SORBO CASTS LONG 'SHADOW ON THE MESA'

Updated 3/19/2013

KEVIN SORBO INTERVIEW

 

On Saturday night, March 23^rd, a new Western movie, SHADOW ON THE MESA, will premiere on Hallmark Movie Channel.  Starring Kevin Sorbo, Wes Brown, Gail O’Grady, Shannon Lucio, Greg Evigan, Meredith Baxter and Barry Corbin, it’s written by Lee Martin, and directed by David H. Cass Sr.  I recently had a chance to talk with Kevin Sorbo about MESA, Westerns in general, and the role that made him an international star, HERCULES.

 

HENRY:  How did a Minnesota boy become an international star by way of New Zealand?

 

KEVIN:  (Laughs) It was written in the stars since I was eleven years old.  I told my parents I was going to be an actor.  I set that course at a very young age, came out to L. A. not knowing a soul, and I’m a thirteen year overnight success. 

 

Henry:  How did you get cast as Hercules?

 

KEVIN:  Typical audition, like anything else.  Your agent gets a breakdown, says we’re looking for these types of guys to do some movies in New Zealand.  I went to audition, then they called me back a second time, then a third time, a fourth time; over two months they called me back seven times.  They looked at over 2,800 people in North America.  I got the gig!  Originally it was going to be five two-hour movies down there, and I knew by the second movie that they were going to make it a series.  Just had a gut feeling that we had something that people were going to love.  Sure enough, they told us by the third movie that it was going to be a series.  I did seven years, and we ended up passing BAYWATCH as the most watched show in the world.

 

Kevin Sorbo as HERCULES

 

HENRY:  Outstanding.

 

KEVIN:  Pretty cool.  We shot from 1993 through 1999, and most of my crew went on to work on LORD OF THE RINGS when we finished shooting. 

 

HENRY:  I knew New Zealand was a great location for that kind of work, but I did not know that it was the same crew. 

 

KEVIN:  Yeah, Peter Jackson was coming to the set pretty much every year to see what was going on, kind of look at the progress of the crew.  Because initially we had a handful of people, heads of departments, who knew what they were doing, had done some things before, but things were pretty green down there at the time we started.  Peter Jackson said, if it wasn’t for HERCULES, we wouldn’t have the crews we have today.  We were a great training ground for them.  Great training ground for me. 

 

HENRY:  What did you like most about doing the series?

 

KEVIN:  I loved it – I loved the humor of the show, I loved doing the fight scenes – I’m an ex-jock, played football, basketball, baseball, all sports, and to me it was just all part of working out – doing all these fight-scenes and stuff was a blast.  I learned a lot about martial arts, and I’m the first to admit that if a real black-belt came up to me I’d get my butt kicked, but I got good at fakin’ it.  I had a great time doing it with my crew, and I still keep in touch with a lot of the guys in the stunt team.  And Michael Hurst, who played Iolaus, we get a hold of each other once a month to catch up on life.  It was just a blast; it was a wonderful chapter in my life, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

HENRY:  Was there any downside, anything you liked least about it?

 

KEVIN:  I guess sometimes the distance.  But you know, when I went down there, I was not an attached person, and I wanted a career and I loved the show.  I can’t really say I got home-sick.  I got bummed out once the show became a major success, and I started getting invited to every major party in Hollywood, and I could never go, so being 7,000 miles away in New Zealand was kind of a drag.  But I had a great time there.  Wonderful people.  I’m a very outdoorsy kind of guy, and it was a good lifestyle.  

 

HENRY:  There’s a lot of humor in your work, a tongue-in-cheek feel. 

 

KEVIN:  I threw that stuff in on HERCULES early.  I started ad-libbing little one-liners at the end of each scene.  It wasn’t to piss the writers off.  I didn’t want to take anything away; I left it where they could take it out of they wanted to.  But they loved it, and Sam Raimi, who was our executive producer, that’s his style from THE EVIL DEAD and that type of thing.  He started telling the writers to throw that stuff in.  You couldn’t take HERCULES seriously; you had to have people laughing with us, not at us.  And I think that was a part of the charm of the show.  When I do these autograph shows – I get invited all over the world, and I pick three or four to do a year – everybody at the Q&A says it looks like you guys had a lot of fun, and we did. 

 

HENRY:  When the 111 episodes and half-dozen movies were over, did you want it to go on, or were you happy to let the character go at that point?

 

KEVIN:  I was ready to move on to something else.  Universal Studios offered a three-year extension, but at the same time I got a phone call from Majel Roddenberry.  I was a big STAR TREK fan, so I was flattered that she called to tell me about a project her husband wrote after the original STAR TREK series finished in 1969.  She said, “I think Gene would want you to be Captain Dylan Hunt.”  And like I say, I’m kind of a geek Trekkie in that way.  They gave me a two-year guarantee, and shoot in Vancouver, which I love as well, and you know, I wanted to do something different.  I didn’t want to become the Gilligan of my series, and never get any work again (laughs), so I had a nice five-year run on ANDROMEDA, too.

 

In ANDROMEDA

 

HENRY:  So the fact that it was created by Gene Roddenberry was a big attraction for you.

 

KEVIN:  Oh, no question.  I went to his house in Bel Air, that Majel had kept – she’s passed away too, five years ago.  They kept his office the same way it was when he passed away in the early nineties.  Saw his desk, saw his papers there, and it was pretty cool.  There are a lot of Trekkie out there who would pay a lot to do what I did.

 

HENRY:  While HERCULES was mostly outdoor action, ANDROMEDA was more soundstage-bound and often very intellectual ideas.  Did you prefer one over the other?

 

KEVIN:  I have to give HERCULES the nod because that’s where I got my break – that’s where it started for me.  Both series are still airing in about a hundred countries around the world.  It’s been interesting with HERCULES because it came out on Netflix a couple of years ago, and Hub TV, and all of sudden I’m getting these under-eighteen-year-olds coming up to me, who were too young when the series finished.  And now they’re watching it.  So this whole reprisal of the show’s going on.  And finally the Tribune Company came out of bankruptcy, so now ANDROMEDA’s going to be on Netflix soon as well, and that’s going to get another run going, too.     

 

HENRY:  You’ve worked a lot in Canada, and New Zealand, and the United States.  How do the countries compare?

 

KEVIN:  It’s funny, because I’ve been very fortunate to get the work that I’ve had.  But every time I work, I never work in California.  It’s very rare – I’ve done a lot of guest spots on sitcoms and they shoot here obviously, but for the most part I always shoot somewhere else.  Last year alone, I shot in Louisiana couple times, shot in Canada again. There would be just a little cultural differences.  But for the most part the crews, they all work hard, they’re all there to make something good, and have a good time.  And I like to have fun.  You’re working long days; let’s make something that people can enjoy, have a good time on the set, and not get all crazy with each other and cause tension.

 

HENRY:  As far as I know, 2007’s AVENGING ANGEL was your first western –

 

In AVENGING ANGEL

 

KEVIN:  Yup.

