Interview: Tim Kang

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Every group has one. That straight-faced, all-business guy who is hardly ever caught goofing around. For “The Mentalist’s” CBI unit, that man is Tim Kang’s Kimball Cho.

But, as many viewers already know, Cho has loosened up a bit over the three seasons. As the 38-year-old actor told WeekinRewind during a phone interview, “Cho letting his hair down is one or two smiles more than he usually does.”

But fans of the series love Kimball Cho for that very reason.

As the two-hour “Mentalist” season finale nears (9 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on CBS) WeekinRewind caught up with Kang earlier in the season to discuss the show, his career and the character that fans have come to love.

Joel Crabtree: You’ve worked on a lot of TV in your career, what’s different about working on “The Mentalist”?

Tim Kang: Wow, I know that answer right off the bat. I don’t even have to think about it. It’s definitely the attitude and just general work environment every day that I’m in there. And what that means, is that every single person on that crew is a cool person, a nice person, a hardworking person. There’s no attitude, none of this sort of competitive nature.  They’re just excellent at what they do, and they know that.  It's a pleasure going to work every day because it is sans attitude.

I’ve been on TV sets where the grips will [mess] with the lighting guys, just because it’s a competitive thing. I’ve been on sets where they don’t care about the guest actors that come in just for a week to do a guest-starring role, and just the attitude that “we’re better than you” kind of thing is nonexistent on this set.  I’ve heard this before from guest actors, as well, that they’ve had a great time coming and working on our show. Because I think that’s one of the single best things to do on an episodic is come in and work as a guest star.

JC: What do you think it is in particular that keeps audiences coming back and watching the show? What is it that has made it such a success?

TK: I think a lot, obviously, has to do with the show itself, meaning the way that it’s been set up and the way it’s been constructed by Bruno [Heller]. Secondly, I think it is also the casting.  We started with Simon [Baker] and built a cast around him, choosing the people who would gel the best. From Day One, there was this ease that I felt. I didn’t know who Simon, Robin [Tunney], Owen [Yeoman] and Amanda [Righetti] were, really. I didn’t know how we’d get along, I didn’t know what that situation would be.

You can tell when you’re watching a TV show, or a movie, or even a play, where you see the casting was not very good, and certain people hate each other. You can see that in the performance. I don’t think you see that in [our show], because in real life, we genuinely like each other, and in real life, we’re genuinely friends.  I think that translates.

JC: In what ways do you think your character Cho has developed as the series has gone on.

TK: He has, I think, become a little bit more comfortable with his role in the unit, in terms of the job he is tasked to do. And with that comfort comes a little bit of ... he’s learning how to kind of take it a little bit easier when he’s at work. Certainly in Season 1, anytime he was on duty, he was on duty. He never cracked a smile, and he was very focused and knew how to get the job done.

Now, he's definitely learning how to let his hair down, so to speak. He doesn’t necessarily need to be that focused and that intense all the time, which he was in the first year, and a majority of the second year. What it boils down to, is we’re going to see him smile just a little more. That’s all you’re really going to get. Cho letting his hair down is one or two smiles more than he usually does. He picks his moments, and they’re very specific when he can crack a smile. This isn't a small thing.

JC: Kimball Cho and Tim Kang, where do they separate? Where are they different and where are they similar?

TK: I think the focus is where they’re similar. When there’s a job to do, it’s 100 percent immersion in that job and to do that job successfully. I think where it separates is that I’m not quite as serious and I don’t live in that focused state of mind as much as Cho does.  When the cameras are rolling, certainly it’s Cho’s attitude, but when the director yells “cut,” Tim Kang shows up right away and Owen and I start to act like 12-year-old kids.

JC: So, now that you have your smash TV hit, do you plan on taking some more movie roles?

TK: Absolutely. In fact, we’re working on some feature possibilities right now. I can’t really talk further than that, but certainly that is something I’d love to do a little bit more in the future.

As much as you appreciate the job security and the daily work that you’re able to do in an episodic -- and I could do this for years and years and years, don’t get me wrong -- there is an aspect to movie making that we don’t really get to do, which I miss in episodics, which is the detail work. We’re shooting six, seven, eight pages a day. In doing that, you kind of miss out on the detail work, you gotta go, go, go, go, go. Shoot it and move on to the next scene. I love it in movies when you can spend an entire day on half a page.

The season finale of “The Mentalist” airs 10 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on CBS. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available on DVD.

Interview: Tim Kang

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Every group has one. That straight-faced, all-business guy who is hardly ever caught goofing around. For “The Mentalist’s” CBI unit, that man is Tim Kang’s Kimball Cho.

But, as many viewers already know, Cho has loosened up a bit over the three seasons. As the 38-year-old actor told WeekinRewind during a phone interview, “Cho letting his hair down is one or two smiles more than he usually does.”

But fans of the series love Kimball Cho for that very reason.

As the two-hour “Mentalist” season finale nears (9 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on CBS) WeekinRewind caught up with Kang earlier in the season to discuss the show, his career and the character that fans have come to love.

Joel Crabtree: You’ve worked on a lot of TV in your career, what’s different about working on “The Mentalist”?

Tim Kang: Wow, I know that answer right off the bat. I don’t even have to think about it. It’s definitely the attitude and just general work environment every day that I’m in there. And what that means, is that every single person on that crew is a cool person, a nice person, a hardworking person. There’s no attitude, none of this sort of competitive nature.  They’re just excellent at what they do, and they know that.  It's a pleasure going to work every day because it is sans attitude.

I’ve been on TV sets where the grips will [mess] with the lighting guys, just because it’s a competitive thing. I’ve been on sets where they don’t care about the guest actors that come in just for a week to do a guest-starring role, and just the attitude that “we’re better than you” kind of thing is nonexistent on this set.  I’ve heard this before from guest actors, as well, that they’ve had a great time coming and working on our show. Because I think that’s one of the single best things to do on an episodic is come in and work as a guest star.

JC: What do you think it is in particular that keeps audiences coming back and watching the show? What is it that has made it such a success?

TK: I think a lot, obviously, has to do with the show itself, meaning the way that it’s been set up and the way it’s been constructed by Bruno [Heller]. Secondly, I think it is also the casting.  We started with Simon [Baker] and built a cast around him, choosing the people who would gel the best. From Day One, there was this ease that I felt. I didn’t know who Simon, Robin [Tunney], Owen [Yeoman] and Amanda [Righetti] were, really. I didn’t know how we’d get along, I didn’t know what that situation would be.

You can tell when you’re watching a TV show, or a movie, or even a play, where you see the casting was not very good, and certain people hate each other. You can see that in the performance. I don’t think you see that in [our show], because in real life, we genuinely like each other, and in real life, we’re genuinely friends.  I think that translates.

JC: In what ways do you think your character Cho has developed as the series has gone on.

TK: He has, I think, become a little bit more comfortable with his role in the unit, in terms of the job he is tasked to do. And with that comfort comes a little bit of ... he’s learning how to kind of take it a little bit easier when he’s at work. Certainly in Season 1, anytime he was on duty, he was on duty. He never cracked a smile, and he was very focused and knew how to get the job done.

Now, he's definitely learning how to let his hair down, so to speak. He doesn’t necessarily need to be that focused and that intense all the time, which he was in the first year, and a majority of the second year. What it boils down to, is we’re going to see him smile just a little more. That’s all you’re really going to get. Cho letting his hair down is one or two smiles more than he usually does. He picks his moments, and they’re very specific when he can crack a smile. This isn't a small thing.

JC: Kimball Cho and Tim Kang, where do they separate? Where are they different and where are they similar?

TK: I think the focus is where they’re similar. When there’s a job to do, it’s 100 percent immersion in that job and to do that job successfully. I think where it separates is that I’m not quite as serious and I don’t live in that focused state of mind as much as Cho does.  When the cameras are rolling, certainly it’s Cho’s attitude, but when the director yells “cut,” Tim Kang shows up right away and Owen and I start to act like 12-year-old kids.

JC: So, now that you have your smash TV hit, do you plan on taking some more movie roles?

TK: Absolutely. In fact, we’re working on some feature possibilities right now. I can’t really talk further than that, but certainly that is something I’d love to do a little bit more in the future.

As much as you appreciate the job security and the daily work that you’re able to do in an episodic -- and I could do this for years and years and years, don’t get me wrong -- there is an aspect to movie making that we don’t really get to do, which I miss in episodics, which is the detail work. We’re shooting six, seven, eight pages a day. In doing that, you kind of miss out on the detail work, you gotta go, go, go, go, go. Shoot it and move on to the next scene. I love it in movies when you can spend an entire day on half a page.

The season finale of “The Mentalist” airs 10 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on CBS. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available on DVD.

Interview: Frances Fisher of “The Lincoln Lawyer”

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Frances Fisher is an acting veteran who has starred in everything from “Guiding Light” to “Unforgiven” to “Titanic.” Today, audiences get a chance to see Fisher opposite Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” adapted from Michael Connelly’s popular novel.

WeekinRewind had a chance to talk with Fisher recently about her role in “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Joel Crabtree: In “The Lincoln Lawyer,” you play Mary Windsor.  Could you tell me a bit about your character?

Frances Fisher: She’s a big Real Estate mogul, she married her husband and inherited his realty company. Her son works for her, she’s raised her son since they came from another part of the country and her husband died, so she moved to Los Angeles with her son. And, you know, went to work for a realty company and ended up marrying the big cheese.

JC: I heard that [author] Michael Connelly visited the set on occasion, and I was wondering if you had a chance to talk to him about the character?

FFr: Not that much. I socialized with him a little bit, but I had already shot my stuff by the time I really had the chance to talk to him.

JC: What was it like bringing the character from the book to the screen?

FF: The script had been written, and I just kind of did the work that an actor does to make the character believable. You give her a history and if it’s not on the page you make it up. It was fine, I think I did what Brad Furman wanted me to do. It’s a tricky role.

JC: Brad Furman, the director, is relatively young as far as directors go. I was wondering what it was like working with him?

FF: IIt was great. He’s got a lot of energy, and he’s hip and he’s young and he’s got a great sensibility. It was lovely working with him. I enjoyed it, a lot.

JC:: Speaking of working with great people, the film has such an amazing cast. I was wondering what it was like to work with so many talented actors in one movie?

FF: It was a pleasure, to say the least, to work with people not only talented but professional. Everybody knew their lines, they showed up on time. It was great.

JC: You’ve had a couple of projects in 2011, now with “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “The Roommate,” and I was wondering what else you have in store for this year?

FF: Well, I just got cast in a pilot called “Partners,” so I’m going to be shooting that this month in Atlanta. “Janie Jones” [starring Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola] is coming out [this summer], and I was just at the Sedona Film Festival with a movie that I did last summer called “Sedona.” So, I’ve got a lot going on.

JC: When you were doing this movie, how did you approach the character?

FF: Like I said before, you get all clues from what’s written in the script, and then there was a book that I could go back to and get the sense of who she was. She wasn’t really fleshed out that much in the book, but the Matthew McConaughey’s character had a few comments about her, so you kind of weave all that together and create a living, breathing person based on the clues you get from the script.

JC: Was there anything in particular that drew you to the project as a whole?

FF: I liked the twists. It was a great read, because I didn’t know what was going to happen next, and it’s noirish, and I thought it was smartly written. I liked who this character is, and I liked what she does in the movie. That’s what made me want to go in and meet with Brad. And I think by then I knew Matthew was attached to it, and I think he’s a lovely actor. And he’s fantastic in this role, he really does a great, great job. [It’s a] great character he creates.

Below is the trailer for "The Lincoln Lawyer."

Interview: Frances Fisher of “The Lincoln Lawyer”

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Frances Fisher is an acting veteran who has starred in everything from “Guiding Light” to “Unforgiven” to “Titanic.” Today, audiences get a chance to see Fisher opposite Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” adapted from Michael Connelly’s popular novel.

WeekinRewind had a chance to talk with Fisher recently about her role in “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Joel Crabtree: In “The Lincoln Lawyer,” you play Mary Windsor.  Could you tell me a bit about your character?

Frances Fisher: She’s a big Real Estate mogul, she married her husband and inherited his realty company. Her son works for her, she’s raised her son since they came from another part of the country and her husband died, so she moved to Los Angeles with her son. And, you know, went to work for a realty company and ended up marrying the big cheese.

JC: I heard that [author] Michael Connelly visited the set on occasion, and I was wondering if you had a chance to talk to him about the character?

FFr: Not that much. I socialized with him a little bit, but I had already shot my stuff by the time I really had the chance to talk to him.

JC: What was it like bringing the character from the book to the screen?

FF: The script had been written, and I just kind of did the work that an actor does to make the character believable. You give her a history and if it’s not on the page you make it up. It was fine, I think I did what Brad Furman wanted me to do. It’s a tricky role.

JC: Brad Furman, the director, is relatively young as far as directors go. I was wondering what it was like working with him?

FF: IIt was great. He’s got a lot of energy, and he’s hip and he’s young and he’s got a great sensibility. It was lovely working with him. I enjoyed it, a lot.

JC:: Speaking of working with great people, the film has such an amazing cast. I was wondering what it was like to work with so many talented actors in one movie?

FF: It was a pleasure, to say the least, to work with people not only talented but professional. Everybody knew their lines, they showed up on time. It was great.

JC: You’ve had a couple of projects in 2011, now with “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “The Roommate,” and I was wondering what else you have in store for this year?

FF: Well, I just got cast in a pilot called “Partners,” so I’m going to be shooting that this month in Atlanta. “Janie Jones” [starring Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola] is coming out [this summer], and I was just at the Sedona Film Festival with a movie that I did last summer called “Sedona.” So, I’ve got a lot going on.

JC: When you were doing this movie, how did you approach the character?

FF: Like I said before, you get all clues from what’s written in the script, and then there was a book that I could go back to and get the sense of who she was. She wasn’t really fleshed out that much in the book, but the Matthew McConaughey’s character had a few comments about her, so you kind of weave all that together and create a living, breathing person based on the clues you get from the script.

JC: Was there anything in particular that drew you to the project as a whole?

FF: I liked the twists. It was a great read, because I didn’t know what was going to happen next, and it’s noirish, and I thought it was smartly written. I liked who this character is, and I liked what she does in the movie. That’s what made me want to go in and meet with Brad. And I think by then I knew Matthew was attached to it, and I think he’s a lovely actor. And he’s fantastic in this role, he really does a great, great job. [It’s a] great character he creates.

Below is the trailer for "The Lincoln Lawyer."

Interview: Charlotte Ross of 'Drive Angry 3D' and 'Street Kings: Motor City'

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Charlotte Ross, a veteran actress who spent several seasons on “NYPD Blue,” took on the role of Candy in “Drive Angry 3D” for the opportunity to work with people she admires who inspire her, such as Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage and frequent Wes Craven-collaborator Patrick Lussier -- whom Ross lauded as a “visionary” director.

And then there were the challenges the role presented, the foremost of which was a full-frontal sex scene/gun fight in 3D, no less. It might seem like a stretch for some actors to go from Det. Connie McDowell to the “extra-horny” waitress who seduces Nicolas Cage’s Milton in “Drive Angry,” but for Ross, that sort of change of pace is what she thrives on as an actress.

“I would like to, in a perfect world, deem myself as a character actress,” Ross said in a recent phone interview with WeekinRewind. “I was shooting Candy in Shreveport, Louisiana, when I was in the middle of shooting Judy Fabray on ‘Glee,’ who's like Ann Coulter times a thousand. It's probably polar-opposite from Candy.”

Although on the surface Candy may appear to be a shallow and somewhat crazy character, Ross said she was drawn to the damaged side of her. “She actually comes from a place of needing love. [Candy is] kind of one of these people who puffs out their chest, but when you break it down, they're really insecure.”

Of course, there was also the appeal of doing a movie that embraces its campy side, which Ross said was one of her favorite things about the movie. “I love comedy when it's based in the darkness of truth.”

