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An Interview with Robert LaSardo, Director and Star of American Trash

by Mike Haberfelner

November 2024

Robert LaSardo on (re)Search my Trash

 

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Your new movie American Trash - in a few words, what's it about?

 

It is the story of world gone mad in the mind of a man who has lost the love of his life.

It is a social commentary about the wars we fight overseas and the wars we wage within ourselves.

It is the cracking of santiy in a society that buries its morals under the same trash it has become.

Finally it is lesson in consequence for those who love beyond what mortality can promise.

 

What were your sources of inspiration when writing American Trash, and is any of it based on personal experiences?

 

I've listened to countless uncensored interviews with Charles Manson simply talking. I immediately Identifed with a mind trapped in a circumstance that suggested something other than a monster. Manson's detailed account of burning up tractor equipment in the Mojave desert to stall corporate contamination of the natural well spring got me thinking. His environmental phiphilosophy regarding the preservation of the air, trees, water and animals resonated with me. I was able to absorb his message without prejudice and observe a quality overlooked by many. It seemed appropriate to employ a paradox to drive my narrative about a man with a similar duality I could relate to.

 

Now how did the project come into being in the first place, and what made you choose this story for your directorial debut?

 

It came into being by efforts to free myself as an artist. I've read many scripts over the years and started to recognize a redundancy in the material that was limiting and crippling me creatively.

 

The subject of my story was chosen for a couple of reasons. An important one being my military service. I spent four years in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1985. As convincing as it seemed to many that I remain the perennial convict, I felt it to be an inaccurate observation.

 


Secondly, the years I served weren't without experiences that have shaped me for better or worse. I looked in the mirror and it was easy for me to see a lot of past trauma and draw from that. I also looked at the world I'd been living in within the city of Los Angeles. This disturbing landscape of despair and homeless people. Instances of social crisis that I could relate to. I had been homeless for about five years and living in a motel on and off. So it was easy for me to construct the Milles character. A man cloistered in a delimma and at odds with the world around him.

 

What were the challenges of bringing American Trash to the screen from a producer's point of view?

 

Money. American Trash was self produced. I didn't want to wait indefinitely for an opportunity to demonstrate the artistry I'd been denied. So I created it myself with my own financial resource. Not everyone I employed realized what was at stake. My job was to motivate my cast and crew by any means necessary. I needed to take them to the edge of what I was doing that they might feel the gravity of where we were standing and take it seriously.

 

In the end the biggest challenge I faced was not to become enamored by my own creation or lose objective reason. Ultimately the audience isn't concerned about what it took to get there. Only that you arrive effectively.

 

A few words about your directorial approach to your story at hand?

 

I rehearsed a lot with the actors who were willing. I sent them Charles Manson interviews I felt it would give them a deeper understanding of my story. I kept everyone as focused as I could prior to "action" and then set them free.

 

You also play the lead in American Trash - so what can you tell us about your character, what did you draw upon to bring him to life, and have you written Milles with yourself in mind from the get--go?

 

Milles was devised as a way to converse with myself in various forms. Each character appears in the film with a specific function of philosophy to challenge Milles pessimism. The dual nature of man and the universe has always intrigued me. I used a circumstancial event to examine the human spirit and its potential in dealing with crisis. Milles' response to tragedy is crucial in how it reveals his character. I didn't want there to be any heroics to mislead the audience away from his natural frailty. It was important for me to explore the PTSD element within myself and with respect to my fellow veterans.

 

Do talk about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people?

 

I had an instinctive feel about the people I chose. They possessed inherent characteristics that I knew would manifest realistically in their portrayals.

 

Tom Sizemore: I've worked with Tom and have shared scenes with him on numerous projects. So I had sense of his method and process. It was just about navigating Tom and focusing him in so that we could have the best of what he could offer. I always knew he had an extraordinary ability. I just wanted to make sure that despite our friendship, he would understand the importance of bringing his A game. So we sat down and it was kind of a wrestling match for a minute regarding the scene & material. But ultimately because of his trust in me we were able to have fun with it and he did a great job.