 

HENRY:  – where you’re playing a preacher-turned-bounty-hunter.  You followed a year later with PRAIRIE FEVER, with Lance Henriksen and Dominique Swain.  Now you’ve done your third western, SHADOW ON THE MESA.  What keeps bringing you back to the western form?

 

KEVIN:  I love ‘em.  I’ve got about six scripts that we’re trying to finance right now that are all westerns.  I think a lot of it had to do with my father, growing up as a kid watching the re-runs of GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, and all that stuff, so it’s sort of ingrained in me.  We romanticize about that, I guess.  There’s something amazing about the people that came out west, back in the 1800s.  I’m sure it was pretty brutal; (laughs) I’m sure they were all pretty stinky, but there’s just something about it that I think we all love.  I mean, after I shot AVENGING ANGEL I told Robert Duvall that I just shot my first western. He looked at me and said, “It’s the best thing, isn’t it?  Every actor wants to do a western.”    And I think there’s a lot of truth in it.  There’s something wonderful about them – like I said, I’ve got all these other scripts we’re trying to raise money for now.  I wish I could have done more.  Hallmark’s just the only one that keeps that genre alive.

 

HENRY:  I was just writing in the Round-up that there’s no one else you can point to and say they’ve made four westerns in the last year except Hallmark.

 

KEVIN:  There is the occasional feature that comes out, obviously, but they’re the ones who keep it going, and the biggest problem, they say, is it doesn’t translate well overseas for some reason, but I still love doing them; I hope we can keep on making them. 

 

HENRY:  The irony is that for years, overseas was the guaranteed box office for westerns, and that seems to have dried up.  Of course you did a lot of horseback riding as Hercules, before you became an official cowboy.  Were there any skills you had to learn, to do westerns convincingly?

 

KEVIN:  The whole gun action – which was fun.  Go to a range, shooting – I can see why people get hooked on it.  I wish I could have rode some more on this last one, SHADOW ON THE MESA.  I didn’t ride; the whole back-story on my character is that he broke his leg on a young horse he was trying to break.  The only time I didn’t get to ride a horse was on this one.

 

HENRY:  They’ll have to get you on two horses in the next one.  Now all three of your westerns have been directed by stuntman-turned-director David S. Cass, Sr.  Does he bring something special to the genre?

 

KEVIN:  David’s been around, you know.  All the stunts he did with Mitchum and Wayne; he’s got some great tales.  He knows what he wants; he’s very creative.  And obviously he’s learned his trade from other directors as a young buck, being on the set, throwing himself around, and getting beat up.  He’s used his training well.  I love Dave; we have a great camaraderie together.  He’s easy to work for, and he knows that I’m going to come prepared, that I’m willing to take chances as well. 

 

HENRY:  We touched a little on the fact that you grew up watching westerns with your dad.  Did you have particular favorites as a kid?

 

KEVIN:  You know, I’m a Clint Eastwood guy; I love Clint.  I’m very fortunate that over the last few years I’ve gotten to golf with him a few times, got to know him a little better; we’ve attended a few events together.  You look at HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER and all the Sergio Leone stuff.  He goes there (to Europe) and does those westerns that nobody said would do anything, and they became like the biggest westerns of all time.  And I like the Trinity guys, too, Terence Hill, Bud Spencer.  Love those things; totally crack me up. 

 

In SHADOW ON THE MESA

 

HENRY:  How about your favorite westerns as an adult; is it a new list, or is it the same group? 

 

KEVIN:  Probably the same group.  There are some good ones out there.  That one with Russell Crowe, 3:10 TO YUMA – I liked that one.  I enjoyed that one a lot.  But still, if I’m flipping channels and HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER is on or OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, I’ll stop and watch the rest of it, even though I’ve seen it twenty times.

 

HENRY:  And of course he’s so good not only as an actor, but as an actor-director. 

 

KEVIN:  I’ve told him, because we know each other now.  I’ve said, “Clint, if it’s one line, I don’t care.  I want to work with you one time.  Just want to be on the set, to say I’ve worked with Clint Eastwood.  So c’mon, throw me a bone!” 

 

Kevin with Shannon Lucio as his daughter

 

HENRY:  What western stars of the past do you connect with?  Do you see a Glenn Ford or a Randolph Scott role and say, I’d like to play that?

 

KEVIN:  I like Gary Cooper.   I think my acting style is similar to his in a way.  I just like the way he carries himself, and I’ve had other people tell me that in the past.  I grew up watching movies with my mom and dad, and Gary Cooper is one of the stars we watched a lot.  I’m a big fan of Cary Grant.  And Jimmy Stewart – I love his stuff.  BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID – I’m a huge fan of Robert Redford and Paul Newman; that’s really what kind of put it over the top for me to want to be an actor. 

 

HENRY:  Tell me a bit about SHADOW IN THE MESA, and your role in it.

 

KEVIN:  Well, my character is a solid man; typical of a lot of westerns, these strong, silent types.  He doesn’t mince words.  He finds out he’s got this son that he never knew he had, and the son is pretty much coming to assassinate him.  He’s played by Wes Brown, and we had a really good camaraderie – I really liked working with him.  He’s an up-and-coming kid; he’s a good actor.  And my character, he’s going through a lot of stuff – all the things country songs are written of, except the dog doesn’t die. 

 

Shannon Lucio and Wes Brown

 

HENRY:  I’ve read the synopsis, but not seen it yet.  But the plot is a lot more complex than westerns typically are.  There were turns in the story that I didn’t see coming.  It’s a nice piece of work – at least on paper.

 

KEVIN:  It is.  I think it turned out well. 

 

HENRY:  Now your in-laws are Meredith Baxter and Barry Corbin – a very talented pair.  Barry’s someone who always seems to fit perfectly in westerns. What’s he like?

 

Meredith Baxter and Barry Corbin

 

KEVIN:  Here’s the funny thing: I never got to work with either of them.  We never even saw each other on the set.  I worked with Gail O’Grady and Greg Evigan.

 

HENRY:  Well, tell me about Gail and Greg.

 

Gail O'Grady

 

KEVIN:  Well, Gail I’ve known for a long time, and it was great to work with her – we actually did a TWO AND A HALF MEN together years ago; she played my ex-wife in that one.  She’s a hoot, she’s funny.  She’s a beautiful girl with a trucker’s mouth on her.  And Greg was just a class act.  A nice guy, we’d never met before.  He played the guy who was my arch enemy.  And we didn’t get to work too much together either.  We were two days on the set together, but our scenes were pretty much at a distance, shooting at each other! (Laughs)

 

Greg Evigan

 

HENRY:  So you’d make more westerns if you had a chance to?

 

KEVIN:  In a heartbeat.  I’ve got a wonderful script called TRANQUILITY; we’ve got Dwight Yoakam and Ann Margaret attached.  So hopefully we can make this thing. 

 

HENRY:  Am I allowed to mention that?

