ACTORSSPOT interviews Duane Whitaker on "FEAST" and the life of a blue collar actor

   "FEAST" In theaters September 22'nd

A.S.: Was "Feast" as crazy a shoot as it appeared on the Project Greenlight show?

DW: Not really. I mean, there is a certain amount of drama on most shoots but "Feast" wasn't that out of the ordinary. Of course I did my best to stay out of as much of the shit as possible.

AS: It seemed like you may have been hiding through a lot of the show.

DW: I was hiding through most of it. I just tried to do my work and back up John (Gulager ) when I could. I was sort of the red-headed step child on this film. The only person who wanted me on this film was Gulager which is usually a good thing but in this case, it wasn't so good. The casting director -- we don't have to say her name -- really disliked me and went out of her way to keep me out. When she couldn't do that she made a really bad deal for me as far as money and billing. It was really unfortunate. She's a disgrace to her profession but she's not as unusual as you might think. And the producers were as guilty as she was for not doing something about it. They weren't big fans of mine either.

AS: None of them?

DW: No, not really. Not one of them backed me up in the end even over the billing. I'm not on the poster or box.

AS: But you're one of the leads in the film. That doesn't make any sense.

DW: No, it doesn't. Here's the thing though, the only thing I can do is go in there and do as good of work as I'm capable of doing and behave professionally. That means little things also, like showing up on time and being prepared and being there giving a hundred per-cent off camera to the other actors. That's my job. Unfortunately, a lot of the time people who behave like idiots are treated better than the people who don't. I've never really understood that but I've seen a lot of it in this business.

AS: Who was the actor you enjoyed working with the most on "Feast"?

DW: Clu Gulager, no question. I was fortunate enough to work with him before in a film I wrote and starred in called, "Eddie Presley." When Clu was fucking up he was better than any actor on that set (Feast) by a mile. He does all those things I was talking about before and he's amazingly talented on top of that. I wish he were willing to work more.

AS: Do you consider "FEAST" a good or bad experience at this point?

DW: It was good over all. I mean, I got to play a great role in a movie that I think turned out really well. The thing works; you never know if that's going to happen or not. I was given a lot of space to work in. John trusted me to bring things to the table. The writers were there and I would bounce things off them. And I wanted to mention Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, the writers. On the show you got the impression nobody liked the script. That's bullshit. That script kicked ass from the start, or at least a pretty early draft that I read. Very clever and very effective as a horror script. I'm very grateful to John for this -- bottom line is, I wouldn't have been in the film if it weren't for him.

AS: "FEAST" has a great look. What was it shot on?

DW: Yeah, it does look great. It was shot on H.D. by Tom Callaway who is a fellow Texan and someone I've worked with many times. I'm actually in Tom's directorial debut, a film called "Broke Sky" which I think is going to be an interesting film. It's near finished... I think.

AS" Didn't Tom shoot "Eddie Presley"?

DW: Yes he did.

AS: Talk a little bit about that film.

DW: That started as a one man play. It kind of came out of my frustrations of where my acting career was at the time. I was sort of doing these small TV parts and a day or two on a film here and there and I just felt stuck. I was doing a bunch of theater at the time, really pushing myself creatively but it was like two different things going on that weren't really connected. I was working a grave-yard shift as a security guard and I sat down one night and wrote the play in a frenzy. I'd say it was ninety per-cent there the next morning. I took it to the guy who was running the Theater company I was in. He read it; liked it, and we went into rehearsals the following week.

AS: Was the play a hit?

DW: Not really. It was a modest success. It did its run and that was sort of the end of it -- I thought. Jeff Burr had seen another play I had co-written and was in. He had just come off a bad experience of making a horror sequel and wanted to get back to a more independent/art type project so we teamed up with his brother as a producer. I wrote the screenplay and we went looking for money.

AS: And you found it obviously.

DW: Eventually. It was a long battle. Took a couple of years to put it together. Long story, but it was independently financed and we made it. It was sold to the Sundance Channel but never really came out on video for a lot of reasons. It eventually came out on DVD pretty recently. Double disc -- really nice, lot of extra stuff. Tempe video released it. It's actually done very well; the reviews have been ridiculously good. I've always had mixed feelings about the film but I'm kind of at peace with it now. For a character actor to get a chance to star in a movie he wrote, I mean, that's a really rare and cool thing.

AS: And you met Quentin Tarantino on that film.

                                                                      Whitaker, Campbell, and Tarantino

DW: Yes I did. He and Bruce Campbell did cameos as the nut-house attendants. I didn't see Quentin for a while after that and then I ran into him in a coffee shop in Hollywood late one night. We talked for a while and when I was about to leave he said he was doing something and there was something I was kind of right for in it. He took my number and said he'd have them call me in.

AS: And that was "Pulp Fiction"?

DW: Yes it was. It wasn't quiet that stupid but that's how I got in for the reading. Lot of drama with casting and producers again, but, the bottom line is -- I'm in the movie.

AS: Did you have any clue how huge that film was going to be?

DW: No. Nobody did. I thought it was a great script from the first time I read it butnever saw it as a huge mainstream hit.                                 Duane Whitaker as "Maynard" in Pulp Fiction.

AS: What kind of impact did that film have on your life?

DW: Well, it didn't cause a huge change career wise. It wasn't like I got tons of offers all of a sudden. It did legitimize me to a certain degree but it wasn't the kind of role where people were like, "Go out and get me that guy!" There were times when I was just offered things in smaller movies because of the film and I'm sure I got in some doors I might not have otherwise. I didn't really take advantage of the heat I did have. I made a tiny little film called "together & alone" at the time which is still one of my favorite things I've ever done.

