this day it can be the feel good bit of violence I look for when comfort is needed. With that in mind, I am curious to know what it was like working on set during the production of this film? Was it as pleasurable to work on as it remains for me to watch to this very day?

Thank you, thank you so much. Yes it was and the more time goes by the more special those memories become. We were an automatic family a wild and crazy Mötley Crüe. I was the automatic baby in the group that everybody loved and at times the most mature. Lol These guys love to play like kids one time a few guys bet money on a race with Nicholas Cage and Nic actually won the race. We spent a whole lot of time sitting by the pool in our hotel sitting under the sun on a deck drinking lots of beers and listening to music. I remember I had the radio and we played a lot of salsa music too. The guys always tried to keep me drinking beer like a tough guy. lol Our view from the deck was a baseball field and then it was just desert. We were just hanging having good times together. And on set it was awesome, the guys had great stories about life including John Malkovich. It was 115 in the shade when we were filming. It was like a 9 month shoot, with like 3 of those months in LA on a sound stage and a two weeks in Vegas to film the ending. Great times miss everyone so glad people love the film.

And of course there is the 1995 drama you were absolutely incredible in known as Dangerous Minds. This was a pretty powerful film at the time it was released. You were pretty young and fresh in the game playing Raul Sanchero, the “man with the jacket”. So how was it working on a project like this as your first film work? How did you manage to ease the tension behind the camera on such a film with such serious subject matter?

Thank you it was a real dream come true. I was 19 when I got the film and had been working & studying acting for a few years so I’m grateful I began early and learned so much in the New York theater. I’m always grateful for having gotten the opportunity to work with Elizabeth Swados who passed away a little over three years ago, she is a real theater legend who knew so much about acting and music and staging and truth. She has always been my source at, least my biggest source of inspiration in my work. So when I got Dangerous Minds, it was like such a big breakthrough spiritually because I had worked so hard already and really didn’t know if  I would ever get a chance. I knew my work was touching people on the live stage but when I got the chance to break into film it was like being hit by lightning. I couldn’t believe it. Of course I cried & fell on the floor, lol, and it was such a special moment for my family and friends.

To this day I am still so beyond grateful to have gotten that opportunity. We had so much fun making that movie I can’t express it in words. We all got along really great it was a wild bunch too. There had been some tension with some of the kids from LA being annoyed that so much of the cast was from New York but when everyone got to know each other it was the best time ever. It was like being on the best vacation for three months with other people your age and having our own hotel rooms, room service, pools and jacuzzi. We went out and drove around, went horse back riding and got paid to be wild bad kids. Lol most of the heavy dramatic scenes involved just a few of us so most of the time it was being rowdy and fun. There was an element of danger but I guess we were the danger so it was ok lol. I also was the only person in the cast who was completely opposite in a real person to the character I played so that was really interesting because I’ve always been more of a very soft tender hearted person but I do it deliberately so it’s out of strength so I can also kick some ass and regulate when needed lol. But for some reason I can really tap into how other people feel so I can create these characters that are so different than myself. That film was a huge realization for me in that way because not only was I playing this role in a film but the character was so different than I. Although again there are some powerful things we share in common. It was an actor’s dream come true and Michelle was just as amazing as the young cast. Everything was done in one take because everyone was so focused and the cameraman was so on point.

In the world of entertainment, you have done some amazing work on avenues like film, television, even the stage. You are also an accomplished musician as well! And you do amazing work in all of them! With that in mind, I am curious to know what avenue of artist expression is the most rewarding to you on a personal level? If for some reason, you were forced to only work in one avenue for the rest of your career, which would it be?

Thanks again. I honestly don’t have a preferred form of performance, all I can do is be so grateful that God has given me the ability to express myself in those ways. I love acting and storytelling because it’s such a spiritual transcendence it’s like you’re on a cloud in a way and it’s a very scary place because there is a chance you might fall so you’re like floating in a space of grace and gratitude and creativity and you know what you say, what comes out of your mouth has an affect on people. It’s so engaging you have to let go of any physical or mental insecurities you may have and just let the work come out of you. Music and singing is so vibrational and I just love love love to sing it actually feels good in the neck chest and mouth and ears such a blessing. I love dancing too and feeling rhythm in my body and muscles so it would be like choosing one child over another. Thank God I don’t actually have to choose! Lol.

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

Yes, I am really excited to begin work on a new House music record with an awesome well known producer and writer John Spinosa and his team. I’m also very excited about my new tee shirt line called Renoly NYC coming out soon the designs are sick. And I’m getting ready to star in an Off Broadway play with a well known director called Ominous Men, I play a Native American spirit that wrecks havoc. I’m writing scripts and developing projects too.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My doggies Pocket Diva and Comet, my family and friends! ️

Michael Nardelli [Interview]

Photo by Ryan West

Hello Folks! And Happy Friday to you all! Today we have an incredible interview to share with you all. Today we have some wonderful words from the brilliant writer, producer, actor, and so much more, Michael Nardelli. Michael has been in the game for a while working in the world of film and television, but most recently he has been the mastermind behind one of the finest television series I have seen in such a long time. Nardelli is the executive producer, writer, producer, and star of the Amazon Prime Original series Dark/Web, which is absolutely fantastic. If you need a comparison, it’s Black Mirror with some narrative. And more importantly, it’s so fucking good. It may very well be one of the best shows to hit the streaming waves over the last decade. I seriously cannot recommend it enough. It’s brilliantly written, and beautifully shot, and Michael was the man who made it all possible.

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the absolutely amazing jack of all trades in the world of film and television, the absolutely incredible Michael Nardelli. And be sure to check out Dark/Web. I promise you are going to love this series!

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What inspired you to get into the world of acting? Was it an aspiration you have had since your youth, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

Thank you for having me! I wanted to act since I was born, basically. I grew up watching old classics with my mom like The Wizard of Oz and Rear Window. TV shows like Dick Van Dyke, The Twilight Zone, etc. She showed me all the Doris Day and Marilyn Monroe movies. My uncle also introduced me to old serials like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon and westerns like Shane. All of that influenced me and I just love storytelling and the idea of experiencing different worlds and point of views by playing a character. I moved a lot growing up as well, so I was always observing new people and interactions and new environments trying to figure out how to fit in.

What was your very first paid gig in the world of performance? And where there any sort of lessons learned from this particular project?