 

KEVIN:  Sure; tell ‘em we’re looking for investors!  It may be a little too dark for Hallmark, which is may be why they passed on it.  They like a little more ‘blue sky’ type of stuff, which is fine, but this has a very interesting story to it. 

 

HENRY:  To switch to a much more serious topic, tell me about FDR: AMERICAN BADASS! 

 

Channeling Daniel Day-Lewis in

FDR: AMERICAN BADASS!  

 

KEVIN:  Well, I did a movie with these guys (director Garrett Brawith and writer Ross Patterson) the year before that.  It was called POOL BOY: DROWNING OUT THE FURY, which I starred in.  They called me up and said, look, we have this cameo role with you as Abe Lincoln, do you want to do this?  I read this script and laughed and said yes.  Barry Bostwick plays FDR, and I get him stoned. 

 

HENRY:  All this stuff that Daniel Day-Lewis left out!

 

KEVIN:  I love doing it – I’m a big David Zucker fan as well, and I got to do a cameo in one of his films, AMERICAN CAROL.  I love AIRPLANE, NAKED GUN, all of that.  That sophomoric, stupid humor, it’s just fun to do.  We’ve got another one coming with the same group, where I’m going to have second lead, to a woman.  We don’t know who the actress is going to be, but it’s going to be Helen Keller’s life story, and she was really a spy, and a kick-ass spy at that, and I’m her sidekick. 

 

HENRY:  What else are you up to?

 

KEVIN:  I’d love to throw a nod to a movie of mine that’s out right now, called ABEL’S FIELD.  It’s from New Sony Studios, they’re the same division that I did SOUL SURFER with.  It’s a modern-day Cain and Abel-meets-FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.  We shot it in Austin, Texas.  It’s a wonderful family movie.   You go to  http://www.abelsfield.com/ for a trailer on that.  And my book just came out in paperback.  It’s called TRUE STRENGTH, you can go to http://truestrengthbook.com/ .  It’s a little bit of my life story. When going through the HERCULES years, between season five and six, I had an aneurism that caused three strokes.  Universal kept it very quiet because HERCULES was doing quite well for them.  But I went through four months of re-hab; learned to walk again.  Two strokes went to my balance; one stroke went to my vision.  The last two years on HERCULES were pretty tough for me.  I went from fourteen-hour work-days to one hour, then worked it up to two hours a month later, then three hours, and slowly worked my way back.  They did a lot of stunt casting and a lot of clip shows to keep the show alive.  It wasn’t fun; and I’ve been doing a lot of speaking at neurological institutions, hospitals and bookstores.  It’s been pretty amazing to see people’s response, because it’s about triumph over tragedy, and how you get through things that throw that curve-ball at you in life.  And GOD’S NOT DEAD comes out in theatres this fall.  Same people I did a movie called WHAT IF… with.  So you should mark that down – WHAT IF…  is a good movie.  Very proud of that movie; shot that with Kristy Swanson, John Ratzenberger.  And Debby Ryan plays my daughter – she’s on the Disney Channel.       

ENNIO MORRICONE ON QUENTIN TARANTINO: 'NEVER AGAIN!'

Ennio Morricone, composer of more than 500 film scores, startled students in a music, film and television class at Rome’s LUISS University by announcing that he would never work with DJANGO UNCHAINED director again.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, the composer elaborated.  “I wouldn’t like to work with him again, on anything.  He said last year he wanted to work with me again ever since Inglourious Basterds, but I told him I couldn't, because he didn’t give me enough time. So he just used a song I had written previously.” 

Morricone complained that Tarantino “…places music in his films without coherence.  You can't do anything with someone like that."  While four pieces of Morricone music are used in DJANGO UNCHAINED, all were composed for previous films. 

SUNDAY AND MONDAY ONLY -- NEW WESTERN E-BOOK SERIES –‘COLBY JACKSON’ – INTRODUCED WITH FREE KINDLE DOWNLOAD!

 

As I told you in last week's Round-up, Authors Bill Crider, James Reasoner and Mel Odom are collaborating under the name Colby Jackson to create a new series of Western novels, and to spread the word, they're giving the Kindle book away on Sunday and Monday March 17 & 18 -- just follow the link: http://www.amazon.com/Shooters-Cross-Rancho-Diablo-ebook/dp/B00472O7NS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362852772&sr=8-2&k...eywords=Shooter%27s+Cross

CAMPO GUNFIGHT REENACTMENT SATURDAY! 

 

 

The smell of black powder will fill the air at 3 pm Saturday, March 23rd, when the deadly CAMPO GUNFIGHT of 1875 is reenacted at the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo, the bordertown near San Diego where it actually happened.  The event is free, and it should be a lot of fun.  The man behind the event is Bryon Harrington, author of CAMPO: THE FORGOTTEN GUNFIGHT, and he is a stickler for historical accuracy.  To learn more about the event, go HERE.  To learn more about Bryon's book, go HERE.  

 

HEY ROUNDERS, that's gonna have to be all for tonight's Round-up!  I know I told you that I'd also have an on-set report on  QUICK DRAW, but I didn't expect for my computer to be down for three days this week, so that'll have to wait until next week.  Hope you're having a great St. Patrick's Day!

 

Happy Trails,

 

Henry

 

All Contents Copyright March 2013 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

'RENEGADE' HUNTS FOR GOLD!

RENEGADE -- Film Review

 

I don’t know how I missed this one.  This heartfelt little Western slipped out from Barnholtz Entertainment in September to very little fanfare, but it’s well worth a look.  RENEGADE, originally titled MATTIE, takes place during the gold rush, and stars fetching Kaylee Defer, of GOSSIP GIRL and RED STATE, as Mattie Springer.  In her late teens, her mother has recently died in a cholera epidemic, and she has taken her mother’s place in helping dad raise three younger sisters and a brother.

 

Then a handsome man named Zeb (Ryan Doom) comes to the prospecting community, sweeps Mattie off her feet, and she’s soon married to him, sharing his mine-shack home, along with his partner and brother Jacob (Ric Maddox).  But it’s a pity she didn’t meet the quieter, more steadfast brother first.  While Jacob stays home and works the mine, keeping house with his sister-in-law, husband Zeb is never home long, always searching for another, better claim. 

Mattie sees Zeb

 

Not surprising in a community looking for quick riches, the specter of danger is always lurking in the shadows, here in the persons of a band of comancheros who prey on the miners at their isolated claims, willing to kill for a sprinkle of gold dust.  Soon after she marries, much of Mattie’s family is slaughtered by the roaming band, and she then has the added responsibility of raising the survivors. 