Ross said that while on set, working with both Lussier and Cage was an actor’s dream come true.

“My personal working experience with Nic, all bulls****ing aside, honestly, was one of the best working experiences I've ever had. Mainly because, at the end of the day – for him and for me it's a dream come true when this happens – it's all about the work.”

She likened working with Cage to an artistic dance between two actors, and said that he encouraged her with ad-libbing -- something that Ross is fond of as an actress.

“He loved it. He'd get really excited and spur me on, saying 'That's awesome,' 'Keep going,' 'Oh my gosh, how'd you think of that? That's just insane.' So I think he really appreciated the fact that I was trying things that were crazy and dark.”

Ross described Lussier as a director who was collaborative and open to ideas, “which makes everybody, from the crew to the DP to the actors, feel like they’re really a part of it.”

The result was an experience that Ross considered fun, enjoyable, and technically challenging as, “Drive Angry 3D,” is a stunt-heavy movie.

“There was probably 15 to 35 stunt guys on the call sheet every day. I’ve never been in a movie that had so many stunt people on a daily basis.”

Ross also stars in the upcoming Fox release “Street Kings: Motor City,” opposite Ray Liotta, which is slated for a Blu-ray and DVD release in April.

Below are the trailers for “Drive Angry 3D,” currently in theaters and “Street Kings: Motor City.”

Interview: Charlotte Ross of 'Drive Angry 3D' and 'Street Kings: Motor City'

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Charlotte Ross, a veteran actress who spent several seasons on “NYPD Blue,” took on the role of Candy in “Drive Angry 3D” for the opportunity to work with people she admires who inspire her, such as Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage and frequent Wes Craven-collaborator Patrick Lussier -- whom Ross lauded as a “visionary” director.

And then there were the challenges the role presented, the foremost of which was a full-frontal sex scene/gun fight in 3D, no less. It might seem like a stretch for some actors to go from Det. Connie McDowell to the “extra-horny” waitress who seduces Nicolas Cage’s Milton in “Drive Angry,” but for Ross, that sort of change of pace is what she thrives on as an actress.

“I would like to, in a perfect world, deem myself as a character actress,” Ross said in a recent phone interview with WeekinRewind. “I was shooting Candy in Shreveport, Louisiana, when I was in the middle of shooting Judy Fabray on ‘Glee,’ who's like Ann Coulter times a thousand. It's probably polar-opposite from Candy.”

Although on the surface Candy may appear to be a shallow and somewhat crazy character, Ross said she was drawn to the damaged side of her. “She actually comes from a place of needing love. [Candy is] kind of one of these people who puffs out their chest, but when you break it down, they're really insecure.”

Of course, there was also the appeal of doing a movie that embraces its campy side, which Ross said was one of her favorite things about the movie. “I love comedy when it's based in the darkness of truth.”

Ross said that while on set, working with both Lussier and Cage was an actor’s dream come true.

“My personal working experience with Nic, all bulls****ing aside, honestly, was one of the best working experiences I've ever had. Mainly because, at the end of the day – for him and for me it's a dream come true when this happens – it's all about the work.”

She likened working with Cage to an artistic dance between two actors, and said that he encouraged her with ad-libbing -- something that Ross is fond of as an actress.

“He loved it. He'd get really excited and spur me on, saying 'That's awesome,' 'Keep going,' 'Oh my gosh, how'd you think of that? That's just insane.' So I think he really appreciated the fact that I was trying things that were crazy and dark.”

Ross described Lussier as a director who was collaborative and open to ideas, “which makes everybody, from the crew to the DP to the actors, feel like they’re really a part of it.”

The result was an experience that Ross considered fun, enjoyable, and technically challenging as, “Drive Angry 3D,” is a stunt-heavy movie.

“There was probably 15 to 35 stunt guys on the call sheet every day. I’ve never been in a movie that had so many stunt people on a daily basis.”

Ross also stars in the upcoming Fox release “Street Kings: Motor City,” opposite Ray Liotta, which is slated for a Blu-ray and DVD release in April.

Below are the trailers for “Drive Angry 3D,” currently in theaters and “Street Kings: Motor City.”

Interview: Billy Burke of "Drive Angry 3D," "Red Riding Hood" and "Twilight"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Fans of actor-musician Billy Burke have a lot to be excited for in 2011, with “Drive Angry 3D” currently in theaters, and two more films -- Catherine Hardwicke’s “Red Riding Hood” set for March 11 and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One” set for Nov. 18 -- on the horizon.

Burke took some time out of his schedule filming “Breaking Dawn” in Vancouver to discuss his crazed (or inspired?) cult leader in “Drive Angry 3D,” as well as his reteaming with “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke for “Red Riding Hood” and what the future has in store for him.

Joel Crabtree: In your new movie “Drive Angry 3D,” you play a crazed cult leader and I was wondering how much fun you had with it?

Billy Burke: Whoa, whoa, wait a minute now. Crazed? That’s not the word that he would use. He would use inspired.

JC: OK, you play an inspired cult leader. How much fun did you have with it?

BB: More fun than should be allowed for actors. It was good times. It was a good time all around, couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be making a movie with, and couldn't ask for a more boundary-less role to play with.

JC: How did you approach the role of Jonah?

BB: I followed my first instincts as soon as I got done reading the script--I started getting my ideas of what he might sort of look and sound like. I discussed those with Patrick [Lussier], the writer-director, to be on the same page, and we just sort of ran with it. [We ended up] with a lot of thoughts of Jim Jones, so I started looking toward that, and then I started looking toward some wannabe rock stars to get that sort of desperate, pay-attention-to-me swagger.

JC: It definitely shows. So, the whole movie is a mix of action and horror genres, and it’s a lot of fun. I was wondering what it was about the story and character that drew you to the project?

BB: It was mostly the nature of the picture in general. I hadn’t seen -- and I don’t go to see a lot of genre quote-unquote pictures, or whatever people are saying, grindhouse, that kind of thing. I’m not really familiar with what’s been put out there recently. When I read the script, I hadn’t seen a movie that was gonna be like this, I hadn’t seen one in a long time, maybe not since I was a kid. And there was a lot of stuff that was on the page in this that just smelled to me like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna make a movie with reckless abandon, and not really care about the ratings system and what’s gonna offend people or not. So, I was all about being involved in that.

JC: While filming, did you get to partake in any of the action or on-set gun play?

BB: Oh, yeah. The whole showdown sequence at the end, there’s a whole lot of gun play that I was involved in. I got to pull out a few gunslinger tricks here and there, that we implemented. I’ve been dying to do a real western my whole career, so I just sort of said, ‘Hey, well, this guy’s theoretically from the South and might fancy himself a bit of a gunslinger.’ So, I said, 'let’s implement a few of those things.’

JC: You also star in the upcoming movie "Red Riding Hood" -- you’re a very busy man recently. I was wondering what it was like to reteam with Catherine Hardwicke?

BB: Catherine and I have always had a very open and real working relationship. I have always had a big place in my heart for her, I think she’s a wonderful human being, and she’s just a very progressive and thoughtful artist. When she called me up and said, “Here’s what we’re doing,” I couldn’t help but say, “Yeah, I’m in.”

JC: Is there anything else in particular that drew you to that project?

BB: Yeah, I love exploring the dark side of things. And she was gonna take this timeless fairy tale and sort of look at what might be a darker version of it. And I’m all about that. I like that idea. Because those things that young girls were supposed to have learned from this fairy tale, you can take a lot of ways. And this story takes those and kicks them upside down a little bit, and turns them in different directions so maybe you think of a few other things than just not staying to the path and not talking to strangers.

Burke in "Twilight"

JC: And you also have the two final installments of the "Twilight" franchise coming up. I was wondering what it’s like to see the end of that chapter in your career come to a close?

BB: I haven’t really thought about it much. We’re still in the throws of it, right here. I’m in Vancouver right now, and we just started this leg of the tour, so to speak. We started out in Baton Rouge, and now we’re up here, and the rest of it will be shot up here. As far as it coming to a close goes, I don’t know that I’ve really thought about those feelings very much. It’s been a great, great gig for me. And I like playing this guy.

JC: I was wondering if you’ve gotten a lot of recognition from the “Twilight” fans on the streets in your day-to-day life now that you’re Charlie Swan.

BB: Day-to-day life in L.A., you would never notice me walking down the street as Charlie Swan. It’s only when the mustache is back and that whole thing is basically a part of my life for the time that I’m working on these movies. It’s definitely there. Whenever people want to come up and say hi and take a picture or whatever, I’m totally fine with that.

JC: So, what other projects do you have on the horizon?

BB: Well, I’m sort of waiting to find out actually. I would love to stay busy. Right now, in my spare time, I’m working on my second record and just kind of concentrating on that while we figure out what to do with the on-screen stuff.

Below are the trailers for “Drive Angry 3D” and “Red Riding Hood.”

Interview: Billy Burke of "Drive Angry 3D," "Red Riding Hood" and "Twilight"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Fans of actor-musician Billy Burke have a lot to be excited for in 2011, with “Drive Angry 3D” currently in theaters, and two more films -- Catherine Hardwicke’s “Red Riding Hood” set for March 11 and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One” set for Nov. 18 -- on the horizon.

Burke took some time out of his schedule filming “Breaking Dawn” in Vancouver to discuss his crazed (or inspired?) cult leader in “Drive Angry 3D,” as well as his reteaming with “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke for “Red Riding Hood” and what the future has in store for him.

Joel Crabtree: In your new movie “Drive Angry 3D,” you play a crazed cult leader and I was wondering how much fun you had with it?

Billy Burke: Whoa, whoa, wait a minute now. Crazed? That’s not the word that he would use. He would use inspired.

JC: OK, you play an inspired cult leader. How much fun did you have with it?

BB: More fun than should be allowed for actors. It was good times. It was a good time all around, couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be making a movie with, and couldn't ask for a more boundary-less role to play with.

JC: How did you approach the role of Jonah?

BB: I followed my first instincts as soon as I got done reading the script--I started getting my ideas of what he might sort of look and sound like. I discussed those with Patrick [Lussier], the writer-director, to be on the same page, and we just sort of ran with it. [We ended up] with a lot of thoughts of Jim Jones, so I started looking toward that, and then I started looking toward some wannabe rock stars to get that sort of desperate, pay-attention-to-me swagger.

JC: It definitely shows. So, the whole movie is a mix of action and horror genres, and it’s a lot of fun. I was wondering what it was about the story and character that drew you to the project?

BB: It was mostly the nature of the picture in general. I hadn’t seen -- and I don’t go to see a lot of genre quote-unquote pictures, or whatever people are saying, grindhouse, that kind of thing. I’m not really familiar with what’s been put out there recently. When I read the script, I hadn’t seen a movie that was gonna be like this, I hadn’t seen one in a long time, maybe not since I was a kid. And there was a lot of stuff that was on the page in this that just smelled to me like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna make a movie with reckless abandon, and not really care about the ratings system and what’s gonna offend people or not. So, I was all about being involved in that.

JC: While filming, did you get to partake in any of the action or on-set gun play?

BB: Oh, yeah. The whole showdown sequence at the end, there’s a whole lot of gun play that I was involved in. I got to pull out a few gunslinger tricks here and there, that we implemented. I’ve been dying to do a real western my whole career, so I just sort of said, ‘Hey, well, this guy’s theoretically from the South and might fancy himself a bit of a gunslinger.’ So, I said, 'let’s implement a few of those things.’

JC: You also star in the upcoming movie "Red Riding Hood" -- you’re a very busy man recently. I was wondering what it was like to reteam with Catherine Hardwicke?

BB: Catherine and I have always had a very open and real working relationship. I have always had a big place in my heart for her, I think she’s a wonderful human being, and she’s just a very progressive and thoughtful artist. When she called me up and said, “Here’s what we’re doing,” I couldn’t help but say, “Yeah, I’m in.”

JC: Is there anything else in particular that drew you to that project?

BB: Yeah, I love exploring the dark side of things. And she was gonna take this timeless fairy tale and sort of look at what might be a darker version of it. And I’m all about that. I like that idea. Because those things that young girls were supposed to have learned from this fairy tale, you can take a lot of ways. And this story takes those and kicks them upside down a little bit, and turns them in different directions so maybe you think of a few other things than just not staying to the path and not talking to strangers.

Burke in "Twilight"

JC: And you also have the two final installments of the "Twilight" franchise coming up. I was wondering what it’s like to see the end of that chapter in your career come to a close?

BB: I haven’t really thought about it much. We’re still in the throws of it, right here. I’m in Vancouver right now, and we just started this leg of the tour, so to speak. We started out in Baton Rouge, and now we’re up here, and the rest of it will be shot up here. As far as it coming to a close goes, I don’t know that I’ve really thought about those feelings very much. It’s been a great, great gig for me. And I like playing this guy.

JC: I was wondering if you’ve gotten a lot of recognition from the “Twilight” fans on the streets in your day-to-day life now that you’re Charlie Swan.

BB: Day-to-day life in L.A., you would never notice me walking down the street as Charlie Swan. It’s only when the mustache is back and that whole thing is basically a part of my life for the time that I’m working on these movies. It’s definitely there. Whenever people want to come up and say hi and take a picture or whatever, I’m totally fine with that.

JC: So, what other projects do you have on the horizon?

BB: Well, I’m sort of waiting to find out actually. I would love to stay busy. Right now, in my spare time, I’m working on my second record and just kind of concentrating on that while we figure out what to do with the on-screen stuff.

Below are the trailers for “Drive Angry 3D” and “Red Riding Hood.”

Interview

Austin Butler of the CW's "Life Unexpected"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Nineteen-year-old actor Austin Butler said in a recent phone interview that he had heard rumors of ‘some pretty cool story lines’ for his recurring character Jones on the CW’s “Life Unexpected.” Unfortunately, the network decided not to pick up the series’ back nine episodes.

Although the news is a wet blanket for the show’s die-hards, as well as for Austin, fans of Butler shouldn’t fret. The young star has more on the horizon.

Much more.

Butler recently had a guest-spot on “CSI: Miami’s” 200th episode, taking a turn as a suspected killer, while also starring in the upcoming Disney Channel original movie “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure,” which is his second time starring opposite Ashely Tisdale.

Austin took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk to WeekinRewind.com about his upcoming projects, his interest in someday portraying an edgy international agent a la Jason Bourne, and his love for the challenge that is acting.

Joel Crabtree: How is your recurring role on the CW’s "Life Unexpected" different from other cable work you’ve done in the past?

Austin Butler: The first thing is that the group of people I’m working with up there are so wonderful. It starts with Liz [Tigelaar], who created the show, and then it just trickles down through everybody. The people that she hired, all the actors and stuff, are just like a huge family. Right when I came into the show, it didn’t feel like a new show where people are still feeling out their positions--everybody just really works together so well. It’s just such a good set to work on.

JC: You also have a guest-starring role that you have coming up on “CSI: Miami.” What can you tell me about that?

AB: It was really cool. I’ve always wanted to play something where somebody thought I was a murderer. In this one, they think that I tried to kill my stepmother, so it was a pretty fun part to play.

JC: That’s a major change from what you usually do. How did that change of pace work out for you?

AB: It was really fun. They died my hair darker, and [it was great] working on a show that’s been on for nine seasons -- they’re such a well-oiled machine. Working with David Caruso is awesome. He’s been doing it so long, he’ll rewrite the scene right beforehand. It was a definite change of pace for me, but it was so cool.

JC: On top of those TV series, you also have a Disney Channel original picture coming up with Ashley Tisdale called “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.” How was it filming that?

AB: It was a lot of fun. I had worked with Ashley once, and then I heard about the movie, because she called me and said, ‘Austin, I want you to come and read for the director for this--I think you’d be perfect.’ So, I went and met with the director, and it went really well.  I ended up doing the movie with her. It was just so much fun.  The two of us were out there in Toronto having a blast all day. It didn’t even feel like work. And from what I’ve heard, the movie turned out really well.