My very first job was a McDonald’s commercial. I was thrilled to have booked it as it gave me my SAG card. I think the only big lesson was just realizing how complicated the process of booking any kind of job in the entertainment industry is. I say that because I had no dialogue in the commercial – I literally just had to turn and react surprised as a happy meal flew by my face – and yet I had to go through an audition AND a callback to secure that. It made me realize, especially for commercials, they’re looking for something specific in each actor to complete their whole picture. It also set the tone for my future in acting, just in realizing that any job, small or large, usually won’t come so easy or quickly in film and television and you have to fight for it a bit.

Can you tell us a bit about your new Amazon Prime series Dark/Web? What drew you to this project? What made you decide this was a story that needed to be told?

I grew up loving all things sci fi. So, anthology shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. X-Files was a huge inspiration for me. My favorite sci fi is the kind that’s used to really dive into topical and relevant events in a unique way. You can really mirror the human experience and talk about hot button issues without being too alienating or on the nose, as can sometimes be the case with traditional drama stories. Me, Mario Miscione and my brother Tim Nardelli all wanted to collaborate again after we had a successful experience on our film Circle, which was acquired by Netflix. I had this loose idea of an anthology show that would be connected by a larger storyline. Where, the more you watched, the more you saw that everything is in fact connected in some way. It’s an unconventional format or structure, but we like the idea of doing something new since so much of film and television nowadays is about remakes, or reboots, or exploiting nostalgia.

We landed on the dark web being the focal point for the series because it fascinated us and had so much story in it. And it’s a real thing, as scary as that is. But we also wanted to explore the web itself generally as a “dark” place. And we felt our contribution to this story was unique because we’re the last generation that will remember an analogue world, and we’re the first generation that started dipping their toes into what is now a massively digital and tech-crazed landscape. We’re at an important point in history where we’ve accepted technology into our lives – literally into our bedrooms and kitchens – out of convenience, but should be asking questions about how it changes things like privacy and even our own day to day interaction as humans.

And now that the show has been out in the world for a while, how have viewers been reacting to it?

I think people seem pretty excited and happy with the show for the most part! I’ve loved getting messages on social media from new fans who’ve found the show and already binged it, sometimes twice. We had a great launch at Comic Con – an official panel and then a two-night premiere where a ton of people came out. It’s still quite surreal for me and all the filmmakers on the show that it’s now this live thing that exists out in the world and people can watch with one click. We got so used to reviewing it on private screener links or drives that now, when I’m clicking through my Amazon Prime Video app and I see our key art, I’m like “Oh my god! Is this real life!? How did we do this!?” And then, the internet also keeps you humble, which is good. Anytime you do something sci/fi horror, people will go into it with their own expectations of what it should look or feel like, so you can’t please everyone, and I’ve seen a little bit of that. That’s ok though – I’m frankly just grateful for anyone who gives it a chance in this crowded marketplace with new content popping up every other day.

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

What an interesting question. I feel a kinship with Kurt Cobain. I was just sort of getting into music when Nirvana broke out in the 90’s. They kind of defined my generation. I appreciate his stance on art and would love to go down the rabbit hole and really live in his skin and his mind. Explore his anger and his hurt. A biopic about Kurt would be a dream. Selfishly, it would also give me a chance to be in a musical of sorts, which is also a fantasy of mine that maybe could be a reality if I stop singing like a lunatic in the shower and actually hone some vocal skills.

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

Right now, I’m just making sure we get the word out about Dark/Web to as many people as possible. It was a labor of love (sometimes more labor, than love) for almost four years so I want to make sure we give “our baby” the best chance in the world that we can. Some people don’t know that we made the entire season ourselves, independently, before it made its way to Amazon. We’d love to do a second season and have ideas for it, if there is a demand from viewers. I just finished a play in LA, which was nice. And I’m writing a new feature, auditioning again, and we’ve talked about a sequel to our Netflix film Circle.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I just had an amazing trip to Portugal. I’d always wanted to go. And once we launched Dark/Web, I escaped for a week and it was the first time I’d felt really relaxed in quite a while because I’ve been so responsible to this show from its conception right up to the sale and the marketing. So, I had a nice big sigh of relief and a big smile as I walked through all these beautiful, ancient European streets and listened to my music. It feels great to get reinspired and fill up your creative well again!

Dark/Web is available now on Amazon Prime.

Myk Watford [Interview]

Hello Folks! We have some amazing words from an incredible actor. It’s Myk Watford Everyone! Myk has managed to appear in what seems like the biggest hit TV series of the last 20 years. Seriously, from The Sopranos, to Breaking Bad, to a reoccurring role on the third season of True Detective. Often times you will see him as a cop of some variety, but not all the time. But it is certainly understandable as to why he would land several roles as some sort of law enforcement. He has the dashing sort of look and dare I say, an “unfuckwithable” sort of grace about him.

Recently, Watford can be seen in the very interesting film The Kitchen that I have not had the pleasure of checking out, but most definitely will be doing so soon! He stars alongside the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss, and it is sure to be an absolute delight. We get into it a bit in our words below, and so much more. So let’s get right into it, shall we? Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Myk Watford!

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What inspired you to get into the world of entertainment? Was it something you aspired to do since you were young, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

A little of both. I had always been an athlete, and figured sports was my future in one way or another. One day, I was probably about 15, my sister showed up with a huge trophy for winning the state High School Dramatic Interpretation competition. I had no idea there was such a thing, or that my sister participated in it… And I definitely didn’t know that they gave out huge trophies for it… I was intrigued. A few weeks later, her drama class did the musical “Fame”. I sat in the auditorium, and it was like the sky opened up and light shined down… I thought “I can do that!” I just knew. After that, I had a series of very good luck… Scholarship to study with the late great Kenneth Washington at the University of Utah. Another to study Shakespeare in DC with Micheal Kahn. Then, probably my first big break, I got an agent in NYC. Next thing you know, I was a (sometimes) working actor in NYC. At some point you kinna look back and say… “How the heck did I get here? I was gonna be a football coach…” But I’m happy with the way it worked out.

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

First time I ever got paid to act was playing the role of Connie Rivers in The Grapes of Wrath at Pioneer Memorial Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was certain my next role would be on Broadway… but that took a little longer than I anticipated.

I learned many lessons in that production, but probably the best one was when the Director, Charles Morey, stopped a rehearsal to call me out for upstaging the actress playing Rose of Sharon. I had no idea I had been inching upstage in the scene, making her turn her back to the audience. He really let me have it, and made an example of me. I never forgot that. I am still very aware of where the other actors are in relation to me and the camera or the audience. It was a great lesson. Albeit a little embarrassing.

