October 2017

System: SNES Classic

Games Included (21 in total):

• Contra 3: The Alien Wars
• Donkey Kong Country
• EarthBound
• Final Fantasy 3
• F-Zero
• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby’s Dream Course
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• Mega Man X
• Secret of Mana
• Star Fox
• Star Fox 2
• Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting
• Super Castlevania 4
• Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
• Super Mario Kart
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
• Super Mario World
• Super Metroid
• Super Punch-Out!!
• Yoshi’s Island

Released: September 29^th, 2017

Break out the Ecto-Cooler and Ranch Doritos! We’re about to hop aboard the DeLorean and head back…to the early 90s and play some of the classic games that shaped the youth of so many gamers. It’s like a digital class reunion, only you actually WANT to see all of your old compatriots. After all, you blasted through battles with Mega Man, slayed vampires with Simon Belmont, rescued Zelda with Link, and eaten magical mushrooms with Mario… if you were to box up the childhood of a Xennial, it would probably look just like the SNES Classic box that houses a tiny-sized version of the system with built in games. Grab your plunger and pull up your overalls, because we’re about to jump down the nearest green pipe and immerse you in TrunkSpace’s take on the SNES Classic!

First, we’ll start by taking a look at the hardware that makes up the SNES Classic. We could use a ruler, fork, or hand to show you the approximate size of the system… but we thought using a Funko Pop! Vinyl figure would be more appropriate. As you can see, the system is about one Pop! Figure across and one figure tall. It’s tiny and compact. We love this, because if you’re like us, your entertainment centers are filled with blinking router lights, clocks, DVR’s, game systems, etc… so it’s nice to have something that does not take up much space. It’s “SUPER” easy to hook up (pause for comedic applause from the obvious pun). There is one USB cord that hooks into a power adapter and one HDMI cord that plugs directly into your television. Two controllers are included and appear to be exact replicas of the originals. They are lightweight and easy to grip. We wish the cords were a little longer, but at least they are almost double the NES classic controller cord length. You can purchase wireless controllers if you want to drop some extra Mario gold coins at the store or online. The controller plug-in port actually utilizes the Wiimote plug in. You flip down the front facade of the original ports and connect the controllers this way.

Okay, onto those nostalgia-packed games that are built into the system. There are 21 in total. You can unlock Star Fox 2 by simply beating the first stage of Star Fox 1. This is pretty huge, because it’s a brand-new game that has never been released. Literally, the worst part of this gaming experience is just trying to figure out which classic game you want to play first. It’s tough! Personally, we like to eat our dessert first, and since it’s October (or TRUNKTOBER as we call it here), we started with Super Castlevania IV. It was amazing to step back in time and once again crack Belmont’s pixelated whip. We remember how revolutionary this was for the time. Nintendo was exploring multiple planes of depth in the gaming world, and it was a definite building block to the gaming world that we now know today. Everything was exactly like the classic game. You hear that unforgettable soundtrack playing, and it all starts coming back to you. It’s like you never left. The funny thing about playing the classic games are the things you forget about… like there are time limits! You have to complete the stages in a certain amount of time. The fun games that you get to play today want to give you free rein with no limits, so stepping back in time and having that added challenge was both nostalgic and anxiety-inducing… but in a good way!

There were two new, unique features to the SNES classic that we thought were innovative. The first one is a simple one, but a nice detail. Since you’re playing on a square screen, you have a border on your TV, so why not dress it up? That’s right, you can pick your own border theme to surround your gaming experience. The other feature we were taken back by was the “REWIND” feature. Say you’re playing along and, DOH!…you made a stupid mistake, like falling off the ledge instead of going down the stairs, well just hit the rewind feature and give it another go. You don’t have to start over from a checkpoint. To be fair, this has been a thing people can do with Snes Roms and emulators, but it is neat to see it officially supported.

We sampled all of the games, and we could write pages and pages on these classics, but you already know them. You love them. You know their stories and how they go, so we will just cut to the chase. If you can find one of these systems, BUY IT! We were fortunate enough to land one via ThinkGeek the morning online sales went live. If you are unable to get one, you can still experience the games of your childhoods. You can Download on Gamulator.com or a similar gaming site all of the games that you can get on the console so as not to miss out on all of the fun! The value for the system is truly incredible. It set us back about $94 after shipping, tax, etc, but for 21 games, that is a steal. Not to mention the RPGs like Final Fantasy III, Secret of Mana, and our favorite, Earthbound, can take days to complete. If you have kiddos, younger nieces, or nephews, this is a great system to share with them. There are a ton of family-friendly games, and you don’t have to worry about language, extreme violence, or “adult situations.” One of my pals also recommended that we use the best vpn for gaming in order to speed up the online game and boost our gaming experience.

They also have some great save features built-in, so you don’t have to complete the games in one sitting. One of the only drawbacks is you have to reset the system to start a different game. That being said, there is virtually NO load time and NO updates. You just plug and play. Instant gaming gratification obtained and enjoyed!

We’re chatting with The Dent Schoolhouse co-owner Bud Stross about the terrifying Cincinnati, Ohio haunt!
www.frightsite.com

TrunkSpace: Can you start by giving us a little bit of history about your location? When did it begin? How has it grown over the years?
Stross: Well, The Dent Schoolhouse was actually a schoolhouse that opened up in 1894 and shut down in the 1950s. Legend has it that it is due to a murderous janitor named Charlie McFree. It later became a machine shop. After that, the Boy Scouts used it as a charity haunted house. Now comes our ownership… we took it over from the Boy Scouts 12 years ago and have never looked back. The schoolhouse used to be your typical black-walled haunt with movie monsters and basic detail. BUT – when we took it over, we wanted to make something unique and original. We brought the legend to life and made everything based around the story of Charlie the Janitor. We detailed the sets like you were in a movie and keep adding more and more technology to bring the “Ohh-Ahhs” to our customers.

TrunkSpace: The Halloween-related industry seems to grow year after year. Where have those changes impacted your business most? Is it it in consumer tastes? Advancements in technology?
Stross: The industry does have trends and always evolves. Each year more and more technology gets added into the mix of the attractions and things sold. Hollywood and pop culture effects our industry as well. Big example was “The Walking Dead.” For the longest time we had to have zombie haunts or infected in our haunts, but then the clown craze came along. This is the year of clowns since “It” did so well. To give the crowd what they want, we have to watch these trends and add them to our attractions.

TrunkSpace: What is it about your particular haunted attraction that you feel helps it stand out compared to other seasonal locations targeting the same audience? What makes it unique?
Stross: We are known as one of the most detailed and tightly-themed attractions in America. We have rules that we have to follow. We also change around 1/3 of the haunt every year, which helps keep the attraction fresh for our returning guests.

TrunkSpace: What is the inspiration behind your themes? Do you draw from pop culture?
Stross: Hollywood always helps. We always say The Dent Schoolhouse is like reliving a horror movie. We also tour haunts from all over the nation to help get ideas and to keep our show fresh.

TrunkSpace: Have you added any new elements this year?
Stross: TOO MANY! We added a preschool playroom from hell, full of oversized killer toys. A catacomb with over 4,000 handmade skulls. A sewer that is flooding. The school’s gym is taken over by local clowns for the PTA Fun Festival. And then guests get to go through a boiler that has melted down.

TrunkSpace: What do you feel is the best feature and the most talked about part of your attraction heading into 2017?
Stross: Hmmm… probably the clown room. People hate clowns. This room has a great buffet of clowns… 8-feet-tall alien clowns, clowns with their faces ripped off, cartoon clowns, and more. Something for everyone.

