January 2018

In our ongoing feature, Between the Sheets, TrunkSpace picks the imaginative brains of authors to break down what it takes to create the various worlds and characters they breathe life into via the tools of their trade… sheets of paper. While technology continues to advance and change the pop culture landscape, the written word has remained one of the most consistent and imaginative art forms.

This time out we’re chatting with Thomas Pierce to discuss his new novel “The Afterlives,” the reason he wanted to write about death in a very particular way, and why you’ll never catch him writing in his pajamas.

TrunkSpace: “The Afterlives” tackles a lot of heavy themes that most people have thought about at some point in their lives, either consciously or through some kind of late night internal discussion with themselves. When you set out to write the book, was the goal to create something that was, at least in terms of theme, universally relatable?
Pierce: Creating something that was universally relatable was never really a goal, per se, but I’ll be very pleased if this book resonates with people, late at night or otherwise, and especially if the story has any sort of impact on the way people think about their own lives and deaths. I can say that I was interested in writing about death – or about what’s next – in a way that wasn’t morose or gloomy but also not overly hopeful or certain. I wanted to write a book that was both reverent and irreverent.

TrunkSpace: When the core concept of the book first planted its seed in your mind, was the character Jim Byrd different from who we ultimately go on a journey with today? What was Jim’s creative discovery like and did you “find him” right away?
Pierce: I was working on a different novel four years ago, but then my wife and I had our first child and I was having a tough time staying connected to that project. Also I was pretty exhausted all the time. So I began to jot down fragments and lines, as they occurred to me, and eventually I realized those pieces all shared a similar sensibility and perspective that really interested me. That became Jim’s voice, ultimately. I created him from the inside-out. Aspects of his biography evolved and changed, but his essence was always the same. From the beginning he was the sort of person who wished the sky would break open and the universe would reveal its true nature to him. He was always a seeker – but an affable one.

TrunkSpace: You’re now only a few days away from the release of “The Afterlives” to the masses. When you put so much of yourself into a project like this, both creatively and personally, is it daunting to then completely relinquish control of it?
Pierce: Definitely. The book and I now go our separate ways. But this divorce is amicable.

TrunkSpace: Early reviews of the book have been wonderful thus far. Has that peer acceptance brought about a different sense of accomplishment than you could perhaps feel should the same feedback come from a consumer audience?
Pierce: Thank you! I’m grateful for every reader and every good review. That being said, I’d really love to reach a point as a writer and as a human where my mood is not at the mercy of a review or other people’s reactions. Positive or negative. It seems like it might be important to my overall mental health, long-term, as a maker of things, that I not let my sense of accomplishment or worth hinge on criticism or praise. I’m not there yet, but I’m really trying. A work-in-progress.

TrunkSpace: As you look back over your own personal journey with “The Afterlives,” what is a moment that will stick with you and that you’ll carry with you throughout the rest of your career?
Pierce: I narrated the audiobook, and I’d been in the recording booth for a few days when I reached a passage in the novel that is particularly sad. Without going into detail, it’s a plot point that I’d really struggled with – how to render it most effectively – and for all that technical struggling I’d somehow stopped experiencing it on an emotional level. It’s almost like I’d been watching an edit of a film without the score, paying attention only to the transitions and the lighting and whether the actors were hitting their marks. But reading it aloud, for whatever reason, I got the full effect. Suddenly I could hear the orchestra swell underneath the crucial scene. It was a little overwhelming. My family lost someone really important to us while I was working on this book, and I think that loss was encoded into the story at a certain level. So much of what I was thinking and feeling and experiencing over the last couple of years became enshrined in this book, even if obliquely so, and I don’t think I fully appreciated that until then, there in the studio.

TrunkSpace: Did you learn anything about yourself as a writer in the process of working on “The Afterlives” that perhaps you hadn’t seen or considered in your prior creative endeavors?
Pierce: I’m not sure if this is because of the book or if it’s something that has happened to me in conjunction with it, but I’ve learned in recent years to take my work both more and less seriously. More seriously because I understand we only have so much time together on this planet. Less seriously because – well, same reason actually.

TrunkSpace: How long did it take for you to discover your voice as a writer?
Pierce: I’m not sure I’ve found it yet! I joke, sort of. Rather than a voice I might be more comfortable saying that I have over the last decade developed a certain sensibility. But I’m still refining that sensibility, and the confidence comes and goes.

TrunkSpace: Regarding the process, is writing a labor of love for you or does it feel more like labor? Do you enjoy the process?
Pierce: Depends on the day. Or maybe it’s always a little bit of both. If I’m deep into a story, I really love it. I love disappearing into it. I also love coming up with new ideas while I’m in the shower or on a run. Problem-solving. Writing while not writing.

TrunkSpace: And what does that process look like? What are the ideal conditions for putting in a good day of writing?
Pierce: I can work most places, though I tend to stick close to home these days. I have a desk there with pictures of things I like to look at and a window over the desk. When I’m smart, I turn off the internet. I like to listen to music. I like having the dog at or near my feet. I like “clocking in.” I’ve always appreciated that anecdote about Cheever putting on a coat and tie before going down to his desk in the basement. No tie for me but I never write in pajamas.

TrunkSpace: Do you self-edit as you write?
Pierce: I circle back constantly and rewrite. Each day I like to re-type much of what I wrote the previous day as a way of sharpening and clarifying but also as a way of reentering the story. Sometimes it’s like trying to fall back into a dream you didn’t want to wake from. You have to convince yourself again that it all makes perfect sense.

TrunkSpace: Where are you the hardest on yourself as a writer?
Pierce: I don’t think I’m particularly hard on myself as a writer. Except maybe: I always wish I could fit more life and more ideas into a story. I never feel quite satisfied that it’s all there.

TrunkSpace: What are you working on now and what will people be able to read next?
Pierce: I’ll have a new short story out in Oxford American this spring. It is one of a handful of connected stories I’ve been working on over the last few years. I’m hoping to put together another collection soon. I have a novel I’m slowly moving forward with and an idea for another one. I’m also adapting one of my stories into a screenplay for Fox Searchlight.

“The Afterlives” is available now from Riverhead Books.

Artist/Band: Francesca Milazzo

Website: www.FrancescaMilazzo.com

Hometown: Edison, NJ (Currently NYC)

Latest Album/Release: “Be Alright” Live Version

Influences: Nina Simone, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga

TrunkSpace: How would you describe your music?
Francesca: Soulful, honest, evolving.

TrunkSpace: You have a diverse list of influences who have left a mark on your creative POV. When you listen to your music, who do you hear coming through the most?
Francesca: I think it depends on the record. Certain songs you can hear my heavy soul influence (Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone). On the other hand sometimes I write up-tempo pop songs and it becomes obvious I was a kid who grew up listening to Britney Spears and Hilary Duff.

TrunkSpace: As someone who has admired other artists and has been inspired by them, how do you feel about your own art inspiring future generations? Is that something that you ever think about, creating something that will live on forever through other musicians/songwriters?
Francesca: When I write songs I don’t think about whether it will be a hit or if people will be singing it 10 years from now. I focus on the emotion or experience I’m writing about and try to convey it in the most honest way I can. I always ask myself, “Could this song stand up with just a piano and vocal?” I think that’s what makes a great song and great songs live on for a while! As far as getting into the studio and consciously thinking about it – that doesn’t really happen. But of course, I hope to make music that resonates with people for years to come.

TrunkSpace: When someone unfamiliar to your music hears it for the first time, what do you hope they take from the experience? Beyond the music itself, what do you want them to hear and connect to?
Francesca: I hope that the listener walks away feeling something. It’s a huge compliment when people say, “I love your voice,” but it’s an even bigger compliment when people say, “I love your song.” The emotions that I am able to elicit are important. I want the listener to connect to the lyric/melody.

TrunkSpace: How has your art changed the most since you first started pursuing music professionally to where you are today?
Francesca: The music I’m making today genuinely comes from me. I have the final say in everything we write, how the songs are produced, mixed, etc. When I first started making music, there were always third party people telling me how I should sound or what type of music to make. At the time I didn’t really know who I was as an artist so I just let it happen. Luckily, I don’t have that anymore and I’ve really figured out what I want, so overall the music just feels more genuine to who I am as a person.

TrunkSpace: What does your songwriting process look like? How do most of your songs go from inception to completion?
Francesca: I start a lot of my songs on the piano or guitar. Then I usually like to bring the ideas or songs to other co-writers/producers. I’ve also been writing to tracks, which is super fun.

TrunkSpace: You’re not afraid to tackle heavy subject matter in your lyrics. In your opinion, how important is it to be truthful, both with yourself and with your audience, by way of your music?
Francesca: For me, songwriting is a form of therapy. If I’m not writing from a genuine and honest place the music does not feel real to me. There’s nothing worse than going up on stage and singing a song you don’t even like. For the audience, I genuinely believe that people gravitate towards honesty. A listener has to relate and if you’re writing from a dishonest place, they’ll never get on your level.

TrunkSpace: How long did it take you to discover your songwriter’s voice? Is it a piece of the process that you have always felt comfortable with?
Francesca: It took me years. I experimented with a lot of different sounds, and worked with different producers. It wasn’t until I decided that I wanted to manage myself and my music that I found my sound. I put together a team of songwriters and producers who I really believed in. Together we’ve been making music I really love. I think it’s because we’re creating from a genuine place.