I am very intrigued by a recently released film in which you appear in entitled The Kitchen. It looks fascinating. Can you tell us a bit about your role in the film? And how was your experience working on a such a unique story such as this?

Sure. The Kitchen is a film Directed by Andrea Berloff, based on the DC/Vertigo graphic novel of the same name. It centers around the wives of three small time Irish mob bosses in 1970’s Hell’s Kitchen, and their struggle to keep the business going after their husbands have been thrown in prison. I play Little Jackie, who is given control of the business. Little Jackie is a guy who has always struggled for respect… always struggled to be taken seriously. Once he assumes power, he is determined to keep it at all costs. This puts him at odds with the women, as they don’t feel they are being taken care of.

The Kitchen was an incredible film to work on. Andrea is a truly gifted artist, and her vision for the film was quite inspiring. The cast was unbelievable as well. Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish,  and Elisabeth Moss… what more could you ask for? And getting to step back in time to 1970’s New York City was incredible. The clothes, the cars… And they did an amazing job recreating that setting. New York is a real character in the film, and it just doesn’t get any cooler than New York in the 70’s.

We are huge fans of the world of horror here at TWS, and you happen to appear in a damn fine horror flick, directed by the very much missed horror genius Steven Goldmann, entitled Trailer Park of Terror. I am curious to know how your experience was working on this bloody film, as well as the horror genre in general? What do you believe sets the world of horror apart from other genres that you have worked in?

First of all, let me say that the world lost a lot of great art when Steven passed. Steven was a visionary. And he was just getting started. To think of the amazing art he would have created had he not been taken so soon… its tragic.

Playing the role of Roach was one of the great experiences of my career. I know it may sound odd coming from a guy who has been in some really huge movies, but it’s true. I mean, a guitar slinging, redneck, rockabilly demon zombie? Hell yes. Alan Brewer and Matt King created some amazing music as well, and I loved being able to sort of narrate the movie as Roach with the music. It was dark and hard and very explicit. Everything you want in a horror soundtrack. I had a lot of fun playing that role.

The makeup was pretty amazing as well. We had the best in the business working on it -the multiple Oscar winning artists from Drac Studios, who, sadly, are now split up. It was four hours into makeup and 2 hours out every day. Some people hate that kinda thing… I loved it. It was fascinating for me to see the character being created. We would listen to Rob Zombie and a lot of hard, dark music getting into makeup. It really helped the process, and got us pumped up. By the time we were on set were ready to raise hell…

If you were handed the opportunity to portray any historical figure in American history, who would you want to portray?

Johnny Cash. Without question. I’ve been a hardcore fan most of my life. Read all his biographies, even wrote a musical about his life -which I hope you get to see sometime. I also have a Johnny Cash tribute band called Big Cash and The Folsom 3. His music changes the landscape of country and rock and roll. His life was an epic story that is almost beyond belief. Johnny was an icon, and a maverick. But he was also a deeply flawed man who made many mistakes over the course of his life. Like Kristofferson said, “He was a walking contradiction. The living embodiment of antithesis. Not to mention the only man I know of who punched an ostrich in the face and lived to tell about it.”

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

My band, Stumpwaller will be doing some shows in the near future, starting September 7th in LA at The Federal. I also have a cool horror flick called Portal coming out in October. Otherwise, catch The Kitchen in theaters everywhere while you can!

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Watching my 5-year-old daughter singing to herself in the mirror when she thought no one was looking. Priceless.

The Kitchen is theaters across the glove now.

Also get more information about Myk from his WEBSITE, as well as Stumpwaller’s WEBSITE. And if you live in the LA area, catch them at The Federal in North Hollywood, CA, September 7th, 2019.

Becca Lish [Interview]

Hello Folks! And a happy Friday to you all! Today we are sharing some words from the absolutely incredible actress, both on screen and in the world of voice over arts. On screen, Becca Lish has wonderful roles in hit shows such as Orange is the New Black, the recently returned to life hit series Murphy Brown, and will be appearing on the acclaimed series The Deuce. And so much more. But, if I am being completely honest here, the project that she intrigued me the most is, as a 90’s kid, one of the greatest animated series (geared to children, that is) Doug! That’s right Folks! The voice over actress behind the original hipster herself, Judy Funnie, is gracing our digital pages today! Aren’t you just the luckiest readers on the internet right now?

While I absolutely loved her work on Doug, I felt a strong need to learn a bit more about Becca Lish, and reached out. And boy am I glad I did! Becca is a delightful human being, and has some wonderful responses for you all below. We discuss her work on other projects like Celebrity Death Match & more. And we are so excited to have her here today. So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the great Becca Lish!

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What inspired you to get into the world of performance? Was it a passion that you had since your youth? Or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

My mother took me and my siblings to see a great deal of theater when we were growing up. The regional repertory company near us in San Francisco did great work and I decided very young that I wanted to make my living working at a theater like that one. I didn’t waiver from that career goal. I acted in plays at the local recreation center starting at age 7 and continued straight through college.

While you do a bit of on-screen work, you have done some pretty incredible work in the world of voice-over work. We have spoken with several VO artist over the years, and I am always curious to know how you enjoy this line of work in comparison to on screen work? Do you have a preference for either one? 

In many ways, acting is acting no matter what the medium. I sometimes say that my job is pretending to be other people. Working in voice over just broadens the range of people I can pretend to be. All the elements of me that might distract from the character (age, gender, species, nationality) are erased when you can only hear my voice. I’ve voiced all sorts of people and animals through the years. Working on camera, I’ve been limited to characters that are plausible given my appearance. Voice over work can be much more fanciful.

What was your very first paid gig as a performer that you can remember getting? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affects your work today?

About a year after graduating from college, I started work as a member of a resident regional theater company called Trinity Rep in Providence, Rhode Island. It was my great good fortune to work in an average of five plays a year over the ensuing decade, with a wide variety of excellent actors and directors. Resident acting companies are rare but having grown up as an audience to a great one in San Francisco, I was thrilled to become part of one as my first job. One of the most important lessons I learned was that the community of actors benefited from collective action onstage and off. It was a union job and from that day to this, I have remained engaged in union service, working toward the shared goals of our community.

I have to tell you that I grew up in the 90’s, from being a toddler to a teenager. That being said, I absolutely LOVED two specific shows that you worked on, for two very specific reasons. The first is, of course, Doug, in which you brilliant voiced Judy Funnie and many others. With that in mind, when you were working on Doug, where you ever under any impression that the you were a part of something that would have such a cult following so many years later?