TrunkSpace: Why do guests come to your location? Are they looking to be scared? Are they looking to be entertained? What is the goal from your standpoint in terms of giving them a particular type of experience?
Stross: We are Cincinnati’s scariest, so they come to get scared and be entertained! We want our guests to have the best experience possible. We listen to EVERY single review that comes through about us and use those to make the show better.

TrunkSpace: How many guests are you anticipating scaring up throughout the 2017 season?
Stross: 30,000 to 40,000.

TrunkSpace: Looking back over the years, are there any memorable guest reactions that have become the story of legend for everyone who works there?
Stross: After just one year of haunting you can come up with some doozies. My favorite would have to have been when I woke someone up in their car, dressed as a clown. I still do some acting from time to time (one of the only owners in the nation to probably still act for his haunt), so a guest was too scared to walk through and she let her group go through as she decided to take a nap. Her group loved her so much that they wanted me to bring the haunt to her. I hovered over the open sunroof and decided to scare her awake as she screamed and crawled throughout the car in absolute fear. It was a good night.

TrunkSpace: How many actors/scarentainers will you have on hand throughout the 2017 season and what type of preparation goes into getting everyone ready for opening night?
Stross: We employee over 150 but on a given night we have around 65 to 75 actors. We go into heavy training and make sure that even our newest actors come out scaring like a pro!

TrunkSpace: For those horror junkies who travel far and wide to be scared each Halloween, why should they put miles on their car or jump on a plane to visit your location?
Stross: The beautiful sets and theming. We always get so much praise and love for our movie-like sets.

Sly sleuths have been entertaining us with their crime-solving skills for as long as television has been beamed into our homes. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries took that delectable dish of a genre and altered the recipe slightly, adding the one ingredient that everybody can relate to – food.

Based on the series of books by author Peter King, “Gourmet Detective” follows homicide detective Maggie Price (Brooke Burns) and former, world-class chef Henry Ross (Dylan Neal) as they crack the twists and turns of cases as entertaining as they are perplexing. The latest installment, “Eat, Drink and Be Buried” premieres Sunday, October 8 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

We recently sat down with guest star Bruce Boxleitner to discuss how a text prompted his involvement in “Gourmet Detective,” why it reminded him of his classic television series “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” and why “TRON” was like capturing lightning in a bottle.

TrunkSpace: You’ve been working as a professional actor since the early 1970s. Does it still have the same excitement today as it did for you in the early days when experiences were still new?
Boxleitner: Well, yes and no. When you’re much younger, you’re a little more unsure of yourself, and nowadays, I don’t have that problem. I’m pretty much comfortable around any movie set just through years of experience, and I’ve experienced a great deal – very fortunate to do that. At this stage of my life I don’t work as much as I used to, which is fine. This particular project really came out of nowhere and was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed it a great deal. So, I still love working, don’t get me wrong, and the things that are similar is that every time I get a job, I’m as excited as a 26-year-old kid again. I think every actor does that.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned being more sure of yourself now. As an actor, does having confidence translate to a performance?
Boxleitner: I totally believe that. I believe confidence is everything, and your comfort level. You’re in front of a camera, you’re in front of a lot of people. I have just lived more life, and that does come into the balance, and that’s what you bring to your work in any role you play.

TrunkSpace: It just makes sense that actors who have lived more life are able to find different characters they’re playing and relate to them because they have seen and witnessed more.
Boxleitner: I think that’s very simple and to the point, yeah. I agree with you. I started when I was very young, so right out of high school and into the theater and then from theater to television out here. And I thought, by the time I get out here, I’d already been, I thought in my mind, fairly worldly. (Laughter) But Hollywood’s a different bag altogether than New York was and Chicago, where I started, and the television world. I had those life experiences, but then I was playing roles of young men my age who would have those same feelings and experiences. That’s what it is. I think as you get older, hopefully like a fine wine, you get better.

But, I’m still thrilled like a young kid again when I do get a job.

TrunkSpace: Because each one is a different experience?
Boxleitner: Exactly, and it reminds me why I did it in the first place, because I do love it. I love it a great deal. This particular project came along with a text from Dylan Neal.

TrunkSpace: Can’t beat that!
Boxleitner: Yeah, he came along with, “Listen, I don’t know if you’d be interested, but my wife and I have written this role for the next ‘Gourmet Detective’ with you in mind.”

Right there, that’s flattery any actor would like – somebody actually thought of you specifically in the role. And it turned out it was a terrific role and I couldn’t thank him more.

TrunkSpace: And Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ original programming has a very large fan base that rivals some of the science fiction properties known for capturing passionate viewers.
Boxleitner: Yeah, it is very, very big. About three years ago now, that’s when I originally worked with Dylan in the series “Cedar Cove,” which we did for three seasons on Hallmark. It was their first foray into a first-run television series, as opposed to re-running older series and just the standalone movies that they do so many of. My God, they do like 100 movies a year. It’s amazing.

TrunkSpace: Why do you think so many people are drawn to this type of original programming?
Boxleitner: Hallmark is reliable. They know what they’re going to get. I think a lot of people have been turned off by programming, I hate to say it. There’s a segment of our population, in the world too, that doesn’t want to have so much violence and all that sort of thing that television fare has now. You know, when Dylan had texted me about this, I had seen the first “Gourmet Detective” and it was reminiscent, for me, of a series I did in the 1980s with Kate Jackson called “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.” It was very, very popular and it reminded me of that, which was some of the best in 80s television.

I always tell my kids, “We made some pretty doggone good TV.” And it still holds up because I get fan mail, fan response, from “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” yet that’s been 30-some years ago, if not more. So the “Gourmet Detective” had that kind of feel. There’s a bit of a romantic comedy in there. There’s mystery and murder mystery, and there’s quipy banter between a handsome leading man and a beautiful leading lady, and that’s classic stuff. That’s your classic genre going all the way back to “The Thin Man” and things like that in the old movies.

TrunkSpace: There’s also something kind of nice and classic about watching television and feeling good when the credits roll.
Boxleitner: Exactly. I’ve said, and I don’t want to paint with too broad of a brush, but today it seems to me that television is so dark and cynical for the most part. Hallmark offers good stories, good characters, but also something where you can say, “Oh, I enjoyed myself.” It’s entertainment. It’s the times we’re living in, I’m sure, reflecting in our art and television. But you’re right, I just feel that some people need an island of respite, for heaven’s sake, and Hallmark provides that.

TrunkSpace: Television is all about escapism.
Boxleitner: That’s what these provide and usually you have a good time by the end of it.

TrunkSpace: And in this one you’re actually playing Dylan’s father, correct?
Boxleitner: Yes, I am. And this one too, I think compared to the others, this has a little more character development for Dylan’s character. He’s a flippant, very fun guy with all of his quips and stuff like this, but there’s a little darker side to his character. This has a little background into him and suddenly dad shows up. And dad’s a complex character and it’s a complex relationship with them.

I was just thrilled to get it. I immediately said, “Are you kidding me? Yes, whatever you say!” I think Dylan and Becky (Southwell) are very, very good writers. It’s been nothing but good.

TrunkSpace: A movie like “TRON” holds such a special place in the hearts of fans. As an actor, is finding a project like that, which resonates with people on multiple levels, like catching lightning a bottle?
Boxleitner: It is. First of all, in 1981, when we were shooting it, we had no idea it was a pioneering effort. It could just as well have gone wrong, you know – a failure. That’s what was kind of exciting about it. And Disney took a huge chance on it and now it’s 2017 and people still talk about it. I get fan mail constantly, and just about two months ago we had a big thing on Hollywood Boulevard at the El Capitan Theater, one night only, with “TRON” and “TRON: Legacy” playing. Steven Lisberger and Bill Kroyer and I showed up for a Q&A beforehand, and it’s a whole different generation of fans whose parents showed them this movie and it turned them on.