TrunkSpace: Where are you hardest on yourself as an artist?
Francesca: I’m really tough on myself as a vocalist. I’ll re-sing a line 20 times if I have to, just to get it right. If I have a pitchy moment I beat myself up over it for a while. I just have to remind myself that I’m human and that imperfect moments make art more personal.

TrunkSpace: What is your favorite aspect of creating music? Is it writing? Recording? Performing? Something else entirely?
Francesca: The overall creative process is my favorite part. Starting with an idea, turning it into a full song, recording, and producing – this is when I feel best.

TrunkSpace: When all is said and done, how would you like to be remembered as an artist? What do you hope to accomplish through your music both personally and professionally?
Francesca: I hope I’m lucky enough to make music that resonates with a lot of people. I want people to feel some type of way when they hear my music. Of course I have big goals, but I like to take it step by step. Since right now I’m still recording and developing my main focus is to put together the best project I can. If I’m able to do that, everything else will fall into place.

TrunkSpace: What can fans expect from Francesca Milazzo in 2018?
Francesca: Music, lots of music.

Chilling Out is where TrunkSpace talks all things horror and genre with those who work in the projects that give us the thrills and chills to keep coming back for more. This time out we’re chatting with Gregory Blair, writer, director and star of the new horror/comedy hybrid “Garden Party Massacre,” which has been entertaining people on the festival circuit throughout 2017 before reaching a wider audience later this year.

We recently sat down with Blair to discuss his multi-hat wearing ways, what the film says most about him as a filmmaker, and why he’s so excited for 2018.

TrunkSpace: Often films can linger in creative limbo for years before they have their first frame shot. What has the journey been like for “Garden Party Massacre” from inception to completion? When did the idea first strike you and when did you officially consider the film finished?
Blair: This film happened relatively fast. I got the idea in Fall of 2014, wrote the script, cast it and then we started gathering crew, setting shoot dates and all the rest. It still took over two years from start to finish, but that’s on the fast side for feature films.

TrunkSpace: You wrote, directed, produced and starred in the film. As far as your own personal skill sets are concerned, which does the film best represent in terms of who you are as a creative person while wearing any one of those particular hats? Where did you shine most on “Garden Party Massacre?”
Blair: That’s probably a question best answered by people other than myself. I’ve won awards on all fronts, so far, so there’s no real clear winner, as far as I can tell. And that would be okay with me. If I had to choose, I’d say it shows off my writing the best because, when I watch the film, I see other choices I could have made as a director and an actor, but I never really see anything I’d change about the script.

TrunkSpace: What do you think the film says most about you as a filmmaker?
Blair: Again, I’d love to know how other people would answer that question. I would say it likely shows most clearly that I don’t need much to make a film. At least as far as money and bells and whistles. The shoot was low budget, one location, small cast and no cool toys like specialty cranes and drones and the like. As long as you have a solid script and good people behind and in front of the camera (and in post), creativity flies all over the place… and that’s what makes a movie special.

TrunkSpace: The film has received great praise on the festival circuit. Has the reception been a surprise, and ultimately, what was the goal when you decided to put the film together?
Blair: The goal was just to make another film – using everything I learned from the first one; that people are loving it and that it’s winning awards is just sweet icing on top. You never know if people are going to like or hate your work… and both usually happen to some degree, so I think worrying about it is a waste of energy. Just do what you love, do your best and let it go.

TrunkSpace: The horror/comedy hybrid can sometimes be a difficult sandbox to play in, especially in terms of finding the tone. What approach did you take to establishing the voice of “Garden Party Massacre” and making sure that it didn’t veer too far off in either the horror or the comedic direction?
Blair: I’ll be honest: I love that hybrid genre so much; I’ve never cared if a film veered more in one direction or the other, so I never had any concerns when I was writing this. I think I was aiming more for comedy than horror, though. The title came to me and made me laugh, so that was kind of the through line from the start. And after the dark, brooding “Deadly Revisions” I was up for something light and silly.

TrunkSpace: You’ve been working in the industry for over a decade now. What have you learned through doing that you think someone would have a hard time learning in a classroom? Is filmmaking a hands-on industry?
Blair: I think you can learn a lot both ways: being on set has the advantage of also allowing for networking and becoming a familiar face… and being in a classroom allows you to learn in a more directed and focused atmosphere. But, yes, ultimately, you will learn some skills only on a set… and a good example would be how to stay focused on your job responsibilities despite interruptions, distractions and derailments. Think of it as surgery and you’re the head nurse: your job is to anticipate the lead surgeon’s needs. You want to be the nurse that hands the surgeon the needed tool before he/she even has to ask for it. That’s something you learn on set by watching others and doing yourself.

TrunkSpace: Horror seems to be a genre that you have spent a lot of time in. Has that trajectory been by design or has it been more about fate playing a hand in the path that you’re now on?
Blair: Well, I always say with a face like mine, horror and comedy were always my best options. And I always liked both genres, so that seems like kismet. I think they are actually not as dissimilar as they ostensibly appear to be: they both depend on a character’s reactions to situations – often to operatic proportions. And I’m pretty fearless when it comes to taking a joke or a creepy moment as far as I can. People seem to respond to that; the horror crowd happens to be embracing it more and more right now. I never planned for that, but I’m honored it’s occurring.

TrunkSpace: That being said, what is it about the genre that continues to interest you and keep you passionate about the work?
Blair: It’s always been the same thing for me since day one: the thrill, the adrenaline rush, the catharsis. All of which are related to the emotional element, not the visceral; to the fear factor, not the gore factor. (Although some of my favorite horror films are quite bloody, that’s not the thing that makes them beloved to me.) I love taking that roller coaster ride from the safety of my comfy chair: it’s a strange joy to be able to experience the most impossible horrors and then be rid of them after an hour and a half. We get to exorcise some of our angst. Since the horrors in our real world cannot be so easily and timely dismissed, I think it’s oddly therapeutic: it wakes you up, shakes you up, makes you appreciate being alive.

TrunkSpace: Going back to the many hats that you wore on “Garden Party Massacre,” and on many other projects for that matter, do you view them all as different careers or do they all fall under the same umbrella? Could you focus on just one of them for an extended period of time and be creatively fulfilled?
Blair: I see them as part of the same thing: extensions of myself, if you will. The jobs all inform and inspire each other: I think I’m a better actor because I understand what a director needs; I think I’m a better director because I understand what an actor needs, what a producer needs, etc.; I think I’m a better writer because I can’t write a line I can’t act, I know what sorts of things a producer cares about… and so on. But, yes, I could happily be an actor and be totally fulfilled; that’s what I was born to do; the other film hats grew from the desire to create opportunities for that… and for opportunities for other actors and filmmakers and audiences. For more movies.

TrunkSpace: The industry has changed quite a bit in recent years, particularly on the distribution side. It seems easier than ever for a filmmaker to have his/her projects seen, but at the same time, more difficult to engage an audience to sit down and watch it. What approach have you taken to marketing and giving your work the best chance of finding an audience?
Blair: Boy, I wish I had an elegant, uniquely insightful answer for that, but the truth is I feel a little like we’re all stumbling around in the dark. There’s no “one way” or “right way” to any of that anymore. For me, it’s just been a matter of continuing to keep putting myself out there. The more I do, the more people I meet, the more people see my work, the bigger my impression becomes. That dynamic helps market you and your work on its own… and that’s something money can’t buy. It’s a great example of perseverance over time, learning from mistakes, forging good relationships, etc. So, never give up. Where there’s a will…

TrunkSpace: As the industry continues to evolve, one of the mainstays that always seems present, no matter what’s going on in reality, is horror. In your opinion, why is horror such an evergreen genre that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon?
Blair: I think because it taps into something primal. No matter how sophisticated and civilized we get, fear is a base emotion we can’t escape, and horror will always be a part of our world. Much of what we perceive as funny or moving evolves with the zeitgeist, but fear of the unknown remains. And that’s what great horror taps into. And it never dies. No matter how rational and wise we become, if we’re alone in the dark and we hear something unknown and unfamiliar, fear will find us.

TrunkSpace: You have a slew of projects due up, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. What are you most excited about as you dive head first into 2018?
Blair: I’m excited about several projects. I’ll be playing the lead antagonist in “Safe Place,” a disturbing slasher meets social commentary, and an insane cannibal preacher in “Between the Living and the Dead,” a post-apocalyptic nightmare with an incredible cast. Of course, “Garden Party Massacre” should be out later this year along with the period horror film “Heretiks,” which is based on my original screenplay and stars Michael Ironside and Claire Higgins. And then “Fang,” the creature feature where I play creepy caretaker Harold, a character I think/hope could become my Freddy Krueger. Fingers crossed.

Click here for more information on “Garden Party Massacre.”

In our ongoing column Deep Focus, TrunkSpace is going behind the camera to talk with the directors, writers, and producers who infuse our world with that perennial pop culture goodness that we can’t get enough of.

This time out we’re chatting with Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein, co-writers and co-directors of “The Strange Ones,” a dark and suspenseful cinematic journey filled with something we can all relate to, raw human emotion. We recently sat down with the pair to discuss the film’s journey from short to feature, how they manage their creative partnership, and why they both view sitting in on a screening of their work so differently.

TrunkSpace: “The Strange Ones” started out as a short, which was first released about seven years ago. Did you ever think that you’d still be talking about it in 2018?
Radcliff: We have been with it for a very long time, but it’s really cool to be able to talk about the feature in a way that, when the short came out, we wouldn’t really talk about it that much. Now we’re really able to talk about both things at once, because when the short came out it was just making its rounds and not a lot of people talk about shorts in the way they do about features, so it’s really nice.

