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The Vatican Tapes’ Olivia Taylor Dudley: Transformation Is An Actor’s Dream

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oliviataylordudleyIn The Vatican Tapes, the upcoming horror film by Mark Neveldine (Crank, Gamer), Father Lozano (Michael Pena) fights to save the soul of a young woman via exorcism, and realizes he may just be fighting to save the world. I caught up with Olivia Taylor Dudley, who plays the possessed woman, Angela, to ask her about her improv career and what happens when the future of the world lies in the balance.

Dudley told me that her 5 Second Films career began six years ago, and that they film all weekend to be able to release one film, every week day. She told me that a single, five-second film could take hours to film, but that the focus is on making it funny.

Funny? Funny doesn’t begin to describe her latest output, or her previous film, The Chernobyl Diaries, but Dudley says she isn’t out to be “just” a comedian.

“I’ve been acting my whole life,” she said. “I’ve been in all different kinds of movies; I like doing all of it. Comedy was obviously something that got me recognized but it’s not necessarily what I want to do for my whole career.”

“Acting is acting; it’s all the same,” Dudley said, before laughing. After a pause, she admitted, “It is nice to have a script.”

We turned from her comedic exploits to the more serious nature of The Vatican Tapes. Seriously, how could a woman funny enough to make 5 Second Films really dig into a role like Angela’s?

“I love Angela,” Dudley said. “I’ve been a big fan of exorcism films since I was a little girl. It’s awesome to be able to play someone who is goodhearted and pure when you meet her, who turns into something else, and finally, who transforms into someone else is an actor’s dream.”

She continued, “I had a month of rehearsal, so there was lots of time with the director, script, and the other actors. I was able to pinpoint how far to go with the character at each spot along the way.”

The film itself sets us up to understand that it’s not just about one young woman’s soul (like that isn’t enough) but that the fate of the world is at stake. I asked Dudley if that wasn’t a sort of superhero vibe, defending the world at a galactic level.

“No one has called it a superhero movie before!” Dudley said. “I think it’s a battle that has been going on for a very long time, and one that will keep going for a long time, without end.”

She continued, “The pope recently said the antichrist is real and is here. I think good and evil does exist. And there are real people out there performing exorcisms like the priests in the film, people who are acting as superheroes every day.”

But what does evil look like, I asked? How can the faith we see in The Vatican Tapes really speak to the way that the world works today?

vaticantapesolivia“I think this is a pretty extreme example of evil,” said Dudley. “You never know what choices you make will affect how things turn out.  You can find yourself down an evil path.”

“In Angela’s case, she was a good person; she’s definitely not an evil person,” Dudley said. “It’s no longer Angela in the end. People have been obsessed with exorcism movies for a long time, because in the back of your mind, it’s a possibility it could happen. Maybe people will think twice about what is going on with the people around them.”

 

I asked Dudley what her dream job would be, and she admitted that the desires can change from day to day. “One day I have one answer for my dream job, the next day it changes,” she said. “If the character is good, and the script is interesting, I’m happy with it.

But as we closed, she admitted, “I like playing badass women. I think Angela is one, physical (and I got to learn a new language.) I like to kick ass.”

Superheroes saving the world from evil, indeed.

 

 

The Biggest Loser’s David Broome: This Briefcase Could Change Your Life (Interview)

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briefcase-cbsLast week, I tuned in to CBS’s The Briefcase, figuring that the premise might serve up a sermon illustration or two. In the premiere episode, a family is surprised with the delivery of a briefcase holding $101,000. They are told that the money is theirs, and they can decide how much of it to keep. Whatever they don’t spend will go to another family, but they don’t know that the other family was given a briefcase, too. Today, I sat down with Executive Producer David Broome (The Biggest Loser) to talk about putting the show together, the hopes he has for it, and some of the critical backlash.

Broome has made a career out of “transformational television” as he calls it, as NBC’s The Biggest Loser has tracked the inspirational changes in people working to lose weight since 2005, with 186 episodes under its belt. With The Briefcase, Broome says, “Unscripted television works best when you can sit there as a viewer and say, ‘that’s me. That’s my husband, wife, brother, neighbor.’ I wanted to do something that talks about values and what matters most in life. I started with the analogy of scratching off a lottery ticket. If that’s our starting point, you always hear these stories about how these winners are miserable, that the money wasn’t everything. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”

I asked Broome how they put the two main components, the people and the briefcases full of money, together to make the show. “I wanted to do it with middle class Americans, not the very poor or the rich. They didn’t know what we were doing but we said, ‘this money is yours but there’s a decision that goes with it.’ So middle class was the first criteria, with around $66,000 as the average household income. Tonight’s episode with Josh and Susan, two little people, they make $73,000 a year but struggle to pay the bills every day.”

“We wanted to talk about finances but we asked questions like, ‘Do you and your husband argue about money? Do your religious and political views come into play? What kind of people are you?’ The thing is, the show, as you saw, has so little to do with the money. I think it hardly has anything to do with the money. It’s about love and communication and finding a common bond – it’s about all of the things you find in community, and in America.”