So, it has, for whatever reason, and there are many and you can name them, it has resonated over the years and it’s so amazing to me, because back when Jeff and Cindy and I were making this thing, we had no idea what we were doing or if it was going to work. I’m just very proud to be a part of it and I try to participate in everything that’s done on it, whether it’s a homage or if there’s something new to do with it. I’ve done the games. I’ve done the animated series. It keeps hanging in.

I don’t want to be disparaging here, but the big movie of the summer of ’82 was “ET” and so far we haven’t had a sequel to that or talk of it, but this little movie called “TRON” just keeps on going.

“Gourmet Detective: Eat, Drink and Be Buried” will be served up to mystery-hungry viewers on Sunday, October 8 (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

You better not cry. You better not pout. And here’s why…

The new holiday hybrid “Better Watch Out” is coming to town this Friday and it’s going to entertain the hell out of you!

A tongue-in-cheek riff on home-invasion horror, the film is a beautifully-wrapped package filled with shock, awe, and laughs. Bound to become a Christmas classic in the same way that “Die Hard” and “Gremlins” are considered for those viewers who are just west of weird, “Better Watch Out” is the earliest gift you’ll receive this season.

We recently sat down with star Levi Miller to discuss the range of his character Luke, how the creepiest people are sometimes those who don’t look the part, and what he admires most about the incredible actors he has worked with over the course of his career.

TrunkSpace: “Better Watch Out” is a really fun, entertaining ride from start to finish. How much of that fun translated to what you were doing on set every day? Was the experience of making the film just as memorable as it is for those who are getting a chance to watch it now?
Miller: To some extent for sure, there is always enjoyment that comes out of doing something so out of the ordinary. During filming there were plenty of memorable moments and I believe those moments reflect into the film itself.

TrunkSpace: We actually read in an interview with director Chris Peckover that something you did in the audition for “Better Watch Out” ended up making it into the film. Can you tell us about that because it is not something you hear happening very often?
Miller: When I first read the script for “Better Watch Out” I was highly engaged with Luke – he is a character with so much range. So I suppose I deeply focused on him and researched him for a long period of time until I understood him and his diverse personality.

TrunkSpace: It seems like some of those early choices you made for the character ended up becoming part of your overall performance. That being said, what was the most difficult aspect to capture regarding Luke’s personality? What took you some time to absorb and translate into your performance?
Miller: Luke is a very dominating character and throughout the film he becomes more and more dominating. Although I like to have somewhat of a control of a situation, being dominating is something that I found very crude and difficult to capture. But throughout filming I began to slip into Luke’s personality and I understood how to become that side of him.

TrunkSpace: One of the things we loved about your performance was Luke’s innocent, and yet at the same time, devilishly sinister smile. Did you spend some time working on those physical mannerisms and reactions? Did they have a particular influence?
Miller: The mannerisms portrayed whilst being Luke were mostly based off Luke’s personality itself. They kind of just blended in with my performance. I’ve always thought that the creepiest people are those that are known to be – but look the most innocent.

TrunkSpace: The film is opening today. Do you have any expectations about how it will be received because so far, the buzz has been really good – currently it is rocking a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes?
Miller: All I hope for is that audiences enjoy it and that they feel the emotions I intended them to feel.

TrunkSpace: Outside of performance, “Better Watch Out” is also a departure genre-wise from other projects you have worked on in the past. Was part of the hope in tackling a project in this horror/comedy hybrid territory that you’d start to steer your career in a new and more mature direction?
Miller: I never really thought about that. I’d love to play as many different characters as possible, but I much prefer to choose roles based on the films and the roles themselves rather than the career side of it.

TrunkSpace: Hugo Weaving. Reese Witherspoon. Hugh Jackman. Oprah Winfrey. These are just a few of the people you have shared scenes or a set with. Do you look at these experiences as not only work, but as bits of on-the-job education? Do you actively try to absorb knowledge from all of these costars who are not only successful, but extremely talented in their craft?
Miller: Absolutely, many of the people I work with along the way, cast and crew, have been in the industry for many years if not decades. These people have such a deep understanding and love for the craft and it’s an experience on its own having a conversation with them. But what a lot of these people have in common is how grounded they are – that’s something that I truly admire.

TrunkSpace: Something all of those individuals share is career longevity. Is there a particular actor who you admire for their ability to manage a successful career (and yet still push themselves through their performance) that you would be ecstatic to see your own career emulate?
Miller: There are many actors that I look up to and admire and Leonardo DiCaprio is one of them. Many of the roles he has played have been incredible. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is probably one of my favorite films. He is also a great humanitarian – definitely someone I admire.

Unwrap “Better Watch Out” today in theaters and On Demand!

Featured image by: Chris Wood with Michael Roud Photography

If the Bluths of “Arrested Development” fame made being despicable an art form, the Swallow family from the Audience Network’s “Hit the Road” is turning it into a catchy song that you just can’t shake. The new series from “Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander, which premieres on October 17, follows the band-on-the-run exploits of the dysfunctional songwriting clan as they traverse the country in search of fortune and fame.

Series star Natalie Sharp plays lead singer and diva-in-training Ria Swallow, and from what we have seen thus far, it’s a star-making role for the Canadian-born actress and songwriter.

We recently sat down with Sharp to discuss getting to play the daughter of a TV legend, why her character is a total badass on stage, and how she got to see “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles riding around on a tiny, yellow motorbike. Do you want to know how she got the yellow motorbike? You could check out this article on how to finance a motorbike for some tips and tricks.

TrunkSpace: You’re starring in the new series “Hit the Road” from co-creator Jason Alexander. When you’re cast in a series developed by one of the great icons of television, what goes through your mind? How did you celebrate?
Sharp: Confusion, and OMG! My friends have been spotting us on billboards together, and none of it feels real! I feel incredibly lucky to be acting with Jason. He has taught me so much and is so warm and welcoming, and HILARIOUS (obviously). I love being his troublesome teenage daughter!

I was actually with my friend in Mexico when I got the call. After all the screaming, we celebrated with some margaritas!

TrunkSpace: The series follows a family band as they tour the country. Are we talking a dysfunctional version of the Partridge Family… a sort of siblings Guns N’ Roses? And on top of that, what type of music does the family focus on?
Sharp: A VERY dysfunctional version of the Partridge family. Our family is ridiculously chaotic. We lie, cheat, steal… you name it! Our music is cheesy and lame, which adds to the contrast between our onstage persona and offstage persona. You’ll see. We are despicable people. It’s amazing.

TrunkSpace: In the show you play the lead singer and eldest daughter of Jason, Ria. Looking over the history of music, who would you best compare Ria to as far as lead singers of the past or present? Who does she embody?
Sharp: Definitely Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera.

TrunkSpace: Playing a character like Ria seems like it would be a lot of fun to inhabit, not only because of the music angle, but also just because of the attitude you get to exude. Now that you’ve had some time to spend with Ria and discover who she is at her core, what has been the best part of the performance journey for you?
Sharp: I am constantly discovering new things about Ria, which has made this whole process so exciting. Even in a comedy, I was able to go very deep emotionally and, as you said, figure out who she really is at her ‘core.’ I am very protective of my character because I love playing her. She has definitely become a part of me and I would stand up for her any day.

My favorite part of the process has been discovering the relationships between each of her siblings and parents. I love the family dynamic we have created and being able to work with such an amazing cast is half the battle.

