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Your new movie Bight - in a
few words, what's it about, and what can you tell us about your character in
it?
Bight is a psychological thriller set within the
complicated dynamics of an open relationship. It explores the
tension between freedom and control, love and jealousy, and how
quickly things can spiral when emotional boundaries start to blur.
My character, Sebastian, is an artist who operates patiently and
strategically both with his art and situationally in life. He’s
calm, confident, charismatic, and very persuasive, but beneath
that surface there’s a deep insecurity and a need to control any
given situation. The film slowly peels back those layers and shows
what happens when that carefully constructed world starts to
fracture.
What did you draw upon to bing your character
to live, and how much Mark Hapka can we actually find in Sebastian?
I think every actor inevitably pulls from parts of themselves when
building a character, but Sebastian definitely lives in the darker
corners of that spectrum. What interested me most was exploring
the psychology of someone who believes they’re the smartest person
in the room and emotionally ahead of everyone else. I tried to
ground him in recognizable human motivations rather than play him
as a villain. Approaching Sebastian as someone who sees himself as
a kind of warrior for justice and art, something bigger than
himself, felt more interesting to me. Understanding those impulses
is what ultimately makes the character feel real and relatable.
Now Sebastian isn't exactly the most likeable of persons - so
honestly, how much fun was it to play such a character?
Honestly, those are often the most fun characters to play. When
someone is morally complicated or operating in gray areas, there’s
a lot more room to explore. Sebastian is charming, calculated,
manipulative, even vulnerable, and a little reckless all at once.
His complexity is what makes him interesting to me. As an actor
you get to explore the uncomfortable edges of human behavior
without actually having to live that way in real life. So, yes- it
was a lot of fun to play Sebastian!
How did you get involved with the project in the first place, what
drew you to it? And how did you end up on the production side of things as
well?
I was involved from the beginning. I produced the film and also
invested some of my own money to help get it made. Maiara came to
me early on and asked if she wrote something for us, would I be
interested in making it with her. She wanted to create a role for
me that she hadn’t seen me play before, which really intrigued me.
I already had the infrastructure in place with my company,
White Room, and the material aligned with the kind of storytelling my
partner and I want to put out under that banner. So I leaned in
and was with it all the way through, from script to screen and now
into the distribution process of getting it out into the world.
That said, it was very much a collaborative effort, and everyone
involved contributed to shaping the film you see today.
What drew me to the script was that it felt like a throwback to the
kind of psychological thrillers that were more common in the 90s.
Films that are intimate, character-driven, less formulaic, slower
burning, and a little dangerous. But no matter the genre, there’s
always a human story to tell.
What were the challenges of bringing
Bight to the screen from a producer's point of view?
Independent filmmaking always comes with challenges. Budget
limitations, scheduling, logistics, and the sheer amount of
coordination required to pull everything together. With Bight,
our focus was on maintaining the tone and visual style of the film
while working within those realities. It’s a film that relies heavily
on atmosphere and performance, so creating the right environment for
the cast and crew to deliver that was really important.
For me, bouncing between producing duties and stepping into long,
demanding monologues as Sebastian was a bit of a delicate dance. I’d
be in the middle of putting out a fire, press pause, drop into a
scene, then pick up right where I left off. I’d be lying if I said I
didn’t thrive on that challenge. My inner problem-solver wouldn’t have
it any other way.
What can you tell us about
Bight's director (and co-star) Maiara Walsh, and what was
your collaboration like?
Maiara is incredibly passionate and had a very clear vision of the
emotional world of the script. She has a vivid imagination, and you
can feel that on the page. This was her first time directing and
producing a feature, so our collaboration really came down to leaning
into our strengths, delegating, and communicating clearly.
She focused on collecting and creating artwork to transform our loft
into the film’s color palette and backdrop. While she worked closely
with our DP on the shot list, I focused on pulling together the
production side with the limited resources we had, building out the
crew, navigating SAG, and sourcing gear we otherwise couldn’t afford.
Like most independent films, we all wore a lot of hats. Fortunately,
I’ve known Maiara for nearly two decades, so we had a shorthand and a
level of trust that really helped carry us through production.
Do talk about the rest of
Bight's cast, and as a producer, how much of a say did you
have or demand when it came to casting?
Maiara and Cameron wrote the script with the three of us in mind,
so the casting was already built in. There was really only
one other role we needed to fill. We were lucky to find the
incredibly talented Maya Stojan, who brought Naomi to life in a
way that fit seamlessly into what we were building. The 3 of them
are just so talented and easy to watch- I can’t imagine anyone
else in these roles. A few words
about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
It was an intense but very supportive set. When you’re making an indie
film, the crew and cast often feel like a small family because
everyone is pushing toward the same goal. There was a strong sense of
collaboration and a lot of creative energy flowing. We managed to have
fun in the thick of it which is probably the biggest challenge but
most important accomplishment to achieve. The experience of it all
unfolding is why we do what we do.
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of
Bight?
We’ve been super encouraged by how audiences and reviewers have
responded so far. People seem to be drawn into the psychological
tension of the story and its complicated relationships, which is
gratifying because that’s really the core of the film.
When you spend so much time crafting and polishing something, you
inevitably get close to it and a bit biased. So when we had our first
screening in a theater with about 200 people, we genuinely didn’t know
how it would land. There’s always that moment of wondering if you
actually made something that connects or if you just went off into
your own world. It’s a bit nerve-racking.