I am not very plugged into a cult following but, certainly, working on Doug was a very special experience. It was my first animation job and a wonderful opportunity to stretch creatively. The writing and direction felt very true to the experiences of kids growing through those challenging middle school years so I was not surprised that it was successful at the time (though in a different way than the other shows in that block, Ren & Stimpy and Rugrats). I also think that the episodes Doug himself lived through are universal and timeless so the staying power of the show makes sense. Does the cult have a secret handshake I could learn or is it one of those creepy things with chanting and blood sacrifice?

The other project I loved came towards the end of the 90’s, in my teenage years, and that was Celebrity Death Match. It was such a gem of a show. I am curious to know how you enjoyed working on such a wild program. Was it as fun to work on as it was for young Ron watching in his room hoping mom doesn’t walk in?  

I did just a little bit of work on Celebrity Death Match so I wasn’t really a part of that family. I think they brought me in to replace someone else who was gone. I remember I played a zombie but I don’t recall that it was any different from most voice-over jobs. I hate to burst any bubbles but with rare exceptions you are hearing an actor standing relatively motionless in front of a microphone, alone in a recording booth. Nickelodeon’s Doug, in the early days, was a rare exception. Often Billy West, Doug Pries, and I would record the family’s scenes together as a group rather than wild (solo without context). Similarly, groups of kids like Doug, Patti, Skeeter, Beebe, Connie might have a group scene so several of us would be in the booth together at Pomann Sound on West 46^th Street, where we recorded the show. I learned so much from Fred Newman and Billy West in those sessions.  They were very generous colleagues.

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

Lately I have been doing quite a bit of television work, playing small parts in some of the many shows that shoot in New York. This winter I did little bits on episodes of Orange is the New Black, The Blacklist, Younger, New Amsterdam, Sweetbitter, the Murphy Brown reboot and a handful of other series. These roll out slowly over time so some of the others won’t air until later in 2019.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

African dance class – a very sweaty smile!

Michael C. Maronna [Interview]

Hello Folks! We have an absolutely wonderful interview to share with you all today. Today’s interview subject began his acting career at a very young age and in some pretty recognizable roles. But, he then would shift gears to take a bit of a different approach whilst still remaining very much at large in the world of film and television production. It’s the great Michael C. Maronna! Michael may be best known for his work as a kid as older Pete, in the brilliant and now legendary Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Now, Trainwreck’d Society historians (is that happening? Write in if it is!) would be able to tell you that Michael is actually not the first of Petes to appear on these digital pages. In fact, it was the month of August when the other Pete was on the site. And again, it was August…..7 YEARS AGO! I promise you I nearly shit when I realized this. Younger Pete, Danny Tamberelli, was actually one of our first guests. Actually, our 15th interview subject of the closing in on 500 that we have done. I know this because it was early on, and then the records get a bit hazy after a while. Anyway, 7 years have gone by and after 7 years of periodically making attempts to get Marona on the site, we have finally done it!

And I will be god damned if it wasn’t well worth the wait. We dig into The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Michael being a part of the legendary Home Alone McCalister family, His reunions with Danny which involves a wonderful podcast, and just so much more. Oh and because I feel like I forgot to state it earlier, Michael became involved in the world of electrical work in the entertainment world. And as a former electrician in a fairly recent past life, I am very impressed and feel like this man has/had my dream job. He has worked on projects like Kevin Smith’s Cop Out, Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, and the wonderful Woody Allen as a pimp masterpiece by John Turturro, Fading Gigolo.

It is absolutely wonderful to have Michael grace our digital pages today, as it is a long time coming and I can not believe we finally made it happen. Thank you so much to Michael, and I hope you all enjoy his amazing answers as much as I did. Enjoy!

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You began your career in the world of acting at a very young age. What inspired you to want to get into the world of performance so very early?

I was the first grandchild in a big family and I quickly grew to need attention! I liked to read and talk, and my parents weren’t crazy about paying for college, so these interests quickly coalesced…

What was your very first paid gig as an actor that you can remember getting? And were there any kind of lessons learned from this project that continued to affect your work as an actor?

My first commercial was for Scott Toilet Tissue and it was a very simple set in a studio, a camera pointed at the back of a station wagon. I had to carry a bag of groceries. I clearly remember the director Sol had a big King Kong built out of Legos in the studio. He pulled off Lego King Kong’s head to reveal a can of Hawaiian Punch stored inside. Sol told me he came from the planet Lunch and proceeded to pull scarves from his mouth. As a five-year-old, I was enchanted. I’m recalling that initial wonder – and remembering how it felt in that moment like being the most important person on the set.

In 2008 you appeared in a music video by one of my favorite bands of all time, Nada Surf. The video was for the catchy and brilliant track “Whose Authority”. How did you find yourself working with Nada Surf? Where you previously a fan of the band?

Chris the locations manager for the video was roommates with my friend Mike and recommended me to the director Jonathan as a bicycle riding guy. Simple as that! I met the wardrobe supervisor, decided on lots of layers for the weather and a coupla days later we shot on the lower east side with bicycles. Nada Surf had a cool debut song with “Popular” which I knew from radio play in high school but I didn’t get that album. It turns out they shot the video for “Popular” at Bayonne HS in New Jersey where we also shot Pete and Pete episodes including “Valentine’s Day Massacre” so I was psyched to be involved in a video with the band.

It was a brief bit I did with some of the actual Nada Surf members riding around in Manhattan. I like ”Whose Authority” a lot and I really appreciate the triumphant feeling. I can also remember getting sick after riding around for two days!

In more recent years, you have worked in the electrical department on some of pretty amazing film and television projects. How did you manage to find yourself in this line of work? Would you say it was your true calling in the entertainment industry?

After the first season of Pete and Pete, the grips gave me a belt and some essential tools as a wrap gift. That was great! I was in high school and I didn’t use them much. The gaffer from the third season of Pete and Pete gave me a shot after the show ended. My first full job with him was a feature that I auditioned for the lead of and ended up driving the electric truck for $50 a day. Six Ways To Sunday starred Norman Reedus, Isaac Hayes, and Debbie Harry. I was 19. It’s tough to say what my true calling is – I’ve spent a lot of my life on set, I’m not done yet, and being a member of local 52 for the last 11 years has been a great time so far!

You are a member of the now legendary fictional family that once flew away without one member of the family being left behind. That family is the McCallisters. And the film was Home Alone. The film has since become one of the most acclaimed holiday films of all time. I am curious to know how it feels to be a part of something so historic? And what was the set life like on this project? Where you aware at the time that you were a part of something very historic?