TrunkSpace: You’re actually a singer/songwriter in real life as well. How much of your knowledge of music and performance were you able to inject into your role?
Sharp: A lot. I was given so much freedom when it came to my performance, and my style of singing. We all created harmonies together, and would have jam sessions almost between every take! The music is what really bonded us as a family. Personally, I have been singing and performing on stage since I was five years old. It comes much more naturally to me and so I am very comfortable with it. Singing helped me understand Ria because it is something we have in common. I know how it feels to walk on stage and feel like you’re on cloud nine. I know why she loves it, and I know how much it means to her. If I weren’t confident in my singing and stage presence then this role would have been incredibly tough!

TrunkSpace: Double-edged question. What is your favorite fake lyric that Ria got to sing and what is your favorite real-life lyric that you’ve written?
Sharp: “I’m an outlaw, I’m a champion, turn up my amp now, and I’ll teach you a lesson.” Ria is so confident when she is up onstage singing. She knows she is great! Total badass!

My lyric would probably be from the first song I ever wrote: “If you’re going to judge me on what I did, you can’t say you know me.” Which is, now that I think of it, also at the heart of Ria.

TrunkSpace: We mentioned getting to work with an icon like Jason already, but that’s not where the icons stop as far as “Hit the Road” is concerned. Richard Dreyfus is also guest-starring in the series. With all of the incredible people surrounding the project, what is the biggest lesson you took away from your work in season 1 that you will apply to your career moving forward?
Sharp: To never stop wanting to learn! To not put so much pressure on myself to be ‘perfect,’ but to enjoy the moments and ultimately have fun!

TrunkSpace: The concept is great, the cast is incredible, and the buzz is building around the show. It seems that the biggest hurdle now is just informing people about where the show will live. With so many networks and streaming platforms these days, what is the key to getting people on board with the AT&T Audience Network so that they can watch the show?
Sharp: Because I come from Canada, Audience and AT&T network don’t exist. So this is all very new to me too! Marketing and publicity for both the show and network are very important. If people are interested in watching our show, they need to know how. They have done an amazing job with spreading the word on social media for “Hit the Road,” AND other new, hot shows on the same network, so it is only a matter of time that Audience starts buzzing as well!

TrunkSpace: We are suckers for the series “Supernatural” here. As it turns out, you guested in one of the most memorable episodes of all time, “Fan Fiction.” For fans of the series, what was that experience like, especially with the concept of the episode involving so much of the show’s past?
Sharp: It was incredible! It was my first big acting gig and I really had to do my research because I had never watched the show (I know, I know… sorry guys)! It was also a musical episode, which made me feel right at home. The boys were obviously amazing to work with, and it was hilarious watching them improvise! I didn’t know they were so funny! I thought it was the coolest thing when I saw Jensen Ackles riding around a miniature, bright yellow motorbike on set.

And I also loved the fact my character got kidnapped by a scarecrow and then I get to fight a demon witch? I’m very much into the action adventure.

TrunkSpace: As that particular episode touched on, the series has a very loyal fandom. Having now been a part of the series, have you felt the reach of the fandom in real life, either through social media or via day-to-day interaction?
Sharp: I have surprisingly been approached a couple times! And fans message me through my artist Facebook page, and Instagram. I can always tell when my episode re-airs!

TrunkSpace: You are currently in school and working as a professional actress at the same time. How do you strike a balance between studies and work?
Sharp: I have been doing this for four years now and I have learned to go with the flow! Even though I have a crazy schedule and homework, and exams, and a social life… I know what my priorities are, so it hasn’t been too hard (even though it can be a little stressful). I just feel so lucky that I am able to do both!

TrunkSpace: You’re still very early in your career. With so much future ahead of you, what do you hope to accomplish? What are some of your bucket list items that you’d like to check off?
Sharp: Well… I have already filmed a volleyball movie, which is another huge passion of mine, now I am doing singing… I definitely want to be a superhero and work on a post-apocalyptic type show! Action/Adventure is one of my favorite genres along with sci-fi. Working with Christopher Nolan would be a dream! He is such a smart director and I love how he stretches and twists people’s minds! Other than that, I don’t want to look too far into the future. Whatever happens, I believe is meant to happen. Of course, it would be amazing to win an Oscar…

“Hit the Road”pulls into town October 17 on the AT&T Audience Network.

Featured image by: Ryan West

Sly sleuths have been entertaining us with their crime-solving skills for as long as television has been beamed into our homes. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries took that delectable dish of a genre and altered the recipe slightly, adding the one ingredient that everybody can relate to – food.

Based on the series of books by author Peter King, “Gourmet Detective” follows homicide detective Maggie Price (Brooke Burns) and former, world-class chef Henry Ross (Dylan Neal) as they crack the twists and turns of cases as entertaining as they are perplexing. The latest installment, “Eat, Drink and Be Buried” premieres Sunday, October 8 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

We recently sat down with Burns to discuss what drew her to Maggie, what it’s like performing opposite the writer, and why unplugging from the real world means plugging into “Gourmet Detective.”

TrunkSpace: This is the fourth time you’re tackling Maggie Price. Does it start to feel a bit like you’re shooting a television series as opposed to a standalone film just because of the episodic nature of it?
Burns: Definitely. We’ve talked about that a bunch over the course of it. Honestly, we have so much fun on set and we love each other – we just all get along so well. We’re like, “Just make it a series already!” (Laughter) It feels like we’re already doing that, you know, with the different story lines, but right now, we’re still following the Peter King books.

TrunkSpace: Doing them as films must allow for a bit more of an individual character journey though. As a series, the arcs tighten up or they end up being spread out over multiple episodes.
Burns: That’s true. Definitely, we’ve been able to explore a little more individually, which is nice to be given that opportunity, for sure.

TrunkSpace: What was it about this particular installment, “Eat, Drink and Be Buried” that excited you from a performance standpoint?
Burns: I think starting out, Maggie was very protected, being a single mom and the boss of her own world. As I like to say, she built a moat around her castle and she rarely lets the drawbridge down. And I think that with Henry, as they’ve slowly come closer and closer together, she’s really learning to trust someone. And it’s both scary and also refreshing at the same time.

So I think we see a softer side of her, or at least the struggle between being vulnerable with someone and still kind of being her own boss.

TrunkSpace: Is that because there is more of a personal relationship between Maggie and Henry as opposed to just a professional one?
Burns: Exactly, so that turn has been interesting because it’s like, “Wait, what does this still look like on the job?” And just because we’re now dating, it doesn’t really mean that these aspects of the job change, but in a way they do. And once you care about someone, then things start to evolve. But I think intimacy probably scares her a little bit, and at the same time, she wants it.

So those are kind of fun things to play with – all the different layers of comedy and tragedy.

TrunkSpace: Your costar Dylan Neal is also the writer. As you’re shooting, are you continuously massaging dialogue while in scenes and seeing if different things work that weren’t originally on the page?
Burns: Oh yeah. I think for us, as actors, it’s so wonderful to constantly have the writer on set. If you have any questions, you’re like, “Hey, do you mind if I tweak this?” or, “I feel like this is more natural for my character.” But Dylan and Becky (Southwell) have a really good handle, I think, now especially going into the fourth, of our voices, so they’re usually pretty spot on.

But I do, just for fun, always go, “Who wrote this? It’s terrible. Wait, I have to say what?” (Laughter) And he’s like, “Oh, stop it.” (Laughter) We pretend like we’re talking amongst the actors and then we’re like, “Oh wait, wait… you’re the writer too.” We give him a hard time.

TrunkSpace: A good moment to rib him is every time he has a really great line. “Hey, why do you get the good line!?!?”
Burns: (Laughter) Any time I have a good line, I’m like, “Oh, Becky must have written that.”

TrunkSpace: While you guys are still working and massaging the script throughout production, you’re also working within a pretty breakneck schedule, which one would imagine means you’re constantly full steam ahead.
Burns: 100 percent. I feel like they get shorter and faster every time. It’s a bit of a circus trying to make it through to the end. (Laughter) This one was even more challenging for me because I was breastfeeding a six-month-old-baby. “Wait. Put the costume on. Take the costume off. Okay, is the baby good? Okay, wait.”