AS: You directed the film?

DW: Yeah, I wrote and directed it, played a supporting part in it. Very low budget. It's one night in Hollywood, a bunch of interconnecting stories. It came out on video -- barely. It's going to be put out on DVD after the first of the year through Tempe Video. We're just now starting to put it together.

AS: How did you end up doing the "Dusk Till Dawn " sequel?

DW: I had written a script called "Zippers Clown Palace" that Roger Corman's company ended up producing. (And changed the title to "Stripteaser.") The director of that film, Dan Golden, sent the film over to Quentin -- he had heard Quentin was a fan of another strip bar movie he had made called "Naked Obsession." So, Tarantino ended up watching the movie and really liked it. He showed it to Bob Weinstein and they decided to bring me in to write the "Dusk Till Dawn" sequel with Scott Spiegel. Quentin just called one day and asked if I wanted to do it.                    From Dusk Till Dawn 2, Written by Whitaker and Spiegel.

AS: It's a fun movie.

DW: I think so. For a straight to video sequel done on a tight budget -- it's pretty good.

AS: And you wrote yourself a nice part.

DW: Yeah, I did. Actually, in some earlier drafts, I was going to play a different role but at some point it became obvious I was Luther.

AS: That was shot in South Africa?

DW: Yeah, Capetown doubling for Texas. Very strange. It was about saving money; interesting experience -- very successful for Dimension.

AS: You've worked a lot in the horror genre. Is that a conscious choice?

DW: No, not really. I kind of go where I'm kicked. I'm actually not a huge horror fan. There's a lot of shit in the genre -- and I've certainly contributed my part, but I can't be too critical since it's kind of like biting the hand that's fed you. I have been able to do some interesting work within the genre and met some great people.

AS: How was Rob Zombie to work with?

DW: Rob was great. I played a very small part in "Devil's Rejects" but it was a really off kilter kind of thing -- not something I would normally be offered. Mostly I just sat there and tried not to laugh at Dan Roebuck.

AS: You and Dan have worked together a lot. How did you meet?

DW: We met many many years ago working as extras on General Hospital. I wrote the part for him in "Eddie Presley" and also in "Together and Alone." We also did a play together called "Who Killed Orson Welles?" It was fun doing the little thing in "Devil's Rejects." The whole show is on the DVD extras; I'm shocked at how many people have come up to me about that. Very funny. Dan and I also wrote a script together (with Sam Barowski) about the B-film director Al Adamson called "Murder A Go Go."

AS: You do all these different things, you act, write, direct -- you teach. Do you see yourself as one of those things above the others?

DW: Most of time I see myself as an out of work actor. I'm sort of the actor equivalent to the guy who goes to work with the hard hat and a lunch pail. I'm like a blue collar actor. Even to have what I consider the modest success I've had is a small miracle. I've been about a half-step on the right side of the line for the most part. As far as doing all those different things, I think a lot of it has just been self defense. In a strange way I'm grateful I wasn't more successful early on as an actor because I might not have developed in other creative areas. I really like directing my own stuff too -- as long as I can control it. I like the sound of "Film Maker" but it's hard to get the right situation for the kind of films I want to make. Always about the money to some degree. But, in answer to the question, I think I'll always see myself as an actor first. That was the dream I had very early on -- to make a living, to be a working actor. It seemed like such a long shot.

AS: What have you been working on lately?

DW: I did a film that was written and directed by Garrett Clancy called "Cold Ones" which stars C.Thomas Howell, Myself, Gefforey Lewis, Kim Darby and Joe Unger. Interesting cast, cool script. Kind of a seventies feel to it. I just did a film called "Urban Decay" with Dean Cain that was directed by Harry Basil who I really enjoyed working with. Dean was very cool -- had fun hanging with Superman. It was written by my friends Don Adams and Harry Picardi; glad I ended up doing it. "Broke Sky" is still out there somewhere -- also did a small thing in Ohio called "Cordoba Nights." Enjoyed working with those guys. Also did a pilot recently called "Paws." Written and directed by Ben Coldyke. Amazing bunch of people on that one. It's about a dog boarding place in Beverly Hills. Have no idea what's going on with that one.

AS: It sounds like you've been real busy.

DW: Not really; it just sounds like it. I'm teaching a Film Acting Class and also playing in a band called "Peacemaker" -- like the gun. We're playing out some, going to try and record some stuff soon. I'm enjoying that.

AS: Do you have any advice for aspiring actors and others out there?

DW: Never take any advice -- just kidding. Work at your craft. Create your own opportunities. Never let other people define who you are or what you should be. Don't let your image of yourself be defined by whether or not you are being picked for things at any given time. Years ago there was an article written about the making of "Eddie Presley" and the writer spoke about how interesting the casting was on the film. Who would have thought to cast Clu Gulager as a sleazy agent? Who would have cast Roscoe Lee Brown as this odd club owner? And Duane Whitaker? Who would have cast Mr. Whitaker at all? Which is funny and true. A part written for me, by me, to play to my strengths, and in the real world, not only would I never have been cast in the role, I would never have been able to get a reading for the role. To paraphrase William Goldman: Nobody knows shit. There are a lot of idiots in the business -- idiots with power. A lot of horrible human beings -- with power -- but there are also some great, amazingly creative people out there and I've been lucky enough to work with some of them.

AS: Final thoughts?

DW: Go see "Feast"! Check out myspace.com/feastthemovie. My web-site is http://www.duanewhitaker.com There's more stuff there than you could ever want to know about me. Good luck -- God bless.

Duane Whitaker also teaches an on camera acting class in Los Angeles. Visit his website for details or call  (323) 856-4767