First of all, why don't you introduce yourself to all of us who
don't already know you?
Absolutely! I’m Dave, the onion. Let us pull back a few layers and
get to the smelly, eye burning truth of it all, shall we? What got you into acting in the
first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? I
have always wanted to perform. Whether it was music, acting, stand-up
comedy... I wanted to do it all. Sort of a “no stone unturned” kind of
mentality. I am not happy unless I am busy working on something, so I
chase after new experiences like they owe me money. Idle hands are the
Devil’s workshop, as they say. This holds very true with me. I’ve spent my entire life attempting to create, whether it was designs
in art school, a bunch of noise with the bands I’ve been involved in,
turning my home into a place I never want to leave, or a character that
I’m portraying in a film. Although I have not received formal training
per se, life has taught me well, and I have spent time in local theater,
with small bit parts and behind the scenes on crews and set designs. I
plan on taking advantage of, not only the opportunities that my home town
of Pittsburgh offers in education and training, but the vast opportunities
that the city has entertained as of late, in network and cable series
television and feature films. This region has become a real hotbed of
activity in the last few years, and there is no reason I should be
ignorant to it. Can
you still remember your first time in front of a camera, and what was that
experience like? Thinking back to my first official, filmed
performance, it was a commercial that my band at the time, Sweet
Revenge was asked to do. That was fun, but let’s skip to my first
real attempt to act on film. It was exciting and stressful. I was cold
call auditioning for a part in Fist of
the
Vampire, and my initial take on
the character may have been miscalculated just a bit. I think I come off
as a little cold, angry and/or cynical sometimes on film, and it didn’t
transpose well to the character, but that comfort zone is something I’m
trying to climb out of to broaden my abilities. This approach did not lend
to getting the role of that character, but it did get me cast in the film.
In my opinion, cast into a better role, because the initial character
meets his demise in the first 15 minutes or so, and I do survive the
entire movie. That led to more scenes and more lines. My favorite line of
all time rests in this movie and references an old childhood revisit,
based on a breakfast cereal. (Here’s your cue to pick up a copy of Fist of
the
Vampire and see what chocolaty goodness I’m talking about).
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Over the years, you have worked quite
extensively with director Len Kabasinski [Len
Kabasinski interview - click here] - so what can you tell us about
your movies with him, what's working with him like, and where did you two
first meet even?
Mr. Kabasinski is awesome! Just an intelligent, creative and overall
inspiring guy to work with. We have developed a supportive and respective
friendship over the years, and regardless of the 134 miles that separate
us, we know we are just a text message, or a phone call, or a video chat
and even social media post away from being there for each other. Len has
inspired me, not only to become a better actor, but to follow up on my
martial arts training, and to start writing and even producing in the very
near future. His ability to cast talent is amazing, and his overall
vision, script writing and professionalism is top notch. We first met
during a midnight premiere of his film Curse of the Wolf, that I had
attended with a mutual friend. As I was sitting in the theater, I was
watching the screen, then looking around to the those actors near me,
thinking “this is cool”. I then mentioned to my friend that acting is
something I always wanted to migrate into from music. That friend (a
million thanks, Lisa) then alerted Mr. Kabasinski to that fact. Len and I
have since realized that we had some of the same friends over the years.
From me frequenting Erie and surrounding areas, touring with my band, to
him networking and clubbing in the Pittsburgh area, we had more of a
connection than initially anticipated.
You're also in Len Kabasinski's
upcoming Hellcat's Revenge - so what can you tell us about that one
and your character in it?
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Hellcat’s Revenge was an
awful lot of fun. I spent a little time in the make-up chair, hangin’
with my bud, Monster Mark (Mark Kosobucki) which was a nice change of pace
for me. I haven’t experienced an awful lot of special effects in the
last few years, so the time spent with Mark was sort of an intimate way to
catch up with him. In the film I play Lex, a biker dude, and a member of
the Vipers Motorcycle Club. A gang really. Involved in some “not so
nice” activities. The character was bad ass, and a change in my typical
roles as an agent, detective or officer of some law enforcement agency. It
was neat to move to the other side of the law for a change. I aimed for
Lex to be a buffer, somewhere in the middle of the laid back demeanor of
Snake (Kabasinski’s character), and the absolutely brutally sick and
corkscrewed mind of Repo (Kosobuckis character), but still ready to whoop
some butt! I ride a motorcycle in real life, so to tap into that
expression of freedom and outlaw mentality, for just a bit on screen, was
an easy transition, and just plain fun. Do talk about the shoot as
such, and the on-set atmosphere? Working with Len and the
“Killerwolf Krew” is like coming home. When I take the journey north
to wherever the shoot location may be, it’s bro hugs, handshakes and
kisses. It’s “how’s the family” and “what have you been up
to?” During this shoot, I had a chance to hang out a little more,
giving me the opportunity to be plugged into a few more scenes, doing a
little improvisation (which I love!), and really spending some time with
some of my costars. It’s always great to get to know new people, and
open yourself up a little too. I’ve found Donna Hamblin [Donna
Hamblin interview - click here] and Deborah
Dutch [Deborah Dutch
interview - click here] to be wonderful and supportive people, so thanks for that, ladies!