TrunkSpace: Did the two of you actively set out to turn the original concept into a feature?
Radcliff: We knew relatively early on in the process of making the short that there was material for a feature that we were excited about and would want to explore at a feature length. Even though the short film was something we started in film school and completed shortly after film school on its own, it was pretty early on in the process with the short that we knew that there was a feature in there, and it was just a matter of time of excavating it from that.

TrunkSpace: So now that the film is complete, does it feel like your journey with the property is also complete?
Radcliff: I don’t know. In a way it feels kind of like the end, and also a little bit just the beginning. One of the more exciting but also terrifying aspects of it is just that you make a movie, and then it exists forever. This is still just the beginning of the movie’s existence. It’s gonna be available. It’s gonna be in the world for longer than we are, so in a way, it feels like the end of maybe the first chapter, but sort of the beginning of the film’s existence. It’s exciting. I think from a creative perspective, it’s exciting to have created something that will last for a long time.
Wolkstein: Yeah, and it’s exciting that people will finally be able to see it. We’ve been working on this for, as you said, seven years. It’s nice that it’s not just us that are in it now. Now we can share it with the world.

TrunkSpace: You both shared directing duties on the film. When the two of you put your creative partnership together, did you set up a system of split responsibilities so that you didn’t step on each others’ creative toes, or do you share every aspect of the job equally?
Radcliff: Yeah, we both share every aspect. We do everything together. We met in film school, and we direct solo as well as together, There’s not really any one aspect of the directing process that we feel comfortable not equally involving ourselves in. But, knowing that when we first set out to direct and collaborate like that, we did set some kind of a system for ourselves and some ground rules. We basically said that we would do as much prep as we could in terms of getting on the same page about what movie we were really making and how we wanted to tell the story visually and directorially. We would shot list extensively. We would get together just to make sure that we had a common understanding of what every scene and every dramatic beat and every moment was really about, and how we wanted to express that with the camera.

Then we also set our ground rules for each other where if we were on set and either one of us wants to give a note and we had an idea for either the camera or the actors or anybody, we would just feel free to give it without talking to each other about it. If we found that we disagreed, we would then just do another take. That was just a way to move more quickly on set, because you’re always behind for time on sets. We found that we very rarely saw things differently. That was a way for us to have autonomy, but also to make sure that we had a shared vision that we were always working toward.

TrunkSpace: You also wrote the script together, which is a very collaborative journey. But the one that surprised us is that you edited “The Strange Ones” together as well, which as far as processes go, is sort of the meat and potatoes hours of seeing the creative vision come together. What was that process like, essentially slicing your baby together with both of you in the same room?
Wolkstein: That was the hardest process out of the whole thing, because we had to make really important decisions about what would stay in the movie and what would leave. It was just really hard. There are a lot of times when we had to actually kill a lot of our babies. There are a lot of scenes that aren’t in the movie that we shot. Having to come to those decisions was very difficult. We actually spent a lot of time in the editing room together, just really trying to find the pace of the movie and to find the best version of the film that we had shot. That took a lot of time, crafting that. Then to have to throw away some things that we ended up really loving, but didn’t have a fit in the actual version, that was really tough.
Radcliff: I think the fact that there were two of us actually made that part of the process the greatest benefit from there being two of us because you are faced with so many difficult decisions, and having somebody in there with you, all the time in the room to have a second opinion with, automatically made that part of the process a lot less lonely.
Wolkstein: That is very true.
Radcliff: It actually made it easier to make those hard decisions. I think it might have been a much more demanding mental process if it was just up to either one of us, and we weren’t able to weigh in with each other. But I think actually editing-wise, it was great to have both of us there.

TrunkSpace: And with thrillers in particular, it must be nice to have that other person in the room with you, to see if those moments you’re creating in the story are working or if they need an extra second to breathe… an extra beat to get the point across.
Wolkstein: Definitely.
Radcliff: Oh yeah, absolutely. That’s the thing that you don’t really realize in editing until you’re in there doing it. Seconds or frames, very tiny decisions, really impact the experience of a film. For us to both be there and both agree on certain things… I think the film has a very distinct pace and editing style, and I think that came through in our collaboration. We never wanted to rush anything, but we also never wanted anything to take too long, so it was a very nuanced thing that we were going for, especially because the story is dealing with so much ambiguity that the fact that we were both there and could weigh in on all of those aspects was tremendously helpful.

TrunkSpace: Do you enjoy sitting in on a screening of your own films with an audience?
Wolkstein: I think we have different answers for this one. (Laughter)
Radcliff: Yeah. (Laughter) I can’t stand being in the room and watching it with an audience. I actually have avoided doing that as much as possible, because I find myself being too nervous. It’s too much anxiety for me. Also, because it’s not a comedy, it’s not the kind of movie that will elicit audible or visible reactions from audiences most of the time. I’m always just in there speculating the worst case scenario of what an audience might be thinking at any time. For me, I have a hard time doing that.
Wolkstein: And I really enjoy it for some reason. I like experiencing watching something with people in the room and seeing how people are reacting. It feels like a different movie every time when I watch it with a different group, so that’s really cool. I really cherish that experience of being in a room with people and watching the same thing and reacting the same way or different ways to the same thing that we’re all watching.
Radcliff: I love it too, except not with my own movie. (Laughter)

“The Strange Ones” is in theaters now and is also available on DirecTV.

Most shows have a difficult time maintaining an audience for more than a few years, but with CW mainstay “Supernatural” currently in its 13th season and showing no signs of losing steam, it’s difficult to imagine a time where the Winchester brothers are not killing monsters and, as has been the case over the course of the series, being killed by monsters.

The strength of “Supernatural” goes beyond its stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki however. Yes, the series could not exist without them, but the dynamic demon-hunting duo would not be as engaging to an audience without a supporting cast of characters who not only define the in-series lore, but help reshape it even after more than a decade on the air.

Actress Emily Swallow did just that when she joined the series as Amara, God’s sister, in season 11. Her connection with Ackles’ character Dean both riled and excited fans and her very presence sent ripples throughout the fictional universe and lead to one of the biggest reveals in the history of the show, that the beloved reoccurring character Chuck (played by Rob Benedict) was in fact God, which was long hinted at by the writers and presumed by fans.

We recently sat down with Swallow to discuss her take on the “Supernatural” fan base, why she loves attending the conventions now that her storyline has (temporarily) buttoned up, and what her favorite stage acting experience has been to date.

TrunkSpace: You entered the “Supernatural” universe in a big way via a character who ends up becoming a part of the foundational lore of the series. How has the fandom, one that is extremely passionate about its characters and ongoing storyline, welcomed you into the SPN Family?
Swallow: I have never experienced a fandom that is so passionately protective of a show and its characters. Because of that, I was understandably greeted with a degree of skepticism from the fans, especially because I had googly eyes for Dean AND was causing a bit mayhem wherever I went. I remember Misha (Collins) telling me I should be prepared for the fans to hate me after the episode when Dean and Amara kissed! I was excited about Amara’s mission, though, and I hoped that, as her story unfolded, the fans would realize she was deeply hurt and misunderstood and that THAT was why she did the things she did. I found this to be true; because Amara ultimately needed what the other characters who are central to the show needed – love and family – the fans rejoiced for her when she and Chuck made up.

TrunkSpace: One of the great things about the series is that it’s a bit like a secret club. If you watch the show, you’re in. If you don’t, you may not even know that the show is still on the air. But the truly amazing part of that is that the cast seems to be a willing participant in that club. There’s a lot less separation between those who are on the show and those who are in the fandom than there is with other shows. Do you think that has helped keep the audience vested and engaged for what is now 13 seasons?
Swallow: Absolutely, but it goes both ways – everyone involved with the show is keenly aware that we owe a LOT to a fan base; without their active involvement, we might have run out of steam several seasons ago. It’s a very exciting thing to feel the energy from such an engaged audience. I have felt a similar passion from theater audiences, but this is new for me in television, and I LOVE it. It keeps us energized while we’re exploring the storylines and makes us even more excited to see what comes next.

TrunkSpace: Another really unique aspect of the show is that, even when cast members are absent from the series, they’re still engaged. Everyone we have ever spoken to who has appeared on the show has had the same experience… there’s nothing quite like it in terms of on-set atmosphere. Has that been your experience as well and what is the source of that universal feeling?
Swallow: It’s true! To be honest, I felt more involved with the show and the fans once I’d already shot my season. This was partly because I just didn’t get to work with many other actors until the end of my season (Amara led a pretty dang solitary existence), and partly because of the lag time between when I shot and when episodes aired. My involvement in conventions didn’t really start until I had finished Amara’s storyline. The conventions continue to surprise me. Some of my favorite actors to collaborate with at conventions didn’t even appear in my season of SPN, but I get to sing with them, play with them, improvise with them and match wits in a way that is SO much fun! The conventions also give me a chance to be myself with the fans – Amara is quite far from me in terms of my natural disposition and temperament (thank goodness), so it’s great that I can be super goofy and dorky. I think this all happens simply because there are a lot of actors who have been on the show who are generous, playful and silly and love the interaction that the conventions provide.

