Your upcoming movie Theatre of the Deranged
- in a few words, what is it
about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
Theatre of the Deranged
is an anthology of short horror films from some very
talented up-and-coming horror directors. I hope these very talented people get
some well-deserved exposure from the release of the anthology and are able to
make more films they wish to; The indie film scene truly is a treasure for all
involved and is a very important fixture in the film-world landscape. I host
the anthology Theater of Derange as the character Andy the
Arsonist. My character is demented and delusional. HE IS DEAD!!!!! (But he
doesnt know!!! So don't tell him!)
You are also credited with having written your scenes in Theatre of the Deranged. Now what were your initial inspirations when writing your stuff?
James Cullen Bressack [James
Cullen Bressack interview - click here] and Psykik Junky Pictures put the anthology
together and graciously asked me to create an original character with
comedic elements to host the anthology. I did a lot of research on hosts
and specifically horror hosts. I really respect the iconic hosts such as
Vampira, Elvira, and The Cryptkeeper, to name a few, and was very inspired
by their style. I also have a pretty dark sense of humor at times and I
was very liberated to be able to go to that "place".
When it comes to acting ... how do you play a funny arsonist?
The comedy of Andy the Arsonist, like a lot of comedy, comes from pain. The
trick is to be fully committed to the character and see things from his point
of view. He is a serial arsonist who dies in a fire and is obsessed with fire
and death. His heart is aflame with passion for fire and the macabre, a real
sicko! What fun!
A few words about your director James Cullen Bressack [James
Cullen Bressack interview - click here], and what was your
collaboration like? And how did you meet up in the first place? James
Cullen Bressack is a very, very talented young director with a unique
style and vision whose career I am very excited to see unfold! He
definitely knows what he wants when he is directing and was great about
letting us improvise once we got what he wanted, which is an amazing
situation for an actor. He is both a "director's director" and an
"actor's director", which is very, very rare. A real pleasure to
work with. We met at auditions for his first feature, My Pure Joy. I am a big fan of films that feature psychotic lead characters
and also a huge comedy junky, so when I read the breakdown of "Amercian Psycho meets
Superbad" I knew I HAD to audition.
Talking about My Pure Joy. What can you tell us about that one
and your character in it?
My Pure Joy is a character study of a high-schooler who blurs the
line between reality and film, as he is trying to find a place to
escape. WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!!!! He may be at your house right now!!!
I play a recovering heroin addict who is the older brother of the
killer. Alexei Ryan just dominated the lead role and it was a pleasure
to work with him, as well as our mother in the film, actress Lisa
Frantz. You HAVE TO SEE THIS FILM!!!! No. Wait. You have to buy this
film!!!! Its a great rainy-day film that will entertain upon many
viewings. It's getting amazing reviews from horror junkies and junky
whores alike! Buy it NOW on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B006G6GTJI/researmytras-20
How did you get into acting in
the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? I
started by watching sketch shows and early Sandler and Farley movies, and
memorizing the whole movie and acting out different characters all day
long with my brothers, much to the annoyance of my beloved parents. I went
to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the oldest acting school in the
country, to follow in Paul Rudd's footsteps (or because it was the only
school I applied to). I just had to get to LA and wanted some structure
when I got here. Any
of your past films you want to talk about? I was in a
short where I get a haircut from a transexual and want to have sex with
her/him but am not sure if she/he is a she or a he. That was a lot of fun
and a challenge to prepare for. Any future
projects you want to share?
Like Comedy Gold on Facebook!
It's the improv workshop and team that I founded. We perform all over LA.
In general, how do you
approach your roles? I base the way I prepare on the
role. Its different for every role. You do have a background in standup
and improv comedy. How does that compare to acting as such, and in what way
does it help your acting performances? Performing is
performing, but stand-up really helps you develop your point-of-view and
who you are. Improv gets you to be able to think on your feet a lot
better. Having those skills in my arsenal really helps when filming and
gives me the confidence to play off whatever is happening in the moment.
Actors and
comedians who inspire you?
So many. I really look up to
Bill Murray as both an actor and person. I had the pleasure of observing
him for a few weeks and he was just so kind to everyone and really knows
how to enjoy himself. He is always loosey-goosey and goofing off and also
has very strong opinions. And his work is amazing.
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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I also look up a lot to
performance-art type comedians, such as Andy Kaufman. I like how you don't
know what to expect and he always keeps you on-guard. Your favourite movies?
American Psycho, Taxi
Driver, A Clockwork Orange, Caddyshack, Funny
People,
Anchorman and so many more. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? Reality TV.
Rubbish. Dont watch it! You are taking jobs away from actors. Your website,
Facebook, whatever else? Please subscribe to my videos
and impressions at youtube.com/coryjacob, follow me on twitter @coryjacob,
and visit me at IMDbb.com: www.imdb.me/coryjacob. Anything else you are dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I'm a
Capricorn. But I'm on the cusp of Sagittarius. I have no idea what that
means. Thanks for
the interview!
Thanks for having me!
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