 

Lorelei Linklater: Lorelei is the embodiment of the Melissa character. This free spirited hippie type that I've always fancied growing up in the 60s. A friend of mine had read my script and told me that he knew of an actress he felt was the living embodiment of what I had written. After speaking with Lorelei on the phone for a couple of hours and discussing the project, I realized my friends intuition about her was dead on - minus some of the Charlie Manson ideology I toy with in the film. That clearly is the fictional element she carries as the Melissa character, but very realistically I must add. There's nothing contrived or sinister in her portrayal as the free-spirited environmentalist that has an affection for Charles Manson's ecological idealogy. There's a vulnerability and innocence that Lorelei possesses that translates well on screen. Her mysterious presence helps shape the narrative through the atmospheric imagery of American Trash.

 

Costas Mandylor: Costas has quite the intensity, so I didn't have to maneuver him much into the detective role. I just kinda sat back and let him do his thing. It was basically, '"his is the scene Costas, here is your dialogue and here is mine. Now let's dig in deep" - and thats exactly what we did. The result I feel was effective and strong. And we played well off each other.

 

Gigi Gustin: Gigi is a natural in terms of her ability to inhabit the character space with grace and realism. Her portrayal of Mandy is sublime and exactly what I needed to dispel the murky disposition of Milles. It was vital to the story that her character could love Milles so convincingly that the audience might share her empathy.

 

A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?

 

The shoot was challenging in terms of locations. Filming on the streets of Venice California required a detailed plan and swift execution. Pedestrian interference was constant, and the vehicles that would suddenly appear and distrupt the atmospheric sound necessary for coherent dialogue. In less volatile locations such as the coastal beaches of Malibu or the natural settings of a park in Chatsworth California things were easier. I was able to initiate a meditative mindset for actors to communicate without intrusion.

 

Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of American Trash?

 

The response has varied based on the audience's ability to entertain a subject that requires introspective observation. The story is expressed through a lense of melancholy that for some may be a bit heavy. Others have expressed a kinship to the hardships I explore with a sentiment that suggests empathy.

 

Any future projects you'd like to share? And based on your experiences with American Trash, could you ever be persuaded to direct another movie?

 

I'm co-staring with RJ Mitte and Dove Cameron in an upcoming thriller entitled Love Me Dead. Directed by Josh Webber and scheduled for theatrical release in February 2025.

 

Directing? Maybe. It would depend on the script and who is involved.

 

What got you into acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?

 

An English teacher in junior high school that taught drama as an elective was convinced I should audition for the high school of performing arts in NYC. I auditioned and was accepted. I spent three years studying Lee Strasburg's method. Two months after I graduated high school I enlisted in the Navy. I wasn't ready to pursue a career. I needed to find something first. After four years of searching I was discharged and returned to New York with a purpose.

 

I reacquainted myself with and old friend. Anthony Abeson. He was my primary acting teacher in high school and never me let forget my potential. He insisted and I listened. I auditioned in New York City for a solid year after the military. I booked my first studio contract with Warner Brothers soon after that. Shortly after I found myself playing opposite Richard Pryor and Randy Quaid in a comedy called Moving.

 

According to my information, your first movie role was in Abel Ferrara's China Girl - so do talk about your involvement in that movie for a bit?

 

It was more about appearances at that stage. Abel needed to dress his set with a traditional mafia motif. My face worked more as a background sketch than anything else. He hid the tattoos because he believed they weren't consistent with the traditional Italian wise guy thing. I think he was right given the cultural geography that would ultimately define my career on television as the Malo Latino. Fast forward to CSI Miami where, as Memmo Fierro, I would be reunited with Mercury (David Caruso), now Haratio Caine. If anything, working with David on prime time television would ultimately lend nostalgia to China Girl and humble beginnings.

 

Given that film's history, you just have to talk about your work on Waterworld!

 

I remember auditoning for a significant role in Waterworld and not getting the part. It was a tough blow knowing I missed an opportunity to work with Kevin Costner. You learn to live with rejection in this business. And then the agent called a few weeks later. Director Kevin Reynolds wanted me for a different role and the producer's were prepared to make an offer. 10K for 4 days work in Hawaii. Kona to be exact. I took the job with pleasure. It was more of a vacation than a job. I arrived on the island, met Kevin Costner and was quickly introduced to the special effects department. They spent many hours constructing a body cast to build a replica of me. Including tattoos. If you blink you'll miss my debut as Smitty the gate guard that gets smashed by a jet ski drivin by the man himself, Kevin Costner. It took a day to shoot that scene. The rest of my time on Kona was spent on the beach enjoying the scenery.

