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Your new movie Polypore
- in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us about your
character in it?
Polypore is about one man’s search for the meaning of his life in a
world increasingly inhabited by dangerous, inhuman corporate entities that blindly pursue profit over people’s rights and lives.
The character I play Dr. Jacques Jégado is a brilliant scientist who knows too much. He has become a twisted hedonist due to the
Godless nature of what he has discovered and the relentless pursuit by the Rein Corp.
What did you draw upon to bring your
character to life, and seriously, how much of yourself is in Doctor
Jégado?
Generally once I know the character I am portraying he will come to life on his own. With Jégado it seemed he was pushing
the boundaries almost daring life to collapse on him, which eventually it does, not that I have ever done anything like that in
my life…
How did you get involved with the project in
the first place? A casting post and video audition To what extent can you identify with
the film's message and underlying conspiracy theory?
How do you define identify?
As an actor I identify with my character’s needs. As a human I am much more pragmatic so the
message, however you wish to define it, and the conspiracy theory are things I choose not to partake in on a personal level,
life is too short.
Do
talk about your collaboration with Polypore's
director Jesse Barack [Jesse
Barack interview - click
here] for a bit!
Jesse is a terrific young talent. We had a great artistic connection on and off set. He allows an actor the room to explore the
character’s true self while encouraging risk taking.
What can you tell us
about the actual shoot and the on-set atmosphere?
The vibe on the set/shoot was loose and fluid with a great deal of creative freedom allowed for the actors. I had the great
pleasure of working with the highly talented actors Jack Tracksler [Jack
Tracksler interview - click here] who portrayed Jégado’s research partner Dr. Berry
Tomten, and the lovely Christine Hunt who portrays Turkish escort. Jack and I had a great time playing off each other and
Christine and I have a dialogue in Turkish that was challenging and great fun to learn and execute.
Any
future projects you'd like to talk about?
I am finishing post production on my inaugural film, a short entitled Pie that will be released in fall 2013 and submitted to
film festivals around the country and the world.
What got you
into acting in the first place, and what can you tell us about your
training as an actor?
Acting is a second, or rather, third career for me as I started my adult life as a professional musician, then owned and operated a
floral and event design business with my wife for close to 20 years. At the end of 2008 we sold off the business and in early
2009 sort of stumbled into acting by taking an acting class on a lark. Apparently it stuck.
As an actor I am always learning whether on a set, in a class or in real life I try to use whatever life throws at me. From a
technical view point I’ve trained with most of the top people in Boston.
Do talk about your filmwork prior
to Polypore for a bit!
Prior to Polypore I had very little practical film acting experience.
Jesse gave me a terrific opportunity with this role and I greatly appreciate it.
Besides
low budget indies like Polypore,
you have also worked on a few big budget studio pictures like Ted
and Grown Ups 2 - so how do small and large film productions
compare to one another?
It’s a matter of scale (obviously). Big studio films are big in so many ways from the technical kit to the size of crews to the
number of actors and background performers. And especially the food, craft services and meals are very serious things on a
big set. Low budget indies tend to be much more petite in every way, from the tech kit to the crew to the number of
performers. And pizza, always pizza.
Besides movies, you've also done
quite a bit of theatre - where are the main differences between performing
on stage and acting in front of a camera, and which do you prefer,
actually? Film acting, which I prefer, is much smaller in size in that the
camera reveals the smallest details of a character and the actor performance. The lens focuses energy so the smallest details are
often the most profound. Stage performance lends itself to being bigger. While subtle performances are beautiful the actor
still needs to connect to the people in the last row of the audience and that takes some projection. That projection will
overwhelm the audience through the focused eye of the lens and camera.
How would you describe yourself as an actor,
and what are some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
I try not to describe myself as an actor. I am just a vessel for the characters who appears through me.
Actors
(or indeed actresses) who inspire you? So many. How much space do you have here.
Your favourite
movies? Same as above.
... and of course, films you really deplore?
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Lame stories, bad scripts, representational acting. Any film that have any of these. Although, one can learn from any film, even
bad ones, what not to do and what bad acting is.
Your
website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.marshallberenson.com Anything else you are
dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I think that’s enough for now, don’t you? Thanks for asking.
Thanks
for the interview!
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