TrunkSpace: From a performance standpoint, what did Amara offer you that you hadn’t had a chance to experience before? Was there something about her personality, how she viewed the world, that made her interesting for you on a level that may be different from what fans saw in her?
Swallow: I LOVED what the writers gave me for Amara! To me, the most interesting exploration had to do with finding her very human vulnerability, and trying to connect to that place in her that isn’t immune to pain and fear and hope and dreams…while it was thrilling to embody such an epic character, in order to believe in my acting choices I had to tap into the humanity that the show’s writers are so gifted at bestowing on the characters. Early on, I decided that I would probably serve her much better if I focused on stillness and a steady focus rather than trying to SHOW her power. That made sense to me too because, since she’d been locked up for all of time, she had a LOT of information to try and take in from the world around her, so I let her be always watching and waiting until she was stirred to react to something. It makes me relieved when I hear fans talk about how conflicted they were about hating her. Even though she reacted in ways that were destructive, they often say they felt so sorry for her because she was alone and misunderstood. I hope that’s true for most viewers. To me, “evil” characters are most interesting because of the vulnerability and pain they are trying to cover up, and I think we can all relate to feeling lonely, confused, lost, not heard… I loved that about Amara.

TrunkSpace: You had some really great, meaty scenes with Dean (played by Jensen Ackles) and Lucifer (played, well, in season 11 it is a bit confusing) that went beyond dialogue and delivery. The facial expressions… longing and bitterness turned from emotions into physical representations… it was some really powerful acting. Did you get to go places with Amara that you never expected to when you signed up to play her?
Swallow: Absolutely! With Jensen, the scenes came rather organically; we knew from the beginning that they had a bond that neither of them could really explain or understand, and so we just committed to that and didn’t try to logic it out. There’s something freeing about that kind of primal connection and it meant that, even if we weren’t entirely clear on where their relationship was headed from episode to episode, that internal struggle was there. Plus, Jensen is such an honest, present actor that it’s impossible NOT to want to connect with him! As for my Lucifer scenes, I never got to work with Mark (Pellegrino), but rather dealt with Castiel-as-Lucifer. That was fun because Misha was having so much fun channeling Mark! With him, it was interesting because I felt like Amara’s treatment of Lucifer was less about Lucifer himself and more about trying to get God/Chuck’s attention, so it was almost as if I was trying to gauge what HIS reaction would be when I was talking to Lucifer or (more often) torturing him. I felt wonderfully supported in everything I tried for Amara, and that led to me feeling safe to go from joy to rage to hope to fear in a heartbeat. I have to thank all the actors I worked with for that!

TrunkSpace: It seems nobody is ever truly gone when it comes to the “Supernatural” universe. Amara is currently on a sabbatical with her younger brother God. As the Winchesters continue to get themselves into trouble, has there been discussion about if and/or when she will return?
Swallow: I sure hope so! For now, I think Chuck and Amara are traveling with their band and driving people crazy hogging the mic at karaoke nights. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: You recently worked on the animated series “Castlevania.” Do you take a different approach to voice acting than you do your on-screen work? Is the character discovery/journey the same?
Swallow: The beginning of the process is the same; I still look first at the character’s wants, needs, hopes and fears and make decisions based on her circumstances in relation to that. But my experience recording VO has been in a sound booth with few or no other actors, so it is indeed very different! Much more of that is left up to the director and editors.

TrunkSpace: “Castlevania” is a property that has had a lot of people invested in it from the time that they were kids. Does that put extra pressure on those involved in a project when it automatically has a specific set of expectations from an existing fan base?
Swallow: Not really, because I know that, if I try to predict what people want, I’ll probably do horrible work that doesn’t really try anything bold! I know it’s impossible to please everyone, so I just try to stay true to my gut and what I connect to in any project, and then make sure I do a thorough exploration with the director and other actors. At the end of the day, I think people who truly love a project or certain pre-existing characters will appreciate that honest, heartfelt commitment more than any attempts at imitating a style or another performance of a role.

TrunkSpace: People say that television is the editor’s medium and that film is the director’s medium. In your opinion, is the stage where the most amount of emphasis is placed on performance?
Swallow: Absolutely. When I’m on stage, I have much more control over the character’s journey from beginning to end. To an extent, I can make the audience look wherever I want and I get to find the performance for THAT show in THAT moment, and I love the changes that can occur night to night because of that. When we walk onstage to do a performance, we are often aware of world events that may be on the audience’s mind that day, or the experience they had walking into the theatre, and that collective consciousness means, to some extent, we’re on a similar wavelength. We are all experiencing space and time together for a couple of hours. With anything recorded, that experience is entirely different; not only is the audience far removed in time from when the work was performed, but the editor is controlling the timing, the actors they’re looking at at any given moment, where commercial interruptions occur…as an actor, I have to operate with faith that what I’m exploring in the character will come through even if I don’t know how a scene will ultimately be presented.

TrunkSpace: What is the most memorable stage/house you’ve ever performed on/in and why has it stuck with you?
Swallow: My favorite show was “Nice Fish,” which I performed a few years ago at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. It is a play that Mark Rylance co-authored, co-directed and co-starred in. It was a HUGE joy to work on because it was a brand new play and we discovered some of the scenes through improvisation in rehearsals. We even had parts of the show that weren’t ever written down – we discovered them anew at every performance! Mark is such a generous and playful and trusting performer, and he gave me courage to risk failure and try things that frightened me. Plus, I got to play a Norse Goddess living in a sauna ice house on a frozen lake in the midwest! That whole rehearsal and performance process challenged me in such fun and exciting ways, and I loved my fellow actors. We had so much trust and love built up that we were able to make really thrilling discoveries in front of an audience.

Website:
www.chrisfenoglio.com
Instagram: @Chrisfenoglio
Twitter: @Chrisfenoglio

Favorite Comic Book Character Growing Up: Toss-up between Spider-Man and Daredevil

Favorite Comic Book Character Now: No idea… there’s a lot of great ones.

Latest Work: (Title/Publisher/Release Date) “Goosebumps” for IDW. Issue 2 was released January 3, 2018!

TrunkSpace: How would you describe your art style?
Fenoglio: Personally, I think I’m kind of a mix of Jeff Smith and Chris Samnee… if both of them hit their head really hard and forgot how to draw.

TrunkSpace: How important were comic books in your life growing up and is that where you discovered your love and inspiration for drawing?
Fenoglio: Comics were my everything when I was a kid. I knew I wanted to draw comics when I was six-years-old. I drew even before that… so to be honest, I’m not sure why I started drawing, but my mom says it was the only activity I did that kept me quiet.

TrunkSpace: Was there a particular artist or title from your childhood that you remember being drawn to and inspired by?
Fenoglio: There were… a lot. Jeff Smith, Alex Ross, Jim Lee, Scott Morse, Humberto Ramos, Joe Madureira… and a ton more I can’t think of at the moment.

TrunkSpace: How did you decide to approach your career in comics? Did you formulate a plan of how you wanted to attack what is known for being a hard industry to crack?
Fenoglio: God, I wish I was that smart. A lot of it was luck and persistence. I just kept going, even when it probably was in my better interest to quit. I wouldn’t recommend taking that route, but it eventually worked. For anyone trying to get into the business, make a plan, yes, but persistence will get you everywhere. It’s a rough industry, and even if you’re good, chances are you won’t “break in” on your first go.

TrunkSpace: What was your biggest break in terms of a job that opened more doors for you?
Fenoglio: Doing colors for “Orphan Black” for IDW. That got my foot in the door and showed that I can be a professional and make good work on a deadline. It also gave me the ear of an editor who would look at artwork I submitted with more than a passing glance.

TrunkSpace: A lot of people say that breaking into comics is the hardest part of working in comics. How long did it take you before you started to see your comic book dreams become a reality?
Fenoglio: It took me a long time to break in. I studied art in college and still didn’t have the chops, so after four years of working odd jobs after college, I went back to school to get a master’s degree in illustration. Only then was I in a place where I could start getting even meager amounts of work. I’ve wanted to draw comics since I was six, and I didn’t get my first real paid gig until I was almost 30, which is a long time.

TrunkSpace: Is there a particular character or universe you always find yourself returning to when you’re sketching or doing warm-ups?
Fenoglio: Spider-Man and Batman. They’re just really fun to doodle. I also like sketching people from life.

TrunkSpace: Is there a specific title or character that you’d like to work on in the future and why?
Fenoglio: There’s a lot of them, but probably the Ninja Turtles. My first exposure to comics was through Archie’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures” comics, so it’d be amazing if I could do some work with those character. Close the loop, y’know?

TrunkSpace: What is your ultimate dream when it comes to your career in comics? Where would you like your path to lead?
Fenoglio: It’d be great to do some of my own at some point — write and draw a full graphic novel. Or start making money from my web comic.

TrunkSpace: What would you say is the greatest strength as an artist?
Fenoglio: When I was breaking in, I’d show my work around to artists and editors at conventions. Some pros told me to focus on one area, like penciling or inking, and get really good at that one thing. I don’t really think that’s great advice — at least not in today’s comic industry. The thing that got me work was my diversity in skills — I can make a comic from the floor up and do every job between writing and printing the book. Having that range of skills got my foot in the door with small jobs which eventually lead to bigger jobs. I couldn’t get a job as an artist, so I took a small lettering job. That led to a small coloring job. That led to a bigger coloring job. That lead to a drawing gig. If I wasn’t able to tackle every aspect of making a comic then I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.

TrunkSpace: How has technology changed your process of putting ideas/script to page? Do you still use the classic paper/pencil approach at all anymore?
Fenoglio: It makes things faster for me, and, again, allows me to do multiple jobs which makes me more employable. Editors don’t just want a penciler anymore. They want you to be able to ink your work too — and color it if at all possible. Technology has made those jobs so much quicker that one person can do most or all of them in the time it used to take a whole team.

