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Your new movie Insane
Like Me? - in a few words, what's it about?
It’s about a guy (Jake) who returns home from the military and is
welcomed home by a surprise party from his girlfriend (Samantha).
Vampires attack and Samantha comes up missing and her father (the
Sheriff) has Jake committed for 9 years. Upon Jake’s release he hits
the ground running to find out what really happened that night 9 years
ago and most of all what happened to Samantha.
With Insane Like
Me? being a vampire movie, is that a genre especially dear to
you, and some of your genre favourites?
I’ve always loved vampire movies and grew up with horror movies in
particular. A few of my favorites would be: From Dusk Til Dawn, The Lost Boys, Blade, John Carpenters Vampires, Fright Night, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
(Other) sources of inspiration when writing Insane
Like Me??
I wanted to make a fun horror film that doesn’t take itself too
seriously for the audience to experience escapism for 90 minutes.
What
was your writing process like?
I had this story written for a TV show I was going to produce that fell
through. I took the concept and added some characters and penned it into
a movie. Do talk about Insane
Like Me?'s approach to horror!
I think it fits nicely with the 80s horror films I grew up on where a
lot of inspiration came from.
What were the challenges of bringing Insane
Like Me? to the screen from a producer's point of view?
I’d say financing is always the hardest part! I self-financed this
with my brother Blake (he played Jon in the movie). I did have to scrap
major sequences from the original script due to the budget which always
stings a bit from the writer's perspective as well as producer's. Overall
you work with what you have and make the best movie you can.
You also play the lead in Insane
Like Me? - so what can you tell us about your character, what did
you draw upon to bring him to life, and did you write him with yourself in
mind from the get-go?
I wrote him with myself in mind for the role. I spent 7 years in the
Army Infantry and 12 month in Iraq, so some of the character is based on
myself in that sense.
There’s a line in the movie where they say “Easy Audie Murphy” to
Jake, which is a throwback to me being stationed at the 3rd Infantry
Division where Audie Murphy served as well. What can you tell us about the
rest of your movie's cast, and as producer, to what extent were you
involved in the casting process?
I ran 99% of the casting process and had close to 1600 submissions to
start with. 1% being bit parts being given out as favors or to people I
knew. A few words about the shoot as such,
and the on-set atmosphere?
I had a blast shooting with everyone on set for the most part. It is
hard to pull back at times to handle producing decisions when I want to
just focus on the acting for the most part during filming. It’s tough
to handle both at times. Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of Insane
Like Me??
I think it will find an audience just like any other movie. It’s
definitely not for everyone but the ones it’s for I hope will enjoy it
for what it is. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and sacrifices I made to
make this, and I think that shows. Any future projects you'd like to
share? Yes, I’m in pre-production for a military-drama based on my older
brother who was killed in Iraq in 2007. My wife, Grace, and I are dilligently working to make this the best movie we can make. What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I did plays in school since elementary and I studied and eventually
graduated from the Academy of Art University in 2022 for Acting and
Filmmaking.
Eventually you also stepped behind the camera and picked up writing, producing and
directing - so what prompted that move, and which side of the camera do
you actually prefer?
I think I’m more comfortable acting in and telling stories that I want
to tell right now. I’m open to other work too but if I’m gonna
devote myself to something I want it to be something I love and am
passionate about telling that story. What can you tell us about your
past filmwork, in whatever position?
I’ve mostly stuck to acting for the most part. Going to college for
acting is a great experience I think for anyone. For me I was able to
consistently work on projects throughout college. I didn’t ever have
that experience auditioning and acting outside of college and I think
that helped build a lot of confidence and experience to hit the ground
running on my projects once I graduated. How would you
describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to bring your
characters to life?
Method acting has always been more ideal for me in relating to a
character and finding experiences from my own life to express the
characters emotion. Actors (and indeed actresses) who
inspire you?
Sylvester Stallone is someone that I admire a lot. He kinda pens most of
his projects and has created a lot of great characters and franchises
over the years. Your favourite movies?
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This is such a tough question for a film nerd like myself. I
generally love most movies I see but if I had to pick a few they would
be: Ghostbusters,
Rocky IV, Pulp Fiction, The Departed, The
Fighter. Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22751200/
https://www.instagram.com/bankheadproductions
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069995974325
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I met my wife Grace [Grace
Patterson interview - click here] on this project. I hired her to play Samantha after
the girl I originally casted fell out literally days before we started
production. We got married a year later and she helped with post -production and finding distribution for the film. Thanks
for the interview!
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