Comikaze Expo & Rampart – My weekend
Two truly wonderful days at Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles! It’s always great to get a free pass to a world of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comics & Gaming for no other reason other than that a few awesome people admire my work. I for one will never tire of getting out to these conventions and being able to talk with fellow Magic players, Marvel fans, battle-brothers with their WH40K armies in tow and most of all the amazing people who came by my table to share their appreciation of VM, Heroes and shockingly, Kazaam & Free Willy 2. Nora and I had a really great time and we are looking forward to next year.
I also made it to a screening of Rampart on Sunday. I’m not gonna lie, my heart was in a knot since I received an email from Oren earlier this year (who for the record, is one of the greatest men I’ve ever encountered in this industry) which painfully revealed that a large portion of my work on the film would not make it in the final cut. Alas, this was always a possibility and I knew it as early as our first day of shooting. Oren’s process is extraordinary, but it’s also highly experimental. Had it been any other director, or any other film for that matter, I’d be driving myself nuts with criticism and curiosity. After seeing the film, I now understand why when I would say “Oren, are you sure we can’t rehearse? Shouldn’t I read SOME of the lines? What about your vision?” he would reply: “If I had a vision for this film, I’d just shoot whats written and go home and watch it.” It sounds crazy, but it works. I know anyone who has worked with him before would agree. I know he respects my work and my ability and if nothing else, I’m holding him to his promise to give me a shot at showing the world a truly passionate, valid testimony of what its like in the streets of Los Angeles, sometime in the future.
To anyone that I hyped up about my appearance in this film, I must say: Rampart is a film that tried to tell four or five stories at once, at least it was when I signed on. In the end, Oren chose to tell one story magnificently, rather than many, for the sake of quality. After the screening last night, I agree with what Oren said during the following Q&A, which was that the performances given once shooting began, one in particular, (To avoid spoilers I will not use his/her name) ultimately lead to the discovery of a different story, one which I found to be beautiful. From an actors perspective, to work on a film like this is a dream come true. Go see it, you will not be disappointed.
Oren, Woody, Brie, congratulations my friends. Truly wonderful work.
-FCC