TrunkSpace: What advice would you give another young aspiring artist who is considering a career in the comic industry?
Fenoglio: Run away as fast as you can!!! I’m kidding… well, sort of. It’s a really hard industry and the pay is not great unless you’re top, top, TOP tier talent — and even then a lot of those guys could probably be making more money in animation or some other illustration industry. But if you’re adamant, my advice is to make something and bring it to completion — be it a printed comic, a web comic, etc. You’ll learn a lot by doing it, but more importantly to get a job you have to show editors that you can make a professional looking, finished product. Don’t sit on your hands and wait for someone to notice you. Put something out into the ether.

TrunkSpace: Making appearances at conventions: Love it, leave it, or a combination of both?
Fenoglio: I like cons, but I’ve never been invited to appear at one, so I can’t really say whether I enjoy making appearances or not. I tabled at a convention once and between getting the table and buying product to sell, I spent about $700 to only sell about $80 worth of stuff. Needless to say, that soured me a bit on tabling.

TrunkSpace: What is the craziest/oddest thing you’ve ever been asked to draw as a commission?
Fenoglio: Someone once asked me to draw the human lower intestines. It was for a science, education comic thing.

TrunkSpace: What else can fans of your work look forward to in 2018?
Fenoglio: More “Goosebumps” out early this year and more of my web comic, “Chris and Christina!”

*Feature originally ran 9/07/17

In this the Golden Age of Television, we challenge anybody to find a more interesting and dynamic performance than the one being delivered week after week by Colin Cunningham in SyFy’s grindhouse series “Blood Drive.” As the eccentric ringleader of the high stakes race, Julian Slink feeds on the spotlight just as the gore-guzzling cars feed on the innocent. In a show that is unlike anything you have ever seen before, the former “Falling Skies” standout is pressing his foot to the floor of the performance pedal, stealing scenes and setting the bar high for all actors-to-be in future roles.

We recently sat down with Cunningham to discuss how Julian Slink couldn’t exist in any other show, hitting impossible performance beats, and why he prefers to go unrecognized in real life.

TrunkSpace: Did you ever question if the material you were working on in “Blood Drive” would ever make it to air? It certainly has surprised viewers so we’re curious if it surprised you at any point?
Cunningham: Ha! Yes, we questioned it. We questioned, “How the hell did this scene even make it into the script?” Then, we waited for revisions that never came. Then after the, “There’s no way we’re actually going to shoot this?” it became, “There’s no way they’re going to leave that in.” to “There’s no way they are going to put that on the air!” I don’t know whether SYFY deserves the credit, or the curse. (Laughter)

We all knew we were doing something special. And that the circumstances we found ourselves in would probably never happen again. It was a once in a lifetime thing. “Blood Drive” wasn’t a gig, it was a whispered invitation to meet at the top of Devils Tower, Wyoming.

TrunkSpace: How much of who Julian Slink is existed on the page and how much of him became performance choices?
Cunningham: The character of Julian Slink would simply not be possible with a larger, more insane show to hold it. The show is so incredibly bat shit crazy that Slink has the kind of latitude simply not possible on any other show.

Without a doubt, he is the single most insane and complex character I’ve ever read. James Roland created an absolute giant and the credit is entirely his. If he tells you anything different, he’s nuts. Strike that… James is nuts. But it really was all right there on the page. All of it.

My job on “Blood Drive” really wasn’t to create anything “off” of the page. Instead, it was the weight of the world to see if I could bring life to even half of what these wonderful writers had given me.

TrunkSpace: Your performance as Slink is downright masterful and the beats you take as the character are just as powerful as your delivery. Did the outrageous nature of the content itself allow you to go to places that you wouldn’t normally attempt under different circumstance?
Cunningham: The challenge for me was to see if I could actually hit some of these almost impossible beats. To get into the most intense, emotional spaces, then pull full-throttle 180s. A world within a world within a world within a world. And all a hair’s breadth from each other. To attempt Slink in any format would have been a massive challenge, but to do it in a “crank ’em out,” “one/two take” TV schedule? I didn’t know if it was possible.

So, for inspiration, I went back. Not to grindhouse, but to kinescope, absorbing every live teleplay from the early 50s I could get my eyes on. All the Playhouse 90s. All the Studio One stuff. Back when the actors had to do it all live, in one take. “Requiem For a Heavyweight,” “The Comedian,” “A Town Has Turned To Dust.” Everything Rod Serling, pre “Twilight Zone.” Mind blowing performances. And all done live, in one take. Slink was going to shoot for the heavens, but he was to be grounded firmly in the discipline of the theater.

The work completely absorbed me. Here we were in one of the most exquisite locations on the face of the earth, Cape Town, South Africa, and I spent most of the time in my apartment or in cafes. Breaking the scenes down. Breaking them down again. No discos, no safaris.

And all for a show about cars that eat people. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: It sounds like the entire cast was given complete creative freedom on the performance side?
Cunningham: The creativity in “Blood Drive” wasn’t suppressed, it was celebrated. Never in my career have I seen so many given such complete and total freedom to do what they do. (Greg Beeman on “Falling Skies” would be a close second.)

TrunkSpace: In the early going of the series, Slink is presented as this really interesting carnival barker meets haunted house cast member, but by episode 2 we really start to see some previously unseen aspects of his personality, including insecurity, which we found very interesting. In a lot of ways it feels like Colin Cunningham is playing a man playing Julian Slink.
Cunningham: There is a different side of Slink for every context. It’s what makes him so complex. On stage, backstage, with Grace, with Rasher, as an “employee” of Heart. There are so many layers, and a specific history with each. That’s what made it so damned hard. Also, in that first episode we were still working it all out. The relationship with Rasher wasn’t discovered until I met the exceptional Carel Nel (who’d practically come in as a day player, but stayed for 13 episodes). Basically, nothing like “Blood Drive” had ever been made before. Also, in that first episode, I had both food poisoning and the Cape Town flu and was sick as a dog!

TrunkSpace: Is Julian Slink the kind of character you seek out and because he’s so interesting, does it also mean that every actor is seeking the same thing?
Cunningham: I’m not really a character actor, I am an actor that plays characters. I’m honestly not very good at doing the boilerplate TV Cop/Dad/Lawyer stuff. Well, its not that I’m not any good at it, its just that so many other actors can play those roles. And so, when I go out for those auditions, there are a thousand guys to compete against. But when it comes to a character like Julian Slink, that room gets much, much smaller. My odds then become 1 in 5. And I swear it’s not a “talent” thing. There are some tremendously talented actors out there. It’s an “understanding” thing. And I don’t think there are anymore than maybe 5 actors on the planet that would have known what to do with James Roland’s little monster. (Also, note: I was the network’s “3rd” choice. The first two actors they offered it to “passed.”)

But again, none of it would be possible without having David Straiton and James Roland right there. Not to keep me “on track,” but to remind me that there were no rails. I was absolutely free to work, explore, create. But it really was a team effort and I could call or knock on their doors anytime, day or night.

TrunkSpace: There is a LOT of blood in “Blood Drive.” Is it the stickiest job you’ve ever had?
Cunningham: The amount of blood on the show? With the exception of Slink murdering Skuttle in the lobby of Heart Enterprises, I was pretty lucky. Whereas, Alan and Christina were covered in quite a variety of fluids.

TrunkSpace: You’re never afraid to alter your appearance when taking on a new role. How important is that physical transformation of a character for you personally?
Cunningham: It may sound nuts, but I’m not a big fan of being recognized. It’s certainly nice to be acknowledged for the work you do, but I really don’t want the special table at the restaurant. So, I tend to gravitate to roles where I can disappear. All that said, there would be no Slink without the unbelievably gifted Danielle Knox (Wardrobe) and Kerry Skelton (Makeup). These two women and their teams were the best I’ve ever worked with. The entire wardrobe and makeup departments were beyond belief. The garments Danielle created were absolutely astonishing. And Kerry is one of the best because she works with the actor to help create the character. So many TV makeup artists are often little more than overpaid sponge jockeys. Not Kerry Skelton. She and her team were exceptional.

TrunkSpace: When you look at your career moving forward, what would you like to accomplish? Do you have bucket list items that you want to check off in your career?
Cunningham: Bucket list? Hell, that’s easy. What any big star wants… to buy his mother a shiny, pink Cadillac.

“Blood Drive” airs Wednesdays on SyFy.

Featured Images By: Arthur Albert

*Feature originally ran 3/16/17

Chilling Out is where TrunkSpace talks all things horror and genre with those who work on the projects that give us the thrills and chills to keep coming back for more. This time out we’re chatting with John Kassir, an actor and voice-over talent with a diverse resume that includes turns as Elliot in the recent “Pete’s Dragon” remake and as Meeko in Disney’s “Pocahontas,” but it’s his pun-riddled run as the Crypt Keeper from HBO’s long-running series “Tales from the Crypt” that has cemented him as a pop culture icon.

We sat down with Kassir to discuss how he became the Crypt Keeper, his unexpected involvement (and win) on “Star Search,” and where the voices originated from.

TrunkSpace: How did your career as a voice actor come to be? Was it always in the cards or did it just sort of happen by accident?
Kassir: Well, you know, it’s funny because… I grew up in Baltimore and I always loved performing. I got involved in productions and that kind of stuff as a kid and also I’d do my own little circuses out of the basement for the neighborhood kids. I’d only charge them a penny but I’d charge them five cents for the penny candy, so I made a little.

