Pop Culture Hound

May 26, 2010  |  Author: Chris J. Thompson

If you missed Part 1 of this interview, click here to read it first.

Pop Culture Hound - Is there the possibility of any follow-up to Bright Falls, either as further promotion for Alan Wake or as its own entity? And would you be open to reprising your role?

Christopher Forsyth - Because I got a little off topic in a previous answer, I think I covered that in Part 1 of the interview. But to your second question here:  I’d definitely be open to reprising my role as Jake.  Any time I get the opportunity to work with talented creative people like those behind Bright Falls, or to work with a great script, that always excites me.

PCH - There were a number of great actors involved in Bright Falls besides yourself. How did you find working with them, and was there anyone you would've liked to film a scene with, but didn't get a chance to?

CF – Indeed there were. Each was a unique and equally enjoyable experience. I probably spent the most time, both on screen and off, with Allison Lange, who played Ellen. I’d never met her before this film – in fact I’d not previously met any of the other actors. Allison’s a very talented actress and was wonderful and very easy to work with. Off screen, she’s also a very sweet person, who was at the same time intelligent, very witty, and possessing of a great sense of humor, which helped nicely to counter the dark tone of the piece we were working on. We’ve continued to keep in touch since.

Cooper Huckabee, who played Sam Smith – the innkeeper – that guy has to be one of the most genuine, and generous people I’ve ever met. He’s kind of a dark and sinister character in the film, which couldn’t be further from who he is as a person in real life.  He’s a masterful actor, and does it all so effortlessly. He’s done a lot of work in film and TV, and being around him and working with him made me want to go out and rent the films/shows he’s appeared in to watch more of him. He joins the cast of True Blood this season, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him in that.

Bruce Katzman was the guy who played Dr. Hartman.  I think we only worked together for one (long) day. We filmed his scenes inside the Timberline Lodge – where they filmed part of The Shining if I’m not mistaken. That place was unbelievable. Anyway, Bruce was a consummate professional, and another very talented guy.  Dr. Hartman in the film was probably the most enigmatic character to me. He started off seemingly so benign, and ended up so, well ... creepy really. Bruce accomplished that very smoothly and seamlessly. He’s a really cool guy that I very much enjoyed being around and working with.

Who am I missing? Oh yes ... Robert Peters – who played Deputy Mulligan. That guy – WOW – he was one of the funniest people I think I’ve worked with. His character was well written, and he really brought it to life – he aced it. I don’t know what it was about the way he played that character, but Deputy Mulligan was probably my favorite character in the series to watch. Really funny stuff. And in person, you couldn’t ask for a nicer guy - very intelligent and witty, and very easy to be around. There were a couple times when we were filming the scene in Episode 5 where I broke character and started to laugh – and one of those times he just kept going and powered right through it. It was all I could do to not bust up every time he spit into that cup, because he did it with such conviction! I loved that scene.

And then there was Rose – Merette Bartles. I didn’t get to spend a ton of time with her aside from filming the Hashpy Birday scene, but the time we did have was a lot of fun. She’s a real sweetheart in person, very down to earth, and I thought she did a really wonderful job of playing that quirky sexy Rose character. There are a lot of Rose fans out there in the gamer community from what I’ve been able to gauge. Anyway, those were the people that I spent the most time with. Oh, Robert Turner who played the store clerk – he was a pretty funny guy too. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with him, as we had just one short scene, but I thought he did a fantastic job. Oh, and I can’t forget the little boy – Liam Moser. He was a trooper, and a cool little guy. He and I got to hang together on a couple of occasions – and he’s quite talented also!

PCH - Aside from your splendid work on Bright Falls, you seem to be a very busy artist. I say artist because I know you're also quite a musician. What can you tell us about that?