JC: You had a successful film role in “Aliens in the Attic,” and I was wondering if you’re looking to return to the big screen at some point?

AB: Yeah, that’s where I really see myself in the near future. That’s where I’d like to be. I love TV, but there’s nothing quite like that feeling of doing a movie, where you know the beginning, middle and end of the story. You can just go in there and know the director the entire time. It’s such a trust process. I really want to go back into it.

JC: For you, what are the big differences between film and television?

AB: With television--on shows that have a new director every week--a lot of the times, I’ve never met the director until I get on set for that episode. It’s hard to all of a sudden trust a person if I don’t know their work. Building that immediate trust is a weird thing, because you don’t even know if they’re leading you in the right direction.

When you’re doing a feature, then you know the director beforehand, you’ve rehearsed with him or her, and you have more time. TV’s more mysterious, which is cool, but you’re more secure with film.

JC: So, you’re 19, and I feel that you’ve accomplished more than a lot of actors who are twice your age. Where do you see your career going from here?

AB: The guy who I’ve always admired so much since I was little kid was Leonardo DiCaprio, and his transition from child actor to leading man was flawless. If I could model my career after him at all, that would be perfect for me. That’s kind of my direction. I want to start getting into edgier roles and things that are more challenging.

JC: You’ve been acting since you were 13?

AB: Yeah, something like that. Twelve or 13.

JC: How has your process and thoughts about the craft changed since you first started?

AB: When I first started, I just stumbled into background work. So, I was an extra on sets. It was kind of a fun thing for a 12-year-old to do. I was like, ‘I’m making money--this is cool.’

I started making friends with [some actors], then I started going to acting classes, and then it turned into this thing where I started watching movies differently. And then I started falling in love with the process of how actors do this, and I started really respecting them so much more. And that’s when I started thinking, ‘Wow, it is challenging.’

JC: You mentioned you wanted to get into some more edgier and tougher roles.  I was wondering if there’s a specific character or character type that you want to play?

AB: I don’t know about you, but ‘The Bourne Identity’ is one of the coolest movies of all time. That character would be ideal to play. Some version of Jason Bourne. I’m not saying revamping the same exact character, but something like that would be perfect.

Interview

Austin Butler of the CW's "Life Unexpected"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Nineteen-year-old actor Austin Butler said in a recent phone interview that he had heard rumors of ‘some pretty cool story lines’ for his recurring character Jones on the CW’s “Life Unexpected.” Unfortunately, the network decided not to pick up the series’ back nine episodes.

Although the news is a wet blanket for the show’s die-hards, as well as for Austin, fans of Butler shouldn’t fret. The young star has more on the horizon.

Much more.

Butler recently had a guest-spot on “CSI: Miami’s” 200th episode, taking a turn as a suspected killer, while also starring in the upcoming Disney Channel original movie “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure,” which is his second time starring opposite Ashely Tisdale.

Austin took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk to WeekinRewind.com about his upcoming projects, his interest in someday portraying an edgy international agent a la Jason Bourne, and his love for the challenge that is acting.

Joel Crabtree: How is your recurring role on the CW’s "Life Unexpected" different from other cable work you’ve done in the past?

Austin Butler: The first thing is that the group of people I’m working with up there are so wonderful. It starts with Liz [Tigelaar], who created the show, and then it just trickles down through everybody. The people that she hired, all the actors and stuff, are just like a huge family. Right when I came into the show, it didn’t feel like a new show where people are still feeling out their positions--everybody just really works together so well. It’s just such a good set to work on.

JC: You also have a guest-starring role that you have coming up on “CSI: Miami.” What can you tell me about that?

AB: It was really cool. I’ve always wanted to play something where somebody thought I was a murderer. In this one, they think that I tried to kill my stepmother, so it was a pretty fun part to play.

JC: That’s a major change from what you usually do. How did that change of pace work out for you?

AB: It was really fun. They died my hair darker, and [it was great] working on a show that’s been on for nine seasons -- they’re such a well-oiled machine. Working with David Caruso is awesome. He’s been doing it so long, he’ll rewrite the scene right beforehand. It was a definite change of pace for me, but it was so cool.

JC: On top of those TV series, you also have a Disney Channel original picture coming up with Ashley Tisdale called “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.” How was it filming that?

AB: It was a lot of fun. I had worked with Ashley once, and then I heard about the movie, because she called me and said, ‘Austin, I want you to come and read for the director for this--I think you’d be perfect.’ So, I went and met with the director, and it went really well.  I ended up doing the movie with her. It was just so much fun.  The two of us were out there in Toronto having a blast all day. It didn’t even feel like work. And from what I’ve heard, the movie turned out really well.

JC: You had a successful film role in “Aliens in the Attic,” and I was wondering if you’re looking to return to the big screen at some point?

AB: Yeah, that’s where I really see myself in the near future. That’s where I’d like to be. I love TV, but there’s nothing quite like that feeling of doing a movie, where you know the beginning, middle and end of the story. You can just go in there and know the director the entire time. It’s such a trust process. I really want to go back into it.

JC: For you, what are the big differences between film and television?

AB: With television--on shows that have a new director every week--a lot of the times, I’ve never met the director until I get on set for that episode. It’s hard to all of a sudden trust a person if I don’t know their work. Building that immediate trust is a weird thing, because you don’t even know if they’re leading you in the right direction.

When you’re doing a feature, then you know the director beforehand, you’ve rehearsed with him or her, and you have more time. TV’s more mysterious, which is cool, but you’re more secure with film.

JC: So, you’re 19, and I feel that you’ve accomplished more than a lot of actors who are twice your age. Where do you see your career going from here?

AB: The guy who I’ve always admired so much since I was little kid was Leonardo DiCaprio, and his transition from child actor to leading man was flawless. If I could model my career after him at all, that would be perfect for me. That’s kind of my direction. I want to start getting into edgier roles and things that are more challenging.

JC: You’ve been acting since you were 13?

AB: Yeah, something like that. Twelve or 13.

JC: How has your process and thoughts about the craft changed since you first started?

AB: When I first started, I just stumbled into background work. So, I was an extra on sets. It was kind of a fun thing for a 12-year-old to do. I was like, ‘I’m making money--this is cool.’

I started making friends with [some actors], then I started going to acting classes, and then it turned into this thing where I started watching movies differently. And then I started falling in love with the process of how actors do this, and I started really respecting them so much more. And that’s when I started thinking, ‘Wow, it is challenging.’

JC: You mentioned you wanted to get into some more edgier and tougher roles.  I was wondering if there’s a specific character or character type that you want to play?

AB: I don’t know about you, but ‘The Bourne Identity’ is one of the coolest movies of all time. That character would be ideal to play. Some version of Jason Bourne. I’m not saying revamping the same exact character, but something like that would be perfect.

Interview: Lauren McKnight

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

When your father’s a notorious serial killer of teenagers at the local roller rink, maybe it’s time to look toward the other side of the family tree.

In “My Super Psycho Sweet 16: 2,” that’s just what Skye Rotter does after her dad, Charlie Rotter, wracked up a massive body count in the first “Super Psycho.” Skye, played by Lauren McKnight, searches for her mother, and finds her mother happily married in a small town with a daughter, Alex (Kristen Prout), about Skye’s age.

Could this be the comfortable life that Skye has been searching for her whole life? Hardly. Of course, Skye comes with some baggage, both of the mental and killer father variety, as Charlie follows his daughter to her new home.

WeekinRewind.com had the chance to catch up with Lauren McKnight about “Super Psycho 2,” discuss some of her personal favorite horror movies and relive some of her best and worst Halloween memories.

Joel Crabtree: In what ways do you think your character, Skye Rotter, has changed since the first film?

Lauren McKnight: I feel like in the first film that Skye was your typical, insecure, sweet little teenager. But in the sequel, I feel like she’s really hardened and tough, and that she has a lot more pent-up aggression than in the first one. I think a little bit more of her father comes out in the second one.

JC: I feel like with Sky Rotter you’ve created a strong, but complex kind of female-antihero. I was wondering if you modeled her after anyone in particular?

LM: No, not really. Honestly, she’s so much like myself -- and, yes, I do get that angry (laughs). Not that angry that I kill people. I didn’t model her after anyone in particular--I just kind of developed with the character, I guess.

JC: How was the experience of filming the sequel different from the original?

LM: The sequel was fun because it was a lot of the same people that I had worked with for the first one. Same director, same producers, a lot of the same cast. And that was fun, being able to come back to a familiar set with familiar people.  It made a lot of things easier.

JC: The series is heavily influenced by the slasher genre, and I was curious if there’s a particular movie or series that might be a favorite of yours and that you kind of rely on when you’re studying?

LM: Well, I do have a couple of favorite horror movies, but I wouldn’t really recommend them to any actors for studying. I love the movie “Creepshow.” “Creepshow 1” and “Creepshow 2.”  Awesome. “Basketcase” is one of my favorites, just because it’s horrendous. I’m a big fan of “Nightmare of Elm Street.” Those are some of my personal favorites.

JC: Were you a fan of horror movies before you started the series?

LM: Horror movies I can handle a lot better than psychological thrillers. I like mindless bloodbaths--I think they’re funny.

JC: Do you think there’s room for a third “Super Psycho Sweet 16”?

LM: I think there might be. We all have to wait and see how this weekend pans out. But I really think it might happen. So, just make sure you tell people to tune in Friday and watch it, and we’ll probably make a third one.

JC: So, seeing how this is a horror movie airing around Halloween, I just have to ask you a couple of questions about Halloween. Do you have a worst Halloween memory?

LM: Man, I don’t know. I just remember the most traumatizing experiences when I was a little kid was looking up every morning after Halloween and my pumpkin would always be smashed. Every time. That sucks. For the most part, my Halloweens were pretty good, though.

JC: Yeah? Do you have a best Halloween memory?

LM: Yes! When I was 4 years old, I was Beetlejuice for Halloween. My mom made my costume and everything. That was fun. Another Halloween, when I was about 10 years old, my friends and I went out in one costume and went trick-or-treating, and then went back to my house, changed into another costume, and went back out again. That was fun. I got really sick about a week later, though.

JC: Speaking of getting sick around Halloween, do you have a favorite Halloween candy?

LM: (Laughs) I don’t know, pretty much any kind of fun-sized candy bar--because they’re fun-sized.

"My Super Psycho Sweet 16: 2” airs at 9 p.m. EST Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 on MTV. Watch the trailer below.

Interview: Lauren McKnight

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

When your father’s a notorious serial killer of teenagers at the local roller rink, maybe it’s time to look toward the other side of the family tree.

In “My Super Psycho Sweet 16: 2,” that’s just what Skye Rotter does after her dad, Charlie Rotter, wracked up a massive body count in the first “Super Psycho.” Skye, played by Lauren McKnight, searches for her mother, and finds her mother happily married in a small town with a daughter, Alex (Kristen Prout), about Skye’s age.

Could this be the comfortable life that Skye has been searching for her whole life? Hardly. Of course, Skye comes with some baggage, both of the mental and killer father variety, as Charlie follows his daughter to her new home.

WeekinRewind.com had the chance to catch up with Lauren McKnight about “Super Psycho 2,” discuss some of her personal favorite horror movies and relive some of her best and worst Halloween memories.

Joel Crabtree: In what ways do you think your character, Skye Rotter, has changed since the first film?

Lauren McKnight: I feel like in the first film that Skye was your typical, insecure, sweet little teenager. But in the sequel, I feel like she’s really hardened and tough, and that she has a lot more pent-up aggression than in the first one. I think a little bit more of her father comes out in the second one.

JC: I feel like with Sky Rotter you’ve created a strong, but complex kind of female-antihero. I was wondering if you modeled her after anyone in particular?

LM: No, not really. Honestly, she’s so much like myself -- and, yes, I do get that angry (laughs). Not that angry that I kill people. I didn’t model her after anyone in particular--I just kind of developed with the character, I guess.

JC: How was the experience of filming the sequel different from the original?

LM: The sequel was fun because it was a lot of the same people that I had worked with for the first one. Same director, same producers, a lot of the same cast. And that was fun, being able to come back to a familiar set with familiar people.  It made a lot of things easier.

JC: The series is heavily influenced by the slasher genre, and I was curious if there’s a particular movie or series that might be a favorite of yours and that you kind of rely on when you’re studying?

LM: Well, I do have a couple of favorite horror movies, but I wouldn’t really recommend them to any actors for studying. I love the movie “Creepshow.” “Creepshow 1” and “Creepshow 2.”  Awesome. “Basketcase” is one of my favorites, just because it’s horrendous. I’m a big fan of “Nightmare of Elm Street.” Those are some of my personal favorites.

JC: Were you a fan of horror movies before you started the series?

LM: Horror movies I can handle a lot better than psychological thrillers. I like mindless bloodbaths--I think they’re funny.

JC: Do you think there’s room for a third “Super Psycho Sweet 16”?

LM: I think there might be. We all have to wait and see how this weekend pans out. But I really think it might happen. So, just make sure you tell people to tune in Friday and watch it, and we’ll probably make a third one.

JC: So, seeing how this is a horror movie airing around Halloween, I just have to ask you a couple of questions about Halloween. Do you have a worst Halloween memory?

LM: Man, I don’t know. I just remember the most traumatizing experiences when I was a little kid was looking up every morning after Halloween and my pumpkin would always be smashed. Every time. That sucks. For the most part, my Halloweens were pretty good, though.

JC: Yeah? Do you have a best Halloween memory?

LM: Yes! When I was 4 years old, I was Beetlejuice for Halloween. My mom made my costume and everything. That was fun. Another Halloween, when I was about 10 years old, my friends and I went out in one costume and went trick-or-treating, and then went back to my house, changed into another costume, and went back out again. That was fun. I got really sick about a week later, though.

JC: Speaking of getting sick around Halloween, do you have a favorite Halloween candy?

LM: (Laughs) I don’t know, pretty much any kind of fun-sized candy bar--because they’re fun-sized.

"My Super Psycho Sweet 16: 2” airs at 9 p.m. EST Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 on MTV. Watch the trailer below.

Interview: Drake Doremus of "Douchebag"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Usually, when somebody shouts “douche bag!” from across the street, it’s not a good thing. But for Drake Doremus, it means that his new film (brilliantly titled “Douchebag”) is building an audience in the indie film world.

“Douchebag” follows the journey of estranged brothers Sam and Tom Nussbaum (Andrew Dickler and Ben York Jones) searching for Tom’s fifth-grade girlfriend, Mary Barger, as Sam’s wedding approaches.

While recently roaming the streets of New York, Doremus took some time to talk to WeekinRewind.com about his microbudget movie, discovering an editor’s surprising gift for acting and the title “Douchebag.”

Joel Crabtree: I guess you probably get this a lot, but how is it that you came about the title “Douchebag.”

Drake Doremus: Originally the movie was called “Ms. Barger.” But the wonderful producer Jonathan Schwartz felt that we wouldn’t get as much traction with that title. So, going into the whole Sundance experience, we were just throwing stuff around and we came up with it and thought it was really funny. We just went for it, and it really does sort of describe the character in the film.

JC: How did the story of the film come about?

DD: I had done another small, microbudget movie called “Spooner” in 2007, and kind of wanted to get more into doing a straight-up improv movie again. Myself and Ben York Jones, who plays Tom in the movie, had made an improv movie together in 2001. It was the first movie we ever made. And I was thinking, well, we’ve gotta get back to doing something like that. And I met Andrew Dickler in the editing room. He’d never acted a day in his life, he’d never wanted to act. And I just asked him to be in it because he was such a unique and interesting guy with the beard, and the sandals and socks, and his opinions about vegetarianism, and all the different things he speaks about in the movie. So, I asked him to do it, and Ben and Andrew play brothers in the movie, and we just went and did it.