I had a big monologue to do and I started in. I’m like, “So the captain says… the captain says… yeah, I have no idea what the captain says!” (Laughter) I just had a total white out. And I’m like, “Oh my gosh. I have some serious baby brain right now, give me a second. It’ll come back. Don’t get scared.” (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: Doing anything with a six-month-old at a breakneck speed is a feat in and of itself, never mind shooting a movie.
Burns: Yeah, it was definitely a challenge this time. I felt like I had two full time jobs.

TrunkSpace: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as well other Hallmark original programming, have a really large, loyal fandom, which I think takes a lot of people by surprise. The groups online that follow these individual shows and franchises rival those that follow science fiction franchises known for their rabid fan bases.
Burns: Yeah, that says it perfectly. I took my eight-month-old to the zoo a couple days ago, and a woman passed me by and then she came running back and she goes, “Wait! You’re the Hallmark girl!” (Laughter) “Is that my title now? Oh, okay, good. Thanks for telling me.” (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: It seems that, given the seriousness of the news every time you turn on the television, that this type of feel-good entertainment is the perfect form of escapism.
Burns: Definitely. I think that’s true. I mean, I know that for me, with all this scariness happening, every day I wake up I just go, “Do I really want to turn on the news?” I’m actually scared to go, “What happened now in the 12 hours that I’ve been unaware of the world?”

I’m sure if you have children or you just are trying to unwind, the news gets really overwhelming these days. Unfortunately it’s so sad and heartbreaking that a little love toward your heart feels good.

TrunkSpace: What was the biggest creative draw for you regarding the overall “Gourmet Detective” concept and character journey when the project was first presented to you?
Burns: You know, it’s interesting… I think that the older I’ve gotten, and definitely being a mom, I feel like your brand starts to evolve over time. And I just love, as you just said, that feel-good, family viewing. I know there’s a lot of stuff that people do as actors and they’re like, “Oh yeah, my kids can never watch anything I do, nor would they want to,” and so I think there was just a part of that where I was like, “It just feels clean and easy to go and be a part of something that is, really, like a family.”

Their brand is really how they run their shows and their sets. Going in having to do it this time with a six-month-old, I just thought that there was no way they were going to be able to accommodate all of the extra bells and whistles that I was going to need to stop every three hours – to be able to breastfeed, to be the kind of mom that I want to be, and get the job done. And they were like, “Okay, okay. Yup. Sure. No problem. Done. We’ll get you the driver with the car seat. We’ll get you the time that you need. We’ll shoot a different direction so that you can be with the baby, get her down for a nap, whatever.” Who does that? People who really understand family values.

And Maggie, in it of itself, was always great just as far as the character and falling in love with her. I loved that she was this sassy cop and at the same time, this loving single mom, and sort of the juxtaposition of those two things and having to balance the two.

TrunkSpace: Looking over your career, is there a character that you wised you got to spend more time with and explore further?
Burns: Definitely. The character of Kathy Dinkle from “Pepper Dennis.” We were only on for a season and it was kind of one of those things where Warner Bros. was caving under and we were up against the writers’ strike and the studio shifted. But definitely, the character of Kathy Dinkle was a really fun character for me that I created out of my five-year-old daughter and my mother mushed together. That was always something that I wished I had a little bit more time to continue to explore just because she was a lot of fun for me to play.

“Gourmet Detective: Eat, Drink and Be Buried” will be served up to mystery-hungry viewers on Sunday, October 8 (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

You better not cry. You better not pout. And here’s why…

The new holiday hybrid “Better Watch Out” is coming to town this Friday and it’s going to entertain the hell out of you!

A tongue-in-cheek riff on home-invasion horror, the film is a beautifully-wrapped package filled with shock, awe, and laughs. Bound to become a Christmas classic in the same way that “Die Hard” and “Gremlins” are considered for those viewers who are just west of weird, “Better Watch Out” is the earliest gift you’ll receive this season.

We recently sat down with star Ed Oxenbould to discuss why he thinks people will love the movie, the possibility of it becoming a seasonal staple, and why he likes getting back into the skin of the characters he plays.

TrunkSpace: You’re still at such an early stage in your career, and yet, the work you have done thus far is so diverse. Obviously “Better Watch Out” and “The Visit” are very different from some of your early work like “Paper Planes” and “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” Has it been a goal of yours to diversify as much as possible?
Oxenbould: I think it’s super informed to try a mix of different things. They’re all such great learning experiences and I feel like they made me a better actor just by purely gaining new knowledge – new experience. Also, I think it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s something every actor wants to do is – try everything. I don’t know, maybe I’ll find stuff that I like the most and I’ll do it the rest of my life. (Laughter)

I like to think that I’ve got a good mix of genres. I hope to keep going with that.

TrunkSpace: “Better Watch Out” is a genre hybrid and tonally there’s not a lot of movies out there like it, particularly when it comes to holiday films. It was such fun ride as a viewer and we’re curious if that feeling of it being a good time translated to the work itself, especially considering you had already worked with Olivia before.
Oxenbould: 100 percent! That’s what I loved about it. The script is so much fun. The film is so much fun when you watch it.

TrunkSpace: There’s a lot of unexpected twists and turns in the film as well. It’s difficult to catch audiences by surprise these days, but “Better Watch Out” pulls that off in unexpected ways, with one twist in particular.
Oxenbould: Yeah, that’s what I thought was really good because, it’s a really good one. I mean, it wouldn’t be a good movie experience if you went in knowing that twist and I think they’ve done a really good job. I think that people are going and getting surprised, because it is a very unique, surprising film. It’s changing. It changes every second. I think if people can have that surprised reaction, that’s exactly what we hoped for.

TrunkSpace: The film carries both elements of comedy and horror. Did one of those elements draw you to the film more than the other?
Oxenbould: I just think it was a combination of those two. I love it when people can really mix those two together. We just go on a journey through the whole film and I think that’s what makes it interesting – when you can watch a show and be laughing one minute and then wincing in fear the next. I totally think Chris (Peckover) is the one to have done that perfectly. I think it’s a perfect blend of both of those.

TrunkSpace: And those lighter moments sort of lull you into a false sense of security and then WHAM, you’re back to feeling uncomfortable.
Oxenbould: Yeah, it’s great. It definitely amplifies each thing. I feel like, when you’re getting scared, the funny seems funnier and the scary seems scarier, which is great. Just being able to amplify those moments – I think that really makes it a better movie.

TrunkSpace: From a performance standpoint, was there a particular moment or scene where you felt inhabiting Garrett stretched you as an actor?
Oxenbould: There wasn’t one particular moment. I think it’s just that the overall character was so great and remarkable for me. I think he had such a great character arc and we really developed a lot in rehearsals. He starts in one place and goes through a crazy, crazy kind of change because of the experience he goes through, which is kind of life changing and overwhelming. Ultimately, it just completely changes him as a person and it’s great to play a character like that.

TrunkSpace: And from what we read, the character Garrett wasn’t in the original draft of the script, right?
Oxenbould: I’m not 100 percent sure. I do know that he was originally a chubby, Puerto Rican kid because that’s what he was when I read it. When I read the script, I was initially going for the role of Luke. I was only going with Luke in mind, but in the back of my head I always thought, “Man, I’d love to play Garrett… if only he wasn’t chubby and Puerto Rican.”

TrunkSpace: What was it about him that first peaked your interest?
Oxenbould: I loved his sense of realness. And I think he has the best character arc in it.

He had some great moments, which would be really challenging and great to play as an actor. To get to play those and get to put them on screen – it was really fantastic.