Chicago life was a lot of fun. My dad was there part of the time and my grandparents as well. That was when I went to a big cathedral for Mass for a few weeks – my grandparents. I remember lots of pizza and video games besides that. The cast parents seemed to have fun in Chicago and since we were all in school the production was often dispatching us to tutoring five or six times a day between setups. The assistant directors were great at wrangling us in the group scenes. As I said, I’m from a big Irish family so I felt at home in a crowd, vying with Devin Ratray to entertain us between takes. He was really funny and I saw him in my local comic book shop earlier this year while working on The Good Fight. It’s nice to hear randomly from someone watching the movie that they’re seeing me run with determination in the airport or that they love watching it with their family. That’s sweet. I didn’t have an inkling at the time that it was historic, but I didn’t know too many John Hughes movies – not that I would have been allowed to watch too many!

You’re former on-screen brother and friend Danny Tamberelli was actually one of our first interviews here at TWS. Over 6 years ago! Since that time you guys have seemed to reunite a lot more. Including the creation of a podcast entitled The Adventures of Danny and Mike. How did this project come about? What influenced you guys to collab regularly once again?

We had been doing Pete and Pete reunions in various locales around the country and after a really fun one in Portland we decided to recap it in a podcast. I’m guessing it all started up again in Brooklyn when I stepped out of McCarren Park after a soccer game in my cleats and found Danny by the pool, puking between two cars. It’s been pretty consistent with us since then, even though we’ve both been married since the podcast started! We’ve been able to get some great guests and record good studio episodes and fun live shows along with our producer, Jeremy.

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

The Danny and Mike machine will return to the road in 2019. Look for us in the southeast, the northwest, and one other direction.

@michaelcmaronna on Twitter @dannyandmike

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Watching my son looking at the NYC skyline out the window of an Amtrak train I got stuck on trying to find seats for him and his mom.

Rich Wilkes [Interview]

Happy Friday, Folks! We have an absolutely amazing interview to share with you all today! I love all of our interview subjects in their own way, but this one is very special to me. Today we have some words from the brilliant screenwriter Rich Wilkes! Rich is an absolute genius when it comes to storytelling. I say this because his work is some brilliantly varied, beyond anything you could imagine. We discuss this a bit in the interview, but far be it to say that Rich’s work has a range from writing one of my favorite coming-of-age-what-the-fuck-do-I-do-now? type of films, Glory Daze featuring a perfectly goatee’d Ben Affleck, to a Hollywood blockbuster starring Vin Diesel with a title that would be permanently engraved on my asshole step dad’s arm for the rest of his hopefully sad and miserable life….oops, got a little personal there. Sorry. Anyway, it all wraps back around to one of his latest stories that has completely shocked the world in terms of content and just down right damn good writing, the amazing Netflix Original film, and one of the most well done biography adaptations ever, The Dirt. And, shit, dude wrote fucking Airheads! And he so humbly doesn’t even realize how important of a film it truly is, which just makes him even more of a god damned GOAT in the world of storytelling in the world of film.

So Folks, I shall stop my fanboy gushing and airing of step-daddy issues and just ask that you enjoy these wonderful words from the absolutely wonderful human being that is the great Rich Wilkes!

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What was your initially ambition to get into the world of film? Was it a passion that you have had since a youth, or did you just happen to find yourself in the business one day?

I always loved movies, but I never knew you could actually work in movies. I always thought of it as a distant, insider industry you had to be born into. This was pre-internet, and I had never even heard of film school. I went to college to be a writer, a novelist I guess, which I figured you could become by just writing a book. The notion of screenwriting first came up when I met kids from LA who demystified Hollywood for me, and made it sound like a real thing you could actually do if you tried hard enough. So even though my school didn’t teach screenwrting, I wrote a screenplay for my senior thesis, and kept pushing from there. Unless you’ve got family connections, I don’t think you can just “find yourself” working in movies. The movie business is like any other specialized industry. You have to fight your way in. Say you want to be a breakfast cereal box designer. You eat cereal, you study box design, then you move to Battle Creek, Michigan, and start banging on doors. No one offers you Count Chocula. You go to war for Count Chocula.

What was your very first paid gig in the world of film? And where there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that affects your work to this day?

I was first paid for a script I wrote during my first year of grad school at the American Film Institute. I had submitted for a fellowship at Touchstone Pictures, and they liked my script enough to option it for $10,000. That was a fortune, because at the time I had a $500 car and was surviving on the Taco Bell .69 cent menu and gas station hotdogs. I immediately dropped out of school and the ten grand kept me afloat long enough to get the next job, which was a pitch for a movie called Airheads. That was 28 years ago, and I’m lucky enough to still be doing this for a living.

25 years ago, the incredible film you penned, Airheads, came into the world and has had a cult following ever since. Looking back over the last quarter of a century, how has it been to watch the impact on fans of the film over the years?

I’m not actually aware of a cult following for Airheads. Every once in a while someone will say they liked it, or they grew up with it on cable, which is awesome, but that’s about it. Is there money in cult followings? Do you get acolytes? I’d love an acolyte.

The following year, you made your directorial debut with a film that was one of my absolute favorites films growing up, and still remains one I can always go back to. And that film is Glory Daze. I’ve always thought that it felt like a very personal story, so I am curious to know where this story came from? How did you know that this was a story that you wanted to tell?

Oh, thanks for saying that. Yeah, it was a personal story, based on my own graduation weekend with my friends at UC Santa Cruz. To put the most pretentious spin possible on this, I drew from Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat and tried to make the simple vacating of a house feel epic (to the characters, anyway). Leaving college is a distinct turning point in the lives of many young people. It might seem like a small thing to the outside world, but to you and your friends, it can feel monumental. That’s what we were trying to get at, without too much added adornment. See, at a certain point the script was set up at a studio. The big studio note was to have an evil fraternity full of obnoxious jerks buy the house and evict our crew. Throughout the movie our guys have beef with the frat, until they finally destroy the house, leaving the frat boys with a smoking ruin. That might be awesome,but that wasn’t the movie we wanted to make. We wanted it to be more Diner, less Revenge of the Nerds. It seems to ring true for certain people, so at least some people get it. Oh, and the script for Glory Daze is the one I mentioned earlier, that I wrote at AFI and that got me on my way.

In recent years, you worked on the acclaimed biopic about the notorious Motley Crue, entitled The Dirt. It was definitely a very interested adaptation to some larger than life events. So with that, I am curious to know what drew you to work on this project?