JC: Is there one of the brothers in the film that you find yourself relating to more than the other?

DD: Definitely. In a way, it’s Tom’s movie because you go through the journey with him and root for him to find piece with his brother and love and many other things. So essentially, he’s sort of the connection piece to the film.

JC: Did you draw characters and scenarios from real-life experiences?

DD: Absolutely. A lot of the conversations that Tom and Sam have in this film, are conversations I had with Andrew at times. And they go on a journey at one point of the film -- one of the catalysts of the road trip -- they go on a journey to find Tom’s fifth-grade girlfriend. And her name is Mary Barger. And Mary Barger was actually my fifth-grade girlfriend and I actually found her after we’d made the movie. She came to Sundance and saw it at Sundance, and I saw her there for the first time in 15 years. That was a really cool thing that happened because of the film.

JC: Speaking of, what was your reaction when you found out that the film was going to premiere at Sundance?

DD: It was a life-changing experience and moment. It was something we geared towards for a year and half prior to that. And I think growing up and making movies, it’s always sort of in the back of your mind [that] well, that’s sort of the top of the mountain. You want to get there eventually. You want to fight to get there. It was an out-of-body experience.

Certainly we weren’t expecting to be in dramatic competition--we were hoping maybe to be in the NEXT category, because we’re such a small microbudget movie. But to be in that category was overwhelming and humbling, and we were so grateful. And the experience itself, and having people react to that movie, it was really the best week ever. It can’t be topped.

JC: What was it like being at Sundance?  Was it your first time there?

DD: No, second time. We had a movie there the year before, “Spooner." So, we were kind of on the outskirts and kind of experienced it, but certainly nothing like being in competition. That was a totally different experience. But being there, I mean, it’s just amazing. You really do feel like a celebrity in a way because everyone knows who you are, you’re on the streets, everyone’s screaming “Douchebag” at you. We couldn’t walk like 10 feet without someone screaming “Douchebag” at us, which was a highlight, for sure. I think Andrew got a little sick of it, but I enjoyed it very much.

JC: Hopefully, that’s the first time people have done that to you.

DD: No, it happens all the time. People are screaming “Douchebag” at me all the time.

JC: In the film, one of the characters, Tom, could be considered kind of a slacker. Were you influenced at all by the wave of mid-’90s slacker indie hits at all?

DD: Not as much as maybe you’d think. I think I was more influenced by Woody Allen’s movies, sort of the sense of pre-naturalism, where people are talking among each other and people are really having conversations. Things go really unrehearsed and things just kind of happen and you just find an organic moment as opposed to trying to have an actor hit a mark. Instead of trying to create a moment, the moment creates itself.

JC: Now that you’ve had your breakout indie hit here, where do you see your career going?

DD: You know, that’s a good question. I don’t know.  Ben and I just wrote a movie I directed that we shot in June, starring Jennifer Lawrence from “Winter’s Bone” and Anton Yelchin. Both very young, exciting actors, and we’re cutting it now.  It’s really exciting. We did it in the same vein, we did it imrpov, we had a 50-page outline and we just went out and did it. I think the goal for me is to make a movie a year, every spring to be shooting. [I’ve] been able to do it for the last three years, and I think the goal would be to do it for another five, six, seven, eight, strecth it out to 10. And just keep making movies. As long as the ideas are there, and they don’t get compromised by going this fast, then I just want to keep making. Making them and working.

JC: It’s funny that you mention that, because Woody Allen pretty much puts out a movie every year.

DD: You got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s definitely the inspiration, for sure.

JC: Do you enjoy working with smaller budgets in general?

DD: I think so. I almost did a bigger movie this year--and I almost don’t want to. It’s so exciting to work in the small microbudgets, because you really do get control and get to do what you want to do. I would love to do a bigger movie when I’ve got enough of the little ones when I can almost do what I want. The idea of having control and not having big crews and keeping it intimate, it’s really satisfying. And I don’t necessarily have that big of an interest. I would rather not be making millions of dollars and be making what I want to make.  That’s more important to me.

Below is the trailer for “Douchebag.” The movie is currently playing in select cities and expanding throughout October. What are your thoughts?

Interview: Drake Doremus of "Douchebag"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Usually, when somebody shouts “douche bag!” from across the street, it’s not a good thing. But for Drake Doremus, it means that his new film (brilliantly titled “Douchebag”) is building an audience in the indie film world.

“Douchebag” follows the journey of estranged brothers Sam and Tom Nussbaum (Andrew Dickler and Ben York Jones) searching for Tom’s fifth-grade girlfriend, Mary Barger, as Sam’s wedding approaches.

While recently roaming the streets of New York, Doremus took some time to talk to WeekinRewind.com about his microbudget movie, discovering an editor’s surprising gift for acting and the title “Douchebag.”

Joel Crabtree: I guess you probably get this a lot, but how is it that you came about the title “Douchebag.”

Drake Doremus: Originally the movie was called “Ms. Barger.” But the wonderful producer Jonathan Schwartz felt that we wouldn’t get as much traction with that title. So, going into the whole Sundance experience, we were just throwing stuff around and we came up with it and thought it was really funny. We just went for it, and it really does sort of describe the character in the film.

JC: How did the story of the film come about?

DD: I had done another small, microbudget movie called “Spooner” in 2007, and kind of wanted to get more into doing a straight-up improv movie again. Myself and Ben York Jones, who plays Tom in the movie, had made an improv movie together in 2001. It was the first movie we ever made. And I was thinking, well, we’ve gotta get back to doing something like that. And I met Andrew Dickler in the editing room. He’d never acted a day in his life, he’d never wanted to act. And I just asked him to be in it because he was such a unique and interesting guy with the beard, and the sandals and socks, and his opinions about vegetarianism, and all the different things he speaks about in the movie. So, I asked him to do it, and Ben and Andrew play brothers in the movie, and we just went and did it.

JC: Is there one of the brothers in the film that you find yourself relating to more than the other?

DD: Definitely. In a way, it’s Tom’s movie because you go through the journey with him and root for him to find piece with his brother and love and many other things. So essentially, he’s sort of the connection piece to the film.

JC: Did you draw characters and scenarios from real-life experiences?

DD: Absolutely. A lot of the conversations that Tom and Sam have in this film, are conversations I had with Andrew at times. And they go on a journey at one point of the film -- one of the catalysts of the road trip -- they go on a journey to find Tom’s fifth-grade girlfriend. And her name is Mary Barger. And Mary Barger was actually my fifth-grade girlfriend and I actually found her after we’d made the movie. She came to Sundance and saw it at Sundance, and I saw her there for the first time in 15 years. That was a really cool thing that happened because of the film.

JC: Speaking of, what was your reaction when you found out that the film was going to premiere at Sundance?

DD: It was a life-changing experience and moment. It was something we geared towards for a year and half prior to that. And I think growing up and making movies, it’s always sort of in the back of your mind [that] well, that’s sort of the top of the mountain. You want to get there eventually. You want to fight to get there. It was an out-of-body experience.

Certainly we weren’t expecting to be in dramatic competition--we were hoping maybe to be in the NEXT category, because we’re such a small microbudget movie. But to be in that category was overwhelming and humbling, and we were so grateful. And the experience itself, and having people react to that movie, it was really the best week ever. It can’t be topped.

JC: What was it like being at Sundance?  Was it your first time there?

DD: No, second time. We had a movie there the year before, “Spooner." So, we were kind of on the outskirts and kind of experienced it, but certainly nothing like being in competition. That was a totally different experience. But being there, I mean, it’s just amazing. You really do feel like a celebrity in a way because everyone knows who you are, you’re on the streets, everyone’s screaming “Douchebag” at you. We couldn’t walk like 10 feet without someone screaming “Douchebag” at us, which was a highlight, for sure. I think Andrew got a little sick of it, but I enjoyed it very much.

JC: Hopefully, that’s the first time people have done that to you.

DD: No, it happens all the time. People are screaming “Douchebag” at me all the time.

JC: In the film, one of the characters, Tom, could be considered kind of a slacker. Were you influenced at all by the wave of mid-’90s slacker indie hits at all?

DD: Not as much as maybe you’d think. I think I was more influenced by Woody Allen’s movies, sort of the sense of pre-naturalism, where people are talking among each other and people are really having conversations. Things go really unrehearsed and things just kind of happen and you just find an organic moment as opposed to trying to have an actor hit a mark. Instead of trying to create a moment, the moment creates itself.

JC: Now that you’ve had your breakout indie hit here, where do you see your career going?

DD: You know, that’s a good question. I don’t know.  Ben and I just wrote a movie I directed that we shot in June, starring Jennifer Lawrence from “Winter’s Bone” and Anton Yelchin. Both very young, exciting actors, and we’re cutting it now.  It’s really exciting. We did it in the same vein, we did it imrpov, we had a 50-page outline and we just went out and did it. I think the goal for me is to make a movie a year, every spring to be shooting. [I’ve] been able to do it for the last three years, and I think the goal would be to do it for another five, six, seven, eight, strecth it out to 10. And just keep making movies. As long as the ideas are there, and they don’t get compromised by going this fast, then I just want to keep making. Making them and working.

JC: It’s funny that you mention that, because Woody Allen pretty much puts out a movie every year.

DD: You got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s definitely the inspiration, for sure.

JC: Do you enjoy working with smaller budgets in general?

DD: I think so. I almost did a bigger movie this year--and I almost don’t want to. It’s so exciting to work in the small microbudgets, because you really do get control and get to do what you want to do. I would love to do a bigger movie when I’ve got enough of the little ones when I can almost do what I want. The idea of having control and not having big crews and keeping it intimate, it’s really satisfying. And I don’t necessarily have that big of an interest. I would rather not be making millions of dollars and be making what I want to make.  That’s more important to me.

Below is the trailer for “Douchebag.” The movie is currently playing in select cities and expanding throughout October. What are your thoughts?

Interview: Scoot McNairy of "Monsters"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

There are some people who can only be described simply as characters. I could tell that actor Scoot McNairy was one such person when he picked up the phone and said “Crabtree!” with a near impossible combination of laid-back enthusiasm.

Somewhat eccentric with thoughtfulness for his craft and that cool West Coast vibe, yes, Scoot McNairy is a character. But those “characters” you encounter more often than not make the best artists, storytellers or actors. Such is the case with McNairy.

His role as photojournalist Andrew in “Monsters” gave the actor a chance to explore what could have become his passion had he not pursued acting. The movie takes place six years after a NASA probe carrying specimens of alien life forms crashed over Mexico, creating an “infected zone” with monsters that stand about 100 meters tall. It’s Andrew’s job to get a tourist named Samantha (Whitney Able, McNairy’s real-life wife) safely through the infected zone to the U.S. border.

In a recent phone interview with WeekinRewind.com, Scoot discussed his preparation for the role, how “Monsters” created a nearly endless playground for him as an actor, and his hopes that people will go into the film with an open mind.

Joel Crabtree: Earlier, I asked your wife how your method of acting is different from hers. And she wasn’t entirely sure, so I’m asking you--how does your method of acting differ from Whitney’s?

Scoot McNairy: I don’t know, for this particular style of film -- the whole film is improvised -- you know, you have to kind of switch up your methods. We had to do an extensive amount of back-story research, you know, and be 100 percent available to anything and everything that could happen. And you couldn’t rehearse anything, you just had to be 100 percent prepared every day when you went to work.

Now, there’s a flip-side to that. Having all these people in Mexico, you could talk to anybody. It made the playground for the actor 20 times bigger. I could walk up to anybody and talk to anybody I wanted to, and they [the crew] would run up and just get a release form after them. So it helps to have a world that big and it would be like on a studio lot [if you] could just walk around and just talk to any one of the extras and just incorporate them into the movie whenever you wanted. So, as far as our styles, I think our styles were pretty similar on this particular project. I know that she and I both did an extensive amount of back-story research in order to get ready for this film, more so than I had done for any other film.

JC: And I was going to ask, you play a journalist in the film--what kind of research did you do?

SM: Well, when I met with Gareth, Gareth asked me, “What’s a role that you are interested in playing, or that you haven’t played that you’ve always wanted to do?” And I said, I’ve wanted to play a war photography journalist, or a photo journalist, just because that’s kind of what I thought I wanted to do before I moved out to California to get into the entertainment business. So, I kind of knew a little bit about it, but the solitude of it was something that was unfamiliar to me. I spent two weeks up in Big Sur [Calif.,] in the woods, just by myself, no contact with any people.

And then I just did an extensive amount of reading, I pretty much got all the textbooks for, if you went to college for photojournalism, and just took photojournalism 101. I also watched a whole bunch of documentaries on photojournalists. And at the end of the day, I kind of took what they were doing and the way they would shoot and kind of their attitudes towards things -- like a lot of the photographers didn’t give a damn about what was going on there.  The only thing they cared about was getting a good photograph. I wanted to make him more of a vagabond than a CNN journalist--this is more of a freelance journalist.

JC: How did you guys get involved in the project in the first place?

SM: I had done a film -- or, I produced a movie -- called “In Search of a Midnight Kiss,” that I sold to Vertigo films in the U.K. When we went over there for the premiere, they met my girlfriend at the time, Whitney, and they pitched both of us to the director Gareth. He came over and stayed with us for  a week, and we brainstormed and flushed out some ideas and some story plots and stuff, and it was crazy--within three months we were off and running. I couldn’t believe these producers would finance a project like this. It was a skeleton crew going all over Mexico right at the peak of the drug lords. It just happened really fast and really organically.

JC: “Monsters” isn’t just a monster movie.  In what way does it distinguish itself from previous incarnations of the genre.

SM: It’s got a monster backdrop, but it's focused more on the relationship of these two people.  It's focused more on their dynamics and their struggles and what they’re going through.

The term "monsters" has so many different meanings, we leave it up for the audience to decide [who the monsters are]. I mean, are the monsters us, are the monsters the monster inside of us, is it the people, is it the military, is it the actual monster--you know what I mean? It had so many different layers going into it, you know, but coming out of it, I didn’t know it was going to be such a relationship film, that’s just what we focused on as the actors because that’s what we were going through. And in the end, it developed into more of a relationship movie and a character piece, than it did an in-your-face CGI monster film.

JC: I was going to ask, we mentioned the small crew earlier and how it was pretty much practically nonexistent--it was a really guerrilla style filmmaking--and I was wondering what some of the advantages were of having such a small crew?

SM: I love it. I mean, “Midngiht Kiss” I worked on with an incredibly small crew.  I’ve worked on this with a small crew, I’ve worked on one other project, and I’m heading off to London to go work on another film with these U.K. guys with this same kind of crew. It lends itself for so much more creativity, so much more involvement with the actor, so much more involvement with everybody around. You’re not so rushed--you have time to sit back and let things breathe and talk about things during the day when you’re in the middle of a shoot.

I know Stanley Kubrick worked with very small crews, as well as a lot of other great directors. And it  gives you an environment to work in that’s incredibly comfortable. It leaves yourself so much room for error, as well as your so much more willing to fall flat on your face working like this, because you know you’ve got time to fix it. And you’ve got time, as well, to try new things.

JC:  I was wondering when you were filming--you were in Mexico with this guerrilla style filmmaking--did you have any idea that this would be a movie with so much hype behind it?

SM: Uh, no. I had no idea. I mean, you know, I think me--and this probably sticks for Whitney as well--we’ve been in these situations before where there’s a lot of hype behind the film, and sometimes you set yourself up for letdown when the film gets bought by somebody and they decide not to release it or give it a bad release. I think the work is what’s so interesting to me. The shooting, the research of the characters, and all the stuff that goes into it beforehand. And on this project the shooting of it actually is fun, because you’re still developing new ideas and coming up with new things for the characters and stuff.

JC: I also was curious to know what other projects you have on the horizon?