TrunkSpace: We know that you wrapped the film nearly two years ago. Is it unusual to be sitting down and talking about the film again as if it was new, when in reality, you’ve already moved on to other roles and characters?
Oxenbould: I always think it’s great when you get to do press and you get to kind of get back into the skin of the character. You spend so much time playing them, they just kind of become a part of you. You make this fictional character a part of yourself and it just sticks with you.

TrunkSpace: Just before we spoke we hit up Rotten Tomatoes. “Better Watch Out” had a 92% ranking at that time and a lot of people were saying it’s the next perennial, unexpected holiday classic like “Die Hard.” When you were shooting it, did it feel like it had the potential to have that kind of long, extended shelf life that people revisit?
Oxenbould: You know, I think that’s almost the general theme with it, being more of a cult hit – more of a cult classic. I would say that was the overall feeling, that this would have a long shelf life. I think that Chris did an amazing job in creating it, writing it and bringing it to screen. I hope that people love it as much as I do.

TrunkSpace: We discussed career diversity at the start of our conversation. Looking ahead, you have some really heavy dramatic work due up, including “Wild Life.” Was a role like that a welcome turn performance-wise seeing it is a departure from some of the more genre films you’ve been working on? Is it important to keep highlighting different aspects of your abilities?
Oxenbould: I mean, if it doesn’t work out that way, then I’d gladly take whatever. I think that would be great, because I feel like you wouldn’t get typecast. Also, it’s really enjoyable as an actor because you get to play a whole bunch of characters. The character that I played in “Wild Life” was completely different to Garrett, although they were similar to me in the way that they have things that I would never do, and that I would never say. It’s great to get to experience all of that and that’s honestly, that’s why I do it.

TrunkSpace: Does that put you in a position to approach finding a character in a different way? Was finding Garrett a different journey than finding Joe from “Wild Life?”
Oxenbould: 100 percent. And, obviously with each rehearsal process, there’s a different way of developing your character.

I don’t have a set way. I kind of follow what the director wants and what kind of movie it is. But, yeah, 100 percent, Joe and Garrett I developed completely differently.

TrunkSpace: Are you hard on yourself as an actor, and if so, where?
Oxenbould: I think it changes project to project. I like to push myself and give it my all. I’m relatively tough on myself, but I like to think that I could always to better. I always feel like I’m pushing and pushing.

“Better Watch Out” unwraps in theaters and On Demand this Friday.

Feature image by: Sally Flegg

You better not cry. You better not pout. And here’s why…

The new holiday hybrid “Better Watch Out” is coming to town this Friday and it’s going to entertain the hell out of you!

A tongue-in-cheek riff on home-invasion horror, the film is a beautifully-wrapped package filled with shock, awe, and laughs. Bound to become a Christmas classic in the same way that “Die Hard” and “Gremlins” are considered for those viewers who are just west of weird, “Better Watch Out” is the earliest gift you’ll receive this season.

We recently sat down with writer/director Chris Peckover to discuss his incredible cast, tapping into the mind of a preteen, and why filmmaking is similar to brain surgery.

TrunkSpace: What has your overall journey with “Better Watch Out” been like, because from our understanding, it took some time to get where you are today with it, right?
Peckover: Oh, yeah. I haven’t even talked to anybody about how long it took to get made. I started working on the script in 2013, so it’s been a long journey. Unsurprising and unrare in movie world. Just from finishing the movie last June, it’s finally coming out, what, 16 months later?

It’s been fun. It’s been fun seeing the movie find its feet with audiences, and considering that it premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, it’s really been gaining steam over the past year as more people have watched it and have been talking about it. I feel like I might not get to see something like that happen again, where people are still talking and excited even more.

TrunkSpace: And your cast is stacked with these incredible young actors whose own careers are blowing up. They all have these huge projects coming out, which in a way, really extends the shelf life of your movie.
Peckover: You’re right. We shot the movie in Australia and we have all Australian actors. The only two non-Australian actors were the two parents, Patrick (Warburton) and Virginia (Madsen). In hindsight, I think we found the four best teenage actors in Australia at the moment. Very, very lucky.

TrunkSpace: Levi Miller knocked it out of the park with this amazing mix of innocence and lock-your-door-crazy in his performance. Having him as part of your film must have been a gift to your vision.
Peckover: Dude, in hindsight, writing a 12-year-old character who had to hit so many different parts of the spectrum, we were really shooting ourselves in the foot thinking that we were going to pull that off. We read about 200 boys for the role and Levi was the only one…

I think it’s going to be hard to express just how rare what Levi was doing was. He’s the only actor of everyone who we read, of all 200, who brought this creepy sexuality to his role, which was so important because our movie is about this 12-year-old, weeks away from turning 13, and he’s finding his tastes. Finding what he likes. The premise of the movie is that he wants to hook up with his babysitter before she leaves for Pittsburgh, even though she’s 18 – way older than him and yet he wants to try to kiss her and so on.

A lot of the 12-year-olds who we read, they were either playing him cutesy or just mean and devious. Even in the audition room, Levi brought this sexuality that you just don’t see in 12-year-old boys. 12-year-old boys are not thinking that. They’re certainly not putting themselves out there like that in front of a bunch of adults and a camera. That’s literally the most terrifying thing you could do as a teenager and yet he oozed this confidence. Nobody else came close to that.

TrunkSpace: And the great thing about the part is, it wasn’t only a gift for you. This role has probably allowed Levi to be seen in a way that he never would have been seen before. It felt like a game changer for his career in terms of future role possibilities.
Peckover: With “Pan” and every movie I have seen him in, he kept playing this same character. It was the awestruck boy. “Oh my god, this is amazing! I don’t know what to say!” And listen, it was through no fault of his own. A lot of people write 12-year-olds as this window into some new world.

TrunkSpace: As adults we forget what it’s like to be that age.
Peckover: You forget that when you’re a 12-year-old you’re dropping F-bombs constantly, you’re thinking about sex and drugs and loud music, and as soon as the parents turn their backs, you’re a totally different person. I was definitely one of those kids. (Laughter)

Around sixth or seventh grade, I feel like everyone has this feeling where it just hits you suddenly. You’re like, “Oh my god, adults don’t realize how much smarter I am than they think I am. I can get away with murder. They don’t know it.”

In fact, when we first all got together and read through the script together, I remember asking Ed (Oxenbould) and Levi, “I don’t know if I’m getting this right or I’m just remembering it incorrectly, but this movie is about how adults patronize 12-year-olds and don’t really treat them at their maturity level,” and they both slammed their heads against the table, like, “Yes!” It was nice to know that the movie would strike a chord with even kids their age. Especially in movies, they’re all very proper and tidy and boys.

TrunkSpace: With the film due out on Friday, does it feel like you can finally step away from it creatively? Does it feel like it’s finally off your creative plate, so to speak?
Peckover: When it was locked, it became very clear that there was not any money to do anything else and it was done. It’s never been a burden of, “Oh, I wish I could do this, I wish I could do that,” because really, and this is a testament to the producers for really trusting me, but if anyone asks, “So when’s the director’s cut come out,” this is the director’s cut. I got everything I wanted.

That being said, I’ve had plenty of burden in the past year and a half because I burdened myself. I’m OCD about everything. It’s like, “Okay, the baby’s been born, but is it going to walk out of the house without banging its head against the wall?” I’ve been trying to help guide it some, but really, there’s nothing I could possibly do to really have any major effect on how it’s accepted now. Now it’s outside the house. I get to watch from the window, gripping the curtain, hoping he crosses the street okay.