I grew up on Mötley Crüe, but had long outgrown their music in favor of punk rock. Then Neil Strauss’s book The Dirt came out, and it was the most brutally honest biography I had ever read. They go hundreds of pages without ever talking about the music. There are entire albums they don’t remember recording. Every other book about a rock band is a hagiography. This one made no bones about the fact that they were more into the lifestyle than the art, and I found that fascinating. It was written at a time when the band was broken up, so they just didn’t give a shit. So I petitioned for the job, and wrote a chaotic script with four contradictory narrators, most of whom are suicidal, and back in 2004, David Fincher was set to direct it. It was going to be like Fight Club, with these lost, fucked up guys doing fucked up shit.

Unfortunately, the Movie Gods saw fit to kill off that version, and the script floated around and got rewritten by other writers for another fifteen years before finally getting made. During that time, Motely Crue wound up reuniting and put out two more albums and toured the world, and consequently started reevaluating their legacy. I don’t think they would write the same book today. Anyway, the finished film (which is AMAZING) isn’t as nihilistic as I originally saw it. But it’s a decade and a half later. The script had to evolve or it would stay dead. And Jeff Tremaine, who fought for years to direct it, has much more experience making movies people actually go see than I do. I wish Jeff would direct all the other scripts of mine that have blown up over the years.

You’ve written and worked on projects in a plethora of different genres. From screwball comedies, to big budget action films, right back to the aforementioned indie drama. So with that, I am curious to know what you believe they all have in common? Whether it’s Airheads or XXX? What is your ultimate end goal in penning these stories?

Here’s the truth: you work on a miriad of things in your career, but you are untimately judged by what actually gets made. I love writing movies like Airheads and XXX. I also love writing period dramas and quirky comedies and baffflingly experimental stuff. Not surprisingly, the bafflingly experimental is hard to get financed (even with Fincher attached). So I become known for a certain kind of film, but that doesn’t necessarily define me as a whole. It’s frustrating to not have your more snooty, “intellectual” stuff out there, but what can you do about it?. It’s like Tarantino said, In the end, all you have is your filmography.  You just keep writing and try to improve and hope that one day you get to show your other colors. As for what these disperate projects have in common, everything I write has at it’s core an identical thematic that only I can see. Trust me, it’s not worth thinking about…

Of all the sets that you have spent some time on, in whatever capacity, what would you say was the best crafts service you have ever experienced on a set?

Airheads had a crafty who always had dogs ready, with all the fixin’s, at all hours of the day. Dude should be running a studio.

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

After waiting 17 years to get The Dirt made, I realize I have zero insight into the future.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Danny DeVito in It’s Always Sunny.

Amanda Donohoe [Interview]

Hello Folks! We have another wonderful interview to share with you all today. Our interview subject for this wonderful Wednesday is the legendary and Golden Globe winning master of the art of acting, the great Amanda Donohoe! Amanda is be perfecting her craft for very long time and has presented some of the best work to date in the world of film, television, and especially on the stage. On a personal note, I remember her as the “villain” in one of my favorite film’s as a child, and still a classic to date, Liar Liar. But, as it usually tends to be, Amanda has done so much other great work, some of which I was unaware of in the past. And she is here to tell us all about it!

So, without further rambling from me, let’s get this thing going! Please enjoy some wonderful words from the absolutely brilliant actress, Amanda Donohoe!

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What inspired you to get into the world of acting? Was it a passion that you had since your youth? Or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I grew up watching the great Hollywood movies of the 1940s, 50s 60s and 70s from the most avant-garde to the most commercial. I loved theatre, ballet, music, opera, all of which were easily accessible in London and relatively cheap, no computers back then… At nineteen I finally summoned the courage to audition for Drama school. After 3 years training I got an Agent and landed my first paid job in the Theatre. Suddenly I was a professional Actor my course was set …

What was your very first paid gig as a performer that you can remember getting? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that still affects your work today?

My first gig was a season at the Manchester Royal Exchange theatre one of the best regional theatres in the UK. A modern auditorium in the round built within the old Victorian corn exchange. It’s where I learned my craft and how to hold an audience. I went back to work there throughout my early career even after I moved to Hollywood.

 In 1997, you appeared in one of the most important films of my childhood, the zany and insanely sweet film Liar Liar. I ask this question often, but in this case I would REALLY love to know…..how did you enjoy working on this film? Was it as fun to work on as it was for me to watch almost daily for a very very long time?

Liar Liar was a hoot, Jim is an extraordinary comic actor, I was nervous as hell but Jim made it fun, he always had great off the wall ideas about how a scene might play. I learned a lot.

You have given amazing performances in television, film, on stage, even voice over work. So with that in mind, I am curious to know what your preferred method of performance would be? If you were destined to only work in one field for the remainder of your career, which would you choose?

Although the Theatre is where I learned most about my craft, Film has always been my first love, just wish there was more written for my age group.

We always like to ask our statue hold friends this one question: Where do you physically keep your well-deserved Golden Globe statue physically? And does its physical location have a personal meaning to you?

I keep my Golden Globe on top of a bookcase in my office containing my favourite books and a host of old photos. It’s a reminder of a fantastically exciting but exhausting decade of my life in Hollywood.

When you look back on your career spanning over 30 years, what would you say you are most proud of? Not necessarily one specific project, although it surely could be. But, what do you look back on with the most pride so far?

As an actor in Film one generally has no say whatsoever in the final product. So speaking purely as a performer I would say I take the greatest pride in my theatre work as these were the times I had most control over the final product so success or failure was entirely down to my abilities or lack thereof!! There is nothing more seductive, exhilarating, thrilling than the sound of a full house applauding…

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

I have no idea what the future holds, I’ve spent the last 4 years dealing with aged and dying parents, never easy.. So I’m looking forward to the next chapter ever hopeful it will be less distressing than the last. I’m a total History nerd so I’m attempting an historical novel based on one of my favourite unsung heroines with a view to adapting it for film. Women’s history is a passion of mine.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I live in rural Suffolk now, big sky country, mostly flat terrain, arable fields, woodland and small villages “ Constable country” as it’s known ( John Constable landscape painter 1776-1837). Fame and success are all very well but they are ultimately exhausting and isolating. Here I am surrounded by nature and the soundscape of the countryside. I look out into the garden and the fields beyond, I have a veritable menagerie, Roe deer, Muntjac deer, foxes, hedgehogs, moor hens, Pheasant, Ducks, Woodpeckers, Owls and a host of other visiting birds, it soothes the soul and makes me smile big time.