TrunkSpace: That’s like the movie theaters charging eight bucks for a small coke!
Kassir: I was ahead of the movie curve for sure.

But that was a lot of fun. I used to do a lot of characters and voices and make my friends laugh and that kind of stuff. And then once I got to high school I had a buddy of mine, Fred Smyth… I know that name doesn’t mean anything to you but any of my high school friends would always remember the two of us doing the morning announcements. (Said as a proper English fellow) “The following morning announcement was due to a grant from the Mobile Corporation.” You know, we’d feature impersonations of the teachers and the Beatles and whatever event was going on at the school. And of course we’d wind up getting free tickets to all of the events if we would do the morning announcements and mention, you know, the gymnastic club or whatever.

TrunkSpace: So you were working as a voice actor before you were even working.
Kassir: That kind of started my whole thing with writing little routines and actually doing voices, you know, with a purpose of actually doing them. So it’s something I always did, but it’s not something that I thought would be a major part of my career, so to speak.

TrunkSpace: Did you go to school for acting?
Kassir: I got my degree in Theatre at Towson University, which has a really well known theater department now. When I was at school there were people like Charles Dutton, who a lot of people know as Roc from the TV series and from various great movies and shows. And Eric King, who was on “Dexter.” He played Doakes on “Dexter.” So, there were some really good actors that went to school with me. Dwight Schultz who was Madman Murdock on “The A-Team” and of course was on Broadway in “The Crucifer of Blood” and also starred on one of the “Star Trek” series. And John Glover came from Towson, so I had the opportunity to not only work with my generation of actors through the school but also Dwight and some of these other guys would come back and do shows with us or they would do workshops or that kind of thing.

So, I got my first Off-Broadway show right out of college and moved to New York and it didn’t last very long. I think it closed after three weeks of inner-fighting between the creative team and the producing team, so I got that dose real quick. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: Were you making a living as an actor at that time?
Kassir: I was making a living doing street performing in front of the Metropolitan Museum. It’s how I survived. I had decided early on that I wanted to make my living as an actor, whatever way I could do it. One of the jobs I had when I first wound up with no work in New York was doing singing balloonograms and that kind of thing. I was like, “Well, at least I’m performing.” But, for the most part I made most of my living for six years in New York in the early 80s street performing and whatever theater came up would come up. I also worked with a comedy group that came out of Baltimore, which was some of the funny people from my college. We were called Animals Crackers and we were kind of Baltimore’s version of The Second City.

So, in that show… in that group… I would do a bunch of different characters and voices. We would do sketches. We would write a new hour and a half sketch show every month and put it on at one of the local dinner theaters in Baltimore. And we kept a core group of us together when we moved to New York and wound up touring for the USO doing comedy all over the world for the Mediterranean Tour and the South Pacific Tour for service men in different parts of the world.

TrunkSpace: The voice work came back into the spotlight there for you?
Kassir: I guess that was a continuation of doing some of the voice. One of my signature routines was I’d do the “Wizard of Oz” in about 10 minutes… like the entire movie with all of the characters and everything. And when I was in New York trying to make it, I had auditioned and landed the role in an Off-Broadway musical called “3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down,” which I know sounds like a gay review from the Village, but it wasn’t. (Laughter) It was a musical about stand-up comics. Think “Dreamgirls,” but with three male stand-up comics. It starred myself and Scott Bakula and Jerry Colker. Jerry’s main career has been as a writer, be he started out on Broadway in shows like “A Chorus Line” and “Pippin.” We played three different stand-up comics. Scott played the kind of quintessential MC and Jerry played the angry lawyer-turned stand-up comedian trying to make his point. And I played, of course, the very kind of damaged, suicidal, Andy Kaufman-ish type character who really only had a connection to the world through his comedy. So the three of them weren’t very good at life, but the three of them together really clicked and they become a three guy team. In the play we shoot into stardom and we get our own TV series and we play all of the agents and we also played all the newspaper reporters and the whole thing. It was a really fun musical. It was a hit Off-Broadway and while I was doing the show, I was approached by these talent scouts and it was for the very first season of “Star Search.” They approached me and said, “Hey, we’d like you to be on our show.” I’m like, “What, as a singer?” I was doing a musical and I can sing, but I was no Sam Harris, let’s put it that way. He was the guy who was doing so well on “Star Search.” And they were like, “No, we want you to come on as a stand-up comic.” And I said, “Well, you know I’m not really a stand-up comic and it’s just a part I’m playing in the show.” And they go, “Well, you can win a $100,000.” And I went, “Fuck, I’ll do it.” I was like, “Did I tell you about my stand-up career that I’m working on?” And so I had to start coming up with material. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: $100,000 is great motivation to work on a routine!
Kassir: Oh hell yeah! We were making, I think, $650 a week or something Off-Broadway. My first Off-Broadway show I made $175 a week and shared an apartment with four other people, but once I was doing “3 Guys Naked,” I mean, that was it! Probably $650 a week was the most I had made. I may have made more than that on a really good week doing street performing, but this was the first time legitimately I was making more than $500 a week and then these guys are talking about going to win $100,000. So, I’m like, “Okay, how am I going to come up with a routine?”

TrunkSpace: What approach did you take in coming up with a routine?
Kassir: I started going back into some of my solo material that I had been doing while I was with Animal Crackers. We had two and a half minutes so one of the first routines I had to create was taking my 10 minute “Wizard of Oz” and turning it into a two and a half minute version of “Wizard of Oz.” (Laughter) Some of my favorite comedians were Ernie Kovacs and Burns and Schreiber. These are guys that most people don’t even remember… today’s generations of people, but certainly my generation we remember these guys as brilliant comedians that came out and did funny Tim Conway-type routines. Steve Martin would go on and do the Great Flydini. I was doing that stuff, with a third hand kind of bit, before Steve Martin even did that. It was an old clown routine that different comedians would take and turn into almost a Vaudeville act. So I would go out every week and I kept doing all of these different bits and I would do all of these voices and characters in my routine. Basically most of my act was based on a guy who was addicted to television and could change the channels in his head. I’d be doing “Star Trek” and then I’d be doing “Wild Kingdom” and then I’d be doing the “Wizard of Oz” in two and a half minutes and I’d flip through the channels. And I kept winning.

TrunkSpace: That character would be more difficult to pull off today with all of the channels that there are now.
Kassir: (Laughter) I know! At one point I’d start haywiring and I’d go, “I’m hooked up to 158 channels and there’s still fucking nothing on.” Of course, now it’s like 1500 channels.

But, I’d talk about, you know, as a kid there were three channels and UHF, which we don’t really know what that was. There were three channels and I’d get down early in the morning to fight with… we had five kids in my family… and I’d get down and turn on the channel that I wanted to watch and then hide the knob to the TV set. There wasn’t even a remote to fight over, you know? (Laughter) And I would do all of my favorite cartoons as a kid. Felix the Cat. The Jetsons. And I’d do all of these different characters in my act and I wound up going up against Rosie O’Donnell in the semi-finals. She was relatively unknown at that time and I beat her. And then I went up against Sinbad in the final. He was relatively unknown and I beat Sinbad. And all of a sudden I’ve won “Star Search.” I won $100,000. I’ve got to come up with a routine fast. I had the bits that I was doing for the show, but now I had to come up with… the first thing they started doing was booking me opening for The Temptations and the Four Tops on their T’N’T Tour. Lou Rawls. Bobby Vinton. Tom Jones. Tom Jones was a guest on “Star Search” and he said, “I want that kid to open for me in Vegas.” Everybody’s like, “Congratulations,” and I’m like, “How the hell am I going to do that? I’ve got no fucking act!”

So, I started creating this act based on this guy who’s addicted to television. He goes to Tubeaholic meetings and tries not to watch too much TV, but winds up channeling TV through himself and all of the different characters and the voices… the pop culture that we grew up with through television is basically the idea of it. And that’s when people started asking me to audition for their voice-over work. My first series that I landed on HBO was called “1st & Ten.” That was about a football team and starred Delta Burke as the owner of the team and Jason Beghe, who is on “Chicago P.D.” He was a quarterback on the show and Chris Meloni was a quarterback on the show one season. We had a lot of real football players on the show. And I played the Bulgarian field goal kicker that could kick 60-yard field goals. I came from a soccer team in Bulgaria and it was a really funny character. I had a great time doing it. And then I got a call saying HBO wanted me to come audition for another series they were doing called “Tales from the Crypt.” I had grown up with the comic books so I was like, “Oh my god! I can’t believe you’re going to make a show out of this. This is awesome!” They were looking for someone to play the character the Crypt Keeper and I didn’t know what I was going to do when I went down but they had the audition at Kevin Yagher’s studio where he was working on the puppet and was able to get a sense of what he looked like. I saw that he had holes in his throat and rotting teeth. He had all of the fun puns from the comic book, which it was funny to watch some of these other comedians and voice actors that were auditioning for it. They were looking at the script going, “Oh my God, these puns are terrible.” I’m thinking to myself, “They don’t get it.” This guy (the Crypt Keeper) thinks it’s Shakespeare. He loves saying this stuff.

