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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 about two alien species/races that hate one another. They have to overcome their differences in order to
survive and save their planets. I play Prefect Lukon. Prefect
Lukon is a Lokkein. He is the keeper of the scroll that leads to the
Water of Rockachie - a liquid that can rejuvenate an entire planet's
water supply with one drop. He is also the leader of the Lokkein
settlement who keeps things running on a daily basis.
What did you draw upon to bring your character to life,
and how much Donald Russell can we find in Prefect Lukon? When
we meet Prefect Lukon, he just got mortally wounded by a Kameen agent who
was trying to steal the sacred scrolls. In my scene, I have to
clearly relay to Lock and Kaak information that can potentially save the
planet and the Lokkein species, but I'm quickly dying. I didn't want
to play the entire scene as if I was dying. My character is fighting
as hard as he can to live just long enough to relay as much important
information as he can. Every breath has to count, so I had to speak
slowly and clearly while choking on blood and being in excruciating pain.
I'm not sure how much of me we can find in Prefect Lukon, but we are both
intensely passionate about living and we don't want to see the world end. Do
talk about the process of getting you into makeup and costume for the
shoot, and how did all the makeup inform your performance?
Getting into makeup took a couple of hours. My designated makeup artist was
Ashley Aldridge, who did a fantastic job. The entire makeup team was
stellar. First, they fit the prosthetic of the shoulders, neck, and
top the of the head over mine. Then they placed the facial prosthetic over my
face and blended the two pieces together. I had contact lenses as
well. For the costume, I provided most of it. I wore a black
duster coat, which I ordered online, over a black shirt
and pants. I owned a pair of black cowboy boots. Director
Alan Maxson [Alan Maxson
interview - click here] provided me with the eyepatch. He also met with me
beforehand to rough up my coat so it looked like I had just been in a
brawl. The makeup definitely dropped me right into the character.
In real life, I look like I work in a cubicle and barely see daylight, but
with the makeup on I felt like a badass alien leader.
How did you get involved with the project in the first place?
I took a quadruped fitness and movement workshop with Alan, run by Terry
Notary (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). Alan and I became friends and workout buddies. He knew I was an actor, so
he asked me to send him a reel which led to an audition. I got the
part and that was that.
What can you tell us about Alien
Planet's director Alan Maxson, and what was your collaboration
like? Alan is the nicest guy. He is very dedicated to his work. He takes
it seriously, but he never lost his cool on set. Having done
creature work as extensively as he has, he knew what it's like to be
under heavy prosthetic makeup. In order to look like a living being,
we had to go bigger with our faces in order to not look like a rubber
puppet. He gave us the freedom to go big and not hold back in our
performances. Alan would tell you where to be placed, he'd give you
a few suggestions, and then he would let you fly with whatever you had to
bring.
A few words about the shoot
as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Fun,
free, and supportive. Everyone who was there wanted to be there. Any future projects
you'd like to share? It
won't be coming out for a while, but I recently acted in another film
which many of the same people who worked on Alien
Planet are
involved in. It's called Party of Darkness and
it's going to be a horror anthology film. I'm in one of the
segments.
What got you into acting in the
first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I took an acting class in high school and it was a lot of fun.
Afterward, I did the theatre shows at school and decided I loved it so
much that I wanted to do that with my life. Then I went to Cal State
Fullerton and
received a BFA degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Acting. I've
attended countless workshops since graduating and occasionally I still
meet with an acting coach to stay sharp.
What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Alien
Planet?
I'vedone a lot of stage productions (theatre). I hadn't done much filmwork before
Alien Planet. I
filmed some comedy shorts, and I had four lines on Days of our
Lives in a small Under-Five role over a decade ago.
Other than Alien
Planet, I have been in one other
feature film, a mockumentary called Garthwaite: A Film by Ben
Kurns about the (fictional) worst and shortest-lived president of
the United States. That film will be hitting the film festival
circuit soon as well.
How would you describe yourself as an actor? It
might sound pretentious, but I would describe myself as a perfectionist
(even though I know perfection is impossible). I have had Method
Acting drilled into me from my training. I'm no Daniel Day Lewis,
but I like to do my homework extensively and disappear on screen and
stage. If I feel something, I want my character to use it. For
example, the fake blood and makeup were not comfortable. My
character is dying brutally, so he's not comfortable. I am not the
kind of actor that stays in character the whole time. I like to be a
cheerleader for those around me. I want everyone working with me to
feel supported and free so that they can do their best work. Actors (and indeed actresses) who inspire you? Gary
Oldman, Peter Sellers, and Sissy Spacek. Honorable mention: Heath
Ledger. Your
favourite movies? The
Dark Knight, Rocky, Robocop,
Total Recall (1990), Starship Troopers, Mad
Max: Fury Road, the Pink Panther movies starring Peter Sellers, and
most eighties and early nineties action movies. I love John
Carpenter's films. Planes Trains and
Automobiles will be my honorable mention here.
I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones coming to mind right now. ... and of course, films you really
deplore?
I
don't like publicly putting down other people's work, but there
are films I deplore. There are films out there that don't vibe well
with me. I will keep those films to myself.
Your website, social media, whatever else?
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I
don't really use my website anymore and it's a bit outdated, but my
website is donaldrussellactor.com,
and my Instagram is
@donaldrussell25
Anything
else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I'll
just add that everyone who worked on Alien
Planet is a top-tier talented professional. I think everyone who worked on
this film is going places. Watch this film and watch more low budget
indie films because every professional starts there. There are some
hidden gems out there. To me, Alien
Planet is
one of them. Thanks
for the interview!
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