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Your new movie Alien Planet
- what is it about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
Alien Planet
is a classic science-fiction indie film about rival alien species
fighting over a resource to save their respective civilizations. I play
The Dweller, a silent alien lifeform native to the planet Rockachie, where
the film takes place.
Playing a carnivourous and violent brute under heavy makeup and
prosthetics - how do you even prepare for such a role? Preparation
for something like this has a lot to do with 2 things: First the
creature's background. What is its natural habitat? What does it eat?
Questions like that can inform a lot about building behaviors. Secondly,
it's the costume/prosthetics themselves. How does the arm bend? Are the
claws fragile and do I need to be gentle with certain movements? The
limitations can be helpful in creating something unique. It's important to
me that all characters I play, including creatures that do not talk, are
played differently and uniquely from one another. How
did you get involved with the project in the first place?
I know director Alan Maxson [Alan
Maxson interview - click here] from past sets - the creature actor world is pretty small and so
most of us know each other. We never got to work together so Alan came up
with his own project where he could work with whoever he wanted to!
What can you tell us about Alien
Planet's director Alan Maxson, and what was your collaboration
like? Alan
is incredible - it was a huge honor to get asked by a fellow creature
performer to BE a creature in a personal project. Alan is the most
pre-produced and planned indie filmmaker I have ever worked with. Anyone
who wants to make their own movie should learn from how he did it. Do talk about the process of putting on costume
and makeup every day, and in what way has wearing such a heavy costume and
makeup informed your acting?
I had the easiest costume to work with - takes probably five minutes to get
into. I'm so used to hours in the makeup chair that it was refreshing to
have something I could get into and out of fast! My fellow castmates had
no such luck - their beautiful makeup work was long and arduous and surely
uncomfortable to wear. As far as the heaviness is concerned, it helps the
acting. The Dweller is supposed to be this massive thing, so letting the
costume inform those movements actually helps. And the side benefit is I
always lose about ten pounds after a shoot like this because it's a hot workout
just to wear all day!
A few words about the shoot
as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Great
set! Great shoot! Alan and the crew were joys to work with and I had a lot
of fun hanging out with my castmates Alexandra Bokova, Hunter C. Smith, and
Naiia Lajoie [Naiia Lajoie
interview - click here]. Any future projects
you'd like to share? My current and regular acting gig is for AMGI Studios' project My Pet
Hooligan. I play Hooli, a digital spokesrabbit. Our videos are all
improvisational mocap, which is to say that I wear a motion capture suit
and make stuff up. We release short videos on their Twitter page @mypethooligan
with Alexandra Bokova |
What got you into acting in the
first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? I
always wanted to act, but it never felt practical so I went to school for
film thinking I'd be a director or producer or otherwise creative behind
the camera. After moving to California and working on reality shows I
realized I was not following the right path for myself. A fellow producer
talked me into taking an acting class and it changed everything for me.
I've studied with all kinds of acting teachers and techniques, including
Nathan Baesel, Brian Lally, and classes at Warner Loughlin to name a few. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Alien
Planet? So
far I've mostly played two types of characters: creatures/villains (I'm
6'7", so the height lends itself to these things) or comedies. So the
killer or the comedian. I was a few monsters for CryptTV and have done a
bunch of comedic indie projects, short films and the like. I'm just
fortunate to have been able to make it my full time source of income for
the last few years, something many actors don't get the luxury of until
they become a name. How would you describe yourself as an
actor?
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I love acting! I am the kind of actor that takes the work seriously and
wants to constantly improve. I also believe in collaborating with my
fellow actors. I believe in seriously devoting yourself to the role, but
also being pleasant to work with. I also believe in constantly improving
and not doing the same thing over and over again, so I'm looking forward
to getting involved in more dramatic roles. Actors (and indeed actresses) who inspire you? Anyone
who can immerse themselves into a role fully and believably - the list is
too long to recount. Your
favourite movies? I love films from all genres and styles, but the one film that is probably
the REASON for me to become an actor is not too dissimilar from this one -
The Return of Swamp Thing starring Dick Durock and Heather Locklear.
Swamp
Thing is a dream role for me. ... and of course, films you really
deplore?
Most Marvel films. As a kid, I dreamed of superhero movies being
mainstream because I was (and am) a huge comic book reader. Be
careful what you wish for, this reality where the nerds won isn't all it's
cracked up to be.
Your website, social media, whatever else?
I'm bad at and hate social media, but I've learned that it's kind of
necessary... so I promise I'll start using it!
My Instagram is @ericprochnau
My linktree is linktr.ee/ericprochnau
Anything
else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thank
you so much for the interview! Keep making art! Thanks
for the interview!
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