TrunkSpace: It was interesting because as a character the Crypt Keeper seemed to appeal to younger audiences while the show itself was obviously aimed at a more mature crowd. Was that by design?
Kassir: You know, it wasn’t by design but they should have thought of it. We had no idea that kids were watching this show. First of all, HBO was mostly only watched by adults. Secondly, not everybody had HBO the way they do now. A much smaller percentage of television sets had HBO. We knew the show was popular because people started having “Tales from the Crypt” parties at their house and inviting people over who didn’t have HBO. But, I think they probably never would have let go of the rights if they knew that kids grew up with “Tales from the Crypt” and had been watching it. Now of course, I’ve found this out because people started asking me to come to conventions. I was like, “Really? There’s still people that would care about ‘Tales form the Crypt’?” And they were like, “Are you kidding? We grew up with it. It’s the reason we’re into horror. The Crypt Keeper was our favorite horror host.”

TrunkSpace: He was the gateway horror icon.
Kassir: (Laughter) Right. The marijuana of horror. But he was also, for the show, he was the ride up to the top of the peak before the roller coaster dropped you down. But, it makes total sense. When I was a kid, if I saw some creepy puppet on TV, I would certainly want to watch it every week. I loved ventriloquist dummies and stuff like that. If one of those things was on TV, it was like, everything else went away and I was just watching that.

TrunkSpace: Another fascinating thing about the show was that the A-List actors of the time would stop by, which back then, was not a common thing in television.
Kassir: Yeah. Well, definitely having some of the top producers in film as our producers made a huge difference. They were really dedicated. William Gaines was still alive and had given them his baby. He had given them 500 stories from his comic books to license and use. They were really dedicated to trying to make the show into a comic book come to life. You’re talking about Joel Silver and Richard Donner and Walter Hill and Bob Zemeckis and David Giler, who did “Aliens.” These were the top guys in the business and some of them still are. They got the best actors. They got the best directors. They got the best composers to do the music. HBO gave them the platform to do anything they wanted. HBO had a slogan, It’s Not TV, It’s HBO. That was coined while one of the execs was sitting in the audience watching a screening of the first episode of “Tales from the Crypt.” Somebody goes, “Wow, this was really great television.” And somebody goes, “It’s not television, it’s HBO.” And they were like, BING! It became their tagline for I don’t know how many years. (Laughter) Up until then, everything was sports, sex, and comedy, which was working well for them, but here we were having an opportunity to really do something different. They even used the comic books as storyboards so that some of the shots were even set up to look exactly like the frames out of the comic book.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned how the rights were sold away, but if we’re not mistaken, HBO still owns the rights to the character the Crypt Keeper, correct?
Kassir: They retain the rights to that particular Crypt Keeper, but they can’t use him as a crypt keeper because they don’t own the rights to “Tales from the Crypt” anymore.

TrunkSpace: He’s the Pun Keeper now.
Kassir: Exactly. The Pun Keeper. Jack Wahl… I call him the Crypt Keeper’s pimp, but he’s really quite extraordinary and over the years he has found some amazing projects for the Crypt Keeper. He’s always thought of the Crypt Keeper as an actor. He’s always thought of him as me and Kevin’s puppet. It was sometimes hard to book him because it not only involved me, but it also involved four or five brilliant puppeteers to bring him to life. It wasn’t always an easy task to get the Crypt Keeper work as an actor unless you didn’t see his face and it was very easy just to book me, which I think is one of the reasons why I’m so well associated with the Crypt Keeper. If you go to the Hollywood Museum on Hollywood Blvd, they have the Crypt Keeper sitting in a chair. It doesn’t say “The Crypt Keeper,” it says “John Kassir.” (Laughter) I can’t mind that, to be that associated with this character, but at the same time, I don’t look like that! (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: What must be amazing for you is that you have clearly left your mark on pop culture by having played the Crypt Keeper, but at the same time, you’ve been able to still live a somewhat private life and just be John?
Kassir: Totally. You’ve hit your finger on that. Literally I went from obscurity in street performing to walking down the street and being stopped by everybody after winning “Star Search” to not really liking it that much. You know, I enjoyed the celebrity because it got me good work, but I didn’t really enjoy it in terms of loss of privacy. I was a stand-up comic. Let’s face it, I love being in front of an audience and having attention, but at the same time, there was a lot to give up. I didn’t want to be a flash in the pan. I didn’t want my career to be one of these quirky comics that came and went.

*Feature originally ran 4/03/17

You don’t have to be in a funk just because it’s Monday. Instead, get funky!

TrunkSpace brings you another edition of Musical Mondaze. This time out we’re sitting down with Here Come the Mummies, an eight-piece funk-rock band from Nashville who mash it up on stage in full body bandages. Though their true identities are under wraps (pun intend), leading to rumors that the mummies are in fact well known Grammy-winning musicians, it doesn’t take birth certificates and proper names to bring you to your feet and rock your souls for all of eternity.

We sat down with Mummy Cass(anova) and Midnight Mummy to discuss the mummy versus zombie debate, their historical musical history and, of course, Quentin Nigel Fontanelle Dumblucke IV.

TrunkSpace: Thanks for sitting down with us. I guess the first thing we wanted to throw out there was a sort of logistics question. Typically, the mummification process involves the removal of organs, and specific to our question, the brain is pulled out through the nose. Doesn’t one need a brain to know how to write and read music and play the instruments themselves?
Mummy Cass: You’re absolutely right about that, and they scraped and yanked and pulled and did every other thing they could to get it all out… wait, was was I talking about?
Midnight: But in the end…
Mummy Cass: Right! But in the end, they missed a few spots. Thanks.
Midnight: Sure, man.

TrunkSpace: Thanks for clearing that up. Perhaps you could help us with this as well. What is the difference between a mummy and a zombie? Aren’t they more or less the same thing?
Mummy Cass: Well, it’s true we have a taste for flesh, but more in an erotic sense, and not so much in a munching down on your brain sort of sense.
Midnight: True. Dig. Ick.

TrunkSpace: How did the band first come together? Were you all from the same tomb?
Mummy Cass: We played together in ancient Egypt at weddings and feasts and such, back when we were mere mortals. But shenanigans with the Pharaoh’s daughters got us cursed. So we’ve been wandering the Earth together through some dark ages, and some comparatively fun times, like now.

TrunkSpace: When did you guys come to the “New World” and what ultimately made you decide to settle in Nashville?
Mummy Cass: Our latest discoverer, Quentin Nigel Fontanelle Dumblucke IV, had us transported to one of his facilities outside of Boston from Tunisia, where we had taken a few centuries off from being unstoppable. There some frightful experiments took place, but I don’t want to talk about…
Midnight: …As for the Nashville part, in a word, studios. Of course now we have our own. It is way underground, and secret.

TrunkSpace: Nashville is obviously known for being a music town. But, is it competitive? Are there other mummies you guys knock heads with in town?
Mummy Cass: We pretty much have our run of the place.

TrunkSpace: The band plays a sort of hybrid (diebrid?) funk. Now, that’s not exactly a genre of music that was kicking around when you guys were alive. How did you discover the sound and what was it that drew you to it?
Mummy Cass: Well, funk has a faint whiff of rot to it, just like a perfectly ripe strawberry. So, it was a natural selection.
Midnight: Ha, Natural Selection.

TrunkSpace: Tombs are known for their ancient, yet sophisticated booby traps. Did any of you have any cool booby traps you can share with us?
Mummy Cass: Well, let’s just say that all that stuff from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”… pretty accurate.
Grates with spikes that swing down out of nowhere when you so much as brush up against a sarcophagus, stuff like that.
Midnight: Not pretty, not pretty.

TrunkSpace: There was a time when a group of undead performing on stage would have caused a bit of a stir and driven the general public into a terrified tizzy. What changed? Has the popularity of shows like “The Walking Dead” forced people to look at the actual walking dead differently?
Mummy Cass: True, and we have caused just such a stir many times in many places in our wanderings. Nowadays people act as though they’ve seen it all. That’s why we like making ‘em jump around and dance and stuff.

TrunkSpace: The band can clearly maintain a beat, BUT, how do you maintain a pleasant smell for those in the audience? Is there a trick to quelling the stank?
Mummy Cass: We do NOT maintain a pleasant smell.
Midnight: Nope. Not even worth tryin’.

TrunkSpace: Do members of the band ever change bandages or are those you don as antique as you are?
Mummy Cass: They never come off. Think of them like onions in a casserole… baked in, no getting them out. If you tried, our decrepit flesh would tear off along with. It’s a sort of human jerky we have on our withered bones.
Midnight: You said bones.

TrunkSpace: If we were to peel back those bandage layers, who would we find to be the most handsome?
Mummy Cass: What did I just say? You can’t peel the damn things o…
Midnight: I’d have to say… probably Midnight.
Mummy Cass: Ha.

TrunkSpace: Speaking of looks… how does a mummy living in the modern world find love? Does decomposition come into play?
Mummy Cass: Well, ladies dig us cause we know how to have a good time, and we don’t have to put on some kinda ridiculous dog and pony show with fancy cars, hats, rings and whatnot.
Midnight: Hey, I like a good pony show.

Oh, you meant like tiny horses. Ah.

TrunkSpace: Here Come the Mummies write songs that have a tendency to stick in your head. Will they stand the test of time just as you have?
Mummy Cass: That’s not the only place they stick. Seriously, only time will tell, and…
Midnight: Unless somethin’ changes, we’re gonna be around to find out.

TrunkSpace: What are your thoughts on somebody like Rob Zombie who is only undead in name?
Mummy Cass: Still pretty cool.
Midnight: He’s got his own thing.

