Your new movie Valley
of the Sasquatch - in a few words, what is it about, and what can
you tell us about your character in it?
It's
definitely a Bigfoot movie, but it's also more than that. At the center of
the film is the story
of
a father-and-son relationship. I play Sergio who is Roger's (Jason Vail [Jason
Vail interview - click here])
best friend and he's a
real
piece of work. He just can't help himself, no matter how hard he tries. What did you
draw upon to bring your character to life, and even though this might
sound like a mean question, how much of David Saucedo can we find in
Sergio?
I
spent over 10 years in the funeral business and I always draw upon that
for my characters. You
sit
across from a lot of interesting types of people in that job. How much of
me is in Sergio? I'll
answer
that by something Cory, who was a production assistant on the shoot, told
me, "You're
such
a nice guy, but the minute they say action you turn into such an
asshole!"
How did you get
involved with the project in the first place, and to what extent could you
relate to Valley
of the Sasquatch's horror theme?
I
had worked on a feature called Circle, which Brent Stiefel was
a producer on, and he was also a
producer on
Valley of the Sasquatch.
Brent reached out to me
after we finished filming
Circle
because he thought I'd be a good fit to play Sergio. He sent me the script
which I loved,
and
after some Skype sessions with director John Portanova [John
Portanova interview - click here], I was on board. As to relating to the
horror genre, I've
always
enjoyed this genre and I've watch many of the other Sasquatch movies out
there. When I
read
the script for
Valley of the Sasquatch, I knew that I wanted to be a part
of the film. What can you
tell us about your director John Portanova [John
Portanova interview - click here], and what was your
collaboration with him like?
I
liked him immediately on the initial Skype sessions we did to finally
meeting him on set. He was
very open to suggestions and willing to hear my input on my character
Sergio. He also had a
clear vision for what he wanted for the film, which helps me as an actor.
Do talk about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere!
Shooting
the movie was a great experience. More like summer camp than a film set.
The cast, crew
and the production folks were all at a ski lodge for the duration of the
shoot. We bunked in dormitory-style sleeping quarters and had our meals family-style. On our days off we
would all go
into nearby towns of Cle Elum or Roslyn, WA to do our laundry, use the
internet, go
to The
Brick
for
lunch. We enjoyed both towns. On set we had one of the most
professional/hardworking
crews I'd ever worked with and it was a pleasure coming to set every
day.
They really took care of us both on and off set. I am particularly
thankful for the day they
brought
in the masseuse! Any future projects you'd like to
share?
I've
got a couple of films in the horror genre coming out this year. Savageland was screened at
Comic-Con
and is screening at other festivals around the country. Circle
is looking like a
release
very soon. I also did a co-star role recently on an HBO’s signature
series but I can't say more
than that about it now since I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I
fell into it by accident. I did some head-shots for an actor and he
inspired me to take a shot at
it.
I did take acting lessons initially but most of what I've learned I've
learned by working on set.
Everybody
has their own path and that seems to have worked for me. What
can you tell us about your film- and TV-work prior to Valley
of the Sasquatch?
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One
of my early roles was with Mexican television royalty Angelica Vale in
the lead role of
No Me Hallo. The show was originally intended as a web series but after
its success online,
Univision
decided to also air the series on its network. I appeared in two episodes
playing the
role
of Peppino. I then worked on a lot of independent projects. Later, after a
long audition
process
I was cast in the role of Cesar Arista (in the Christopher Landon
directed) Paranormal
Activity:
The Marked Ones. This was the second time I had worked with director,
writer and
producer
Oren Peli. Previously, I shot the (as of yet unreleased) Oren Peli
directed project Area 51.
Since then, I've played opposite Salma Hayek in How to Make Love to
an Englishman and I
was the gritty drug enforcer Rosco in 6 Ways to Sundown
staring Bai Ling, Tom Sizemore
and
Dominique Swain. With over three million hits on YouTube, I am also in the
music video by
The
Cataracs, "All You" - I play a coyote that smuggles the band into
Mexico.
Besides movies and TV, you've
also done your fair share of theatre, right? So what can you tell us
about David Saucedo, the theatre actor, and how does performing on
stage compare to acting in front of a camera? And which do you prefer,
actually?
I've
done theatre since I began acting, and to be honest with you it scares the
shit out of me but I
love
it. The stage experience is like night and day compared to working on
film, television or
commercials.
I like them both and they each give me a different kind of rush.
How would you describe yourself as an actor, and
some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
I
do a little bit of everything, drama, comedy, action films and I'm
bi-lingual English/Spanish. so
I’ve
done some work for Spanish network television. As
far as character development, it can be
anything
from extensive research to something as simple as an object that I'll have
in my
possession
(for the role of Sergio, I carried a wood rosary with me) as I play the
role. One of
my
favorite techniques is having a playlist of songs that the character would
listen to. It really gets
me into the mind-set and mood of the character.
Actors
(and indeed actresses) who inspire you?
Vera
Farmiga, great actor and director. Tom
Hardy who I just saw in a film called The Drop. He
delivered a really great performance. And Morgan Freeman.
Your favourite
movies?
I
watch a lot of documentaries, but as far as features go I like Blade
Runner and a film written
and directed
by Eric England called Contracted to name a few. I
get a lot of flak for saying this,
but
I do love the Twilight series. ... and of course, films you really deplore?
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There's
been some films that I've seen and then wish I could get back the ninety
minutes I lost of
my
life, but I won't mention any by name. Your
website, Facebook, whatever else?
My
Facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/davidsaucedoactor?ref=hl
My
IMDb page -
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4157844/?ref_=rvi_nm
Circle
– https://www.facebook.com/circlefilm
and
https://twitter.com/circle_film
Savageland -
https://www.facebook.com/savagelandfilm2014
Anything else you are
dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
First
thanks for asking me to do this and second, I just finished writing my
first screenplay. It's a horror
film that centers on a Latino family.
The other thing is one is my
favorite quotes, "If
you're
not living on the edge you're taking up to much space." - Stephen
Hunt. Thanks
for the interview!
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