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Your new movie Lock-In - in a few words, what is it about,
and what can you tell us about your character in it?
The
beauty of the plot of this film, is I JUST KNOW THE PLOT. It’s about an
alien that captures the planet and “locks-in” every human on earth in
their house. As for what happens in the movie I couldn’t tell you
anything which makes this very exciting to me. What
did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much Carl J
Grasso can we find in Jimmy?
In
real life I am boring and quiet. When I get a character I throw myself
into that person to make him four dimensional (script willing of course).
This guy Jimmy is the guy on the car lot who most likely is connected
with the mob who can “get you anything! At a good price!” But if you
don’t hold up your side of the bargin he’ll break your ankles with a
croquet mallet. I
used a lot of people I have met or encountered from Long Island, New York
and New Jersey to fuel an entitled bully who is a real Mamma’s boy.
It’s hilarious to me because most of my work involves me cutting people's
heads off; and I wanted to play a funny character. I turn on my funny and
I love every second of it, it’s harder than what I have done.
How did you get involved
with the project in the first place?
Accidentally,
I answered the wrong post on Facebook for a local theatre production. I
thought I was answering something for a remote script writing job but
Erinn and Dan checked out my Backstage page and I thought I was adequate
and good looking enough for their film. As far as I know, Lock-In
was shot entirely under lockdown regulations - now how did that work on
the technical side of things?
It
was difficult for me being alone. I have shot remote before for other
productions. But when I do it normally, my FAMILY is not in the house with
me. So I usually had to wait for bedtimes of my kids to play my menacing
role in my office with doors closed. I
have film set ups here with boom mikes and lights, but my tripod broke so
I had to improvise with ladders and my own personal exercise mountain
climber, which acted like a great tripod.
Making a film under
lockdown conditions, with no director or crew on site, how difficult
and/or liberating is that for you as an actor? It's
hard because there isn’t a camera operator who can say to you “Hey you
looked at the camera, do that again." Which was HARD for me to look at the
rushes after I filmed them BECAUSE I HATE watching rushes. I want to see
the finished product. Normally,
the rule is don’t look at the camera but my guy was doing commercials so
he had to look at the camera, eventually I put a piece of orange tape
below the camera to keep reminding me.
What can
you tell us about your directors Dan Beckmann and Erinn Dearth [Erinn
Dearth and Dan Beckmann interview - click here], and what
was your collaboration with them like, especially regarding current
conditions?
This is amazing because since they
are involved more with musical theater with kids and I’m in movies where
we run out of Karo syrup for blood half way through it. They were working
on a musical called Children of Eden and I got a phone call about
starring in a film called Vampire Strippers. Which I simply said
back to the director into the telephone “Can’t you make a nice
movie?”
Our
paths should HAVE NEVER crossed and I’m not saying anything bad about
them, I just am not a musical person. I have done only straight theater,
and the idea of me directing or being in a musical is comical to me. I
think Marlon Brando said after he heard himself in Guys and Dolls “I sound like the mating call of a Yak!” I will agree with Mr.
Brando.
When I did research on Erinn and
Dan I was amazed with all the positive things they did with their USO
tours around the world, and all the wonderful work with children’s
theater; I took a minute and said let's see where this adventure leads. I would love to work with them
again in person but I feel that might not happen. I mean you can smell the
ink on the restraining order drying from here.
So do talk about the shoot as such!
I can’t or I’ll have to drown
you in your toilet. It’s in the contract.
Myself and 99 other people had to
shoot their own specific scenes that Erinn and Dan had written for them.
Erinn and Dan both got on a video chat with us and told us what they
wanted and if they needed reshoots. I’m sure it was worse for them
because they would have to wait a couple days for people to reshoot. Not to mention the majority of the
cast never shot a film before ever, so Erinn and Dan had to teach
everybody how to shoot with their cellphones. I salute them for their
patience.
Based
on your experiences with Lock-In, could you ever be persuaded to
make another "lockdown"-movie? And any other future projects
you'd like to share?
I
prefer being on a set I always have. I don’t mind shooting stuff on my
own but I don’t think being in front and behind the camera where you are
the only crewmember is for me.
Before
Covid-19, I had a dozen things going on at once, a lot in local theater at
the time. I have my own podcasting channel that will eventually come out
in the summer, it’s just a slow process with that. I
shot Bloody Nun 2: The Curse remotely and that should be wrapping
up soon with the special effects. That’s where I worked with my favorite
director Will Collazo jr -
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4005028/
[Will Collazo interview -
click here] -
and yes he was the
director who asked me to be in Vampire Strippers which is still in
development (we’re going to make into a nice movie with milk and
cookies).
I
am shooting a film remotely right now as of August 25, 2020 called Faces of the
Dead 2: Exorcism - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13004044/.
It’s
another anthology film and my piece The Envelope stars myself, Katherine
Black, Jessica Branch, and Colton Brooks in a mysterious supernatural thriller.
It’s all shot remote and the individual on green screens and people’s
bedrooms because of Covid-19.
Your/your movie's website, social
media, whatever else?
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Feeling lucky ?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
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The links below
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just there!!!
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Lock-in trailer: https://youtu.be/xHkCLIF8r5E
- and you
can check out Lock-In at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12234276/,
The Bloody Nun 2: The Curse at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10216812/. Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
In seriousness, Covid-19 is not a joke and humanity depends on the whole
human race to work together. I never thought I would be living in a
1970s science fiction movie (most likely with Charlton Heston). The
human race has to come together in solidarity and embrace compassion and
science and stop this thing. We have to defeat this virus and that means
we all work together ...or
an alien will come to Earth and force you idiots inside your houses!
Thanks for
the interview!
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