Jason Stuart [Interview]

Hello Folks, and happy Friday to you all! To kick off the weekend with a good laugh, we have an incredible guest for you all. It’s the “swiss army knife” of actors, the wonderful Jason Stuart! Jason is that guy that I have been watching for years, as an avid TV and film watcher, but also as a huge fan of comedy. That’s right, we have another damn fine comic on our hands here at Trainwreck’d Society. And not only his Jason a fantastic actor and stand up comedian, he is also a god damned inspiration!

Jason Stuart did something that could have wrecked his career very early, based on the timeframe in which he did. It’s almost sickening to discuss in this day and age, but we simply cannot ignore the past. Jason Stuart came out as a gay man in the early 90’s, at a time where you just didn’t do that. Anybody who watched the 2018 film mid-90’s and refused to believe that some of the dialogue in that film wasn’t lifted directly from what was considered “appropriate” at the time – believe it. And while it is still not safe to say that things are “better now”, you have to understand that they sort of are better. But, the chance for regression in the changes that have been made is always there. But thanks to people like Mr. Stuart who pioneered the very simple idea of just being who you are and loving who you wish to love very early on, changes have been made for the better. He is commendable for his talents in the world of art and entertainment, and even more commendable for his actions as a human being.

And with that, Jason has a wonderful new book coming out entitled, Shut Up I’m Talking: Coming Out in Hollywood and Making it to the Middle. Without a doubt, it is going to be something that you simply HAVE to read. And we are so happy that Jason was able to take some time out of his numerous gigs to share some responses to some questions with us here today. So Folks, please enjoy some incredible words from the even more incredible human being, the great Jason Stuart!

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What inspired you to get into the line world of comedy and acting? Was it an early aspiration that you have had since you were young, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I started acting at a very young age. When I started getting laughs on stage doing school plays and community theatre, I knew this was what I wanted to do. At the time, I thought I wanted to be famous. But what I learned as I became more adept at the work, was that I loved the idea of being able to make people laugh, cry and touch people. I love the idea that you can go into the theater or see a movie or watch a TV show and I could change the way you feel about something.

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

I guest-starred on a TV show called The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts and played a ping-pong player who smoked pot in college. I thought, “This is it! I’m going to get jobs like this all the time!” So I quit community college … and didn’t get another job for two years. I really had no idea how lucky I was to get that job or lucky to get any job. So I just started to work hard and put one foot in front of the other until around 10 years later when I was able to start making a living.

While you are indeed a renowned actor, you also happen to be a hilarious stand up comedian. And we love stand up around here! So with that, I am curious to know how your experience has been in the world of stand up? Over the years, a lot of changes have been happening. In your own personal opinion, what have been some of the positive changes you have noticed over the years since you started?

Comedy has been very good to me. I’ve been able to work all over the country and actually learn geography! I went to public school. Lucky I learned anything! But to be honest, I was so bullied in school that it was hard for me to pay attention. One of the bigger changes is that people don’t go to comedy clubs as much as they did when I started out. My fans like to come to theaters or alternative spaces. So, that’s what I focus on now. Also, young people watch comedy all over the Internet now. So they are less apt to come to clubs because they have to talk to real people in real life.

One very specific project you worked on has me all sorts of intrigued, and I know it’s probably a weird one, but I gotta know….America’s Most Wanted. You appeared as a detective in 2011. How was this experience? It seems like it would be very different from other acting gigs. What do you remember about working on this project?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was just like any other job. The reason I wanted to do it is because I wanted to play the role of a detective. That role got me a number of other roles after I  put it on my demo reel. I have a supporting role “Detective Walter“ in the film Abducted coming out this year. Every job leads to another. You have to show people that you can play something in order for them to believe that you can do it. My good friends Billy Damota and Dea Vise cast me, as they have several times. They gave me the opportunity to play roles out of the box that I was offered at that time. I only played fussy managers or annoying Jews or funny gay guys. But because of people like them, I’m now considered for all sorts of roles ….most of the time.

I understand that you have a book that was recently released to the world. And you had a signing event that was hosted by our friend and past guest Alexandra Paul! Can you tell our readers a bit about the book? What can they look forward to learning about you and the your sometimes insane business?

The book is about this young gay Jewish boy who went to see Funny Girl starring Barbra Streisand. When I saw it I fell in love with Omar Sharif, her costar. And then thought to himself,  “If I love a man, who am I to be but Barbra Streisand, the woman. She’s funny on the outside and sad on the inside just like me. But she’s a not a guy.” This was very confusing to me as there were no gay role models in film and television in those days. It was very upsetting for a young boy at that time to come to grips that I might be gay. The book is about cleaning up the wreckage of my past and becoming a man. Dealing with a crazy family, a father who was in the holocaust, brothers and sisters who don’t show up for me and the ins and outs of show business. Also a lot of fun stories about everyone from George Clooney to Tiffany Haddish. And a lot about my very flamboyant mother, Gloria!

I am also very intrigued by a radio gig you have now entitled Riffing with Jason Stuart. Can you tell us a bit about this project? What compelled you to get into this game, and how can our readers find it?

The reason I started getting into hosting Radio, was that I wanted to get a boyfriend. So I wanted to find a job that would keep me from going on the road. I wanted to learn a new skill set. Just being funny wasn’t enough, I had to learn to interview people and I’ve been doing that for the last 10 years and for five different shows. What I really love about the job is you get to ask questions to people that you’ve known forever or work with, that you wouldn’t ask if you were just hanging out. So to me that’s a lot of fun.

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

Well my book is my main focus now. I have another film called Immortal coming out where I play a very intimidating private investigator. The film also stars Dylan Baker, Samm Levine, Robin Bartlett, and a lot of wonderful character actors. I also have created a new web series with Mitch Hara called Smothered, about two middle-age gay men who hate each other but can’t afford to get divorced.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Having my mom sit in the front row of my book signing, as she was smiling with joy over a book she was afraid I would tell too much in about her and the family ups and downs.  At one point she said “Don’t use my real name! Call me Goldie not my real name Gloria”. I said “Ma, I’ve been talking about you for over 30 years everyone, knows who you are.”  She said “Oh yeah, I forgot.”

The Listening Tree Interviews: Jordan Farrow [Interview]

Our dear friends and fellow TWS contributors Adam Mattson and Chris Eaves of the world-renowned podcast, The Listening Tree, did a fantastic interview with lead singer and guitarist for the kajui metal band Oxygen Destroyer, the great Jordan Farrow. And our friends were kind enough to allow us to share it with you all  here! Please enjoy, and listen to Oxygen Destroyer!