CF - Music is indeed a big part of my life, and has been since I was a kid.  I started playing piano at the age of 5, and have performed as a lead singer/instrumentalist in some form or another most of my life.  The first album anyone ever gave me as a kid was Elton John’s Greatest Hits, so I was heavily influenced by him as a young piano player, and still am today.  I sing, and play piano and guitar primarily, but can also play a number of other instruments.  I’ve always said that music is my 'drug of choice'.  It can transport you wherever you want to go, almost instantly.  It’s incredibly powerful.  I’m also a budding screenwriter, and a producer, and between those things and working as an actor, my music has unfortunately taken a bit of a back seat in the past few years.

I’ve written a lot of songs, but finding the time right now to get into the studio and record them has been difficult.  On a professional level, I’ve had one song produced and mastered, called Think Again.  It was my first attempt in the studio, and while it’s not necessarily in the 'genre' that I’ll likely find myself in going forward, it turned out really well.  It actually became an award winning song in the Continental Global Music Competition that was judged by Grammy Award Winner Lee Ann Womack a couple years back.  I’d love to do a lot more of that, but currently it’s not my paying gig, so it is secondary at the moment.  The song is actually posted on my website on the music page for anyone who wants to listen.

PCH - I've read about a project you're working on as both lead actor and producer, called Drifting Away. What's the status on that project?

CF - I’m really excited about that film.  The title has changed, it is now On The Outside.  It is my first project as an 'executive producer'.  I had worked with the director, Brad Tucker, on a previous project, and he approached me about this project in its early stages last year.  He sent me an early draft of the script, and I really liked the concept.  So I met with both he and the writer, Steven J. Berger, who is also the producer.  They’re a couple of very talented guys that have both recently come through the prestigious American Film Institute.  Anyway, after meeting with them, and taking a look at the script, I was really interested – so much so that I decided to sign on, not only to play the lead character, but as an executive producer to help raise the funding for the project and help get it made.  And the story just got better and better as it continued to evolve.  In addition, it was incredibly exciting that (multiple time) Independent Spirit Award nominated writer and director James Gray (Two Lovers, We Own The Night, The Yards) who is also writing and directing one of Brad Pitt’s next films, had come aboard our production in an advisory/mentor capacity.  He has generously worked with us all the way from story development through the editing process, and we’re unbelievably fortunate to have had his input and help.

The story is about Ethan, an ex-con who has just been released from prison, and how he deals with trying to re-integrate into society, and back into a family and town that seem to have moved on without him in his absence.  He had done 4 years of a 15 year sentence, partially because he’d given up some information to get out early.  He’s got big plans for change and good intentions upon his release, but things don’t go exactly as planned, and being on the outside again isn’t quite how he had imagined it from inside prison.  It’s a redemption story and an interesting look into a world that many of us don’t often see, at least not from a completely truthful and transparent perspective.  The story takes place mostly in San Pedro – the port of LA – the largest manmade port in the world – and we shot much of the film on location there.  Our producer Steven has a magical touch when it comes to procuring some absolutely amazing locations.

It’s a very economically challenged area, with its fair share of poverty and crime.  This film gives the viewer a first hand look into one (fictional) family’s existence from Ethan’s perspective.  Besides crafting a compelling story, one of THE most important things to all of us with this project, was making sure that it was a really truthful representation of life in San Pedro. Equally important was that it be a very truthful (and not stereotypical) representation of life as an ex-con just released from prison.  It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in terms of playing a character.  That is partially because, as an executive producer, I was not only more personally invested in the film, I also had more freedom and latitude to help shape the project.  Preparing to play this character was an incredibly eye opening experience with regards to the falsity of many economic stereotypes, and the judgment that it can result in.  I spent a lot of time in San Pedro getting familiar with the town, and specifically the little residential town right next door, Wilmington.

I walked the streets at night, either by myself or with the director and Corey Sorenson (the actor who plays my brother in the film).  You go into these more economically challenged areas expecting what you typically see in the news media; gangs, guns, drugs, etc.  And granted, there are places that aren’t exactly safe to venture into because the crime element is more visible than it is in other areas, but the great majority of the families living there are, at the core, what you might expect anywhere else.  The homes may be smaller, but people have a lot of pride in their homes, and it shows.  Children play, people decorate their homes for the holidays, neighbors talk and interact on the sidewalks, locals gather at the corner bar to share stories and play pool, people gather at the corner church, etc.  That’s not to diminish the fact that there are harsher economic realities to deal with in an economically depressed area, there certainly are, but the community aspect of the town and the family interaction I witnessed wasn’t what it is often portrayed to be.