The six episodes feature $202,000 being given away weekly. Broome says that money is straight from the network, not sponsor-provided. The money might not be the heart of the show but it’s definitely the issue people were raising, and this executive producer has gone to Twitter, Huffington Post, and blog by blog to engage people in conversation. He’s obviously proud of what the show is doing but he’s willing to engage in conversation with his critics, too.

dave-broome“We were the number one show last week,” Broome says. “Our fans want to watch it with their families and their children. But there are a lot of people who jump on their blogs, cynical people in the media like me before I did this show, who haven’t seen anything more than a promo.”

“The people on our show are not poverty stricken; we’re not pitting them against each other in some kind of game show competition. And every time I’ve reached out to the people [criticizing the show] who will talk to me, they’ve admitted that they haven’t even seen the episodes. That’s frustrating! But the conversations have been good.”

I asked the Californian from Long Island what had surprised him about making the show, and he admits that the show has had more of an impact on him than anything else he’s done. “I found faith in humanity that I never expected,” he says. “These families, it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d popped in unexpectedly; every single day, these families are making sacrifices for their children, for others. Whether it’s not to buy expensive meat so their kids can have music lessons, or sending money to aid people after an international earthquake, these people who don’t even have money to give but are finding a way to contribute.”

Broome was a marketing and communication major at Hofstra University on Long Island, but after visiting California on a family vacation at thirteen, he knew he had to move there. Starting in sports talk radio, he finally branched out into reality television and formed his own company, 25/7 Productions. He knew he wanted to do something different, to tell stories, and reality television was beginning to soar.

“I thought a lot of reality television was just ‘trainwrecky.’ It’s hard to make feel good reality TV shows because no one wants to buy them because they won’t show something without drama or conflict. I’m okay with that as long as the show ends up with a socially redeemable aspect,” Broome says. “My shows either cut into the zeitgeist of what’s in our country or our homes, or what I think is coming down the road.”

families“I’m very motivated by moving an audience. I love making people cry and people laugh. I love affecting people by the stories I’m telling. I’m no prophet but I’m trying to change the world. I believe that reality TV at its finest can inform and educate in a non-preachy way. Those are the shows I want to do. Then I can be proud of what I’m showing my nineteen and twenty-one-year-old daughters who want to follow in my footsteps. I tell them, ‘You’ll have to deal with conflict all the way but be confident in what you’re doing and be able to look at yourself in the mirror.”

I found myself sucked into the show’s first two families last week but I quickly recognized For King And Country’s “Fine, Fine Life” playing in the background of one of the songs. While some of the situations did make me one to ‘tear up,’ proving Broome successful, I was also aware that faith played a role in the decision-making… and the set up. This proved to be one of the more surprising things for the experienced producer.

“Music is a very important part of all of my shows; I’ve been a musician since I was a kid. When I’m putting in songs with lyrics, I want them to match up with what you’re seeing. I want it to be part of the experience. I don’t want to bang it over anyone’s heads but it’s very deliberate. “

“I didn’t realize how much faith would impact every single one of these families. Even the families that are not terribly religious. Next week’s episodes is a Christian, very conservative, Texan, Bible belt family; everything they do is in prayer. But even the North Carolina family in the premiere, they stopped and just prayed. I’m almost positive that every single family stopped to pray together. That was a surprising thing.”

briefcase“I had asked them in advance, ‘Do you regularly attend church? Is there a priest, pastor or rabbi involved in their family?’ Except for one family, we have one Mexican family who have a close relationship with their priest, none of them said they did. That showed me how much faith runs through everyone’s veins. It’s heartwarming at every level. I think that’s where the show is grounded at, and why it is so real.”

Tune in tonight to catch the second episode of The Briefcase and then leave your thoughts below. For folks who get caught up in the narrative, keep an eye out for Broome’s next project on NBC, which is currently casting. S.T.R.O.N.G. (Start To Realize Our Natural Greatness) will do the opposite of The Biggest Loser, which gets obese people to lose weight. Broome says that they’ll “take the every day person who gets up and wants to take on the world, and help them transform their body and their mind” in the aspirational competition series.

No matter what happens, David Broome’s shows will definitely make you laugh and cry. Whether you’re changed by what you see… that’s up to you.

Where Hope Grows: Hope Springs Anew

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Veggieball - Where Hope Grows

This weekend at your local theater, there are two major films that will generate considerable interest from both casual and devoted moviegoers. There’s Pitch Perfect 2, a musical comedy certain to attract a younger audience. There’s also some film about a guy named Mad Max (you might have heard about it here on ScreenFish) that takes place in a bleak desert landscape evocative of a Midnight Oil music video. There’s also a much quieter film called Where Hope Grows that features a baseball player and a grocery store worker with Down Syndrome.  If your cinema is showing the latter, I highly recommend you give it a try before saying hello to either Anna Kendrick or Charlize Theron. You’ll walk out of the building a better person for it.

