Your new movie Unsheltered
- in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us about your
character in it?
Unsheltered
in a few words is a modernized classic slasher film from the 80s
with a little Blair
Witch style mixed in, basically 5 friends are
trying to escape the incoming hurricane but end up getting shelter
in a pretty mysterious and terrifying place. My character is kind of
the funny guy who tries to keep it together, but Mo is full of
surprises and I'll leave it at that.
What did you draw upon to bring your
character to life, and how much Edgar Tomas Lopez can we find in Mo? What
I drew from myself into the character is the positive vibes, Mo is
constantly cracking jokes to break the tension between the
characters and is also not afraid to show some emotion as well. The
biggest part of it all is his appreciation for the friends around
him, I can honestly say I have some amazing friends in real life and
I’m grateful for all of them, and in the movie Mo is deeply
connected to Aaron, Emily, Ana and Michelle, which we actually all
became pretty close friends in real life. How
did you become attached to the project to begin with, and what drew you to
it? I
remember looking at this casting call and loving the character
description for Mo, once I was in the casting room I met John,
Marcus and the rest of the people putting this together. This
project had a great energy from the beginning, and at our first table
read I could feel the chemistry clicking for us.
What can you tell us about Unsheltered's
director Marcus Small, and what was your collaboration like? Working
with Marcus Small was great, there are different types of directors
and Marcus is definitely an actor's director in my opinion. He’s
such a pro and has the patience of a grand master, he was constantly
looking out for us on set and he also allowed us to be free with our
characters and improvise. He’s a uniquely talented director with a
huge ability to bring out the best in actors, and I can’t wait to
work with him again. Unsheltered's
main location, the airplane graveyard - what was it like shooting there? The
airplane graveyard was a great setting for this story. It brought an
eerie feeling to the set and it definitely elevated the movie to a
new level of horror with it’s unique background. It was perfect
for props.
What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
on-set atmosphere was amazing, it felt like we were all a big family
from the beginning. From crew to the whole cast, everyone was giving
it their all and having a great time as well. I can honestly say it
was my favorite set to work on. The bond that was created between
everybody was special and I miss those guys all the time. Any
future projects you'd like to share?
I’m
currently working on an indie film with another buddy of mine who is
a phenomenal DP, his name is Eddie Hanratty and he actually was the
colorist for this film, we’ve been working together for like 5
years straight. Eddie is a magician when it comes to cinematography.
Another project is one with the very talented Caleb Martin who
played Aaron in Unsheltered. Caleb and I hit really hit it off and
we’re pretty close and have the same ambitions when it comes to
the film industry. He’s a super talented hard worker and not
afraid to wear different hats on set. What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject? What
made me get into acting was in high school actually, by random
chance I got involved in a small role for a play and fell in love
with acting. While in college in Puerto Rico I got back into it
there by doing many short films and sticking my head in books to
learn about the craft. Once I moved back to Florida I officially
started my career and got involved in all different types of
productions. Commercials really helped me a lot and I was in love
with the production side of things so I would go from one set of
being a principal actor to an indie project being an assistant
camera, grip, gaffer and all the other positions to keep learning
all the ins and outs and basically learn first hand how all these
different working pieces come together to make a film. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to Unsheltered?
Prior
to Unsheltered I was working on smaller budget indie films and
working a lot of commercials for Disney,
Universal, car and boat
commercials and lot of different companies, so it gave me a lot of
experience working in all types of sets and working with different
style of directors, so it’s been a blessing that I’ve been able
to do this for 8 years now. I have loved working behind the camera
as well and it’s interesting doing it from both perspectives. How
would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life? As
far as describing myself as an actor I would say that I love being
adaptable. There are so many acting methods and techniques out there
that are great but to me there are certain roles that can’t be
fully explored with one method. I think the best way that works for
me is to flow with it and not force anything with one specific
technique. That’s why they say what you write on script
usually changes while you’re filming, it basically takes it’s
own shape and you just have to guide it to the finish line. I would
say the same goes with acting and growing with the character
you’re playing. Actors (and indeed
actresses) who inspire you? Always
been a huge fan of DiCaprio, he is a true artist who has mastered
his craft. Another one is Marlon Brando, his name speaks for itself.
Some other mentions are Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Daniel Day Lewis,
Marion Cotillard, who is just flawless with every role, and of course
De Niro. Your favourite movies?
My
favorites movies are Apocalypse Now, Godfather, Raging
Bull, The Departed, Gladiator, The Prestige, Rear
Window, On the Waterfront.
Just so many great films out there.
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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I
didn’t like the remake of Wicker Man with Nicholas Cage, can’t
stand it, and for some odd reason Vanilla Sky as well. To be fair I
haven’t watched Vanilla Sky in forever but from what I remember it
just left a bad taste in me. Your website,
social media, whatever else? Facebook:
Edgar Lopez, Instagram is edgarlopezofficial Anything else you're dying
to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Honestly
it’s just how crazy this film industry and all of us who are
involved in it are, it’s a drug and there’s no other feeling than
being on set and the bond you develop with these random group of
people and bringing the script to life. Thanks
for the interview!
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