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE LISTENING TREE ON ITUNES.

Check out more from Oxygen Destroyer on Bandcamp.

Also be on the lookout for the band coming to a city near you:

August 16th @ The Charleston in Bremerton, WA

August 22-25th @ Vancouver Island Metal Festival in Victoria, British Columbia

September 27th @ El Corazon in Seattle, WA

Oct 4th @ McCoy’s Tavern in Olympia, WA

Find more dates on the band’s Facebook Page.

Zoe Eisenberg [Interview]

Aloha Folks, and Happy Friday to you all. Today we have a wonderful interview that we sort of teased to you all during our Sunday Matinee this week, and one that you are absolutely going to love! It’s Zoe Eisenberg! Zoe is a writer, director, and producer of the incredible indie film we previously gushed over entitled Stoke. And in between the time of our coverage of the film and this interview, the film is now available! It is seriously one of the best films of the year, and an absolute must see.

And after checking out this lovely film, I simply had to reach out to the folks involved with the making of this genius piece of art, and Zoe was kind enough to take some time out of her busy life on the big island to answer a few questions. We discuss Stoke in detail, the film community of Hawaii, and what made her want to join the world of filmmaking, which we are so damn delighted that she did, as she is a rare gem in a sea of mediocrity and has been creating some of the best work in recent years.

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from an incredibly talented individual, the great Zoe Eisenberg!

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What inspired you to get into the world of film? Was it an early aspiration you can always remember having? Or did you just happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I’ve always been interested in storytelling, and my formal education is in creative writing, so I entered filmmaking from the screenwriting side. My best friend from high school, Phillips Payson, is a filmmaker, and in 2013 he asked me to write a screenplay for him. I did, and then I ended up producing that film as well, because we needed a producer and I’ve always had a knack for project management. During that process I found out I love producing (and Phillips, it turned out, plot twist, we just got married). That first film we did is called Throuple, a weird dark comedy also set on Hawaii island, where we live. Since Throuple, we’ve done three more films together– a short, a documentary called Aloha From Lavaland, and Stoke, our fourth film but our second narrative feature.

What was your very first paid gig in the world of film production? And where there any sort of lessons learned from this experience that you still use in your work today?

My trajectory in film production has been pretty scrappy – most of the film production work I’ve had I hired myself for. I didn’t take the traditional route of becoming a PA and working my way up, I fell into filmmaking and have since worn so many hats. I’ve been a PA, AD, props, costuming, wardrobe, makeup, I’ve wrangled extras, I’ve done a lot, because in the kind of micro-budget filmmaking I do, you don’t often have a budget to bring on someone else, so you figure out how to do a lot yourself. My sets are not the kind of sets where someone says, as not my job. That said, I’ve always had a team of people to help me, and I couldn’t have done it without them–but typically I’ve been working with a team of 10 to 20 instead of 100 or more, like on larger films.

I recently had the pleasure of checking out one of your latest films, Stoke, which was absolutely amazing. So what made you want to tell this story? 

Thank you! Stoke is about an entitled, grieving tourist who hires two wannabe tour guides to take her to Kilauea volcano. It was actually inspired by the film before it, a documentary called Aloha From Lavaland, that followed my town of Pahoas reaction to a lava flow in 2014 that threatened to cut off our only major access road, which would essentially isolate the town from the rest of the island, and the world. While working on that documentary I was interviewing dozens of people about their relationship with the lava. Our town is located right next to Kilauea volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. We interviewed both people born and raised here, and people like me, transplants who knowingly, sometimes purposefully, moved into an active rift zone. As we were interviewing, we kept hearing the same thing over and over from the transplants: they came here for healing. For whatever reason, again and again this came up. They found the island’s volcanic energy healing. This made me want to tell a story about someone called to visit Hawaii island to heal, and why they feel the volcano–which destroys as it creates, simultaneously–can help them. This is the perspective I wrote our tourist character Jane from. And for our Hawaiian characters, their perspectives on lava tourism were also gleaned from the interviews we did with those born and raised here. How do they feel about so many people coming to see their volcano, and the industry that surrounds that tourism. Puna, where I live, has no hotels, so lava tourism is our only kind of tourism.Â

We also spent a long time casting our Hawaiian characters. In more mainstream cinematic history, Hawaiians have been white washed from their own stories, and we wanted to make sure the actors playing our Hawaiian characters identified with Hawaiian heritage. Even in my own previous work, in Throuple, there wasn’t a single Hawaiian character. I was new to the island and so I imported our entire cast and crew, and I’ve always regretted that, so we spent a long time trying to get that right with Stoke. Most of our cast and crew are from Hawaii, except for Jane, who we wanted to be a genuine outsider. And most of our music is also Hawaii-based. Our soundtrack has some well known artists like Willie K, Keali’i Reichel and Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu. Honestly I was very nervous asking to license their work for the film because I knew how important it was to have an authentic sound — and I couldn’t believe they said yes!

And how was your experience working on such a unique project?

We really had to go with the flow in order to safely shoot with an active volcano, and I couldn’t miss the irony about having to build our shoot around the volcano while telling a story about, among many things, reverence to nature and the contrasting human urge to try and control everything around us. There were things about the shoot I just couldn’t control.

Stoke, much like yourself, is based in Hawaii. In fact, the land is a pretty large character in itself I would say. So with that, I am curious to know what the film community in your area is like? I would guess that alot of films get made there, but what is the local scene like?

Most of our local film scene is over on Oahu, where they shoot some of the larger television shows like Hawaii, 5.0 and Magnum PI. The film scene on Big Island is much smaller, as we have limited infrastructure and only one film studio, three hours from me in Kona. That said, there is a tight knit film community across all of the islands. There has to be, because we are so isolated.

If you were given the opportunity to write and directed the biopic of any legendary figure in world history, who would it be? 

Oh wow. Great question. I would love to produce a biopic about Kahumanu, an extremely powerful figure in Hawaiian history and a women’s rights activist, but I would want to pull on a female Hawaiian director to spearhead it.Â

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

I’m currently working on a feature set in Hilo Hawaii that I plan to direct myself. I co-directed Stoke along with Phillips, so this would be my solo directorial debut. I am also the Executive Director of the Made in Hawaii Film Festival, and that keeps me pretty busy.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My husband, probably. He cracks me up all the time. He works hard at it, too, I think. I like to give credit where credit is due.