 

RENEGADE has bursts of violence, but the story is more about Mattie’s personal struggles than the life-and-death kind.  While the action is sudden and often intense, the stand-out moments are not elaborate showdowns but character scenes.  Shot on locations and ranches around Tucson, much of cinematographer Winston Ashley Maddox’s work is startling beautiful; not just for his inclusion of stark and stunning landscapes, but also for creative use of lighting and composition.  Images of a sheriff rescuing a smoking Bible from a torched house, and a man weeping on a porch after learning of a loved-one’s death, linger in the memory.  Much of the story is told in unobtrusive narration by Mattie, and here both camerawork, and editing by Kyle Lovrein, primarily a visual effects specialist, shine in the seamless flow of scenes of the lives of the miners and townsfolk, helped in large degree by Brian Helms’ production design and art direction, and Georgia Goodwin’s costume design. 

 

First-time feature director Michael Dohrmann co-wrote the screenplay with fellow tyro James Purdy, and they did an admirable job, especially for a first-time effort.  There are weaknesses; the plot ambles along pleasantly, rather than charging ahead, and while George Chatalis looks and plays the sheriff well, you can’t understand why, as the locals are picked off, neither he nor anyone else makes a concerted effort to track the villains down.  In a particularly disconcerting choice, Lou Pimber plays Chuy, an outlaw who is clearly costumed as a Hollywood Apache, but speaks like a ‘stinking badges’ Mexican bandito. 

 

The performances vary.  Kaylee Defer, whose character must carry the story, is the greatest strength of the cast.  Interestingly, the women have the best-written parts, and are the best actors.  Quincy Cooper, in a small role as Mattie’s cousin Ellen, shines; and Danielle Demski as the Parson’s wife Clara is a delight, especially in the scene where she teaches Mattie to shoot.  Many of the supporting roles are played by obvious non-pros, and among the men only Ric Maddox gets to emerge enough from his stoicism to bring his character to life. 

 

Ric Maddox

 

RENEGADE is a very enjoyable look at a feisty (without being shrill and strident) young woman’s life in a mining camp, and well worth tracking down.  The budget clearly was tight, but every dollar is up on the screen.  And don’t be put off, as I was initially, by an opening sequence with jerky hand-held camerawork.  The vast majority of the picture is effectively-to-beautifully shot.  

 

 

NEW WESTERN E-BOOK SERIES –‘COLBY JACKSON’ – INTRODUCED WITH FREE KINDLE DOWNLOAD!

 

Before you say, ‘I never heard of Colby Jackson,’ let me assure you’ve heard of at least a third of him.  Colby Jackson is the collective pseudonym of three writers who have written hundreds of novels, under their own names and house names.  Bill Crider’s western books include Galveston Gunman, Ryan Rides Back, A Time for Hanging, Outrage at Blanco, and Texas Vigilante.  James Reasoner has written, among many others, the Wind River series, Sons of Texas series, Patriots series, Civil War Battle series, Judge Earl Stark series, and several entries in the Longarm series.  Mel Odom has never written a western before, but he’s written over 170 books in every other conceivable genre.  

The first book is RANCHO DIABLO: SHOOTER’S CROSS, and here’s the official synopsis: Army Scout Sam Blaylock wasn’t looking for trouble when he rode into Shooter’s Cross, a small Texas town with a colorful history, but he found trouble in spades. After being nearly killed in an ambush, Sam discovers a patch of land where he thinks he can settle his family, put down roots, and build a future. Unfortunately, that land has poisoned water and rumors of ghosts. Sam’s figured a way to fix the water problem, and he’s never been a big believer in ghosts, but he hadn’t planned on running up against newspaperman Mitchell McCarthy, who’s willing to kill to take Rancho Diablo now that Sam has turned the land into a profitable enterprise. Sam enlists the aid of two friends from the army – fast talking Duane Beatty and gunhawk and fellow scout Mike Tucker – and digs in tighter than a tick to fight back.

 

On Sunday and Monday, March 17^th and 18^th, you can go to Amazon, and download the book for free. The link's HERE.  If you get it, shoot me a line at the Round-up to let me know how you liked it!

 

‘THE SEARCHERS’ AND A BOOK SIGNING MONDAY AT THE AERO

 

If you couldn’t get to the Autry for Saturday’s discussion and signing, on Monday, March 11^th, Pulitzer Prize Winning author Glenn Frankel will be at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica to sign his book, THE SEARCHERS: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND, prior to a screening of the film.  The signing is at 6:30 pm, the screening at 7:30 pm. 

 

STUNT LEGEND HAL NEEDHAM AT THE AERO FRIDAY

 

Hal Needham, Burt Reynolds,

Bassett Hound, Jerry Reed

The man who went from taking falls for Burt Reynolds to directing him, and who just received an honorary Oscar for a career of bravery (you can read more about him HERE ) Hal Needham will be appearing at the Aero on Friday, March 15^th, to sign his book, STUNTMAN!, prior to screenings of two of the twenty films he’s directed, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and CANNONBALL RUN. 

 

‘ARGONAUTS’, BRONCO BILLY AND RARE PECKINPAH AT BILLY WILDER

 

As part of the UCLA Billy Wilder Theatre festival of recently preserved films, on Monday, March 18^th at 7:30 pm, the Wilder will be screening THE ARGONAUTS OF CALIFORNIA – 1849 (1916), a 12-reel story of the gold-fields shot in Monrovia, before Hollywood became the center of California film production.  It will be presented with a live musical accompaniment by Robert Israel.  This will be followed by a one-reel from 1914, starring the screen’s first cowboy star, Bronco Billy Anderson in BRONCO BILLY’S WILD RIDE.

On Saturday, March 23^rd, at 4 pm, the Wilder will present an all-but-impossible-to-see TV episode from the anthology series ABC STAGE 67, NOON WINE (1966), based on Katherine Ann Porter’s story, written and directed by Sam Peckinpah, and starring Jason Robards, Theodore Bikel, and Olivia De Havilland.  And Theodore Bikel will attend.  It will be followed by another episode, THE HUMAN VOICE, starring Ingrid Bergman, and directed by Ted Kotcheff from Jean Cocteau’s play.  You can learn more about these and other screenings in the series HERE

R.I.P.D.3D!

Universal has announced that R.I.P.D., a summer 2013 release based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name, already in the can, will be post-adapted to 3D.  The film, a big-budget crime-comedy, stars Ryan Reynolds as a cop who is murdered and ends up in the Rest In Peace Department, a police department of the dead, and turns to Jeff Bridges, an old-West lawman, to help solve his own murder.  Also in the cast are Kevin Bacon and Mary Louise Parker.  

That’s all for this week!  Next week I’ll have a report from the set of QUICK DRAW, and an interview with Kevin Sorbo about his upcoming Hallmark Movie Channel western, SHADOW ON THE MESA!

Happy Trails,

Henry


All Original Content Copyright March 2013 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

 

 

RICKY SCHRODER DIRECTS, STARS IN ‘OUR WILD HEARTS’ MARCH 9 ON HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL

RICKY SCHRODER ON HIS ALL-FAMILY FILM, ‘OUR WILD HEARTS’

When I reached Ricky Schroder on Thursday, the actor/writer/director was in New York City, emotionally preparing himself for Friday’s grueling event: being the guest of honor at a Friar’s Club Roast, hosted by his LONESOME DOVE co-star D.B. Sweeny, with a panel that includes Gilbert Gottfried, and Ricky’s SILVER SPOONS parents Erin Gray and Joel Higgins.