TrunkSpace: Sticking with the baby metaphor, you actually got a chance to have few play dates with the film before seeing it go off on its own because you did the festival circuit with it, right?
Peckover: Yeah, I’ve been to a ton of festivals. I’ve watched it in foreign languages with subtitles in foreign countries. Something that really surprised me was, it’s always a little scary doing a movie that’s tonally mixed like this where it’s funny, but then sometimes it’s really horrifying, and then sometimes it’s just thrilling and exciting and adventurous. And then other times it’s really taboo and uncomfortable. We did a bit of a rainbow in this movie, and the fear is, depending on the audience, it just totally has different effects on people.

I’ve probably been to about 20 screenings at festivals now with the movie and I’m always shocked by how identically people respond. Any filmmaker is really anxious and afraid of, “Am I worth spending money on and can I make a good movie?” It really boosted my confidence watching people watch this movie. When I intended for people to laugh, they laughed. When I wanted them to be quiet, they were quiet.

Before I was going to be a filmmaker, I wanted to be a brain surgeon. It’s kind of the same thing. Where you’re using a scalpel and you’re crafting, you’re saying, “I’m going to make people think this and I’m going to make people think that.” It’s so rewarding to be in an audience and to be just watching this organic collection of unique people and yet they all get in line and react the way that they were intended to react. It’s really “muahahaha” powerful.

“Better Watch Out” unwraps in theaters and On Demand this Friday.

Haley Joel Osment isn’t the only person seeing dead people these days. With the new Syfy series “Ghost Wars” set to kick off tomorrow, the entire population of a remote Alaskan town is about to be spooked on a massive scale. With a cast that includes Vincent D’Onofrio and Meat Loaf, as well as a trailer that would make Vincent Price’s iconic voice crack, Major League Baseball isn’t the only fall classic set to wow people this week.

We recently sat down with series star Jesse Moss to discuss the impressive “Ghost Wars” creative team, where the real horror lies, and why people are continuously drawn to the idea of being scared.

TrunkSpace: The “Ghost Wars” concept is great. The producers are powerhouses. The cast is stacked. And there’s a side of Meat Loaf! From a project perspective, this is a dream gig. What were your initial thoughts when you booked the job and what are your expectations going into the upcoming premiere?
Moss: This was one of those times when it took awhile from the initial audition to actually book it. To be honest, I had just assumed they had gone another way, so when my agent told me I had the job I was quite surprised. I was really excited to work with Simon Barry and Dennis Heaton again. Like you said, they are creative powerhouses and the shows they make are always amazing. Then I heard who else was cast in the show and my head exploded. Between the writing, the cast, and the people putting it all together, I think this show is really going to excite a lot of people.

TrunkSpace: A lot of ghost-related series take a more comedic approach tonally, but this looks pretty damn frightening. Would you say the series as a whole is strictly horror, or does it have other genre elements blended in?
Moss: This show will definitely scare you, but it’s more than just a horror. It’s really about the relationships of the people in the town and how they deal with the events that are happening. Some believe that these ghosts are punishment for past sins, so there is a religious point of view, but there is also a science fiction aspect where some believe science can explain the afterlife. There are actually a lot of funny moments in the show as well. With all the darkness it’s important to have those moments of light.

TrunkSpace: In watching the trailer, the show gives off an us (the living) versus them (the dead) type of vibe, but is it more complicated than that? Do the people eventually turn on each other?
Moss: There is definitely an us versus them theme in the show, but the politics in the town were already divisive before the dead show up. As things become more intense, that divide only grows.

TrunkSpace: Where does your character Deputy Norm Waters fall into things, and without giving too much away, is it safe to say he’s in for a couple of rough days on the job?
Moss: He has a couple of rough days on the job to say the least. Particularly because it’s a job he doesn’t even want. At the start of the show, Norm is not especially heroic or courageous. Being a cop is just a job to him, and it being such a small town, a job he thought would be easy. When events force him into a position of responsibility, Norm has to overcome his fears and learn things about himself he never knew.

TrunkSpace: From a performance standpoint, did taking on Deputy Norm allow you to go to places that you have yet to visit on-screen with other characters? What was it about him that drew you to the character?
Moss: Without giving away any spoilers, I definitely go places I’ve never been or ever expected to go. Things get pretty crazy. I think the best part about playing Norm Waters was the arc of who he was to who he becomes. It’s a pretty epic journey with a lot of highs and lows.

TrunkSpace: In recent years you have done a number of Hallmark films, which tonally couldn’t be any further from “Ghost Wars.” As an actor do you purposely set out to create an environment for yourself where genre and character diversity is at the core of what you’re doing and the choices you’re making?
Moss: It’s always nice to have diversity in your career. I think one would get bored playing the same character over and over again. I wouldn’t say, however, that I purposely go after it. I go where the work takes me.

TrunkSpace: “Ghost Wars” has the feeling of a show that could very easily amass an impressive fandom, something that Syfy shows are known to do. From the perspective of someone who knows the project better than most, are the ingredients there to build a fan base that will make it the next, let’s say, “Supernatural,” a series you actually appeared in a few seasons ago?
Moss: I think the show is solid from top to bottom. From the script to the cast to the way it looks, I don’t feel like there’s a weak link. People are gonna love it. One can only hope that the show reaches a “Supernatural” level of fandom, and this show has as good a shot as any.

TrunkSpace: We’re suckers for some “Supernatural” here, a show that is brilliant in the fact that if you know it, you love it, and if you don’t, you’re not even sure if it is still on the air. In a lot of ways, it feels like a secret club. As someone who has appeared on the show, did it give off that vibe to you as well… in that now that you’re a part of the universe, you’re a part of the fandom?
Moss: “Supernatural” fans are some of the best fans in the world. They really love the show and know everything about it. When you are a part of the show, you feel like you’re a part of a family. They really welcome you with open arms.

TrunkSpace: In doing research for this interview, our fingers literally locked up scrolling through your extremely impressive film and television credits. It is packed with projects. As you look back over your career, what roles stand out to you in terms of those that not only meant the most to your career, but at the same time, to you personally?
Moss: The TV series “Whistler” was a big one for me because it was my first real lead on a series. I learned a lot on that show and I think I really grew as an actor. I not only learned what to do, I learned what not to do. “Dear Mr. Gacy” also stands out as a role that really allowed me to stretch as an actor. It challenged me and pushed me to places I didn’t know I could go.

TrunkSpace: We’re about to hit our stride for our month-long Trunktober event, which is basically our celebration of all things horror. Outside of “Ghost Wars,” you have also appeared in a number of memorable genre films, including “Final Destination 3,” and of course, “Tucker and Dale vs Evil.” As “It” has proven, people continue to love horror. In your opinion, what is that keeps people going to the movies looking to be scared?
Moss: I think people are fascinated with death. Watching a horror movie allows you to experience aspects of death from the comfort of your own home. Getting your adrenaline pumping and experiencing that thrill while knowing that you’re safe is very appealing to people. It’s the same reason people ride roller coasters. Although that didn’t work out so well in “Final Destination 3.”

“Ghost Wars” premieres Thursday on Syfy.

Featured image by: Kristine Cofsky

When terrible things happen in the world, particularly those that impact so many people, it’s difficult to proceed forward as if that something never happened. In the case of TrunkSpace, interviews can sometimes become conversations – discussions about the topics that, by chance and circumstance, have the power to connect absolute strangers and remind us that we’re all human.

A day after the tragic events in Las Vegas and the passing of musical icon Tom Petty, we were scheduled to sit down with Welsh-born musician Jon Langford, founding member of the Mekons and the Waco Brothers. Langford, who is currently in Los Angeles working on new material with the Mekons, recently released the solo album “Four Lost Souls,” but it was the souls lost and the ramifications of a particularly difficult news cycle that brought our discussion in an unintended direction.

