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Your new movie River of Blood - in a few words, what's it
about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
River of Blood is an action adventure horror movie set in the Thai
jungle. Two couples take the wrong turn in a river and end up in land that
belongs to an old bloodthirsty tribe. If you want drama, suspense, action
with a good dose of gore then this movie is the one for you! My character
AJ is flawed yet does his best in the circumstances to find some
redemption.
What did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how
much Louis James can we find in AJ?
There is a lot of Louis James in AJ, mainly the heroic instinctive
elements. Cinema gives us the chance to exploit certain areas of ourselves
and heighten the outcomes in outlandish circumstances we wouldn’t usually
encounter. How did you
get involved with the project in the first place, what drew you to it?
Working with director Howard J. Ford again was a no brainer, especially knowing we’d be
jetting off to Thailand. We’d worked very well together on
Escape, so I just knew
it would be an epic adventure. Tom Boyle’s script was gripping from the
first page to the last so I was very happy when I landed the role.
To what extent could you identify with
River of Blood's
approach to horror?
River of Blood approaches horror from a
slightly different perspective which appealed to me. It transports you to
an exotic world and then slowly but surely turns the paradise into a
nightmare. All of the characters are struggling with their own demons but
then are confronted with physical ones! What can you tell us about
River of Blood's director Howard J. Ford, and what was your
collaboration like? Howard is truly a one of a kind. He
gives you a lot of free rein with your choices but will always kindly veer
you back on track if you go too far off piste. Working on a movie with him
is always an adventure larger than the movie itself! You have also worked on one of
Howard J. Ford's previous films, Escape, as well as his
upcoming Bone Keeper - so what can you tell us about working with one
another on these?
Escape and Bone Keeper
were both dreamed up by Howard, so the approach to shooting them is very collaborative and
instinctive. Howard and I worked very closely on Bone Keeper from the
first conversation about the movie, all the way through pre-production and
during production itself. I really believe we’ve captured something the
fans will love - caves, creatures, John Rhys Davies and Sarah Alexandra
Marks [Sarah Alexandra
Marks interview - click here] ... what more could people want? Back to
River of Blood:
What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
The set was the Thai jungle, the rivers, the mangroves, the caves
- there is nothing quite like being on location. Thailand is a mesmerising
country, its culture is rich and the landscapes are a filmmaker's dream.
Everyone was one hundred percent on board and committed to capturing a
great movie. Those of us who flew in from England knew what a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience it was. Even the Thai crew had travelled down
from Bangkok and they were having a blast themselves.
Any future projects you'd like to share?
I’m in post production for Archie, a scary movie I’ve written/directed.
Produced by Lucas A. Ferrara [Lucas
A. Ferrara interview - click here]. I also just wrapped
Bone Keeper, which is set in the caves of Wales. It stars Sarah Alexandra Marks and John Rhys
Davies with a very strong supporting cast. Directed by Howard J. Ford. The
Manor of Darkness, a movie produced by Lucas A. Ferrara and directed by
Blake Ridder is set for release in the coming months. Saming is also in
post production. A unique found footage movie shot in Ubon, Thailand.
Directed by Rungroj Park Rojanachotikul, DOP on
River of Blood.
What got you into acting in the first place, and did you receive
any formal training on the subject?
Growing up I’d watch all of the old classics with my dad, he would teach
me who was who. My dad also did a little acting himself when I was growing
up so I would help him rehearse lines. He’d teach me phrases like ‘I
coulda been a somebody’ which stuck with me. I thought to myself maybe I
can be a ‘somebody’ in the movies. My mum was always reading books to me
and telling stories which will stay with me for a lifetime. She is very
creative and wonderful with poetry. It wasn’t until my early 20s that I
signed up for an acting course to give it a shot, and here I am I’m still
going today. What can you
tell us about your filmwork prior to
River of Blood?
I was very fortunate to have had the support of a very good friend and
patron, Lucas A. Ferrara. He enabled my good friend Blake Ridder and I to
experiment with many different genres and ideas which we released on
YouTube. We were able to get instant feedback from peers and a global
audience. One of the films has been developed into feature film, Manor
of Darkness, which is set for release soon. The lessons I learned from
producing so many short films deepened my understanding of the film making
process. I believe every actor should attempt to write, produce and direct
something at least once. It makes you a much more well-rounded actor,
especially on screen. Actors
(and indeed actresses) who inspire you? Tom Cruise,
Sylvester Stallone, Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood, Marlon Brando, Mel
Gibson. Your favourite movies? Rocky, The Godfather,
Jerry Maguire, Shane,
Bond,
Mission: Impossible, Top
Gun. ... and of course, films you
really deplore? A lot of work goes into making a movie, and
sometimes the outcome is at the hands of the investors and sales agents, so
I feel like knocking a film isn’t always the right thing to do unless you
know the whole picture. What I can say is that I don’t like movies that
are put together just to serve a certain political standpoint. Your website, social media,
whatever else? You can find all updates of my work on
Instagram: @thelouisjames Thanks
for the interview!
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