RICKY:  Hopefully they won’t cut me up too bad, but I’m sure they’ve got lots of material ready. If it’s funny, heck yeah, I’ll put it on YouTube. 

HENRY:  Speaking of YouTube, a little while ago I was watching WHISKEY LULLABY, the music video you directed and starred in, for Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss.  It must be a kick to know that fifteen million people have looked at it on YouTube.

RICKY:  It’s so cool.  Actually I hadn’t seen the video forever, and then last week I was at my house with some friends who are songwriters.  We watched the video, and I saw that many hits, and I was like, WOW!  That is a lot of people who have seen it!  It’s a special part of my career, that video.  It really touched people.  That video was inspired by, well obviously the song, but it was dedicated to my grandparents.  He was a World War II soldier, and part of what I used for inspiration. 

 HENRY:  Well, first let me tell you that I really enjoyed OUR WILD HEARTS.  That’s the first thing that I’ve seen that you directed, and I was very impressed. 

RICKY:  Thank you for saying that; I’m glad you enjoyed it.  One of the best parts and surprises of making  OUR WILD HEARTS was getting to know my family better, by working with them, and letting them experience what it’s like to do what I do and to live the life I’ve led.  My wife and daughters and sons had an opportunity, by working with me, to understand their dad, and I got to know my kids better as well.  It was an unexpected bonus of the whole event.

HENRY:  I had a great talk with Cambrie.  She’s a charming young lady.  You must be very proud. 

RICKY:  She is an amazing young woman.  She is a great student, great athlete, great person, and just very talented, with raw potential with her acting, incredible work ethic.  So yes, I’m very proud of my daughter.  Of all my kids, but we’re talking about Cambrie, and I’m extremely proud of Cambrie. 

HENRY:  The audience knows you mostly as an actor, but you’ve written three movies; you’ve directed seven, including a horror movie in Bucharest – that really surprised me. 

RICKY:  HELLHOUNDS.

HENRY:  Right.  Now tell me, have you ever worn as many hats in one production as you do in OUR WILD HEARTS? 

RICKY:  You know, my very first movie (as a director) was called BLACK CLOUD, and I wrote and directed and produced and had a small role in it.  This film I have a very large role in, compared to BLACK CLOUD.  So this was unique in that I was a co-star of the movie.  So I was oftentimes confused.  I had to prepare as an actor; I had to prepare as a director; I had to make budget decisions.  So I was constantly morphing from one position to another within a day’s work. 

HENRY:  That’s got to be pretty demanding.

RICKY:  It was fun, I’ll tell you.  I had such a blast making the movie.  Really good time. 

HENRY:  You’re directing your daughter – actually two daughters and two sons – in one movie –

RICKY:  And my wife.

HENRY:  Oh, which character is she?

RICKY:  She’s the masseuse.  She did a cameo.  The rich lady, Barbara, who wants to buy Bravo, she’s her masseuse.  So all six Schroders are actually on-camera. 

HENRY:  Is it difficult to be objective and direct people you know as well as your own family?

RICKY:  Oh no.  When I’m directing, they’re not my family.  (laughs)  They’re an actor or actress, and they have a job to do, and I have a certain expectation of performers.  I expect them to show up prepared; I expect them to know their lines, to come to the set with an idea for the scene, with an idea for how to bring it alive.  I expect quite a bit from people I work with because I expect a lot from myself.  And I didn’t cut my family any slack in that regard.  If anything, I was probably tougher on Cambrie than on others.

HENRY:  Well, I think it pays off, because the performance is there. 

RICKY:  Well thank you.  You know we made this film with a lot of heart and soul behind it, but limited resources.  So we had to maximize every moment of daylight we had.  I called in friends and favors to come work on the film.  Our cinematographer Steve Gainer, who I love making movies with, and who also is a producer, I was able to get him.  And typically on these sorts of budgeted films, you can’t get some of the quality production value that we were able to achieve.  And everybody pulled together for that reason.  Everybody wasn’t there because they were getting a big fat paycheck.  They were there because we wanted to make a movie.  And we wanted to make a fun movie, and a family movie, and that’s what we did.

HENRY:  Usually when we’re talking about a western, it’s a story set in the 1870s or 1880s.  But this is a present-day story.  Do you consider OUR WILD HEARTS a western?       

RICKY:  Oh yes.  OUR WILD HEARTS is definitely, in my mind, a modern western.  There’s the villain Grizz, who is trying to catch Bravo, and then trying to kill Bravo.  So it’s got the elements of the good guys and the bad guys.  It’s got guns shooting in it.  It’s got the scenery of the west.  I consider it a modern western.

HENRY:  I was watching LONESOME DOVE just the day before I watched OUR WILD HEARTS, and it struck me that there are major parallels between your LONESOME DOVE character of Newt, and your daughter Cambrie’s character of Willow –

RICKY: -- Wow!  I never even thought of that, but you’re right!

HENRY:  While your lives are very different, both of your lives have been blighted by not knowing who your father is.  And hurt by their fathers not having a place in their lives. 

RICKY:  I was not conscious of that, but now that you’ve pointed that out, the theme of Newt not knowing…  Well, actually Newt knew he was Call’s son, but he was never acknowledged, he was never treated as a son.  So it’s a slight difference, but the theme is the same; you’re right.  Willow, lacking that father figure, that role, that man in her life, as Newt did.  I wasn’t conscious of that at all when I was writing it.  Very astute of you to make that observation.

HENRY:  Thank you.  Where did the idea for the story come from?

 

RICKY:  It came from my wife and daughter.  My daughter has wanted to perform, and be an actress, since she was six years old.  She was actually in WHISKEY LULLABY, the Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss video I directed when she was about six years old.  And so ever since that experience, she’s said, “Daddy, I want to do this more.”  And so she’s gone to acting classes and studied, and I’ve worked with her.  She’s gone on a few auditions over the years.  But I wanted to be the first person to direct her.  And I wanted it to be a time in her life where she could remember it, and she could appreciate it, and if she wanted to pursue this career, she could have a chance of success.  Where if you start when you’re six years old, it’s very unlikely you’ll have a career as an adult.  

HENRY:  This is true; your career is very much the exception rather than the rule.  Because how old were you when you first started?

RICKY:  I made my first movie when I was seven.  And I started when I was five, doing TV commercials and things.

HENRY:  The story concerns a girl who is seeking out her father, and her relationship with a wild stallion.  Now I know you are a very serious horse person.  Is Cambrie?

RICKY:  She’s more serious – she’s probably spent more time in the saddle over the past ten years than I have.  She did all of her own riding, including bareback.  She didn’t do one of the most dangerous stunts, when the horse had to turn over and rear on top of her.  That was actually the only moment in the movie when I didn’t treat her like an actress.  (laughs)  I really treated her like a daughter at that moment because I was scared, not that I wouldn’t be scared for my actress, or any person, doing a stunt on a horse, because I am aware of the danger.  But there was an extra feeling of protectiveness with Cambrie, because she was my daughter.