While on set, I pride myself on being the comic relief of sorts, serious
about what I’m doing at that moment, but as soon as the camera pauses,
I’m acting the fool, always giving them a snippet or two for the blooper
reel, or saying something funny to relieve the tension on set. I feel
spoiled when working with Len and the bunch, because I am more comfortable
in every situation, and can really focus on the tasks at hand. It not only
makes for a good time, but also I can give my best performance.
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Any other past films of
yours you'd like to talk about?
One of the coolest things, that I believe also helped inspire me at an
early stage in my acting career, was when we were shooting Wendigo. We
were in New York, in the middle of winter, with about a foot of snow on
the ground. Literal walls of icicles were hanging off the gutters of the
buildings, and touching the ground. Very pristine. Very white. Very
majestic. Of course, we went and made a bloody mess of it all, but always
thinking on what I can contribute to create the best scene, an idea for
how I was to react to getting shot in the chest 3 times entered my mind. A
very cold face plant into the snow, with the camera placed at ground level
to catch it, was my first creative input that made the cut, and looks
awesome. (That’s you cue to pick up a copy of Wendigo, and slow motion
my face plant.) Len was totally open to the input, and said that’s a
good idea, so we said, hey! Let’s do it. Thank the Lord that we got the
shot the first time, because I don’t know if another try was possible.
It was cold! In addition to working with Len and all involved in his
productions to make my experiences unforgettable, I’ve experienced
nothing but respect and support when working on or being around major
productions, and actually was inspired, again by an unexpected source.
While on the set of Perks of Being a Wallflower (my son, Paul, was a
featured extra in this flick), I spent time catching (American) football
with the writer/director, and even taking in a nice long conversation with
a delightful young “enchanting” woman, marveling over her flawless
face, her cute little pixie haircut and proper London accent, proving
people are people and renewing my sense of humanity. (If you know the
movie, then you know of whom I speak, and she was just the sweetest
thing). This has only solidified my faith in the general spirit of the
thespian. Those are the things I want to embrace.
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From what I know, you're
planning to direct your first short from your own screenplay soon and are
in the process of writing a feature - so what prompted you to take that
step behind the camera, and what can you tell us about both projects?
Well, at the present time, the short script is finished, actors are
cast and I’m putting together the production team, and considering
looking to solicit funding. It’s a piece that will yield about 30
minutes at final cut. It focuses on a specific epidemic we are
experiencing all over the world, but is having such a devastating effect
on individuals and families here in the states. It’s an emotional rollercoaster
script that will challenge the actors' ability to happily reflect,
while at the same time dealing with dissolution. I’ll leave it at that.
The follow up project is in its infancy stage right now. I think the main
reason why I am choosing to write and direct is that I have a lot to say
about the human emotional response to trauma, and really want to focus on
the emotional and psychological human reaction. Plus I feel I have a lot
to offer in creativity and how the message gets presented. Again, “I’m
not happy unless I’m working” falls into play here. The full length
piece in the writing stage is currently a dramatic tragedy, but may end up
a feel-good picture. Or a thriller. Or a comedy. As you can see, at this
point, I try not to limit where this thing may take us all.
Any
other future projects you'd like to share? Right now, I’m
getting ready to shoot some footage that will be included in the website
of the car club I belong to, Twisted Metal Car Club. It will be a
documentary of sorts, using some footage to include in member profiles on
the website, with hopefully enough entertaining material to produce an
interesting, full length release. To me, the capture of normal, everyday
human behavior is something that was lost as soon reality shows became
popular. Things are funnier, when you know they are real, and it’s very
hard to decipher what is real these days. In addition to that, I’m
working with a songwriter out of Orlando, Florida to record some new
music. He has some amazing stuff, and I just can’t wait to lend my drum
tracks to a few of the future hits. I’m always writing lyrics with the
hope that my, at this time, unnamed project will consider contributing to
them. Being in Pittsburgh, and considering the surge in movie and
television opportunities, I’m always keeping my eye out for a chance to
lend and hone my skills to any movie or TV production, and I always make
myself available for my movie making friends in any capacity.
