Horror movies &stuff: Daniel Schweiger - "Bryan Loves You" Interview
Daniel Schweiger has had too many jobs on to many films to name. From doing promotions on "Demonic Toys", to music supervisor on "Bubba Hotep", to associate producer & writer on "Date Or Disaster", and now starring alongside genre vets Brinke Stevens, Tony Todd, and Tiffany Shepis in Seth Landau's "Bryan Loves You". A movie based on the true story of a cult back in 1993 that took over a small town in Arizona. In this interview, Daniel talks all things "Bryan Loves You" with HM&S.
MR. H:You've done alot of different jobs on many different films from Music Supervisor, to actor. Which job would you say is the most difficult, and which of the many jobs that you've done would you say you enjoy the most?
Daniel:They're all enjoyable, especially when I have the opportunity to act! The job of temp tracking, as in putting scores from other films into rough cuts, is definitely the most difficult- as you're often on your own without the director's input, and have to hope that you're "guessing" what will be the sound you're looking for. And even more difficult is when the director doesn't know what he/she is looking for, making you go down a lot of odd avenues to deliver the right music- a process that can be particularly frustrating. But usually when you're about to throw yourself through the window, you find the music you're looking for. So needless to say, being able to act can be a welcome break when you've come off a gig like that- though most music jobs are fun and rewarding. It's my bread and butter!
MR. H:Working on "Bubba Hotep", did you get to meet and greet Bruce Campbell??
Daniel:Not only did I get to meet Bruce, but I got to hang with the late, great Ossie Davis. I'm a complete film geek. And I dutifully brought along my red laserdisc of EVIL DEAD 2 for Bruce to sign. And when I met him, he was in complete, focused character for Elvis. He saw the laserdisc (before I could give it to him, as thousands have done before me), and said in great Elvis accent, "Hey Man, what do you got there?" Needless to say. I didn't ask him to sign, as he had more important things to do then! Bruce was nothing but cool, and it was a tremendous treat to be on the set with him. Ossie Davis was incredibly cordial. And in my first scene with him, I asked "What was it like to direct COTTON COMES TO HARLEM?" I'm incredibly lucky to have been in BUBBA, especially since I got to do scenes with my friend Dan Roebuck, almost breaking his hand when I swung the hearse door shut.
MR. H:You've gotten alot of great opportunities to work on some great films, does the credit for scoring said gigs go to your agent, or are you representing (i.e. selling, packaging) -- yourself these days?
Daniel:I'm incredibly lucky to have been in two big cult movies, FREE ENTERPRISE and BUBBA HO-TEP. I'd love to go out more on auditions, so if there's someone looking to rep me, I'm down. Basically, I put myself through some on-line actor services, which is how I've landed parts in two films that will be coming out. One is playing a nerdy hypocondriac in THE WEDDING VIDEO, and in the other I sabotage a giant mechanoid in ROBOT BATTLE- two parts that couldn't be more different, and have given me some good screen time. And then, and most importantly, there are friends like Seth Landau who put me in everything they do, which is why I'm in BRYAN LOVES YOU and TAKE OUT- not to mention Robert Burnett and Mark Altman casting me in FREE ENTERPRISE (and hopefully the sequel), and Don Coscarelli putting me in BUBBA (and ditto!)
MR. H:Tell us about your character Charlie in "Bryan Loves You", what's his role in this freaky cult movie?
Daniel:I'd guess that I'd describe Charlie as a particularly demented "psycho drama" leader, a guy who makes Seth's character re-live his worst nightmares- with an audience of Bryan converts egging me on. He's a guy who gets off on other peoples' insanity, yet tries to seem nice about it.
MR. H:Are you generally a fan of cult films?? Like movies about weird supernatural or otherwise cults moving into smalltown america and taking over hearts and minds?
Daniel:Well, I love "cult" movies like ROCKY HORROR, REPO MAN and SANTA SANGRE. In terms of cult movies, as in Charlie Manson cult movies, I wouldn't say I'm a fan of them. They're too scary to get into and really "enjoy." You'd never get me to watch something like JESUS CAMP! Personally, those people and Republicans are the scariest cultists of all- as they're REALLY taking over America- with the planet to follow.
MR. H:Why do you think it's so easy for some people to fall into cults? Is it a lack of mental power to see they're being duped, a lack of strong will, or that ever so popular need to be a part of something and not be the "outsider"?
Daniel:When looking at organizations that I personally view as cults, I think many people are in them because some part of their life got screwed up, and they need an organized group, religion, or whatnot to give them some sense of purpose. They'd be lost without it. And when they're getting that "fix" of feeling good about themselves, and their purpose in life, then it's impossible for them to see the darkness of what they're into. They'll come up with a dozen reasons to excuse it, or find a logical explanation. And there are plenty of organizations and religions out there with belief systems that I find as ludicrous as any science fiction movie. But then again, I know people into this stuff who function perfectly, and have good lives in spite of what they're into. So I can't really generalize, as much as I want to. As for me, I'm into the cult of good Zen.