HENRY:  Where did you shoot that beautiful herd of horses? 

RICKY:  We shot the film just north of Simi Valley, believe it or not.  Where they shot LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.  It’s just outside of Los Angeles, and Tonia and Todd Forsberg, who were my wranglers and producing partners, they provided all of the livestock and horses.  We even got some footage of real wild mustangs, which we intercut in the movie, which I got from a wonderful documentary filmmaker who’s shooting a documentary about the wild horse.  The whole movie was shot on that mountain range and that ranch.  My home is actually Willow’s home in the movie.  And the exterior of Grizz’s home is my neighbor’s home, and the interior of Grizz’s home is my home.  So we used our farm, where we live in the Santa Monica Mountains.  We shot at my farm for three days.  We shot in Malibu for a day.  We shot the rest up on that ranch. 

HENRY:  About how long was the whole shooting schedule?

RICKY:  We shot the movie in fourteen days. 

HENRY:  Wow!  That’s remarkably fast, as you know. 

RICKY:  That was remarkably fast, and we finished on-time.  I work very fast.  I haven’t been given the budgets yet to have the luxury of time.  So we accomplished a lot with the resources we had.

HENRY:  What were the biggest challenges you faced making OUR WILD HEARTS?

RICKY:  Time.  Time is the enemy when you’re making a movie.  The lack of time.  You always want more time; you don’t have enough time.  So every day when you show up to work, you look at your day’s call sheet.  And you prioritize.  Where am I going to cut corners today?  And where am I going to spend my extra time?  And so you have to prioritize as a director.  Every morning, when you show up.  And there’s a whole bunch of things that factor in, like weather, and sometimes working with animals when they don’t want to cooperate.  Other variables that come at you.  You can have done all the planning that you want, but you have to be able to adapt, because all of a sudden, let’s say the last shot of your movie, and it’s overcast, and looks like June gloom, with white-out.  So you have to be able to scramble and have a cover scene, where it’s not as important to have the beautiful golden-hour light.  So the enemy is time. 

HENRY:  Cambrie is in high school.  Is she going to be doing more acting now, or finishing her education first?

RICKY:  She’s out looking for the next project, yes, but she’s like a racehorse, she’s a thoroughbred, my daughter.  She just wants to race into everything.  So I’m a bit concerned that I’ve opened up the door now.  And that she’s going to perhaps loose focus on the goals that I want her to achieve.  But it’s really not what I want her to achieve, it’s what she ends up wanting to achieve.  Of course I want my daughter to finish high school, and go to college.  And she’ll only be a better actress as time influences her.  So I’m not really excited for her working again soon. 

HENRY:  How about your sons, who are also in the movie, as Grizz’s sons.  Are they planning on acting careers?

RICKY:  No.  My youngest son is exploring a military career, and so he’s waiting to hear if he’s been chosen for one of the academies.  He’ll find out this summer.  My other son is more interested in business.  So my sons don’t show a desire for it (an acting career), and that’s absolutely fine with me. 

HENRY:  Your movie is premiering on the Hallmark Movie Channel, but I believe you made it independently. 

RICKY:  Hallmark came along during the post production process.  We actually began production, making it as a family independent project, and thankfully Hallmark came into the project during post, liked what they saw, and acquired it.

HENRY:  Were there any changes that they required?

RICKY:  No, they liked what we had.

HENRY:  Martin Kove is your cheerfully nasty villain, competing with you to capture Bravo.  Had you two worked together before? 

RICKY:  No; but he’s a riot.  He’s fun to be around.  And he loves his horses and his westerns.  He rides the Hole-In-The-Wall-Gang Ride every year.  He was so much fun to have on the set, and what a pro. 

Martin Kove flanked by evil sons 

Holden and Luke Schroder

HENRY:  I was surprised and delighted to see Cliff Potts as your father.  A fine actor in westerns and everything else, but I don’t think I’ve seen him in a dozen years.

RICKY:  He hasn’t worked forever.  He lives close to me.  I know his son.  And his son said, “Hey, you should meet my dad.”  So I met Cliff, and with the first words out of his mouth I knew he was Top.  He was the right guy.  What a nice guy he is too, and what a pro.  I sure hope we get to make a sequel to this movie or – who knows – turn it into a series.  I would just have a blast every week, working with these people. 

HENRY:  It’s funny, I was thinking of a sequel, but I didn’t think of the potential for a series.  But it certainly could be.

RICKY:  Oh yeah, in my mind I have it partially developed.  Now I’ve just got to get Hallmark to come on-board. 

HENRY:  Any other upcoming projects we should know about?

RICKY:  I’m writing a script that I can’t really talk about it right now, but it’s very current.  I do have another project; I don’t want to say much, but it has been produced, and it’s in the can.  And it’s for the U.S. Army.  And it’ll be premièring, potentially, around the Army’s birthday, this June.  It’s an interesting project, called STARTING STRONG.  I’m excited for that project to see the light. 

HENRY:  If I could just ask a few LONESOME DOVE questions.  Where was it shot?

RICKY:  The original was shot in New Mexico, Angelfire in Montana, and Delrito, Texas.

HENRY:  When I watching it, I remembered that it was a Robert Halmi Production, but I was surprised to see the Motown logo. 

RICKY:  Suzanne de Pas was involved.  She was at Motown.

HENRY:  The director, Australian Simon Wincer, went on to do hits liked QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER and FREE WILLY.  What was he like to work with?

RICKY:  Very pleasant man.  Very pleasant to be around, as are most Australians. Very calm, capable.  The genius behind LONESOME DOVE; it was not Simon, although he did a wonderful job.  It was the script (by Larry McMurtry and William D. Wittliff), and it was Duvall, and the source material (the novel by Larry McMurtry).  That was the genius. 

Ricky Schroder as Newt in LONESOME DOVE

HENRY:  Any particular memories of the production?  Of Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones?

RICKY:  Tommy Lee I don’t think said two words to me besides what was in the script.  He didn’t interact like that with me.  Maybe he was just playing it the way (his character) Call played it, which was he didn’t acknowledge Newt.  So I didn’t get to know him at all.  Duvall is still a friend to me, and we talk at least every three months or so.  Memories?  I remember one morning I was walking down a cow trail, out in one of the cactus-covered paddocks they had there.  And I was hunting javelina with my bow and arrow.  Prickly-pear cactus is as thick as you can imagine, all around you.  Rattlesnakes just love prickly-pear cactus, because pack-rats like to live in there.  So the rattlesnakes go in there and eat ‘em.  I’m just about to put my foot down, stepping over a cactus, and there was the biggest rattlesnake I’ve ever seen.  And I’m not kidding you; it was an honest-to-goodness six feet long, and as fat as a baseball bat.  And I took that skin off that snake, and I sent it to Tony Lama (the great boot-maker), for a custom pair of boots.  And when they got to me, they finally caught up with me, those boot were too small.  So I gave them to my father.  He probably has them to this day.  I remember going over to Mexico a few times, having some fun over there with the Teamsters.  And I remember Duvall would always have a gathering.  Whenever he could get people together to go to this little local Mexican restaurant where they had live music.  And he would dance – he loved to tango.  He was always the life of the party.  He was fun to be around.  He was Gus. 