Thankfully, people really seemed to resonate with it. It sparked some
really interesting conversations after the credits, and we’ve been
stoked, and honestly a bit taken aback, to see it sitting at 100%
audience approved on Rotten Tomatoes!
Any future projects you'd like
to share?
There are a few things in development right now, and not just on the
acting and producing side. I’m about 65% through an exciting and
challenging project that I wrote and am directing, which might be the
most ambitious thing I’ve taken on to date.
In general, I’m continuing to build out projects under
White Room that
align with the kind of storytelling I’m drawn to and desire to be told
in unconventional ways.
My latest project releases in theaters on April 3rd. It’s called Premarital.
I produced it as well and star opposite Jim O’Heir alongside a really
talented ensemble cast that I had the pleasure of putting together.
It’s a complete departure from Bight,
a Midwestern quirky comedy with a whole lot of heart. If that’s your
speed, you can check listings at an AMC theater near you.
What got you into acting in the first
place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
For me, acting started as play and slowly became a way to explore the
complexities of human psychology and behavior. It’s a creative outlet
that lets me step into different perspectives and filter them through
my own voice and experience. There are so many paths in life I’m
curious about, and not enough time to fully live them all, so acting
becomes a way to immerse myself in one for a while, live inside it,
and then move on to the next.
I’ve gotten a glimpse of what it feels like to be a state champion
wrestler, a blind football player, a depressed, down-on-his-luck Temu
UFC fighter, a hopeless romantic doctor, an A-list celebrity airing
dirty laundry, a terminal cancer patient, a betrayed erotic
photographer, even a ghost trying to sort things out on the other
side. The list goes on.
I grew up doing a lot of community theater, and once I got to LA, I
took on as many short films and extra roles as I could just to stay in
it and keep learning. I’ve studied some Meisner, which gave me tools
that have stayed with me, along with other techniques that didn’t
fully resonate. What I’ve found is that I really thrive in a scene
study environment (shout out to Leigh Kilton-Smith, who’s brought out
the best in me). It’s a space where you can drop in, take risks, and
not be afraid to fail, which is where the most honest work tends to
come from.
Some of my best work has lived on that stage, in a moment, never to be
witnessed again. There’s something very Burning Man about that.
What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to
Bight?
I’ve been fortunate to work across both television and film in a
range of genres, which has given me the chance to explore
different kinds of characters and storytelling styles (like the
ones I mentioned in response to your last question). Each project
has been a stepping stone, helping me refine my process and better
understand the kind of work I want to be a part of moving forward.
When you realize how much time and energy each project takes from
you, you get a little more specific as you progress.
How would you describe yourself
as an actor, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
I’d describe myself as someone who leads with curiosity and empathy.
I’m less interested in judging a character and more interested in
understanding how they justify their behavior. Once I can see the
world through their lens, everything starts to feel more grounded and
honest, and it becomes easier to stay present and let things unfold
naturally in the moment.
Actors (and indeed actresses) who inspire you?
I’m always drawn to actors who feel unpredictable and fully present,
the ones where you can’t quite see the work happening. Performances
that feel effortless but are clearly very intentional. Denzel
Washington, Gary Oldman, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Brosnahan, Philip
Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Hahn, Toni Collette, Tom Hardy, to name a
few. I’ll watch just about anything those actors do.
Your favourite movies?
Donnie Darko was the one that really inspired me to fully
pursue film acting, and Good
Will Hunting had a huge impact on me as well. My childhood
favorite was Pee-wee’s
Big Adventure with that brilliant Danny Elfman score.
The storytelling in I
Origins is something I find really foundational, it’s the kind
of grounded, thought-provoking approach that continues to inspire me.
Then there are those movies I find myself watching over and over
without even realizing it, like Interstellar and The
Wolf of Wall Street. Those are the films that really made me
want to be a filmmaker.
And of course, I love brilliant comedies like Bridesmaids and Wedding
Crashers.
... and of course,
films you really deplore?
I try not to spend too much time on films I don’t connect with. Every
film takes a massive amount of effort, so even if something doesn’t
land for me personally, I still respect the process behind it.
That said, in the spirit of honesty, I struggle with films that feel
like they’re telling you what to think or preaching in some way. The
same goes for projects that feel driven by trends and/or built to
capitalize on social discourse. That approach feels gross and
unoriginal to me. You can usually tell when something isn’t coming
from an honest place. It ends up feeling shallow and doesn’t land. Your/your movie's
website, social media, whatever else? Managing websites and social media on top of filmmaking can definitely
be a bit daunting, but it’s all part of getting the work out there. If
people want to follow along or show some support, you can find me on
Instagram @markhapka, the film at @bightfilm, and I just built out
White Room’s page as well at @whiteroomla. Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Just that films like Bight don’t
happen without a group of people who truly believe in what they’re
making. It was a genuine collaborative effort, and I’m grateful to
everyone who helped bring it to life. And to anyone who’s taken the
time to watch it and engage with it, that means everything to us.
The industry has never been more straining on artists. In many ways,
it separates those who can’t help but create from those who are just
trying to make a buck. That said, it’s never been more important to
hold the line and continue telling stories while the current, often
filmmaker-unfriendly, streamer and distribution landscape works itself
out. At the end of the day, these corporate, money-driven entities are
nothing without artists. So double down and stay strong. Somethings
gotta give.
Thanks for the interview!
Thanks for the curiosity and the platform! Appreciate you.
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