SM: I have a film coming out that I just worked on this year with Steve Agee and Matt Berry -- Matt Berry’s a U.K. comedian actor -- called “Angry White Man.” And then I did another with this girl named Jocelin Donahue, who was in “House of the Devil,” and then I’m going off to do this movie with Vertigo again called “A Night in the Woods” in London.

JC: Do you have anything else you want to add?

SM: No man, just go see the film, and don’t go into it with any expectations. You know, just go into it completely available. Don’t try to know what movie you’re going to see. It’s almost best that people don’t read about it and go see it and see what happens.

"Monsters” is currently available on demand, and hits theaters Oct. 29. Below is the trailer, what are your thoughts?

Interview: Scoot McNairy of "Monsters"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

There are some people who can only be described simply as characters. I could tell that actor Scoot McNairy was one such person when he picked up the phone and said “Crabtree!” with a near impossible combination of laid-back enthusiasm.

Somewhat eccentric with thoughtfulness for his craft and that cool West Coast vibe, yes, Scoot McNairy is a character. But those “characters” you encounter more often than not make the best artists, storytellers or actors. Such is the case with McNairy.

His role as photojournalist Andrew in “Monsters” gave the actor a chance to explore what could have become his passion had he not pursued acting. The movie takes place six years after a NASA probe carrying specimens of alien life forms crashed over Mexico, creating an “infected zone” with monsters that stand about 100 meters tall. It’s Andrew’s job to get a tourist named Samantha (Whitney Able, McNairy’s real-life wife) safely through the infected zone to the U.S. border.

In a recent phone interview with WeekinRewind.com, Scoot discussed his preparation for the role, how “Monsters” created a nearly endless playground for him as an actor, and his hopes that people will go into the film with an open mind.

Joel Crabtree: Earlier, I asked your wife how your method of acting is different from hers. And she wasn’t entirely sure, so I’m asking you--how does your method of acting differ from Whitney’s?

Scoot McNairy: I don’t know, for this particular style of film -- the whole film is improvised -- you know, you have to kind of switch up your methods. We had to do an extensive amount of back-story research, you know, and be 100 percent available to anything and everything that could happen. And you couldn’t rehearse anything, you just had to be 100 percent prepared every day when you went to work.

Now, there’s a flip-side to that. Having all these people in Mexico, you could talk to anybody. It made the playground for the actor 20 times bigger. I could walk up to anybody and talk to anybody I wanted to, and they [the crew] would run up and just get a release form after them. So it helps to have a world that big and it would be like on a studio lot [if you] could just walk around and just talk to any one of the extras and just incorporate them into the movie whenever you wanted. So, as far as our styles, I think our styles were pretty similar on this particular project. I know that she and I both did an extensive amount of back-story research in order to get ready for this film, more so than I had done for any other film.

JC: And I was going to ask, you play a journalist in the film--what kind of research did you do?

SM: Well, when I met with Gareth, Gareth asked me, “What’s a role that you are interested in playing, or that you haven’t played that you’ve always wanted to do?” And I said, I’ve wanted to play a war photography journalist, or a photo journalist, just because that’s kind of what I thought I wanted to do before I moved out to California to get into the entertainment business. So, I kind of knew a little bit about it, but the solitude of it was something that was unfamiliar to me. I spent two weeks up in Big Sur [Calif.,] in the woods, just by myself, no contact with any people.

And then I just did an extensive amount of reading, I pretty much got all the textbooks for, if you went to college for photojournalism, and just took photojournalism 101. I also watched a whole bunch of documentaries on photojournalists. And at the end of the day, I kind of took what they were doing and the way they would shoot and kind of their attitudes towards things -- like a lot of the photographers didn’t give a damn about what was going on there.  The only thing they cared about was getting a good photograph. I wanted to make him more of a vagabond than a CNN journalist--this is more of a freelance journalist.

JC: How did you guys get involved in the project in the first place?

SM: I had done a film -- or, I produced a movie -- called “In Search of a Midnight Kiss,” that I sold to Vertigo films in the U.K. When we went over there for the premiere, they met my girlfriend at the time, Whitney, and they pitched both of us to the director Gareth. He came over and stayed with us for  a week, and we brainstormed and flushed out some ideas and some story plots and stuff, and it was crazy--within three months we were off and running. I couldn’t believe these producers would finance a project like this. It was a skeleton crew going all over Mexico right at the peak of the drug lords. It just happened really fast and really organically.

JC: “Monsters” isn’t just a monster movie.  In what way does it distinguish itself from previous incarnations of the genre.

SM: It’s got a monster backdrop, but it's focused more on the relationship of these two people.  It's focused more on their dynamics and their struggles and what they’re going through.

The term "monsters" has so many different meanings, we leave it up for the audience to decide [who the monsters are]. I mean, are the monsters us, are the monsters the monster inside of us, is it the people, is it the military, is it the actual monster--you know what I mean? It had so many different layers going into it, you know, but coming out of it, I didn’t know it was going to be such a relationship film, that’s just what we focused on as the actors because that’s what we were going through. And in the end, it developed into more of a relationship movie and a character piece, than it did an in-your-face CGI monster film.

JC: I was going to ask, we mentioned the small crew earlier and how it was pretty much practically nonexistent--it was a really guerrilla style filmmaking--and I was wondering what some of the advantages were of having such a small crew?

SM: I love it. I mean, “Midngiht Kiss” I worked on with an incredibly small crew.  I’ve worked on this with a small crew, I’ve worked on one other project, and I’m heading off to London to go work on another film with these U.K. guys with this same kind of crew. It lends itself for so much more creativity, so much more involvement with the actor, so much more involvement with everybody around. You’re not so rushed--you have time to sit back and let things breathe and talk about things during the day when you’re in the middle of a shoot.

I know Stanley Kubrick worked with very small crews, as well as a lot of other great directors. And it  gives you an environment to work in that’s incredibly comfortable. It leaves yourself so much room for error, as well as your so much more willing to fall flat on your face working like this, because you know you’ve got time to fix it. And you’ve got time, as well, to try new things.

JC:  I was wondering when you were filming--you were in Mexico with this guerrilla style filmmaking--did you have any idea that this would be a movie with so much hype behind it?

SM: Uh, no. I had no idea. I mean, you know, I think me--and this probably sticks for Whitney as well--we’ve been in these situations before where there’s a lot of hype behind the film, and sometimes you set yourself up for letdown when the film gets bought by somebody and they decide not to release it or give it a bad release. I think the work is what’s so interesting to me. The shooting, the research of the characters, and all the stuff that goes into it beforehand. And on this project the shooting of it actually is fun, because you’re still developing new ideas and coming up with new things for the characters and stuff.

JC: I also was curious to know what other projects you have on the horizon?

SM: I have a film coming out that I just worked on this year with Steve Agee and Matt Berry -- Matt Berry’s a U.K. comedian actor -- called “Angry White Man.” And then I did another with this girl named Jocelin Donahue, who was in “House of the Devil,” and then I’m going off to do this movie with Vertigo again called “A Night in the Woods” in London.

JC: Do you have anything else you want to add?

SM: No man, just go see the film, and don’t go into it with any expectations. You know, just go into it completely available. Don’t try to know what movie you’re going to see. It’s almost best that people don’t read about it and go see it and see what happens.

"Monsters” is currently available on demand, and hits theaters Oct. 29. Below is the trailer, what are your thoughts?

Interview: Whitney Able

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Make no mistake about it, even though Whitney Able, a self-described “blond-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned girl” who, in 2008, ranked No. 83 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list, she is one cultured actress with deep childhood ties to Spain and Mexico.

Able, who has been building quite a report in the indie scene with movies such as “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” and IFC’s 2009 release “Mercy,” continues her streak in the indie world with Gareth Edwards’ debut film “Monsters.”

The film takes place six years after NASA sent a probe to collect samples of alien life forms. Mission accomplished. The bad news, however, is that the probe has crashed over Mexico and the creatures have since been developing in that region, known as the “infected zone.”

Able plays Samantha, an American tourist in Mexico opposite her real-life husband Scoot McNairy. Together, the two must cross the infected zone and get Samantha safely back on to U.S. soil.

Whitney took some time recently for a phone interview with WeekinRewind.com to discuss the appeal of filming off Mexico's beaten path, the guerrilla style of filmmaking used for “Monsters” and her initial reaction after first seeing the movie at the South By Southwest Film Festival.

Joel Crabtree: I was just curious how your method of acting is different than your husband’s?

Whitney Able: That’s a very interesting question. There are a few differences. I don’t know, we’re both pretty loose in the moment, but I would say that I work for ... gosh ... you really asked a good question. I’ve never been asked this, and I feel like now I’m gonna give away all my secrets. I work from myself and my life and my experiences. And you’ll have to ask him how he works, and he’ll probably have an opposing answer. I would hate to answer for him, but he has an opposing answer, I’m sure.

JC: So, in the movie “Monsters,” you play an American tourist in Mexico, and I was wondering if you had been to Mexico before filming the movie?

WA: Yeah, actually, I had. I used to live in Spain, when I was little, for a year, and I’m from Texas, where nearly half the population is Hispanic or Latino. And I spent summers living with families in Mexico, and I have a very strong bond to Mexicans in general. Because, you know, even though I’m a blond-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned girl, I feel as if I have Mexican blood running in my veins. And I have a deep connection with all of the Spanish-speaking countries because I can communicate with them, because I speak Spanish, and kept going back and getting to know more about the culture and the people. I just completely fell in love with the Spanish-speaking world.

So yes, I have been to Mexico, that was half of the sell for me to go down there. Because I just really was excited to spend time there and really get to know the country outside of just the major cities and such.

JC: I was curious if you’ve ever been in a situation as a tourist where you’ve had a terrible experience? Not on the level of the character in the film, obviously.

WA: I don’t think so, honestly, I don’t think so. But I was exposed to the most I’d ever been exposed to during the filming of the movie. Meaning the scary stuff in real life as a tourist was happening simultaneously while we were filming the movie. So, there was sort of a real parallel story that was very related.

JC: What was it like filming in Mexico on such a small budget

WA: It was fantastic. It was really fantastic. It made me feel -- gosh, you know, there’s just something -- when you work with a big crew and set, and a lot of people and a lot of things, there’s just something that’s sort of imposing about it. Like you just came and popped up in the middle of somebody’s world, and just sort of took over for a day, and then you’re gone and everything’s gone with it. I wonder what it’s like for people in a small town when you come and set up shop and then you’re gone. I’m sure everybody gets excited and things. But this was just sort of more intimate and, more, you know, quiet.

And I think we had a different reaction doing it this way than had we done it [with a] more obvious, in-your-face kind of way. I think people were really receptive and kind, curious but not intimidated to ask or be a part of it. It was just a really nice, easy way to work.

JC: While filming, were you and Scoot given a pretty clear vision of what the creatures would look like or how that was all going to work out? Or did Gareth Edwards kind of leave it to your imagination.

WA: We had a rough idea. There were several sketches that were sent along in the beginning before we left. But they were just ideas. He didn’t go too far from the ideas, so we really weren’t quite sure what size they would be if we were standing here looking up at them until we got to the moment when we were shooting the first monster stuff, and he told us where to put our eyes.

JC: Did you first see the movie at South by Southwest?

WA: Yes.

JC: What surprised you most about the movie when you finally got to see it in its entirety.

WA: Well, for me, when I first see a film that I’ve worked on, it’s very difficult to remain objective and sort of take my personal stuff out of it. Usually, the first moments after the credits role I’m sitting there, and I’m processing and I’m decompressing. Actually, Gareth thought that we were displeased with the movie because we had to immediately go up and do the Q&A after seeing it for the first time, and I remember just being totally silent. And I was sort of debriefing myself in my head. Just trying to clear my mind.

But I really was so impressed.  I was so taken by his artwork, from what he does best, and I was just really -- I’m actually very proud to be a part of this film. And I think that we made it a piece of art, if you will -- it’s all art, you know -- that is open enough for people to make up their own opinions and minds about methaphoric and underlying meanings, and connecting the dots and leaving it open enough for them to do so. And I think that all art should sort of have that element. If you ask a painter what his painting’s about, he’ll tell you to go [screw] yourself, (laughs) you know what I mean?

JC: I know what you mean.

WA: So, I think that we’ve made a nice painting.

JC: What other projects do you have on the horizon?

WA: You know, I’m not quite sure what I’m working on next. “Nikita” is coming out, and I did the second episode. I played a bad guy. I got to shoot people and have a Ukranian accent. And then “Tough Trade” is a pilot for the Epix network, about country music; we shot it in Nashville last year. I’m excited to know more about when people can see that, but we’re very excited about it.

”Monsters” is currently available on demand, and hits theaters Oct. 29. Below is the trailer, what are your thoughts?

Interview: Whitney Able

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Make no mistake about it, even though Whitney Able, a self-described “blond-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned girl” who, in 2008, ranked No. 83 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list, she is one cultured actress with deep childhood ties to Spain and Mexico.

Able, who has been building quite a report in the indie scene with movies such as “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” and IFC’s 2009 release “Mercy,” continues her streak in the indie world with Gareth Edwards’ debut film “Monsters.”

The film takes place six years after NASA sent a probe to collect samples of alien life forms. Mission accomplished. The bad news, however, is that the probe has crashed over Mexico and the creatures have since been developing in that region, known as the “infected zone.”

Able plays Samantha, an American tourist in Mexico opposite her real-life husband Scoot McNairy. Together, the two must cross the infected zone and get Samantha safely back on to U.S. soil.

Whitney took some time recently for a phone interview with WeekinRewind.com to discuss the appeal of filming off Mexico's beaten path, the guerrilla style of filmmaking used for “Monsters” and her initial reaction after first seeing the movie at the South By Southwest Film Festival.

Joel Crabtree: I was just curious how your method of acting is different than your husband’s?

Whitney Able: That’s a very interesting question. There are a few differences. I don’t know, we’re both pretty loose in the moment, but I would say that I work for ... gosh ... you really asked a good question. I’ve never been asked this, and I feel like now I’m gonna give away all my secrets. I work from myself and my life and my experiences. And you’ll have to ask him how he works, and he’ll probably have an opposing answer. I would hate to answer for him, but he has an opposing answer, I’m sure.

JC: So, in the movie “Monsters,” you play an American tourist in Mexico, and I was wondering if you had been to Mexico before filming the movie?

WA: Yeah, actually, I had. I used to live in Spain, when I was little, for a year, and I’m from Texas, where nearly half the population is Hispanic or Latino. And I spent summers living with families in Mexico, and I have a very strong bond to Mexicans in general. Because, you know, even though I’m a blond-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned girl, I feel as if I have Mexican blood running in my veins. And I have a deep connection with all of the Spanish-speaking countries because I can communicate with them, because I speak Spanish, and kept going back and getting to know more about the culture and the people. I just completely fell in love with the Spanish-speaking world.

So yes, I have been to Mexico, that was half of the sell for me to go down there. Because I just really was excited to spend time there and really get to know the country outside of just the major cities and such.

JC: I was curious if you’ve ever been in a situation as a tourist where you’ve had a terrible experience? Not on the level of the character in the film, obviously.

WA: I don’t think so, honestly, I don’t think so. But I was exposed to the most I’d ever been exposed to during the filming of the movie. Meaning the scary stuff in real life as a tourist was happening simultaneously while we were filming the movie. So, there was sort of a real parallel story that was very related.

JC: What was it like filming in Mexico on such a small budget

WA: It was fantastic. It was really fantastic. It made me feel -- gosh, you know, there’s just something -- when you work with a big crew and set, and a lot of people and a lot of things, there’s just something that’s sort of imposing about it. Like you just came and popped up in the middle of somebody’s world, and just sort of took over for a day, and then you’re gone and everything’s gone with it. I wonder what it’s like for people in a small town when you come and set up shop and then you’re gone. I’m sure everybody gets excited and things. But this was just sort of more intimate and, more, you know, quiet.

