Your upcoming movie A Soldier's Descent - in a few words,
what's it going to be about, and what can you tell us about your character
in it? A reclusive war vet's solitary life is upended when his sole friend dies in
a tragic accident. Overwhelmed by loss and anger, he embarks on a brutal
quest for vengeance against those he holds responsible. I play Sergeant
Barney Griffith in the movie. He’s a former war vet who spent a year as
a prisoner of war and, because of everything he’s been through, has
decided to live off the grid in the deep woods, away from the world that
left him behind. He’s struggling with PTSD and is pretty disconnected
from his family. The only person he really has left is Daniel, his old
friend and lawyer, who visits now and then to offer some support and keep
him company. But when a group of reckless teens stumbles into the
wilderness and accidentally kills Daniel, everything Barney’s worked so
hard to keep together starts falling apart. How do you prepare for your role, what will you draw upon to bring your character to
life, and how much Andrew Pierson can we find in Sergeant Barney Griffith? Even though
this is a fictional slasher movie, we’ve heard from veterans that the
topic of PTSD and suicide really hits home for them. So, we’ve been
doing a lot of research on military PTSD, watching everything we can to
get a better understanding of what it’s like. This research has inspired
a lot of scenes in the film that are based on real-life experiences, which
we think will bring more depth to the story. While it’s a horror movie
with some pretty brutal death scenes, we wanted to make sure there’s a
sense of realism throughout. And at the end of the film, we’ll also be
sharing resources for anyone who’s struggling with mental health issues
or PTSD, or knows someone who is. To make the character as real as
possible, I really dive deep into character development. Even though I
haven’t served in the military, I’ve done some training that’s
helped me bring the character to life. Like him, we all have our own dark
demons to face, and I think that really connects to the depth of the role. How
did you get involved with the project in the first place, and how did you
end up on the production side of things as well? Carissa Pierson and I
had just wrapped up filming a scene for Jacker 3: Ways to Hell with our
production team when Phil Herman [Phil
Herman interview - click here] came up to me with two scripts he was
really passionate about and wanted to develop on a bigger scale. After
talking it over with Carissa, we decided to start with A Soldier’s
Descent. At the time, we had no clue how big this project was going to
turn out to be! I’ve actually produced 41 movies in different roles,
from funding producer to executive producer. We had a clear vision for how
we wanted this film to come together, and we knew it was the right time to
make it happen!
What are the challenges of bringing A Soldier's Descent to the
screen from a producer's point of view? The toughest part has
definitely been giving the theme the justice it deserves. It’s not a
documentary, but we quickly realized the kind of impact this movie could
have. The character development we’re diving into is something Hollywood
often avoids these days. While the indie film world gives us more freedom,
we still felt it was crucial to handle these sensitive topics responsibly.
This film is going to address military PTSD, suicide, and domestic
violence, and we’re making sure to touch on these issues before the
movie starts and provide resources at the end. Even a horror movie can be
done responsibly. The veterans and healthcare professionals we’ve spoken
to have been incredibly supportive of the slasher element, saying anything
that sparks conversation about these issues is a good thing. Sometimes, a
fictional movie meant for entertainment can raise more awareness around
these topics than a documentary can. What can you
tell us about A Soldier's Descent's writer/producer Phil Herman, and
what's your collaboration like so far?
Phil is truly amazing. First and foremost, we
think of him as a close friend. When you partner with someone, trust is
key, and we have that with him. He’s been writing and producing movies
for over 30 years, so we were really excited to bring this story to life
just the way he envisioned it. For the most part, Carissa Pierson works
closely with our director Guthrie Lowe and Phil every week to make sure
the script is ready to go. Phil brings a level of creativity to his work
that you don’t see every day.
With Phil Herman, you've previously also made Jacker 3: Road to Hell
- so do talk about your involvement in that movie for a bit!
So, we first talked with Michael Moutsatsos [Michael
Moutsatsos interview - click here], the director
of Once Upon a Killing Time, and he invited me to join the cast. He also
suggested that Carissa Pierson and I come on as executive producers and
production partners with our company, Deathstalker Productions. Then, Phil
reached out and said, “You know Michael, right?” He asked if we’d be
interested in getting involved with Jacker 3. Not only were we on board,
but we were sup-r excited, especially since I remember watching the
original Jacker back in the 90s on VHS at a friend’s place. It brought
back some great memories! So, Phil asked us to come on as executive producers, and then he threw in an extra request—he wanted us to create
a scene for the movie. At first, I was a bit hesitant because I have
pretty high expectations for the quality of everything I work on. Then, he
suggested that Carissa should be in the scene with me. That was a first
since Carissa has always been behind the scenes as a producer, never in
front of the camera. But, we ended up bringing in my current team to help
make the scene happen, and the rest is history! You’ll have to check out
Jacker 3: Road to Hell to see us in action together. It’s honestly a
piece of history in the making!
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Back to A Soldier's Descent - any idea when it will start
filming yet, and when and where it might be released?
We’re planning to start filming in June 2025 in California. We’re
exploring a few different routes, like premiering at film festivals,
followed by a limited theater release, before it eventually hits Blu-ray
and streaming. My dad always used to say “Go big or go home!” So
we’re definitely aiming to make this as big as possible.
