Courtesy of R&F Entertainment |
Your new movie Maturing
Youth - in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us
about your character in it?
It’s a funky sort of coming of age story about a freeloading
pot-addled loafer, Roger, who is ambushed by his ex-girlfriend, with
toddler in tow. She pulls a Maury Povich on him and then leaves the boys
to their own devices. Roger then must grapple with how to confront this
new responsibility, a word and practice he completely deplores. Barring
the title, I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say
Roger and Junior have sweet sides, too. What did you draw upon to
bring your character to life? And to what extent can you actually identify
with the situation he finds himself in?
I am very proud to say that the Roger you see on the poster and the guy
playing him are diametrically opposed: this was really satisfying
character work for me as an actor. I was really fortunate, though, to have
a lot of inspirational material provided to me by our writer/director
Divoni [Divoni
Simon interview - click here]. He asked me to study the classic stoner flick The Big
Lebowski and created a music playlist for me (as a matter of
fact, for each cast member and their character!) that Roger would listen
to, which included artists like Bob Marley (of course), Cypress Hill, Bob
Dylan, Sir Mix-a-Lot, and others. Beyond that, I had to look within
myself, past the parts I hope shine out. I’m no saint. I’ve been lazy.
I sure can shirk responsibility. But combine that with definitely
not ready for fatherhood and Roger is what you get.
It’s funny, though - Roger’s mom and my parents have all moved to
Florida, leaving us to live in the houses we’ve grown up in! But my mom
doesn’t just send me checks willy-nilly, like Roger’s, so the buck
stops there!
How did you get
involved with the project in the first place?
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Courtesy of R&F Entertainment |
The good old
fashioned way for a self-represented actor. I found the breakdown on Backstage.com, submitted, and auditioned. What can
you tell us about your director Divoni Simon [Divoni
Simon interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
like? Divoni is utterly fascinating to me. He is enamored
by film and learns from absorbing the details of what he has seen. Much or
even all of his knowledge of film is self-taught. That’s inspirational.
And working with him was super collaborative. While he naturally had a
very specific vision of who Roger is and how he behaves, Divoni was
absolutely open to ideas that the cast and I came up with - Maturing
Youth
would be very different if you substituted any single one
of us. What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere? Holy smokes, it was like a marathon!
We had 2 and a half days to shoot the 48 pager. I knew we were going to
have to move fast, but since shooing other material later on, I can only
now appreciate that we moved with efficiency at lightning speed. And yet,
for all the hustle and bustle, even with changing-plans due to inclement
weather, there was still an air of excitement and kindness all the time.
It really felt communal. Here we were, all coming together to make
a movie. I wasn’t much of an athlete as a kid, but this really felt
like being on a winning team. Our producer, Chase Michael Pallante [Chase
Michael Pallante interview - click here], really
knows how to run a tight ship and keep things organized, which was pivotal
in making it all come together in the limited time we had at location. Any future projects you'd like to
share? Sure! In September I begin rehearsals for a
dual-role track in the world premiere of Suddenly, a play
being produced by Live Source Theatre Group, which we’ll perform Oct.
5-20, 2018 at HERE Arts Center in SoHo. It’s an adaptation of a 1954
film by the same title, starring Frank Sinatra, about an attempted
presidential assassination that rocks a small town. I can’t wait to dig
in!
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Photography by Bryant Jager
Courtesy of R&F Entertainment |
What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject? I was that
guy in high school that was in every musical they did (and yes,
I still love to sing). Then in college, I focused more on long-form improv
comedy with my group The Dog Day Players until reunited with the theatre
senior year. An encouraging heart-to-heart with one of the theater
professionals that was brought in to work on a show with us led to my
decision to pull the trigger and commit to being an actor. Sometimes, a
little unsolicited external validation is all it takes to tip the scales.
The next year, I enrolled in the full program at The Maggie Flanigan
Studio and trained to be a professional actor. Maturing
Youth was
actually my first audition post-completion, so I think I might have
learned a thing or two! Thanks Charlie and Karen! What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Maturing
Youth? I’m proud to say that Maturing
Youth is my on screen debut! And soon after I began another
indie-lead role in the horror feature Dwellers. More
recently I assistant directed (among other things) Joaquin &
Luke, a feature written by and starring Maturing
Youth’s own
Terry Keene (Dr. Riccard)! It has just entered post-production, so give it
a few months before you really start googling! How would you describe yourself as an
actor, and some of the techniques you use to bring your characters to
life?
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Photography by Bryant Jager
Courtesy of R&F Entertainment |
It’s interesting. On one hand, I like to be the funny man and
generate the laughs, and on the other, I love diving in as deep as I can
for the full dramatic truth of my character. Maybe that’s what attracted
me to Roger. But no matter who or what I’m working on, I take the work
very seriously. That’s the most important thing to me: The Work. This
appreciation was instilled in me at MFS, which taught me the Meisner
Technique. It’s probably not possible to use solely one technique,
unless you’re in full agreement with all other actors on the project,
but I do what I know at home and bring it to the room (the
audition, rehearsal, set/stage). Then magic bridges everyone’s ideas
into a, hopefully cohesive, piece of art.
One thing I do, and I think all actors must, is people-watch. You
can’t create character behavior by just being yourself in the role. You
must steal/borrow/replicate behavior that you have witnessed: a lilt, a
gait, the way someone smokes (Hi Roger!), or how they handle stress or
express joy. It’s all different for each of us, so I catalogue it and
draw on that. That’s the fun of acting!
Actors (and indeed actresses) who inspire you? Steve
Carell, Viola Davis, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Cate Blanchett, Robin Williams,
Meryl Streep, Bryan Cranston, Tatiana Maslany, Ian McKellan, Glenn Close.
And Robin Williams again. Your
favourite movies? Mrs. Doubtfire. ... and of course, films you really
deplore?
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After working hard on this film and other
productions, I will probably NEVER talk down another work! I always look
for the positive. But I will say that it’s always a shame when the film
version of a book doesn’t live up to the source material. Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
Website: www.SeanA.Kaufman.com
Facebook: @seanzie91
Instagram: @seanzie91
Twitter: @seanzie91tweets
Film's official website:
www.MATURINGYOUTH.com
Maturing Youth
Facebook: @maturingyouthfilm
Maturing Youth
Instagram: @maturingyouthfilm
#maturingyouth #rfentertainment
Please feel free to follow if you’re reading this!
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
really miss my dogs! Hutch (a boxer) and Maggie (an American Staffie)
moved to Florida with my parents this past December and life has been
pretty colorless without them. Never underestimate how utterly fulfilling
the unconditional love of a dog is. Thanks
for the interview!
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