And I think we had a different reaction doing it this way than had we done it [with a] more obvious, in-your-face kind of way. I think people were really receptive and kind, curious but not intimidated to ask or be a part of it. It was just a really nice, easy way to work.

JC: While filming, were you and Scoot given a pretty clear vision of what the creatures would look like or how that was all going to work out? Or did Gareth Edwards kind of leave it to your imagination.

WA: We had a rough idea. There were several sketches that were sent along in the beginning before we left. But they were just ideas. He didn’t go too far from the ideas, so we really weren’t quite sure what size they would be if we were standing here looking up at them until we got to the moment when we were shooting the first monster stuff, and he told us where to put our eyes.

JC: Did you first see the movie at South by Southwest?

WA: Yes.

JC: What surprised you most about the movie when you finally got to see it in its entirety.

WA: Well, for me, when I first see a film that I’ve worked on, it’s very difficult to remain objective and sort of take my personal stuff out of it. Usually, the first moments after the credits role I’m sitting there, and I’m processing and I’m decompressing. Actually, Gareth thought that we were displeased with the movie because we had to immediately go up and do the Q&A after seeing it for the first time, and I remember just being totally silent. And I was sort of debriefing myself in my head. Just trying to clear my mind.

But I really was so impressed.  I was so taken by his artwork, from what he does best, and I was just really -- I’m actually very proud to be a part of this film. And I think that we made it a piece of art, if you will -- it’s all art, you know -- that is open enough for people to make up their own opinions and minds about methaphoric and underlying meanings, and connecting the dots and leaving it open enough for them to do so. And I think that all art should sort of have that element. If you ask a painter what his painting’s about, he’ll tell you to go [screw] yourself, (laughs) you know what I mean?

JC: I know what you mean.

WA: So, I think that we’ve made a nice painting.

JC: What other projects do you have on the horizon?

WA: You know, I’m not quite sure what I’m working on next. “Nikita” is coming out, and I did the second episode. I played a bad guy. I got to shoot people and have a Ukranian accent. And then “Tough Trade” is a pilot for the Epix network, about country music; we shot it in Nashville last year. I’m excited to know more about when people can see that, but we’re very excited about it.

”Monsters” is currently available on demand, and hits theaters Oct. 29. Below is the trailer, what are your thoughts?

Zack Pearlman, far left

Interview: Zack Pearlman

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Zack Pearlman, star of the new comedy "The Virginity Hit,” is by no stretch of the imagination “Hollywood.” In fact, he's the polar opposite – the type of dude you could just hang out with. And if Zack were in your circle of friends, there's no doubt that he would be “the funny one.”

He's less of a GQ guy and more of an embarrass-yourself-on-YouTube kind of guy. In fact, a video he sent in to the website Funny or Die helped him to land his breakout role in "The Virginity Hit.”

While filming the movie, his first and only role thus far, the actor maintained his job at an Ann Arbor, Mich. comic shop called Get Your Game On while continuing to play “Magic: The Gathering.”

Without any hint of an ego, the Ann Arbor native is living and working in Los Angeles, continuing to work alongside his friend and “Virginity Hit” co-star Matt Bennett.

Zack took some time out recently for a phone interview with WeekinRewind.com to talk about his role in "The Virginity Hit," working with producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, and his brief stint as a professional video gamer.

Joel Crabtree: So, you’re in "The Virginity Hit" and you play a character named Zack.  How much of yourself did you bring to that character?

Zack Pearlman: Uh, you know, a lot. I think I was cast -- one of the reasons I was cast -- was because I am so similar to that character. I have a huge love for my friends and family, but one thing that does separate me from the character is that, at the end of the day, I was acting. So, I had to be an exaggerated version of myself. And, also, I would never say some of the things or do some of the things that I do in the movie.

JC: So a lot of your success as an actor kind of stems from YouTube videos, and the Funny or Die [video] I watched earlier, where you show that you’re not afraid to embarrass yourself or others around you.

ZP: Yeah (laughs).

JC: Can audiences expect a similar brand of humor from "The Virginity Hit"?

ZP: Absolutely. I think that’s one of the reasons they cast me in it, was because I kind of spot-on did what they were looking for without them asking. And that’s a very common, recurring theme in "The Virginity Hit." You do get a lot of embarrassing, embarrassing things happening to all the characters.

JC: Speaking of YouTube videos, I also recently watched one -- and correct me if I’m wrong -- where I think it was you dancing to some sort of song ... “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada” ...

ZP: Yeah, “Everytime We Touch,” yeah ...

JC: Did you get to show off any of your moves in the movie?

ZP: No, I was pretty upset.  You know, there was a scene where I was drunk, dancing, but you know I wasn’t actually drunk, just dancing. It didn’t make the final cut. But that video ... we were at a garage sale, my friends and I, in Michigan. And this guy had one of those old booths that you’d find in theaters and like, malls, where it’s like “Make your own music video.” So, we bought it for $15, went to my house, detached the camera, built a green screen and did that (laughs).

JC: Well, I think it’s hilarious, so I’m glad you did it. Maybe your drunk dancing scene will get onto the DVD somehow.

ZP: Hopefully.

JC: So, I also heard that while you were filming you had to keep the movie pretty well under wraps.  What was that like?

ZP: You know, I was an unknown while we were filming, I was an unknown before we were filming, so it wasn’t very hard for me. I just kept my job at a local comic shop called Get Your Game On, I continued playing “Magic: The Gathering” like a huge nerd. And, you know, that’s about it. That’s all I did was play “Magic” and read comics for a year until I moved to L.A. and then stuff started being released.

JC: Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are producers on the film.  Did they have a lot of input and give you a lot of guidance while filming?

ZP: Absolutely. I mean, Adam came on set and Will invited me to go out to see his Broadway performance of his George Bush show.  He invited me personally. They have a huge influence on, I think, how everyone does comedy, let alone us.

JC: How does "The Virginity Hit" separate itself from other comedies in its genre.

ZP: It’s a new take on the teen sex comedy. You do get some of the crude humor, but you also get a lot of heart that isn’t seen in a lot of those movies. Also, Matt [Bennett] and I are best friends in real life, and it really shows in the movie. There was about a year before we started filming where Matt and I would just talk every day. I went out to New York, he came out to Michigan and we ended up becoming best friends. Day one of filming, we had already had a year of just hanging around and being friends.  That really shows on screen.

JC: Did you get a lot of opportunities to improvise in the film?

ZP: I would say 95 percent of the movie is improvised. You know, we always had the story to go off of, or plot, but we never really ... we did have a script but we threw it away because we realized that honest reaction is the best interaction. Andrew [Gurland] and Huck [Botko], the directors and writers, totally grasped onto that and told us to do that.  Improvising has now become such a big part of my life because we were allowed to do it so much in the film.

JC: Now that you have your breakout role here, what’s next for you?

ZP: I just wrote a pilot with Matt that we both starred in and [I] directed. And then, Matt and I are actually writing a movie right now for both of us. Living in L.A. it’s kind of hard, just because like, it’s so much different ... I don’t say hard because of like, business-wise ... I mean hard because it’s like so much different from where I’m from. I’m from the Midwest, where everybody’s like, “How do you do!?” So, it’s been kind of an adjustment and I needed a life adjustment before I could do the career adjustment. Now that I’ve started getting the ball rolling, I’ve written a screenplay and I’m writing this new one with Matt, so it’s exciting.

JC: I read somewhere that you played video games professionally for six months.  How did you land that gig?

ZP: (Laughs) I was a big fat nerd who had really good reaction time on a 20-inch computer screen. I mean, I was huge, I was like 220 when I played, and now I’m like 180. So, I mean, I was big. But the way I landed it was that I just started playing with friends from Michigan, and then I got recognized at a LAN tournament -- which is a local area network -- where people bring their computers and they play against each other. And I won a MVP prize.  It was kind of this weird progression.  A professional team [asked if I wanted to play with them], and I was like, “Sure.”

JC: How many hours did you put in a day?

ZP: Oh, jeez man, like eight to 10. It was bad.

You can follow Zack on Twitter twitter.com/zackpearlman, and watch his videos at youtube.com/user/pearlman and youtube.com/superzack1000. “The Virginity Hit” is playing now in select theaters. Below is the trailer--what are your thoughts?

Zack Pearlman, far left

Interview: Zack Pearlman

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Zack Pearlman, star of the new comedy "The Virginity Hit,” is by no stretch of the imagination “Hollywood.” In fact, he's the polar opposite – the type of dude you could just hang out with. And if Zack were in your circle of friends, there's no doubt that he would be “the funny one.”

He's less of a GQ guy and more of an embarrass-yourself-on-YouTube kind of guy. In fact, a video he sent in to the website Funny or Die helped him to land his breakout role in "The Virginity Hit.”

While filming the movie, his first and only role thus far, the actor maintained his job at an Ann Arbor, Mich. comic shop called Get Your Game On while continuing to play “Magic: The Gathering.”

Without any hint of an ego, the Ann Arbor native is living and working in Los Angeles, continuing to work alongside his friend and “Virginity Hit” co-star Matt Bennett.

Zack took some time out recently for a phone interview with WeekinRewind.com to talk about his role in "The Virginity Hit," working with producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, and his brief stint as a professional video gamer.

Joel Crabtree: So, you’re in "The Virginity Hit" and you play a character named Zack.  How much of yourself did you bring to that character?

Zack Pearlman: Uh, you know, a lot. I think I was cast -- one of the reasons I was cast -- was because I am so similar to that character. I have a huge love for my friends and family, but one thing that does separate me from the character is that, at the end of the day, I was acting. So, I had to be an exaggerated version of myself. And, also, I would never say some of the things or do some of the things that I do in the movie.

JC: So a lot of your success as an actor kind of stems from YouTube videos, and the Funny or Die [video] I watched earlier, where you show that you’re not afraid to embarrass yourself or others around you.

ZP: Yeah (laughs).

JC: Can audiences expect a similar brand of humor from "The Virginity Hit"?

ZP: Absolutely. I think that’s one of the reasons they cast me in it, was because I kind of spot-on did what they were looking for without them asking. And that’s a very common, recurring theme in "The Virginity Hit." You do get a lot of embarrassing, embarrassing things happening to all the characters.

JC: Speaking of YouTube videos, I also recently watched one -- and correct me if I’m wrong -- where I think it was you dancing to some sort of song ... “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada” ...

ZP: Yeah, “Everytime We Touch,” yeah ...

JC: Did you get to show off any of your moves in the movie?

ZP: No, I was pretty upset.  You know, there was a scene where I was drunk, dancing, but you know I wasn’t actually drunk, just dancing. It didn’t make the final cut. But that video ... we were at a garage sale, my friends and I, in Michigan. And this guy had one of those old booths that you’d find in theaters and like, malls, where it’s like “Make your own music video.” So, we bought it for $15, went to my house, detached the camera, built a green screen and did that (laughs).

JC: Well, I think it’s hilarious, so I’m glad you did it. Maybe your drunk dancing scene will get onto the DVD somehow.

ZP: Hopefully.

JC: So, I also heard that while you were filming you had to keep the movie pretty well under wraps.  What was that like?

ZP: You know, I was an unknown while we were filming, I was an unknown before we were filming, so it wasn’t very hard for me. I just kept my job at a local comic shop called Get Your Game On, I continued playing “Magic: The Gathering” like a huge nerd. And, you know, that’s about it. That’s all I did was play “Magic” and read comics for a year until I moved to L.A. and then stuff started being released.

JC: Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are producers on the film.  Did they have a lot of input and give you a lot of guidance while filming?

ZP: Absolutely. I mean, Adam came on set and Will invited me to go out to see his Broadway performance of his George Bush show.  He invited me personally. They have a huge influence on, I think, how everyone does comedy, let alone us.

JC: How does "The Virginity Hit" separate itself from other comedies in its genre.

ZP: It’s a new take on the teen sex comedy. You do get some of the crude humor, but you also get a lot of heart that isn’t seen in a lot of those movies. Also, Matt [Bennett] and I are best friends in real life, and it really shows in the movie. There was about a year before we started filming where Matt and I would just talk every day. I went out to New York, he came out to Michigan and we ended up becoming best friends. Day one of filming, we had already had a year of just hanging around and being friends.  That really shows on screen.

JC: Did you get a lot of opportunities to improvise in the film?

ZP: I would say 95 percent of the movie is improvised. You know, we always had the story to go off of, or plot, but we never really ... we did have a script but we threw it away because we realized that honest reaction is the best interaction. Andrew [Gurland] and Huck [Botko], the directors and writers, totally grasped onto that and told us to do that.  Improvising has now become such a big part of my life because we were allowed to do it so much in the film.

JC: Now that you have your breakout role here, what’s next for you?

ZP: I just wrote a pilot with Matt that we both starred in and [I] directed. And then, Matt and I are actually writing a movie right now for both of us. Living in L.A. it’s kind of hard, just because like, it’s so much different ... I don’t say hard because of like, business-wise ... I mean hard because it’s like so much different from where I’m from. I’m from the Midwest, where everybody’s like, “How do you do!?” So, it’s been kind of an adjustment and I needed a life adjustment before I could do the career adjustment. Now that I’ve started getting the ball rolling, I’ve written a screenplay and I’m writing this new one with Matt, so it’s exciting.

JC: I read somewhere that you played video games professionally for six months.  How did you land that gig?

ZP: (Laughs) I was a big fat nerd who had really good reaction time on a 20-inch computer screen. I mean, I was huge, I was like 220 when I played, and now I’m like 180. So, I mean, I was big. But the way I landed it was that I just started playing with friends from Michigan, and then I got recognized at a LAN tournament -- which is a local area network -- where people bring their computers and they play against each other. And I won a MVP prize.  It was kind of this weird progression.  A professional team [asked if I wanted to play with them], and I was like, “Sure.”

JC: How many hours did you put in a day?

ZP: Oh, jeez man, like eight to 10. It was bad.

You can follow Zack on Twitter twitter.com/zackpearlman, and watch his videos at youtube.com/user/pearlman and youtube.com/superzack1000. “The Virginity Hit” is playing now in select theaters. Below is the trailer--what are your thoughts?

Interview: Kacey Barnfield of "Resident Evil: Afterlife"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

British actress Kacey Barnfield has won a lottery of sorts, landing a role in the mega-budget “Resident Evil Afterlife,” which is in 3D. Unlike her character’s acting career in “Resident Evil” (it’s marred by, oh ... the apocalypse), Barnfield’s career is really starting to blossom.

Already known throughout England as Maddie Gilks on the series “Grange Hill,” the 22-year-old recently starred in the Syfy original picture “Lake Placid 3."  She's currently filming another Syfy movie, “Roadkill,” in Ireland opposite Stephen Rea.  And she was featured in Maxim magazine.

Kacey Barnfield took a few minutes after a long day of filming (which may or may not have involved firing guns) in Ireland to talk to WeekinRewind.com about her role in “Resident Evil Afterlife,” her upcoming Syfy project “Roadkill” and the thrill she gets from being a kick-ass heroine.

Joel Crabtree: “In Resident Evil: Afterlife” you play Crystal Waters.  Could you tell me a bit about the character.

Kacey Barnfield: Yeah, she’s the only female survivor within the prison that is in L.A., which has been overrun by the undead. She is a London girl who moved to L.A. to pursue her career as an actress and that fell through. And then, obviously, it completely fell through when the zombies took over.

But she’s got a really sort of determined, strong fighter’s streak in her. She’s definitely not a silly kind of pushover--she’s got a hard London edge to her. And that really shows in the movie, because she insists on helping Milla [Jovovich’s] character Alice, and Wentworth [Miller’s] character, Chris. ... She’s a great swimmer and she really gets herself involved in the water scenes.  Well, not water scenes, but the swimming action, I should say.

JC: So, what’s it like being a part of such a big-budget, huge franchise like "Resident Evil"?