TrunkSpace: What can fans expect from Here Come the Mummies in 2017?
Mummy Cass: We are always working on new music. Who knows when we’ll put it out? Maybe this year, maybe next. We are playing some brand new stuff right now from the two new records we have out, “Underground” and “A Blessing and a Curse.” Check us out at www.herecomethemummies.com.

Here Come the Mummies tour dates here.

*Feature originally ran 5/22/17

Todd Stashwick has made a career out of playing interesting characters. Or, perhaps it’s that he has made characters more interesting by the choices he has made in playing them throughout his career. Either way, the Chicago native has been entertaining us for decades, perfectly walking the line between drama and comedy and turning out memorable roles in series like “The Riches,” “Heroes,” and “Gotham.” For the last three years, Stashwick has been playing Deacon, AKA “The Scav King,” on the post-apocalyptic time travel drama “12 Monkeys.” The series returned to Syfy this past weekend with the network opting to take a more binge-centric approach in releasing all 10 episodes of the season between Friday and Sunday.

We recently sat down with Stashwick to discuss making choices in a world ruled by time travel, getting to play a sociopathic Hans Solo, and what goes through the mind of a shapeshifter pretending to be Bela Legosi pretending to be Dracula.

TrunkSpace: Something needs to be said before we jump into the interview. You would have made a damn fine Negan on “The Walking Dead!”
Stashwick: You’re very kind to say. I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is crushing it. By the time that they were casting the show, I was already The Scav King, so I already kind of had a post-apocalyptic badass role. And I’m thrilled with the arc that Deacon gets to follow over the seasons of the show. It’s been fascinating. Look, I’m a huge “The Walking Dead” fan and I’m flattered that people see me in that world because it’s certainly a great, ripe world to play in, but I’m very, very happy with my Scav King.

TrunkSpace: You mention Deacon’s arc. Time travel can be a tricky thing in storytelling, but at the same time, it sort of allows for an “anything is possible” approach. Has the direction that the writers have taken Deacon in surprised even you over the course of your time on the series?
Stashwick: They never cease to surprise and amaze me with how they spin these plates and it’s no less surprising with what they do with Deacon. They know what to do with this guy, we have amazing conversations about it, and I’m always thrilled and excited with every script they send me.

TrunkSpace: When you were starting out and discovering Deacon, did you have to be careful about the choices you were making knowing things could go anywhere?
Stashwick: You know, careful is never the way to approach an acting role, especially a role like Deacon. It’s actually the opposite. It’s about taking risks. It’s about being bold and surprising yourself. When I came on in season 1, he was very much an antagonist. I won’t say that he was a villain because obviously there were bigger fish to fry with The Messengers and The Witness and everything in season 1, but he was certainly an antagonist. But the way that Terry (Matalas) and the writers saw an energy with this guy and what I was bringing to the role, they wanted to explore deeper within the mythology of the show and with the dynamic of the team. In the shooting of the last episode of season 1 when I was up there, Terry said that he had a lot of ideas for Deacon in season 2 and that’s when they made me a series regular and started transitioning him out of straight up antagonist to sociopathic ally.

And then, once you have this character who is opportunistic and who is hard on the outside but soft on the inside, it gives a lot of opportunity mixing and matching his energy and his point of view with the different characters on the show. When he’s with Jones, because we are older characters, we have a different understanding of the apocalypse than when he is with Railly. When he’s with Cole, he certainly kind of sees his brother in him. And with Jennifer I think he sees a kindred. They both are outsiders and they both have survived in this harsh environment in unique and creative ways. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: That’s a great way of describing him… sociopathic ally, but at the same time, like you said, soft on the inside.
Stashwick: Well, he is a human being and that’s what I think is interesting about the character. Often when you get these antagonist roles, it’s easy to head right towards kind of smirking and villainous, but it’s more interesting to reveal his motivation… to reveal the pain that pushes these people. In many ways, Deacon saw himself as a hero and a leader because he kept 200 people alive in this wasteland.

TrunkSpace: Well, because at the end of the day, often times people who are acting in a certain way are still doing so because THEY think it’s the right approach to take.
Stashwick: Absolutely. And he also has the ability to say and see things that other people might not. He can be the canary in the coal mine. I love at the end of season 2 when we’re stuck on Titan and he’s talking to Jennifer and he’s like, “There’s a reason that they wanted us here. Let’s not stick around and find out!” He’s not blinded by the mission. He’s just trying to keep himself alive and the people… I don’t think he has this huge altruistic “let’s save the world” view. I think he has the “let’s all not die” view, and if he can save the world, well, if it stops the virus from happening in the past, then maybe all of the people that he loves won’t die. He sees the big picture but he lives very much within the confines of his own needs and reality and it’s the people that he cares about and what’s important to them. And what becomes important to him. I don’t think initially he has this “we need to stop the plague” thing. I think he grows to care for Railly and he obviously has a kindred with Cole and Jennifer. And so he’s like, “Let’s us not die!”

TrunkSpace: So in terms of how this season feels for you as far as the roll out is concerned… how different is it knowing that it will all be released over the course of the weekend? Does it shorten the high for you?
Stashwick: You know, it’s a different kind of high. It’s a little bit more like your birthday as opposed to Christmas. (Laughter) Because Christmas kind of lasts all month long and people are talking about it and gathering about it, singing about it and having parties throughout the month of December all leading up to the big climax. This is like, you might have a crazy birthday weekend. So it’s a lot more intense and it’s a lot all at once and you just sort of surround yourself with people that mean the most to you and everybody raises their glass. I think this roll out is… I’ve seen it. And I’ve seen it in two binge worthy chunks. I saw the first half of season 3, all five episodes, in one sitting. And then last weekend we watched the last five episodes. I’ve got to tell you, it plays like a roller coaster feature film. It really moves and moves and moves. It has movement and energy and it propels itself. I think the ability to binge it… and you don’t have to binge it. People can just DVR it and nibble on it a little bit at a time if they want. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: What’s really cool as well is that the way that Syfy is rolling this season out, it could change the way that other networks approach releasing their shows. It could be a game changer.
Stashwick: Yeah. And it’s interesting because something has to be on the air. Rather than us being every Monday night at 9:00 or every Friday night at 9:00, the fact that we’re giving it to you through a weekend is a little more Netflixy. I think the fan engagement is going to be different because they’re not going to be speculating between episodes. There will be a lot more frenzy, as if it’s like a bender. (Laughter) I think the hardcore fans are going to actually lock in and go on the ride for the three days. And… Terry and the writers have outdone themselves. We are so lucky to get to say these words and play these parts. And the team… from the crew to the special effects to the score… everybody is bringing their A game and I am so fortunate to work with this cast of people. I said to Terry, “I will feel bad for the show that I have to do after ‘12 Monkeys’ because it’s been such an amazing experience.” (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: We also read that you’re a lifelong fanboy, so just being able to play in this science fiction/genre sandbox must be an exciting thing for you?
Stashwick: Oh you have no idea! Growing up, wanting to be Hans Solo and then Terry pitching Deacon in season 2 as a sociopathic Hans Solo… I’m like, “It’s like you read my dream journal!” The thing about Deacon is that they really gave me all of the notes to play. They gave me the vulnerability. They gave me the badass-ness. They gave me the heroic. They gave me the sarcastic. They gave me the laconic. The wounded. I get to do it all and that’s a rare and wonderful thing… in a genre that I consume veraciously. And I get to work with people that I’ve admired through the years from Battlestar and Christopher Lloyd is on our show. It’s just been such a bucket list of joy for me on so many levels. Like I said, it will be a hard thing to finish, but I’m glad that we get to finish it on our terms.

TrunkSpace: If you were given a blank check to develop any property what would fanboy Todd put on the slate?
Stashwick: Wow. Interesting. You know, I have ideas, pilots and things, that I have written that I would love to see developed, but if I was going to adapt I would love to adapt two different projects. I would love to adapt Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys” into a TV series. I would love to play the Russell Crow role in that. I would like to do an adaptation of “The Cell” and play the Vince Vaughan role. I think there’s something really interesting about the mythology of “The Cell.” And, I would love to… I have a really cool…

You know, I’m not going to tell you that idea. (Laughter) I’m going to keep this last one for myself because I think there’s something interesting and fun about it.

I also have original ideas for series. I wrote a web-comic called “Devil Inside” about the devil quitting hell and going on the run in the Nevada desert. And so I would love to adapt that into a series.

TrunkSpace: There’s one show that has an amazing fandom and you touched down on it in a major way years ago, playing the ultimate fan character. That show is “Supernatural.” That character is Dracula. Well, sort of.
Stashwick: Super rewarding and fascinating to have to deconstruct something another actor did and one that is so beloved and intimidated trying to get to the heart of Legosi’s theatricality meeting with his pathos. And then to have that character flip and see the scared man/shapeshifter that was choosing this image… there was a lot of meat on that bone. There was a lot of blood in that neck.

TrunkSpace: There were just so many layers to him that it feels like there was so much more to learn when all was said and done.
Stashwick: Well, where’s the fun in playing something one-dimensional? And that’s also a testament to the writers. They wrote those speeches where he was talking about his abusive father or talking about just wanting to feel important and majestic. Elegant.

As an actor, you get a few of these really good ones. I came from a comedy background but then I also had a theater background, so when I was in college I was doing some Molière and Shakespeare and all of that. And then I was a Second City sketch comedy guy. And then the fact that I’m six foot two with dark circles around my eyes and this weird voice that comes out of my head… it gave me access to really left-of-center roles that I could, no pun intended, sink my teeth into.