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Besides
making movies, you're also a musician, right? So do talk about your career
in music for a bit! I’ve spent most of my life, and an
awful lot of resources, pursuing my love of music. I play drums in two
projects right now, but my focus is on my band Sovereign. Prior to forming
Sovereign in 2014, and taking a brief hiatus between the two, I spent 17
years playing and touring with the hard rock band Ashes to Ashes,
releasing 8 full length albums in America, and one overseas on the
ESCAPEmusic label. We have played with just about every 70’s 80’s and
90’s band worth mentioning from Ted Nugent and Styx to Tesla, Ratt,
Slaughter, Kiss and Van Halen. I’m a novice guitar player, hoping to
allocate more time to it, to assist in writing better songs. What can you tell us about your
music, and what are your musical influences? Well, I prefer
an aggressive stance when it comes to my playing, but I enjoy a nice laid
back groove, every so often, as well. Power, whether it’s brute force,
or emotionally moving. I’m a huge fan of the 80’s and early 90’s
glam or “hair” bands, but my tastes run the gamut. I spent my pre teen
years listening to top 40 pop radio, but my teenage years lent strictly to
metal and glam. I now prefer something with a bit more aggression, but I
also spend a lot of time revisiting music from my early childhood,
listening to 70’s top 40 and mixing in a bit of Sevendust, Alice in
Chains, and Pop Evil. So basically, my tastes range from the Bee Gees to
Slayer. As far as influences, again, it runs deep and far in every
direction. At 8 years old, I bruised my chin the first time I saw a KISS
poster, it hitting the floor as my eyes focused in pure glamorous awe.
Then we played a record, and I was hooked. But now, I can find something
and appreciate something in just about every genre and every era of music. How would
you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to bring
your characters to life?
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As I mentioned earlier, I believe
I have only tapped into a very small part of what I truly feel I am
capable of. I try to look into the emotional sense of the character, while
retaining a bit of my own perception and personality. “The moment we
cease to learn and grow, we die”. I truly believe that, and there is no
moss growing on my stones! I have an awful lot to learn and experience,
and I’m ready for everything and anything. I seek out those
opportunities with the hope that I can grab something from those
experiences that I can not only use to give the best performance I can,
but for lessons that I can apply to my own life. I’ve been lucky
to have worked with some really talented and open minded folks, who invite
creative input, and have been able to test different approaches to the
same situations, without wasting too much time. I feel it gives us the
best possible outcome, but I also know that it’s rare. So I embrace
those situations, and they help me gauge the content of my input. This too
has helped me decide to step behind the camera, and see what I have to
offer. Actors, writers, filmmakers who
inspire you? Wow, that’s tough. There are truly so many.
I guess just a few of each worth mentioning will not be too painful... and since I’ve been so long winded up until now, I’ll just
list them in no particular order. Tom Hanks, John Carpenter, Tom Stoops,
Bruce Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Len Kabasinski [Len
Kabasinski interview - click here], Norman Lear, Jessica Lange,
Paul Junger Witt, Bill Murray, Harrison Ford, George A. Romero, Steven Seagal (ok, I’m just kidding about Steven Seagal). Your favourite movies? Being
from Pittsburgh, and embedded deep within the zombie culture here, I would
have to say ultimately... zombie movies. Slow moving and soft bodied,
fast running, super strong zombies. Zombies, caused from some government
experiments gone awry or seemingly having no cause at all. I love em! Low
budget? Multi million Dollar productions? Bring em all on. Zombie Girl,
Zombie Dog, Zombie Grandma, Curse of the Zombies, Fear the
Zombies,
Zombies from Uranus, Zombies from Down the Street. I believe all of those
titles exist, and if they don’t, they should. Sprinkle in a little of Forrest
Gump, Happy Gilmore, Fried Green Tomatoes, and anything made on
the beach in the 80’s where college dorks hook up with the most gorgeous
bikini clad (preferably topless) women. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? None, really.
I’m a fan of anything that someone had a passion to start and complete,
along with all of the work and dedication that goes into it. Creativity
and entertainment is relative. What I may find totally useless, is someone
else’s Casablanca. Oh, wait, I believe the
Blair Witch Project was
definitely deplorable. I hated that movie.
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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Your website,
Facebook, whatever else?
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2746298/
https://www.facebook.com/dave.campbell.315080
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008324024660
Personal website coming soon.
Twisted Metal Car Club website coming soon.
Thanks for the interview!
Thank you, Michael. It has been an absolute pleasure! Now make
sure you wash your hands before touching your face.
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