Any future
projects beyond A Soldier's Descent you'd like to share? Wow, I’m really
lucky to be involved in so many indie film projects in 2025. Right now,
though, Deathstalker Productions is putting all our focus on A Soldier’s Descent—it’s our top priority. On a personal
note, I’ve got a lot of lead roles coming up. I’ll be playing Michael
in Birthday Bash, Lawson in In Tenebras 2: Timelines, a lead role in the
next production from Mahal
Empire, and Hank in Chase Dudley’s The Desperate [Chase
Dudley interview - click here]. And that’s not even counting a bunch of supporting roles,
voiceover work, and small appearances in other films! It’s going to be a
busy year! What got you into acting
in the first place, and did your receive any formal training on the
subject? Oh wow, this is kind of a long
story. It all started back in high school. I always knew I wanted to do
something in entertainment, but I wasn’t sure which path to take. I
signed up for every acting, improv, and theater class I could fit into my
schedule. Growing up wasn’t the easiest for me—I was an introvert and
didn’t always feel confident in my skills. But one of my teachers, Stan
Deen, really pushed me to go for it in entertainment. He was one of the
few people who truly believed in me. After high school, I decided to dive
into radio, and I ended up spending over a decade running radio stations
across the US. I actually met Carissa when I was starting out in radio,
and we’ve been together ever since. It wasn’t until about a year ago
that I decided to take the skills I developed in radio and start pursuing
acting. Carissa Pierson actually pointed out that there aren’t a lot of
guys with my build—kind of like The Rock—who are available for indie
films. That really made me realize I could carve out a niche for myself.
What’s crazy is thinking about how my teacher, the one who believed in
me all those years ago, just had a movie about his life called Brave the
Dark hit theaters. I know Mr. Deen is looking down and smiling right now. Besides acting in them, you also act as a
producer on many of your movies - so what prompted that step? Being a producer means wearing a lot of
hats. For me, I mostly handle the PR, promotions and marketing, along
with the sales side of things for the film. My background is in
marketing—I was a former CMO for an Allianz subsidiary. So, I figured
I’d put those skills to good use in the film industry!
What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to A Soldier's Descent,
in whatever position? Before A Soldier’s Descent, acting was my main focus. I’ve been in all
sorts of films—horror, action, sci-fi—you name it. Acting will always
be my first love. I’ve been lucky to take on a variety of roles in the
movie industry, from actor to stunt coordinator to producer. So far,
I’ve been a part of over 80 movies! I've read that before going into
the filmworld, you did a lot of radio - so what can you tell us about that
aspect of your career, and how has that informed you as an actor/producer?
Oh yeah, radio! I started out as an on-air DJ and worked my way up to program
director—kind of like starting out as an actor and eventually
moving into directing. During my time in radio, I got to interview big
celebrities from all kinds of music genres—rock, country, top 40—you
name it. I also covered major award shows and concerts. And on the side, I
hosted Lehigh Valley Love Songs part-time on WLEV in Pennsylvania. It was
a wild ride but a lot of fun! I’d already had some voice training from
radio, which is perfect for voiceover work in movies. Plus, it helps a lot
when I’m on set—I'm pretty quick to take direction from the director
and adapt to changes in scenes. How
would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life?
I
really love method acting—getting fully immersed in a character. When I
prepare for a role, I try to learn as much as I can about the
character’s background. For A Soldier’s Descent, I watched tons of
news stories about Desert Storm, as well as documentaries and footage on
PTSD and veteran suicide. Even though it’s a fictional story, we wanted
to give it a real feel. Diving deep into every aspect of the character and
the emotions helps make it feel authentic for the audience. I’ve even
had times on set where people would call me by my character’s name
instead of my real name during filming. At first, it felt a little
strange, but then I realized they were seeing me as the character, which
is a pretty cool feeling.
Actors, producers, filmmakers who inspire you?
Oh wow… I have so much respect for every indie producer who’s ever
made a movie! It really takes everything you’ve got to do this, and each
one of them deserves a ton of respect. Outside of the indie world, I’ve
always been a huge fan of Walt Disney. The way he put everything on the
line for what he believed in is inspiring. I remember hearing how he
actually slept in his studio in Kansas City. A lot of people mocked him
for his cartoons, but look at what happened! It just goes to show that
anything is possible. He really proved that to us. Your favourite movies?
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The one movie that really feels like it was made about my life is Spinning
Gold. I watched it and thought "Wow, this could totally be my
story!" Other than that, I’m a big fan of Tron Legacy, Never Back
Down (the first one), Lilo and Stitch, Snow Dogs, Eight
Below and of course the original Fast and Furious. ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
Honestly, outside of the Christmas movies on
Hallmark Channel, I
find it pretty hard to get into the movies on Hallmark
or Lifetime. They
just don’t grab me the way I’d like. Your website, social media, whatever else?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/407Andrew/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealandrewpierson/
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm16222350/
A Soldier’s Descent IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34683318/
A Soldier’s Descent Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/164ja1Tq4z/ Thanks
for the interview!
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