Where Hope Grows tells the story of Calvin Campbell (Kris Polaha, Backstrom), a baseball player who couldn’t quite make it at the big league level due to a case of the yips. As a result, he finds himself in a daze, simply trying to make it through each day while dealing with the responsibilities of singlehandedly raising his teenage daughter Katie (McKaley Miller, Hart of Dixie).  To a large degree, Calvin fails at this task as he slowly spirals out of control, leaving Katie to take care of him instead.

There is a glimmer of hope in all of this, however. While at the grocery store one day, Calvin meets a guy from the produce department who is actually named Produce (David DeSanctis). Produce has Down Syndrome, yet somehow knows the department like the back of his hand, rattling off identification code after identification code to Calvin before giving him a bear hug. Calvin takes a liking to Produce and develops a friendship with him, even teaching him how to play baseball by having him hit fruits and vegetables in the alley. The challenge comes in the form of Colt (Michael Grant), a co-worker of Produce with an affinity for skirting the rules as he dates Katie (providing a relationship her father cannot). Calvin isn’t happy about this situation—and rightly so—but is powerless to do anything about it because he can’t break out of his tailspin. This leads to some significant drinking that his good friend Milt (Billy Zabka, The Karate Kid) only serves to exacerbate.

Yet Produce remains a significant figure for Calvin, even inviting him to church (which Calvin shrugs off immediately).  He’s always made it a goal to be Employee of the Month at the grocery store, but is always overlooked due to his condition. This leads to a rather tense discussion between Calvin and the manager over fairness and not discriminating against someone because they’re different. The end result is exactly what you’d expect: Produce is passed over for the honor yet again.

Oh, you didn’t expect that? Then the latter half of the film will certainly provide you with some more surprises.

Calvin and Katie - Where Hope Grows
Calvin eventually has a prodigal son moment (see Luke 15:11-32) when, in a drunken stupor, Produce takes his car keys and runs away.  He attempts to show up for an interview to be the manager of the local baseball team but arrives so late that the stadium is completely locked up. Dejected, he traipses through the evening to another baseball diamond and, in the pouring rain, discovers something about himself while attempting to hit balls.  At this point, he begins his comeback by going to church—for an AA meeting where he meets Amy (Brooke Burns, Baywatch)

The climax of the film comes at a family fun center when Milt notices that his wife Susan (Danica McKellar, The Wonder Years) has, thanks to Milt’s lifestyle choices, plants a kiss on a friend whom the two have taken in at their house.  Meanwhile, Cole decides to make his move on Katie in a scene that has scarred me forever from playing Laser Tag. This leads to a denouement that is somewhat predictable but nonetheless jarring.  Can hope come out of all these messed-up lives?  The answer is not an easy one.

Of course, one of the unique things about Where Hope Grows is DeSanctis himself. He plays the role of Produce with a freshness, vitality, and childlike exuberance often missing in Hollywood films these days. Yes, he has Down Syndrome, but a lesson to be learned here is that stereotypes are meant to be shattered—and I think some significant shattering will occur from this film.  Polaha does a nice job as Calvin and has an extremely natural chemistry with DeSanctis (one he described as “instantaneous and organic”) that is evident in their scenes together. This is also the case with the father-daughter relationship he plays with Miller.

A second unique aspect of the film is the nature of how faith-based it is. Where Hope Grows does not attempt to bludgeon people with God, but allows the faith discussion to happen in a semi-organic manner. Produce reads his Bible and sings in the church choir. Susan reads a short passage from Matthew 6 at a critical juncture of the film. There is a scene where Calvin and Katie discuss prayer in a manner that is gripping and challenging all at once. Director Chris Dowling (The Remaining) said that “Faith films tend to write their world as they want to see it rather than what it is . . . [it’s supposed to be] a conversation starter.”  To that end, I think he does a great job of making that happen.

Produce, Calvin, and Amy -- Where Hope Grows
This brings me to the third aspect of Where Hope Grows. Even though it could technically be considered a faith-based flick, I beg to differ. So did Miller, who in an interview I recently had with her, described it as the opposite of a “Hey, look at us; we’re a Christian film.” Although the overarching themes of respecting others, redemption, and making the most of every day are on full display, there’s a grittiness to the picture that will make people sit up and take notice. Calvin’s struggles with drinking are on full display, showcased by numerous bottles of liquor that he downs quite often. There’s an attempted rape scene and some violence. Does this sound like something that churches would probably endorse? However, if you go to the movie’s Facebook page, you’ll see that over 478,000 people have placed a like on it.  That’s not a misprint. Instead, I see it as a fantastic step in the right direction where Christians and those not of faith can dialogue about issues common to both.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the film is perfect (very few are).  Some of the relationships aren’t explained as thoroughly as they could’ve been (as an example, Calvin and Katie never discuss the missing part of their family—Calvin’s inferred wife). The pacing was a tad slow in places and there’s a confrontation between Calvin and Milt that looks a bit hokey on screen. However, there are a lot of good things that will come out as a result of Where Hope Grows—thanks to a fellow named Produce and an insatiable desire to be a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  It’s a film that will make you walk out of the theater with a renewed zest for life and a challenge to make every day a little bit better than the last.