 

Any other past films of yours you'd like to mention?

 

Moving (Richard Pryor), Death Race (Jason Statham), The Mule (Clint Eastwood), Junkie (Adam Mason), Anarchy Parlor (Devon Downs, Kenny Gage), Hope for the Holidays (Sally Kirkland).

 

Having been working in the filmworld for quite some time now, how do you feel the business has changed over the years?

 

The editorial technique has changed the way audiences experience movies. The pace in which a story moves these days is rapid and indicates a decrease in attention span. When a movie functions more as a thrill ride it can over-stimulate audiences and reduce the human element. The atmospheric element that can potentially lend nuance to a film is generally not tolerated by the mainstream if it lingers for even a second. There are obviously certain genres that require an adrenaline formula for mindless escapism. There have always been movies like this.

 

The influence of cinema has always revealed the impact it can make on society. With a oversaturated market one might wonder if movies merely serve an addiction to trend, or do they still inspire introspection?

 

How would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?

 

Silence is how I would describe my method. Others would describe it as serious and intense. What I've noticed on set these days is a great deal of chatter and hyper enthusiasm to counter the anxiety. It can be a tedious affair waiting to perform. Not everyone can deal with that time quietly. I see it as an opportunity to be absorbed by the imagination so that my work might be rich with possibility. There is a freedom in losing oneself in preparation. It is crucial that I find a quiet space to dissappear into that character.

 

Actors, filmmakers, writers, whoever else who inspire you?

 

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Actors: Richard Burton, Marlon Brando, James Cagney, Paul Scofield, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Russel Crowe, Mel Gibson, Ben Gazzara, John Cassavetes, Vincent Gallo, Tim Roth, Burt Lancaster, Burt Reynolds.

Filmmakers: Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Vincent Gallo, John Cassavetes, Mel Gibson, Oliver Stone, Terrence Malick, Martin Scorsese, Guy Ritchie.

Writers: Charles Bukowski.

 

Your favourite movies?

 

Apocalypse Now (Marlon Brando), Badlands (Martin Sheen), Hard Times (Charles Bronson),American Graffiti (Ron Howard), The Poseidon Adventure (Gene Hackman), The Excorcist (Ellen Burstyn), Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood), Full Metal Jacket (Stanley ubrick), Little Odessa (Tim Roth), The Gambler (James Caan), Gladiator (Russell Crowe), A Man For All Seasons (Paul Scofield), Excalibur (Nicol Williamson), Gotti (Armand Asante), Rumble Fish (Matt Dillon), Save the Tiger (Jack Lemmon), Manson (Robert Hendrickson), Birdman (Michael Keaton), Deliverance (Burt Reynolds), The Last Movie Star (Burt Reynolds), 10 (Dudley Moore), The Shining (Stanley Kubrick), Flashback (Maika Monroe), Birdman of Alcatraz (Burt Lancaster), White Heat (James Cagney), Gilda (Rita Hayworth), Key Largo (Edward G. Robinson), To Have And Have Not (Humphrey Bogart), The Best Years of Our Lives (Teresa Wright).

 

... and of course, films you really deplore?

 

Any film that is conceived as a device to soley sell depravity for profit to encourage the degradation of humanity as fundamental.

 

Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?

 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0489436/

https://www.facebook.com/robert.lasardo/

https://www.instagram.com/lasardo.robert/

 

Thanks for the interview!

 

© by Mike Haberfelner


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Thanks for watching !!!



 

 

In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

Amazon

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Vimeo

 

 

 

Robots and rats,
demons and potholes,
cuddly toys and
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love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

is all of that.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
-
a collection of short stories and mini-plays
ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic
to the weirdly romantic,
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Michael Haberfelner.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

the new anthology by
Michael Haberfelner

 

Out now from
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