KB: Oh, it was fantastic. For me, the British actress, to be a part of such a huge--it was my first big-budget feature, it was great to be a part of that and to see the huge scale of the movie, and to work with such established names and people that have been making these kinds of movies for years. It was a great learning experience and it was really fun. It was just awesome, really.

JC: So, the series has a lot of die-hard fans, as you might know, have you been getting a lot of fan kickbacks from the fanboys who love this movie or the series?

KB: Yeah, I know it’s got a huge cult following, which is great. Especially in Japan, I believe. It’s just been a really positive thing and I know a lot of people have taken interest in who I am, and who my character is, because obviously, I’m a complete newcomer. Hopefully, it’s given me a bit of exposure around the world rather than just England and I hope to continue to work out in the States as much as I can. Yeah, it’s just been great to be a part of something with such a huge fan base, and I hope the fans are happy with what I contributed.

JC: Had you played the video games or were you familiar with them before taking the role?

KB: Um, I wasn’t familiar with the video games. I’m not actually much of a big video game fan myself, I leave that to my boyfriend. I did watch the movies and I watched them again before I went over to Canada and took on the role. I learned from watching the movies and knew what I was coming into, knew the storyline. And I was really excited about it.

JC: “Afterlife” marks the return of Paul W.S. Anderson as a director to the series.  What was it like working with him?

KB: Oh, Paul Anderson, he’s a really great guy. He’s a fellow Brit, like myself. He instantly--from the second I walked into the job--he just made me feel so relaxed and so comfortable, and he continued to do that throughout. He’s a very laid-back director without losing any passion. He’s got that great balance, [which] sets the tone for the crew and the rest of the cast.  We feel very much at ease. I never actually had a moment where I felt like I was [in a] very high-pressure atmosphere.

And it was great, it was a great working environment. I was amazed at what he was doing, and he does a great job at it. And he enjoys it, massively enjoys it. He’s always got a smile on his face and that goes a long way.

JC: There’s a lot of gun play in the movie.  I was wondering if you got to take part in any of that?

KB: I got to handle a gun.  In the action sort of swimming scenes, I have a gun in my hand. Unfortunately, I never fire a gun in this movie. But yeah, I got to handle a gun, so that was good.

JC: I’m sure you’ll have many more opportunities to fire a gun in movies.

KB: Yeah, well, I just did today, actually. I’m filming another movie today, so I’ve been firing guns here. It’s been cool.

JC: The movie you're currently filming--is it called “Roadkill”?

KB: That’s it, yeah. It’s actually for the Syfy channel in America and it will be a DVD release as well. And it’s really, really fun. It’s awesome, actually. It’s written by an American writer, and it has an American company behind it, but the director’s a British guy. I feel like it’s a really powerful combination.

I don’t know, maybe Brits sometimes have a different take on movies. They have an edgier slant on things. And then obviously the writing and the ideas are American, and it’s got that great influence coming from that side. The combination is just really working. And the cast is fantastic. We have an absolutely amazing cast. We have Stephen Rea, as well--he’s one of the names in the movie.

It’s just a lot of action ... it’s a horror movie, actually ... it’s been made very dark. And it’s one to look out for when it comes around in 2011, I think.

JC: So, you’ve finished "Lake Placid 3," you have "Resident Evil: Afterlife" and "Roadkill" all on the horizon. You’ve been doing a lot of horror-oriented projects.  Is it a genre you enjoy working in?

KB: I love working in it, yeah, absolutely. The action is just fantastic, you know? You get to really sink your teeth into the action and I really sort of feel extreme emotions.  It’s a great genre.

I’d love to branch out into many different genres, I certainly wouldn’t want to pigeonhole myself. But it’s unbelievable.

And I love that whole kick-ass thing, you know? Especially when you’re a girl, it’s great when you sort of get to beat guys up and be that heroine, the great buzz you get from that.

“Resident Evil Afterlife” hits theaters Sept. 10, 2010. Below is WeekinRewind's preview of the movie.  What are your thoughts?

Interview: Kacey Barnfield of "Resident Evil: Afterlife"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

British actress Kacey Barnfield has won a lottery of sorts, landing a role in the mega-budget “Resident Evil Afterlife,” which is in 3D. Unlike her character’s acting career in “Resident Evil” (it’s marred by, oh ... the apocalypse), Barnfield’s career is really starting to blossom.

Already known throughout England as Maddie Gilks on the series “Grange Hill,” the 22-year-old recently starred in the Syfy original picture “Lake Placid 3."  She's currently filming another Syfy movie, “Roadkill,” in Ireland opposite Stephen Rea.  And she was featured in Maxim magazine.

Kacey Barnfield took a few minutes after a long day of filming (which may or may not have involved firing guns) in Ireland to talk to WeekinRewind.com about her role in “Resident Evil Afterlife,” her upcoming Syfy project “Roadkill” and the thrill she gets from being a kick-ass heroine.

Joel Crabtree: “In Resident Evil: Afterlife” you play Crystal Waters.  Could you tell me a bit about the character.

Kacey Barnfield: Yeah, she’s the only female survivor within the prison that is in L.A., which has been overrun by the undead. She is a London girl who moved to L.A. to pursue her career as an actress and that fell through. And then, obviously, it completely fell through when the zombies took over.

But she’s got a really sort of determined, strong fighter’s streak in her. She’s definitely not a silly kind of pushover--she’s got a hard London edge to her. And that really shows in the movie, because she insists on helping Milla [Jovovich’s] character Alice, and Wentworth [Miller’s] character, Chris. ... She’s a great swimmer and she really gets herself involved in the water scenes.  Well, not water scenes, but the swimming action, I should say.

JC: So, what’s it like being a part of such a big-budget, huge franchise like "Resident Evil"?

KB: Oh, it was fantastic. For me, the British actress, to be a part of such a huge--it was my first big-budget feature, it was great to be a part of that and to see the huge scale of the movie, and to work with such established names and people that have been making these kinds of movies for years. It was a great learning experience and it was really fun. It was just awesome, really.

JC: So, the series has a lot of die-hard fans, as you might know, have you been getting a lot of fan kickbacks from the fanboys who love this movie or the series?

KB: Yeah, I know it’s got a huge cult following, which is great. Especially in Japan, I believe. It’s just been a really positive thing and I know a lot of people have taken interest in who I am, and who my character is, because obviously, I’m a complete newcomer. Hopefully, it’s given me a bit of exposure around the world rather than just England and I hope to continue to work out in the States as much as I can. Yeah, it’s just been great to be a part of something with such a huge fan base, and I hope the fans are happy with what I contributed.

JC: Had you played the video games or were you familiar with them before taking the role?

KB: Um, I wasn’t familiar with the video games. I’m not actually much of a big video game fan myself, I leave that to my boyfriend. I did watch the movies and I watched them again before I went over to Canada and took on the role. I learned from watching the movies and knew what I was coming into, knew the storyline. And I was really excited about it.

JC: “Afterlife” marks the return of Paul W.S. Anderson as a director to the series.  What was it like working with him?

KB: Oh, Paul Anderson, he’s a really great guy. He’s a fellow Brit, like myself. He instantly--from the second I walked into the job--he just made me feel so relaxed and so comfortable, and he continued to do that throughout. He’s a very laid-back director without losing any passion. He’s got that great balance, [which] sets the tone for the crew and the rest of the cast.  We feel very much at ease. I never actually had a moment where I felt like I was [in a] very high-pressure atmosphere.

And it was great, it was a great working environment. I was amazed at what he was doing, and he does a great job at it. And he enjoys it, massively enjoys it. He’s always got a smile on his face and that goes a long way.

JC: There’s a lot of gun play in the movie.  I was wondering if you got to take part in any of that?

KB: I got to handle a gun.  In the action sort of swimming scenes, I have a gun in my hand. Unfortunately, I never fire a gun in this movie. But yeah, I got to handle a gun, so that was good.

JC: I’m sure you’ll have many more opportunities to fire a gun in movies.

KB: Yeah, well, I just did today, actually. I’m filming another movie today, so I’ve been firing guns here. It’s been cool.

JC: The movie you're currently filming--is it called “Roadkill”?

KB: That’s it, yeah. It’s actually for the Syfy channel in America and it will be a DVD release as well. And it’s really, really fun. It’s awesome, actually. It’s written by an American writer, and it has an American company behind it, but the director’s a British guy. I feel like it’s a really powerful combination.

I don’t know, maybe Brits sometimes have a different take on movies. They have an edgier slant on things. And then obviously the writing and the ideas are American, and it’s got that great influence coming from that side. The combination is just really working. And the cast is fantastic. We have an absolutely amazing cast. We have Stephen Rea, as well--he’s one of the names in the movie.

It’s just a lot of action ... it’s a horror movie, actually ... it’s been made very dark. And it’s one to look out for when it comes around in 2011, I think.

JC: So, you’ve finished "Lake Placid 3," you have "Resident Evil: Afterlife" and "Roadkill" all on the horizon. You’ve been doing a lot of horror-oriented projects.  Is it a genre you enjoy working in?

KB: I love working in it, yeah, absolutely. The action is just fantastic, you know? You get to really sink your teeth into the action and I really sort of feel extreme emotions.  It’s a great genre.

I’d love to branch out into many different genres, I certainly wouldn’t want to pigeonhole myself. But it’s unbelievable.

And I love that whole kick-ass thing, you know? Especially when you’re a girl, it’s great when you sort of get to beat guys up and be that heroine, the great buzz you get from that.

“Resident Evil Afterlife” hits theaters Sept. 10, 2010. Below is WeekinRewind's preview of the movie.  What are your thoughts?

Interview: Cheech Marin on "Machete"... And More

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

After decades in the industry, Cheech Marin is a name that is pretty much universal with audiences. He has devoted fans from his days of partnering with Tommy Chong (the two are currently back together on the “Get It Legal” tour), he formed new fans with his work with director Robert Rodriguez in “Desperado,” “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” and he also has garnered younger fans with movies such as “Spy Kids” and Disney-Pixar's “Cars.”

His latest film, “Machete,” marks the eighth time he has worked with Rodriguez. Marin plays Padre Benito del Toro, the title character's “holy brother,” who helps the former Mexican Federale (Danny Trejo) on his quest to kill the corrupt Sen. McLaughlin (Robert De Niro).

In all his year of working in the business, Marin said he had never seen anything like watching the momentum for the film grow from the fan-base. “They absolutely demanded this movie be made, I heard it for years. 'When's the movie coming out, when's the movie coming out, when are you gonna make the movie,'” the actor said recently. “So, it was the first instance of that where I've seen a movie made because the fans demanded it.”

In a recent phone interview for WeekinRewind.com, I learned something about Cheech Marin: His humor is quick and dry. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of learning this the hard way, as I tried to fight through poor phone reception.

Joel Crabtree: I'm sorry, I'm losing you ...

Cheech Marin: Losing me?

JC: Yeah, a little bit.

Cheech: Try flowers or chocolate or something.

JC: (laughs) “Machete” marks the eighth time you've worked with Robert Rodriguez, I believe. What is it like working with him.

Cheech: Low paying … (laughs). Actually, it's a lot of fun working with Robert, you know, we have a great communication.  He just says a few words to tell me what he wants and I get it. It's mostly figuring out what kind of face to make for him.

JC: Do you have a favorite of your collaborations with him?

Cheech: You know … I like “Desper ...” Well, I like 'em all. I like “Desperado” because it was the first time I got to create a good character [as] the bartender. That's really well remembered. I also like “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which I played great characters. That seems to be the dialogue that most people remember (laughs).

JC: It's one of my favorites, by the way.

Cheech: "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," too, 'cause, like, I got to work with Johnny Depp and create another character. And the “Spy Kids,” I get remembered by a lot of kids from “Spy Kids.” Little kids who don't know who I am, like little kids. And then I say, you know Uncle Felix?

JC: Was there ever a moment when you didn't think "Machete" was gonna happen?

Cheech: Most of the time. Most of the time I didn't think it was gonna happen, cause it was years. You get really kind of, I don't know if [I'd say] jaded, but maybe callous, by the whole movie process. Some movies do, some movies don't, some movies take forever, some almost get to the finish line and then fall out. You don't get excited until you're actually on the set.

JC: In “The Perfect Game,” you play a very family-oriented priest and within the same year of release, you're portraying this seriously badass priest. I was wondering what the transition was like?

Cheech: Well, different collars.  One's a little stiffer.… You know, like, “The Perfect Game” was a story that was very dear to my heart, because I was in Little League at the time that this story happened. I was exactly the age of those kids. And so I knew that kind of priest, I knew what kind of priest that was, a parish priest in Mexico. I knew his sensibility. And the other one was the graphic novel priest. Which was cool.

JC: You're also known for your collaborations with Tommy Chong, and you're touring with him now on the “Get It Legal” tour. What has the response been [like] from fans of Cheech and Chong?

Cheech: It's amazing. I mean, I knew that there would be a big welcome for us, because nobody ever believed we'd get back together – me being one of them. But it's amazing. And what's even better is there's a greater acceptance of the second tour, because we're doing a completely different show, and people like this show even more than the first, which is far out.

JC: I also wanted to talk to you about your roles in movies aimed [more] toward children, like the “Spy Kids” movies – another Rodriguez collaboration, of course – and also your voice as Ramone in “Cars.” How has that altered your celebrity among children?

Cheech: You know, as far as the animation goes, I love that process where younger kids don't know who I am until the parents are urging them on, and they're trying to figure out ... “You know, 'Lion King' and 'Cars'? And they [the kids] look up, they go … 'Cars'? And I do the voice for them … *gasp* … and it's like Santa Claus just appeared.

JC: My little cousin is absolutely crazy about “Cars,” and I'm just going to ask if there's been any talk about you reprising the role and the voice in the upcoming “Cars” sequel?

Cheech: Yeah, I'm getting ready to do it right now. I've signed all the contracts and ready to go--I'm just waiting for them to call me. It's gonna be soon. And also they're having a “Cars” ride at California Adventure, the Disneyland junior next to Disneyland. I just went there. It's gonna be a huge ride--it's 55 acres. I just did all the voices for the … “Step out of the car, go to your right, put your safety belt on,” and all that.

JC: Final question … what is your kill count in “Machete”?

Cheech: You know, I don't know.

JC: Not as high as Danny's?

Cheech: No, no, not as high as Danny's, no. After all, he is Machete.

JC: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Cheech: I urge people to go see this movie, it's a lot of fun. You know, it's the only movie I've seen where the gore causes laughs.

"Machete" is now playing in theaters. Below is the trailer.  What are your thoughts on it?

Interview: Cheech Marin on "Machete"... And More

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

After decades in the industry, Cheech Marin is a name that is pretty much universal with audiences. He has devoted fans from his days of partnering with Tommy Chong (the two are currently back together on the “Get It Legal” tour), he formed new fans with his work with director Robert Rodriguez in “Desperado,” “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” and he also has garnered younger fans with movies such as “Spy Kids” and Disney-Pixar's “Cars.”

His latest film, “Machete,” marks the eighth time he has worked with Rodriguez. Marin plays Padre Benito del Toro, the title character's “holy brother,” who helps the former Mexican Federale (Danny Trejo) on his quest to kill the corrupt Sen. McLaughlin (Robert De Niro).

In all his year of working in the business, Marin said he had never seen anything like watching the momentum for the film grow from the fan-base. “They absolutely demanded this movie be made, I heard it for years. 'When's the movie coming out, when's the movie coming out, when are you gonna make the movie,'” the actor said recently. “So, it was the first instance of that where I've seen a movie made because the fans demanded it.”

In a recent phone interview for WeekinRewind.com, I learned something about Cheech Marin: His humor is quick and dry. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of learning this the hard way, as I tried to fight through poor phone reception.

Joel Crabtree: I'm sorry, I'm losing you ...

Cheech Marin: Losing me?

JC: Yeah, a little bit.

Cheech: Try flowers or chocolate or something.