TrunkSpace: We’re speaking a day after the passing of Tom Petty. Did he have any impact or influence on your career or music?
Langford: I loved Tom Petty. I thought he was fantastic. I just loved the economy of his music, how uniquely American it was. And I love the fact that, the only music my 15 year old and I kind of share, was Tom Petty. He loves Tom Petty as well, and that’s really strange because most of the stuff he listens to, I don’t know what it is. He was playing Tom Petty off his phone onto the aux in my car. I was going, “You like Tom Petty?” I was talking to him about Tom Petty, and his involvement with George Harrison and people like that. It just felt like he was someone everyone could kind of like, in a way. It was great pop-rock music, that was just done so right. He understood the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll so much.

TrunkSpace: And even those people who didn’t connect with his Heartbreakers work, they tend to reference his time in The Traveling Wilburys as a way his influence still touched them.
Langford: Yeah, I loved the Wilburys when they come out. I thought it was fantastic. I thought, what a great idea to have all those people in a band together. Who wouldn’t want to be in a band with Roy Orbison? Kind of amazing.

It’s very sad. Yesterday was just a terrible day. It was a day to stay off social networking, because it’s sort of idiocy that goes on with the social platforms. “Tom Petty’s dead. No he’s not dead. I’m gonna kill you because you said he’s dead.”

Then there’s ISIS, claiming responsibility for an old white guy going to Vegas with automatic weapons. Like ISIS is targeting old white guys who live on golf courses now, and radicalizing them? It’s just a fucking load of nonsense that people are using all these disasters to profit, and sow confusion, and promote really crazy political agendas.

TrunkSpace: It feels like we’re in a very divide-and-conquer time.
Langford: Everything. Everything that comes up. There’s guys like, “Oh no, he’s not ISIS, he’s a Bernie Sanders supporter, and he did it because he doesn’t like Trump.” Like Bernie Sanders supporters are all toting automatic weapons. It’s a fantasy world, and it’s the complete death of consensus. It was a day yesterday when people should have shut up and thought about what happened. It’s an opportunity. That’s the way after 9/11 was. That was a huge opportunity that people like Cheney and Rumsfeld saw landing in their lap – to change America into what they wanted it to be, and they ran with it straight away.

Something like this that happened yesterday, it kind of screams out to me. Maybe there’s too many guns around if the guy’s got a hotel room and a house totally packed with weapons that can cause so much mayhem.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned 9/11. After that day, there was a sort of unified response from the population. We all came together. Now a tragedy happens and we instantly take sides.
Langford: Absolutely. I think the isolation of social media, and the power it gives people to be keyboard warriors, has given people the right to say whatever shit they feel like. Racists and idiots who didn’t want to open their mouths because there was a stigma to being a racist before, are being completely liberated. It’s a disgusting situation, and it’s not gonna get any better.

TrunkSpace: Maybe that makes music more important than ever now? A group of people can get together at a Jon Langford show and find a unified focus. It can be the community that we seem to be losing within our own communities.
Langford: Well, I hope so. That’s the point for me, is to be part of a conversation. That’s what this album is about.

TrunkSpace: Most people make the conscious effort to decide if and when they’re going to make an album, but for you, the universe sort of got the wheels in motion on “Four Lost Souls,” right?
Langford: Yeah, it was a suggestion by Norbert Putnam, of all people. We ended up playing some Johnny Cash songs at the opening of the exhibit of the Country Music Hall of Fame. People thought that would be a funny idea, to have an old Welsh punk rocker singing Johnny Cash songs with basically the entire cast and crew of the Nashville Cats from 1960s. (Laughter) It was great, lovely. I had Lloyd Green, Mac Gayden, Wayne Moss, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, and Charlie McCoy as my backing band. We all had a great time. I always find music to be very inclusive like that. If you play music with people, a lot of things melt away.

I had a few glasses of wine with Norbert Putnam and he told me I sang like a pirate, and maybe I’d like to come to Muscle Shoals and record an album, because he’d moved back down there. It was a strange thing. I didn’t really take it very seriously at first. Then he asked me again, and he seemed to be really keen on the idea, and he told me how it would work and how we’d have David Hood playing the bass. And I got to go, I got to go and do this thing, but why would I go to Muscle Shoals and what would it be about? Then the songs just started popping out.

It was like a great suggestion that an old Welsh punk rocker would address his relationship with a fairly alien part of the world, that affected his life so much. It’s a double-edged thing, this incredible blossoming of creativity in the 20th century, that gave the world so much. It’s what I think is great about the American way. I was attracted to America’s rock ‘n’ roll and through rock ‘n’ roll came jazz, blues, country, Cajun and all these other forms. Then this kind of terrible legacy of the Civil War, slavery, Jim Crow, the things that were done during the civil rights years – there’s that legacy, which I was writing those songs not thinking that was all about to burst out of the ground again, like it did when Trump got elected.

The songs were kind of concerned with that, but it’s kind of a bit alarming that I wrote a song, “In Oxford Mississippi,” about how the Civil War never really ended for some people and how the memorials, Daughters of the Confederacy, put these memorials up and they’re bigger than the memorials to great Americans who struggled during the Civil Rights Movement. To those people, the Civil War is more real and important, or the Old South is more real and important, than the advances this country has made. I thought that was kind of frightening and worth pointing out.

And then within a few months of writing that song, we’ve got this whole issue of Charlottesville, and the Confederate statues coming down, and a president who compares Robert E. Lee to George Washington. He thinks they’re like cool historical figures, beautiful guys. It’s a fucking mess you’ve found yourselves in, I’m afraid.

TrunkSpace: With all of the social and political divide going on, it does seem like songwriters are using their platform to say more. The things that they’re concerned with now, on a larger scale that impacts us all, they’re more willing to talk about that now and use their platform.
Langford: I suppose that’s a positive thing. When you’re in the middle of a culture war, it’s kind of inevitable, unless you’re a complete moron. I don’t think I’ve ever done an album that wasn’t somehow trying to deal with, explain, or be part of a conversation. Yeah, I mean if other people are doing that as well, we’re kind of burrowing on the fringes of it already. It’s not like the Mekons or the Wacos or myself are in any way popular culture. We’re kind of unpopular culture. But you do what you can do, and when I write songs, that’s the stuff that comes out.

TrunkSpace: Do you use your writing as a way to work through the stuff that you’re seeing and absorbing?
Langford: Yeah, I guess so. You try to find something that’s universal, something that someone else might pick up on. You try not to make them too obvious that they’re just banal. It’s a tricky thing. I think songs are fantastic. I’ve spent a lot of my time listening to, and being moved and inspired by other people’s songs. And sometimes I don’t know whether what I’m getting out of them is what they intended, but that’s part of the beauty of it.

TrunkSpace: Absolutely. And when multiple people are connecting to a song in a different way, there’s something special about that.
Langford: With this album I could write a paragraph about what each song’s about, and it would be kind of pointless because I feel like the songs, they would be failures as songs if people needed to be walked through them.

TrunkSpace: And we’ve all experienced that – finding something to connect with in a song and then hearing, possibly years later, the meaning of the song itself and thinking, “Wow, I was completely off base.”
Langford: Well, there’s a great story about Picasso when he was describing the symbolism of Guernica in the 1930s. He said, “This is this, and this is that, and the horse is something, then the bull is fascism.” And then in the 1970s he was talking about it and he went, “This is this, this is that, and the bull is Spain.” It’s an incredibly powerful picture. You look at it, it’s an absolutely very, very powerful, angry, amazing picture, which I get a lot out of, and even he couldn’t really know what he meant. He made it, but he can’t dictate what it means to the point where he contradicts himself.

“Four Lost Souls” is available now from Bloodshot Records.