I also went and spent a day inside the California Maximum Security State Prison in Lancaster CA.  The place was under lock-down for an incident that had happened a few days earlier.  I got to experience and see pretty much every aspect of prison life in that facility, from inside the cell to the parole process, after which we were able to interview a few of the parolees that day.  And then a few days later, I spent time inside the Federal Prison in downtown Los Angeles.  Those were some eye opening experiences. That there is a criminal element intent on doing harm to others for personal gain, is no surprise to anyone.  That is the stereotype into which every inmate is immediately categorized.  What I think is probably too often overlooked, is that there are those inside that are not 'bad' people – they are good people who made bad choices under the harsh economic realities they were surrounded by, and driven by the basic need to survive, something most of us don’t have to consciously think about too often.

I’ve gotten way off topic, but I’m really passionate about this project.  The film is in post production currently and should be complete in the next 6 to 8 weeks, then we’re looking forward to a strong festival run after that.

PCH - What else are you working on at the moment? We've already covered a lot, but I get the feeling its only scratching the surface of what you have going on.

CF - I've been crafting a song for the end of the film, On The Outside, and am currently in the studio recording and producing that song.  The other major area of concentration for me right now is my writing.  I have two feature film scripts I am writing myself, and another that I am co-writing with my writing partner.  One of the two I am writing is 6 to 8 weeks away from being completed.  It is starting to generate quite a bit of buzz already, so I am really excited about that.  It’s a story that I’ve been working on for quite some time now, and it’s been marinating for some time while I’ve been busy with these past two film projects.  But now that I’ve got some time, I am working very hard on getting it done.  Reactions all around have been very positive, and there are several parties already interested in the script, but this is one that I am not interested in selling – I want to make this film.  I can’t talk a lot in detail about the story, but in general I can say that it’s a 'dark dramedy' – a drama/comedy with a lot of dark humor.  It’s a very poignant and relatable story that I think people will really connect to.

The other screenplay I am writing is (big surprise) a psychological thriller.  While the storyline has absolutely nothing in common with it – the texture and tone has kind of a modernized Cape Fear-esque feel to it.  It is that kind of intense, gripping, creepy thriller that is so relatable you feel like it could actually happen to you.  Cape Fear is one of my favorite films – it freaked me out - and it’s one of my favorite Robert DeNiro performances.

The script that I am co-writing with my writing partner is another psychological thriller – that I don’t really have any references for, but I will say that it’s a very twisted and gripping story that is once again very relatable.  It will make you think and wonder “could that happen to me”?  Those are the major things I am concentrating on currently.

PCH - One last question, as someone who shares your namesake, do you prefer Chris or Christopher?

CF - Hmmm … it’s always the simple questions that make you think, right?  I’ll answer to pretty much anything where good Thai or Indian food is concerned.  As for Chris or Christopher ... no preference really, I’m used to both.

A pleasure talking with you Chris, thanks for having me.

PCH - It's been a real pleasure having you here, Christopher. I hope things go well for you with On The Outside and everything else you have going on - we'll come back to check in on you soon.

For those who can't get enough of Christopher, you can check out his website: www.christopherforsyth.com. It has links to various articles (including the ones on Pop Culture Hound) and he'll soon be hosting the entire Bright Falls series on his page so you can watch it all there. You can also check Christopher's IMDb page and find out where else you can see his work. Oh, and keep checking back with Pop Culture Hound as we have our interview with Phillip Van coming up, as well as much, much more.

Comments

• ChrisJThompson - May 27, 2010, 10:11 pm
  Hope everyone enjoyed the interview. If you've been having trouble posting comments then they should be working now ...