MR. H:Did you guys shoot this movie in the exact same town in which these events occured, or did you shoot in another smalltown in Arizona??
Daniel:My scenes were in Phoenix, so I never visited the town- unless Phoenix was it! Seth is the keeper of all the dark secrets of Arizona.
MR. H:What can genre fans expect from "Bryan Loves You"? Real scares, a real mind trip, or all of the above?
Daniel:I think they'll be constantly surprised, and hopefully creeped out. My character is definitely the piece in a large, creepy jigsaw puzzle that they'll be trying to put together.
MR. H:When you first met Seth Landau the director...did you get the impression based on his ideas and directing style...that he knew how to make this film scary??
Daniel:Seth always has a very strong, unflappable direction of what he wants the story to do. And he has deep connections to BRYAN's story that I think will give this a particularly scary, and personal touch.
MR. H:Is this movie going to be really bloody, or will we get more psychological scares here more than visual gore and such??
Daniel:While there is some violence in BRYAN LOVES YOU, most of it is of the "outside the frame" variety, where the really nasty stuff happens - a la BLAIR WITCH. And I always think the stuff that people imagine is far more terrifying than what you can show- i.e. what John Carpenter did on HALLOWEEN and THE FOG. I really miss that kind of horror that keeps things in the shadows- though a bloody payoff isn't bad to have once in a while.
MR. H:What other films in the vein of cults and evil organizations, would you compare "Bryan Loves You" to in terms of style and overall tone?
Daniel:Let's just say that a great episode of SOUTH PARK covered what I think Seth is darkly satirizing here. DEADLY BLESSING and the first CHILDREN OF THE CORN also come to mind.
MR. H:What was it like working with Lloyd Kaufman? I hear he's always a riot to work with. Are you yourself a fan of "Troma" films?
Daniel:It was a blast to do a scene with Lloyd Kaufman, who was my first boss out of college when I had a brief, insane stint at Troma Pictures. Their office was (and I still believe is) a walk-up in NYC's Hell's Kitchen area. I was stationed at an old whorehouse while helping out on TROMA'S WAR, and would deal with Russian sailors walking to the door and asking, "Is this where the women are at?" I think the carpets were infested with crabs. And it was so hot that I'd sleep over in my underwear. One female friend of mine there wasn't up for that, and ended up in another room with a writer of the film. Today they're married with a wonderful family, and I'd like to think the crabs played a part in that. The Troma experience was definitely fun while it lasted. You can see me as a machine-gun toting terrorist in TROMA'S WAR. And Lloyd is a genuinely enthusiastic guy who I respect after ROCKY and THE FINAL COUNTDOWN, a real ball of promotional energy. While I loved TOXIC AVENGER, I actually thought one of their best films was the docudrama STORY OF A JUNKIE- which just came out on dvd. Almost unwatchable in its intensity.
MR. H:Have you gotten to see a rough cut of the finished film (Bryan Loves You) yet? If not, when it does debut, will you see it or do you think it'll be too scary for your tastes?
Daniel:I haven't seen BRYAN yet, but I'll have no problem watching it. The stuff I really have a problem watching are medical documentaries. I know that movies are "fake." The really scary stuff is on the network news.
MR. H:How many days did you spend shooting your scenes, and did you find any fun things to do in Arizona?
Daniel:I did my scene over one long, intense day, along with Seth, my pal Chuck Williams and some cool Arizona-ites. It was a real blast. And Seth put us up in an AMAZING 60's retro hotel. I felt like I was walking into a Shag painting (my favorite retro artist). So aside from taunting Seth's character, I got to swim in a great pool and have amazing food. Seth really knows how to treat his actors, not to mention friends. And unlike many people who say they're going to make a movie, Seth actually gets it done. He has an amazing spirit, and ability to persevere. I wish I had half of it!
MR. H:Did you get to read Seth's script before shooting?? If so was it a big part of why you cam aboard the project, and what did you like the most about it?
Daniel:I'd basically do any project that Seth wanted me to. And while I've had limited dialogue and appearances on past films, BRYAN gave me the chance to do six pages of near-constant dialogue, which was a challenge I relished- and hope to get a lot more of. It was a completely different character from anything I've played before, and it really stretched the acting muscle.
MR. H:How would you describe "Bryan Loves You", as a horror/thriller, a horror/drama/thriller, a horror/drama, a thriller/drama, a flat out thriller, a flat out drama, or a flat out horror movie?
Daniel:I'd call it a flat out flat out movie. Seriously, it's more of a psychological thriller than anything else about a guy who gets himself wrapped up in something way, way too deep for him. And I'm thankful to have helped plunge his character into the abyss of cult insanity.
End.
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