JC: (laughs) “Machete” marks the eighth time you've worked with Robert Rodriguez, I believe. What is it like working with him.

Cheech: Low paying … (laughs). Actually, it's a lot of fun working with Robert, you know, we have a great communication.  He just says a few words to tell me what he wants and I get it. It's mostly figuring out what kind of face to make for him.

JC: Do you have a favorite of your collaborations with him?

Cheech: You know … I like “Desper ...” Well, I like 'em all. I like “Desperado” because it was the first time I got to create a good character [as] the bartender. That's really well remembered. I also like “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which I played great characters. That seems to be the dialogue that most people remember (laughs).

JC: It's one of my favorites, by the way.

Cheech: "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," too, 'cause, like, I got to work with Johnny Depp and create another character. And the “Spy Kids,” I get remembered by a lot of kids from “Spy Kids.” Little kids who don't know who I am, like little kids. And then I say, you know Uncle Felix?

JC: Was there ever a moment when you didn't think "Machete" was gonna happen?

Cheech: Most of the time. Most of the time I didn't think it was gonna happen, cause it was years. You get really kind of, I don't know if [I'd say] jaded, but maybe callous, by the whole movie process. Some movies do, some movies don't, some movies take forever, some almost get to the finish line and then fall out. You don't get excited until you're actually on the set.

JC: In “The Perfect Game,” you play a very family-oriented priest and within the same year of release, you're portraying this seriously badass priest. I was wondering what the transition was like?

Cheech: Well, different collars.  One's a little stiffer.… You know, like, “The Perfect Game” was a story that was very dear to my heart, because I was in Little League at the time that this story happened. I was exactly the age of those kids. And so I knew that kind of priest, I knew what kind of priest that was, a parish priest in Mexico. I knew his sensibility. And the other one was the graphic novel priest. Which was cool.

JC: You're also known for your collaborations with Tommy Chong, and you're touring with him now on the “Get It Legal” tour. What has the response been [like] from fans of Cheech and Chong?

Cheech: It's amazing. I mean, I knew that there would be a big welcome for us, because nobody ever believed we'd get back together – me being one of them. But it's amazing. And what's even better is there's a greater acceptance of the second tour, because we're doing a completely different show, and people like this show even more than the first, which is far out.

JC: I also wanted to talk to you about your roles in movies aimed [more] toward children, like the “Spy Kids” movies – another Rodriguez collaboration, of course – and also your voice as Ramone in “Cars.” How has that altered your celebrity among children?

Cheech: You know, as far as the animation goes, I love that process where younger kids don't know who I am until the parents are urging them on, and they're trying to figure out ... “You know, 'Lion King' and 'Cars'? And they [the kids] look up, they go … 'Cars'? And I do the voice for them … *gasp* … and it's like Santa Claus just appeared.

JC: My little cousin is absolutely crazy about “Cars,” and I'm just going to ask if there's been any talk about you reprising the role and the voice in the upcoming “Cars” sequel?

Cheech: Yeah, I'm getting ready to do it right now. I've signed all the contracts and ready to go--I'm just waiting for them to call me. It's gonna be soon. And also they're having a “Cars” ride at California Adventure, the Disneyland junior next to Disneyland. I just went there. It's gonna be a huge ride--it's 55 acres. I just did all the voices for the … “Step out of the car, go to your right, put your safety belt on,” and all that.

JC: Final question … what is your kill count in “Machete”?

Cheech: You know, I don't know.

JC: Not as high as Danny's?

Cheech: No, no, not as high as Danny's, no. After all, he is Machete.

JC: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Cheech: I urge people to go see this movie, it's a lot of fun. You know, it's the only movie I've seen where the gore causes laughs.

"Machete" is now playing in theaters. Below is the trailer.  What are your thoughts on it?

Interview: Rick Malambri from "Step Up 3D"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Actor Rick Malambri grew up breakdancing, but Malambri admits that even with that background he wasn’t fully prepared for the intense day-in, day-out dance regimen that his starring role in “Step Up 3D” presented. Needless to say, after his experience filming the movie, the 27-year-old has a newfound respect for professional dancers.

The break-out role, however, has done a lot more for Malambri’s career than turning him a suave dance machine. Malambri’s mug currently graces the cover of Da Man magazine, and with his 6-foot-2 athletic build, leading-man looks and cool confidence, it’s almost certain you’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the near future.

Malambri took a few minutes to talk with WeekinRewind. com about “Step Up 3D,” his intense training for the film and his odds of beating me in a dance-off.

JC: How does it feel to be on the cover of a major magazine and the lead in a highly anticipated movie all at once?

RM: You know what, it’s kind of crazy to me. 'Cause I never really expected any of this. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a big franchise and to be given the opportunity to be in this film and make something great. It’s kind of crazy to me. I’m still kind of shocked and kind of, you know, feeling just in awe about the whole situation. It’s just crazy.

JC: So let’s talk about “Step Up 3D.” The role requires a lot of dancing, were you already a dance king before filming or did you have to learn a lot and train a lot to fit the role?

RM: No, I had to train a ton. I grew up breakdancing as a hobby, it wasn’t anything professional or something I really pursued as sort of a career, as much as these dancers in the film. It was definitely more of a feat for me to conquer the choreography and all that stuff than it was for everyone else. I did go through an intense training, which consisted of a month and a half of six days a week, 10 hours a day, mainly dance, but also a lot of strength training as well as capaweta and parkour, which is also in the film. We did some tango as well. A majority of it was the choreography, which is a whole nother animal for me, because I grew up as a freestyle dancer and being a dancer who has to learn these moves and be able to do these specific moves at these specific beats, it’s a difficult thing. I have a much more newfound respect for all these dancers who actually do this day to day as their career. I really respect what they do.

JC: You just mentioned that you learned a little bit of parkour.  How was that incorporated into the film?

RM: We have this little parkour scene where Natalie (Sharni Vinson) and I are kind of competing, I guess you could say. It’s kind of just a funny little bit that we put in the film just to add to the whole street style. I feel like it has that raw feeling of almost being a part of dance, but it’s just more of a gymnastic, out-in-the-street kind of raw style that’s almost similar to breakdancing. We just wanted to throw something like that in there, I think it was a pretty cool idea. It’s also something that’s becoming a much bigger thing in our society and other cultures as well. We just wanted to throw something extra at you guys.

JC: Do you have a favorite style of dance? Is it breakdancing from where you grew up doing that, or did you learn something new that you really loved?

RM: I mean, that is a big part of my life. I think it’s something that will always be a major style in my choice of dance, but I fell in love with doing ballroom stuff, like the tango and things like that. I think that’s also something that can be very intimate especially with a significant other, or you know, something you guys can enjoy doing together. But I honestly enjoy every style of dance. Dance has always been a part of my lief, and I just love it.

JC: Now, let’s say hypothetically we’re both in the club and I challenge you to a dance-off. Is it safe to say -- especially after all your training -- that you would destroy me?

RM: Uh ... (laughs). I don’t want to measure you up, but it’s probably a good possibility. I went through a ton and ton of training, and I think I have come out a much better dancer than before.

JC: Yeah, my cabbage patch won’t hold up.

RM: Yeah, I don’t know about that ...

JC: Music is also an integral part to series’ success, what do you listen to to get amped up before a shoot like this?

RM: You know, we listened to a lot of hip-hop, we were listening to a lot of dubstep, which is a really raw kind of dark, jungle with a lot of bass. It’s another type of music that’s underground and it’s really coming out of its routes. We would get really hype with that. We’d do a couple cyphers, which are where we get prepared, you know, you get in a circle and you start doing some dancing with a friends. It’s kind of like a break dance circle, if you will. And just kind of get ready, get prepared that way.

Especially being on this film with a bunch of dancers, it’s not hard to get prepped and ready to get your groove on on-set.

JC: Other than being in 3-D, what separates the latest “Step Up” from the previous two.

RM: I feel like we have much more of a mature storyline for this film. You know, you have much more of a mature audience. We’re trying to branch out to a bigger audience with it. I think that considering the first two films were based in high school, and now we’re out of high school, we’re in real life situations. It gives it more of a better feel for everyone.

And you know, like you said along with the 3-D, I think that’s going to blow things out of the water as well. It really puts you in the moment. you feel like you’re there, you feel like you’re live watching this dance. I think we’ve put together something that ... outdoes the others. Hopefully everyone else sees that.

JC: The previous films have really helped bring the careers of its leading men -- Channing Tatum and Robert Hoffman -- to a whole new level. Do you think there’s a chance this film might do the same for your career?

RM: I would like to think so. You know, I take things day by day and hopefully this does take my career in a positive turn. I would love that. I would love to get more opportunities to do other things, especially since acting is my main forte, dance came after that. I’d like to say I’m a little more actor-slash-dancer in this film than dancer-slash-actor. I’m hoping that it just gives me the opportunity to keep doing what I want to do.

JC: What other projects are you currently working on?

RM: I just wrapped on a film called “Holiday Heist,” which is an independent film. It’s a Christmas comedy based on a group of kids who have to stay after in college over Christmas break to watch over this art gallery. A robbery ensues and we have to go through the situation of possibly saving the day...and I don’t want to give it away or anything.

I just finished that, and I have another TV movie coming out Oct. 9, which is called “After the Fall,” which is kind of a love story situation. It’s a family film for the Hallmark Channel. And then, just doing auditions and reading more scripts and seeing what’s out there.

JC: Is there anything else you want to add?

RM: Nah, I mean, tell all the readers that I hope everybody enjoys the film. This has been a year-and-a-half in the making, I’m excited for everyone to see it. And I hope everyone enjoys it. I hope everyone gets what they expect out of it. There’s a lot amazing dance in this film and a good little storyline in between, so I hope everyone enjoys it.

”Step Up 3D” is now in theaters.  Check out the trailer below.  What are your thoughts of it--and of Malambri?

Interview: Rick Malambri from "Step Up 3D"

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

Actor Rick Malambri grew up breakdancing, but Malambri admits that even with that background he wasn’t fully prepared for the intense day-in, day-out dance regimen that his starring role in “Step Up 3D” presented. Needless to say, after his experience filming the movie, the 27-year-old has a newfound respect for professional dancers.

The break-out role, however, has done a lot more for Malambri’s career than turning him a suave dance machine. Malambri’s mug currently graces the cover of Da Man magazine, and with his 6-foot-2 athletic build, leading-man looks and cool confidence, it’s almost certain you’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the near future.

Malambri took a few minutes to talk with WeekinRewind. com about “Step Up 3D,” his intense training for the film and his odds of beating me in a dance-off.

JC: How does it feel to be on the cover of a major magazine and the lead in a highly anticipated movie all at once?

RM: You know what, it’s kind of crazy to me. 'Cause I never really expected any of this. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a big franchise and to be given the opportunity to be in this film and make something great. It’s kind of crazy to me. I’m still kind of shocked and kind of, you know, feeling just in awe about the whole situation. It’s just crazy.

JC: So let’s talk about “Step Up 3D.” The role requires a lot of dancing, were you already a dance king before filming or did you have to learn a lot and train a lot to fit the role?

RM: No, I had to train a ton. I grew up breakdancing as a hobby, it wasn’t anything professional or something I really pursued as sort of a career, as much as these dancers in the film. It was definitely more of a feat for me to conquer the choreography and all that stuff than it was for everyone else. I did go through an intense training, which consisted of a month and a half of six days a week, 10 hours a day, mainly dance, but also a lot of strength training as well as capaweta and parkour, which is also in the film. We did some tango as well. A majority of it was the choreography, which is a whole nother animal for me, because I grew up as a freestyle dancer and being a dancer who has to learn these moves and be able to do these specific moves at these specific beats, it’s a difficult thing. I have a much more newfound respect for all these dancers who actually do this day to day as their career. I really respect what they do.

JC: You just mentioned that you learned a little bit of parkour.  How was that incorporated into the film?

RM: We have this little parkour scene where Natalie (Sharni Vinson) and I are kind of competing, I guess you could say. It’s kind of just a funny little bit that we put in the film just to add to the whole street style. I feel like it has that raw feeling of almost being a part of dance, but it’s just more of a gymnastic, out-in-the-street kind of raw style that’s almost similar to breakdancing. We just wanted to throw something like that in there, I think it was a pretty cool idea. It’s also something that’s becoming a much bigger thing in our society and other cultures as well. We just wanted to throw something extra at you guys.

JC: Do you have a favorite style of dance? Is it breakdancing from where you grew up doing that, or did you learn something new that you really loved?

RM: I mean, that is a big part of my life. I think it’s something that will always be a major style in my choice of dance, but I fell in love with doing ballroom stuff, like the tango and things like that. I think that’s also something that can be very intimate especially with a significant other, or you know, something you guys can enjoy doing together. But I honestly enjoy every style of dance. Dance has always been a part of my lief, and I just love it.

JC: Now, let’s say hypothetically we’re both in the club and I challenge you to a dance-off. Is it safe to say -- especially after all your training -- that you would destroy me?

RM: Uh ... (laughs). I don’t want to measure you up, but it’s probably a good possibility. I went through a ton and ton of training, and I think I have come out a much better dancer than before.

JC: Yeah, my cabbage patch won’t hold up.

RM: Yeah, I don’t know about that ...

JC: Music is also an integral part to series’ success, what do you listen to to get amped up before a shoot like this?

RM: You know, we listened to a lot of hip-hop, we were listening to a lot of dubstep, which is a really raw kind of dark, jungle with a lot of bass. It’s another type of music that’s underground and it’s really coming out of its routes. We would get really hype with that. We’d do a couple cyphers, which are where we get prepared, you know, you get in a circle and you start doing some dancing with a friends. It’s kind of like a break dance circle, if you will. And just kind of get ready, get prepared that way.

Especially being on this film with a bunch of dancers, it’s not hard to get prepped and ready to get your groove on on-set.

JC: Other than being in 3-D, what separates the latest “Step Up” from the previous two.

RM: I feel like we have much more of a mature storyline for this film. You know, you have much more of a mature audience. We’re trying to branch out to a bigger audience with it. I think that considering the first two films were based in high school, and now we’re out of high school, we’re in real life situations. It gives it more of a better feel for everyone.

And you know, like you said along with the 3-D, I think that’s going to blow things out of the water as well. It really puts you in the moment. you feel like you’re there, you feel like you’re live watching this dance. I think we’ve put together something that ... outdoes the others. Hopefully everyone else sees that.

JC: The previous films have really helped bring the careers of its leading men -- Channing Tatum and Robert Hoffman -- to a whole new level. Do you think there’s a chance this film might do the same for your career?

RM: I would like to think so. You know, I take things day by day and hopefully this does take my career in a positive turn. I would love that. I would love to get more opportunities to do other things, especially since acting is my main forte, dance came after that. I’d like to say I’m a little more actor-slash-dancer in this film than dancer-slash-actor. I’m hoping that it just gives me the opportunity to keep doing what I want to do.

JC: What other projects are you currently working on?

RM: I just wrapped on a film called “Holiday Heist,” which is an independent film. It’s a Christmas comedy based on a group of kids who have to stay after in college over Christmas break to watch over this art gallery. A robbery ensues and we have to go through the situation of possibly saving the day...and I don’t want to give it away or anything.

I just finished that, and I have another TV movie coming out Oct. 9, which is called “After the Fall,” which is kind of a love story situation. It’s a family film for the Hallmark Channel. And then, just doing auditions and reading more scripts and seeing what’s out there.

JC: Is there anything else you want to add?

RM: Nah, I mean, tell all the readers that I hope everybody enjoys the film. This has been a year-and-a-half in the making, I’m excited for everyone to see it. And I hope everyone enjoys it. I hope everyone gets what they expect out of it. There’s a lot amazing dance in this film and a good little storyline in between, so I hope everyone enjoys it.

”Step Up 3D” is now in theaters.  Check out the trailer below.  What are your thoughts of it--and of Malambri?