HENRY:  Sounds like he and Tommy Lee were very close to their own characters. 

RICKY:  They actually were.  Duvall was just so magnetic that people flocked to him.  As opposed to Call, who you just couldn’t get close to. 

HENRY:  Any memories of Diane Lane?

RICKY:  (laughs) Yeah.  Diane Lane I had a crush on.  I was seventeen and making LONESOME DOVE, and turned eighteen making it.  I remember, one afternoon, she was staying in the town-house next to mine.  And I got the courage to knock on her door.  She opened the door, and she said, “Hi Ricky.”  “Hi Diane.” “What are you doing?”  “Want to hang out?”  She said, “Sure Ricky.  Come on in.”  So I went in and sat with Diane Lane for about fifteen minutes.  Just wanting to be around her.  And she was just as sweet as could be.  And then she said she had to go to the airport to pick her husband up.  She’s got one brown eye and one blue eye.  She was awesome.  And Danny and Angelica.  And Tim Scott, who played Pea Eye, he was a heck of an interesting guy to be around.  And nice.  Perfect for that role.  He’s not with us anymore.  Larry McMurtry’s son James, a truly talented musician.  He would play once in a while after work.  Really good memories. 

HENRY:  It was about four years later that you returned as Newt in RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE.  How did the second experience compare with the first?

RICKY:  The source material wasn’t the quality of the first.  Jon Voight, I actually got him involved (as Call, Tommy Lee Jones’ character).  It’s funny how my career began with him (in THE CHAMP), and then we crossed paths again.  It was beautiful where it was shot.  It was Montana, which is spectacular.  It was Reese Witherspoon and Oliver Reed.  What a powerful actor he was.  It was a good time.  It was a good western; it wasn’t a great western.  LONESOME DOVE is a great western. 

HENRY:  When they went on to do the LONESOME DOVE series, they got Scott Bairstow, who sort of resembled you, to play Newt. Did you have any interest in doing that series? 

RICKY:  No.  I remember there was some early discussion of that with me, but I wasn’t ready to move to Alberta.  I had a life and kids and a ranch in Colorado, and it was just too big of a change.

HENRY:  Right.  And frankly, talking about something that was not up to the original, I thought the series was a huge step down. 

RICKY:  I never saw an episode, but I imagine it was.

HENRY:  In 1994, you were back at the Alamo Village in Brackettville for JAMES MICHENER’S ‘TEXAS’. 

RICKY:  With my buddy, Benjamin Bratt.  That was a lot of fun.  I played Otto McNab.  Gosh it was hot.  I remember there were actors passing out.  We were wearing wool uniforms, and it was 100 degrees and 90% humidity.  It was awful, awful hot.  But that was definitely a fun project. 

HENRY:  Any more westerns on the horizon?

RICKY:  I’ve got a western script I’ve been trying to get made since I was nineteen years old.  And I obviously can’t play it anymore – the lead role.  But hopefully one day I’ll get that one made.  It’s about the greatest moment in the history of the Pony Express.              

OUR WILD HEARTS – Movie Review

There is something to stories about teenaged girls and horses that is just ‘a natural’, and a natural is just what OUR WILD HEARTS is.  The film, a present-day western, is a Schroder Family affair.  Actor Ricky Schroder co-wrote the script with his wife Andrea, as a vehicle for their eldest daughter, sixteen-year-old Cambrie Schroder, and Ricky directed and co-starred as well.  But while this is a small movie, it’s not a vanity production, and Cambrie, who must carry the movie, is up to the job.  She also has her two brothers, sister, and mother along for back-up.

Cambrie plays Willow, a privileged teenager growing up in Malibu, an only child with a loving-but-busy mother, played by Angela Lindval.  What is missing in Willow’s life is a father, or even the slightest indication from her mother of who her father is.   A casual conversation with a girlfriend triggers a blow-up between mother and daughter on the subject.  At home, Willow goes poking through boxes of mementoes and pictures from her mother’s youth and finds a picture of Jack (Ricky Schroder).  It’s one of those rare times in movies when this sort of moment actually works: the resemblance between father and daughter is so great that denying it would be foolish; and after some hesitation, mom admits the truth.

Without preamble, daughter flies to Wyoming and appears at the ranch doorstep of a father who had no clue she existed, and he welcomes her with startling ease.  She has no idea of the kind of turmoil she has strayed into.  Her father and grandfather Top (Cliff Potts) are in imminent danger of losing the family homestead without an influx of cash.  Because this is mustang country, their best hope is to capture a celebrated wild stallion known as Bravo: Jack has a buyer (Eloise DeJoria) who would pay a small fortune to acquire Bravo, and put him out to stud.

Unfortunately, Jack’s ranch is all but surrounded by the property of a swine, played by one of the west’s finest swines Martin Kove.  Kove, as Grizz, assisted by his equally swinish sons (played, ironically, by Ricky Schroder’s sons Holden and Luke), wants to acquire Jack’s property, and sees capturing Bravo as a way to make this possible. 

As both teams set out to capture Bravo, a further complication appears.  A close, maybe mystical, connection between Willow and Bravo develops, and rather than let either man have the horse, Willow thinks he should be free. 

Among the nice surprises in OUR WILD HEARTS is the reappearance of Cliff Potts in the role of Ricky Schroder’s father.  For many years a very busy actor, whether in leads or supporting roles – SILENT RUNNING, SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION, THE LAST RIDE OF THE DALTON GANG – he’s been off the screen for nearly fifteen years.  Also, Willow’s romantic interest, ranch-hand Ryan, is played by Chris Massoglia, recently seen as the title character in CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT. 

Director Schroder makes good use of Cambrie’s skills as a rider and as a dancer, some lyrical sequences giving Cambrie, cinematographer Steve Gainer and music director Michael Lord a chance to show their talents.  Although most of the story is set in Wyoming, Gainer’s camera never left Southern California, but the rolling green hills and beautiful herds of wild horses are more than convincing – they’re invigorating to watch.

I won’t give away more of the story, but there is hard riding, shooting, roping, romance, and a down-to-the-wire climax.  It’s not only an enjoyable movie in its own right; it may even be a sneaky and effective way to covertly introduce teens and tweens to the western genre.  OUR WILD HEARTS premieres on Saturday night, March 9th, on the Hallmark Movie Channel.

