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Your new movie The Surprise Visit - in a few words, what is
it about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
It’s
about a young, impoverish couple who decide to rob an estate to pay for
a new life. Their plan ends up having…a few wrenches thrown in the
gears. I play Casey, one half of the couple. He loves his girlfriend
Annabelle so deeply, but he’s consumed by his meth addiction. I’d
describe him as an emotionally volatile, ticking time-bomb. What
did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much Rob
Riordan can we find in Casey? As
a child, I was…concerning? Haha. I mean, I just remember being super
impulsive and reactive—like Casey, but with less life-altering
consequences. It was actually a big problem in school until I was
diagnosed with ADHD in 3rd grade. I feel like I tapped into the little
devil I once was. Casey’s impulse control is severely lacking, like
that of a child’s, so it felt appropriate to bring that part of me to
Casey. How did you get involved
with the project in the first place? I
submitted on Actor’s Access and went through Zoom callbacks! I had no
agent or manager at the time. It was 2020 and I was bartending at a beer
garden in Brooklyn, NY. I feel super lucky.
What can you tell
us about The Surprise Visit's director Nick Lyon, and what was your
collaboration like?
Nick
was always down to let us play! He really enjoyed the chemistry Jacqi
Vene [Jacqi Vene interview -
click here] and I had and let us improvise and find the scenes physically, letting
us bring our own ideas to the table. I was in such an intense headspace
for the shoot, so he was also a really grounding force; his confidence
in the quality of what we were doing was very reassuring. It was my
first lead in a feature film and I’m so happy we found the rapport and
trust in each other we did. He taught me so much and I’m so grateful
to him. Do talk about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere! I
really liked how intimate the whole project was. I mean, being an indie
film with a small cast in the middle of a pandemic with no vaccine at
the time we shot…I think we were all just grateful to make new friends
and collaborators doing what we love. And luckily we all had a lot of
space to stretch or take a lap or get ready for our scenes with some
alone time when on set because our sets were these HUGE estates and
super beautiful. I always felt safe and excited to work—even when the
call time was 5:00am. Also being in Wilfree’s chair for an hour of
make-up every morning was always so relaxing. Any future projects you'd like to
share? I
wrote and directed a sci-fi comedy short film that’s currently in
post-production—crowdfunded $15k with my co-producer Lana Dvorak and
shot in Las Vegas, NV. I also starred in a short called Concessions by Mas Bouzidi which will be hitting film festivals in
2022 and has gained attention from people such as Kevin Smith and Sean
Baker. Some other stuff in the works too, but nothing I can talk about
yet. What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject? Yes
and yes. I went to an arts high school and studied in theatre at a
conservatory in college (Webster University). Most of my training was
for the stage, so I didn’t really learn how to act for the camera
until I joined Kimball Studios a few years after I moved to NYC. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to The Surprise Visit?
I
said 3 lines in a film called Sweet Caroline by Jorge Xolalpa, but
other than that I had just been doing a lot of theatre all over the
country (before the pandemic, of course).
I
was honestly so nervous when I got The Surprise Visit—I mean I was
beyond excited when I landed the role, but then I was like “oh shit,
am I ABLE to do this?!?!” But I attribute my prior theatre credits for
helping prepare my nerves, because I remembered quickly—when the
self-doubt started to creep in—that there’s no TIME to doubt
yourself when you’re telling a story. You just have to tell the damn
story! Put the ego away! How
would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life?
I
use a smorgasbord of tools that I’ve picked up along my journey. Every
role needs a different approach. With
Casey I made a kind of diary of memories to explain his past. And since
he’s an addict I found an amazing, but heart-wrenching Youtube channel
called Soft White Underbelly by Mark Laita: real interviews with drug
addicts talking about their experiences. The interviews are so raw and
hard to watch, but I studied the physicality of the people in those
videos and others…stuff like that. Oh! And music! I need music to get
me in the zone. But
also, that’s just the prep-work. I like to fill my brain with goodies
so I can come to set with ideas—a brilliant teacher I know says
something like “bring ideas to set and you’re more than halfway
there”. It’s true. As long as you’re curious, you’ll find
something. Actors (and indeed
actresses) who inspire you?
Lauren
Ambrose is so inspiring because you can put her in anything and she
shines. I’m watching Servant right now and am so addicted to watching
the way her eyes move and how specific her thoughts appear to be in the
silent moments between dialogue. But I’ve loved her since I saw her in
Psycho Beach Party!
I
also love Marc Menchaca—an insanely talented character actor. I’ve
been following his career ever since I saw him play a veteran suspicious
Damian Lewis’ character in Homeland. I love when an actor can deliver
a monologue and I forget it’s a monologue. He’s one of those actors.
And
of course…Daniel Day Lewis. That man is unreal. Your favourite movies?
In
no particular order: Mysterious
Skin, There
Will Be Blood, Pan’s
Labyrinth, Superbad, Smiley
Face, The
Florida Project, Moonlight, Psycho
Beach Party. ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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“Deplore”
is a strong word. I mean… House of Gucci was a bad movie but in a fun
way...? In the same way that The Room was bad, ya know? Like you can’t
stop watching even though you’re thinking “what the hell are these
people doing?” Films
are really really hard to make, so at the very least I try to find ways
to respect aspects of them all. Your website,
social media, whatever else? Instagram:
@rob_riordan Anything else you're dying
to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
had so much fun working on this film but doing the combat was SUCH A
JOY. Violence is horrible but fake violence is delightful. That’s all!
Haha. Thanks
for the interview!
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