 CAMBRIE SCHRODER ON HER FIRST MOVIE AND FUTURE PLANS

HENRY:  I understand from your dad that I’ve been mispronouncing your name – it’s not Cambrie with a short ‘a’, but Cambrie with a long ‘a’.

CAMBRIE:  That’s right.  I’ve never met another Cambrie, actually.  I think it’s because my grandpa went to Cambridge University.  But Cambridge was too long, so they shortened it and made it Cambrie. 

HENRY:  I just watched you last night in OUR WILD HEARTS, and you did a fine job; you carried the picture.

CAMBRIE:  Thank you, I’m glad you liked it.  Because I haven’t really shown it to anybody, so I haven’t heard any feedback. 

HENRY:  Now in the story, two things that are very important to your character are dance, and horses.  Is that true in real life?

CAMBRIE:  It’s definitely is.  I’ve been raised around horses and animals, and so they’re are a passion.  I was able to make that connection with horses when I was really young.  So acting with horses was really natural for me.  I’ve also been dancing since I was about four years old, so dancing and horses are two of my biggest passions, along with acting. 

HENRY:  How old are you now?

CAMBRIE:  I’m sixteen.  I like to think of my self as an adult, but I’m really not. 

HENRY:  I’m sure your parents remind you of that.

CAMBRIE:  Every day.  They’re like, ‘Cambrie, you’re sixteen: enjoy your childhood.’  Ever since I was four years old I’ve been wanting to be sixteen.  But I’m actually enjoying being sixteen.  I feel like it’s my great year, my golden year – I’m having a lot of fun. 

HENRY:  Growing up, did you see a lot of your father’s TV shows and movies?

CAMBRIE: Well actually I hadn’t seen too much of his work until we moved to Spain, where we had a lot of free time on our hands.  And then my sister and I watched a whole season of SILVER SPOONS.  It was really strange to watch him (as a kid).  So I’ve seen SILVER SPOONS now.  I’ve seen THE CHAMP.  He doesn’t watch any of his work himself, so it’s kind of hard for me to find it. 

HENRY:  When were you living in Spain?

CAMBRIE:  We were living in Spain in 2010.  I was 13.  We went there just to escape our busy life and take a break and reunite as a family.  I loved it so much – I learned fluent Spanish there; I was the only one who learned Spanish because I was at the perfect age to learn a language.  My parents were (sing-song) a little bit too old, my sister was a little bit too young, and my brothers just weren’t that interested. 

HENRY:  Speaking of your brothers and sisters, are they all in the movie?

CAMBRIE:  They are.  My two brothers play the two enemies, Marty Kove’s sons.  My little sister doesn’t have a speaking part, but she has an extra onscreen appearance, she’s at the barn party scene, dancing.  So you’ll see them all in the movie.  My sister’s still so upset about it: “I’m the only one who didn’t have a speaking part.”  And she just did an episode of SHAKE IT UP on the Disney Channel, so that made up for it. 

HENRY:  When did you decide you wanted to act?

CAMBRIE:  I’ve always been intrigued by it, as long as I can remember; just watching my dad at work, becoming a character on-set, and then coming home as my dad.  It’s always been an interest of mine, and then when I was about ten years old, I started going on auditions.  My parents weren’t encouraging, but they weren’t discouraging.  They wanted me to explore it and see if it was really something I would love to do.  And so soon enough they saw that I was going to do it with or without them, they were like, ‘We want to be the ones there to guide you on your first movie, and make you feel comfortable.’  And my dad’s so experienced that he had so much to offer and so much to teach me, that it was perfect.

HENRY:  You’re in high school now.  Do you plan to try and do more acting; do you plan to finish your education first?

CAMBRIE:  Both acting and an education are really important to me.  I’m currently a full-time student, and trying to keep really high grades up so I’ll have the option of going to college.  If other acting jobs come along, I’ll still have that to fall back on.  I can also pick the time to take off school, and have the flexibility to go and act.  I’m reading scripts and waiting for the next best script to come along.  I’m keeping my eyes open, and excited to see what my future holds.  But I will be acting again, for sure. 

HENRY:  Are there any actresses that you particularly admire, that you think, ‘I’d like to play her kind of role?’ 

CAMBRIE:  Actually last night I was looking up all about Jennifer Lawrence, and I love her.  She’s never taken an acting lesson in her life, and she’s able to transform into totally different characters, and not act as a different character, but become a different character.  I really admire that – not acting, but becoming.  So I really admire her.  I also love Angelina Jolie.   I’d love to do an action film.  I’d love to do some edgier stuff.  But both of those ladies are magnificent – I look up to them so much.  And Meryl Streep, oh!  There’re so many good actresses. 

 

HENRY:  What was the best part of filming OUR WILD HEARTS? 

CAMBRIE:  It was my first experience filming a movie, so having my family there was the best, because they were able to be honest with me in trying to get my best performance, but also being super-encouraging and making me feel comfortable. But I also loved working with the horses.  It was super fun because it made me look forward to something.  And working with Tommy – he was such a great horse, so well behaved and so well-trained.

HENRY:  So Tommy is the stallion the whole story revolves around?

CAMBRIE:  His name is Bravo in the movie, but in real life his name’s Tommy. 

HENRY:  What was the worst part – was there anything you did not like, or did not anticipate?

CAMBRIE:  There was really nothing that went wrong.  Everything that could have gone wrong went right.  But I knew it was a lot of hard work, because I’ve seen my dad work, and I know it’s not as glamorous as they make it out to be.  But I don’t think you understand how difficult something is until you actually go through it.  I worked long days – five in the morning, late nights, studying my lines, coming home and being exhausted; I worked really hard.  It was a very challenging experience, but it didn’t stop my love for it at all. 

HENRY: Outside of your family, was there anyone that you particularly we enjoyed working with? 

CAMBRIE:  Yes, I loved working with Chris Massoglia.  He plays my love interest.  He’s an amazing actor, but he’s also a great person.  He has great values, and he’s done a lot of other films and is really talented, so he was able to guide me.  And also, the wranglers of Tommy were very encouraging too.  I loved our cinematographer, Steve Gainer.  He’s a great cinematographer, but a great guy too.  He kept the set light, because my dad and I sometimes get too serious.  He would always crack jokes to lighten the mood.  When it’s raining and cold and everyone’s tired, grumpy and hungry, he keeps it positive and light hearted.  Because the whole experience is meant to be fun, and he made sure that would happen. 

HENRY:  Anything else I show know?

CAMBRIE:  You might not have known that I did almost all the stunts.  I did all the riding, and I had to ride bareback – I couldn’t walk the next day – that’s for sure!  I thought it was important for me to actually be the one riding, and when Bravo rears, before I fall off, it was scary, but fun, because I knew I was safe.  My dad didn’t like to watch that happen.  Then I wasn’t the one to fall off – we had a stunt person do that, but that’s the only thing I didn’t do.  I did everything else.   


THE WRAP-UP

That's it for tonight's Round-up!  Got some interesting things cooking for next week, but none of it's definite yet.

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright March 2013 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved