Many of us have sky-high dreams and fantasies of landing Acting jobs, and being huge stars in reality. Learn more of what actors on the rise think, regarding a lot of things. Plus, read what it’s like to have acted with “Seinfeld’s” ‘The Soup Nazi,’ Larry Thomas, in “You Don’t Say!” a new comedy.
“You Don’t Say!” was written/directed and co-produced by award-winning filmmaker, Robert Alaniz, of Sole productions, with music from Alan O’Day.
JULIA CHERESON (Roberta “Bobbi” Evans)
BUZZ: I love asking people what they were like in high school because I’m just nosey like that! So, were you a “Stoner?”
JULIA: (LAUGHS) “I was a dweeb—I was a total nerd.”
BUZZ: But in a good way, being a “Dweeb” or “Nerd” can be a good thing. “Smart cookies” are yummy!
JULIA: “I was not the girl who got asked to dances—I was the girl who was asked to help with their homework, so they could get a good enough grade to be able to go to dances. So, I was very ‘Nerdy.’ I had a great group of friends, and that can get you through not being popular. And, we were smart and happy. And, I behaved, pretty much by the book. Hopefully, still making my parents proud. They’re pretty excited about the premiere [of ‘You Don’t Say!’]”
BUZZ: They must be, especially because you got a leading role in your first film—congrats, Julia!
JULIA: “Thank you. I wasn’t really sure I was going to get the role. When Robert called, I stepped out on the porch. I was at home visiting my parents in Ohio, and we don’t get good reception because we live in the country. Well, my parents don’t. And, I was like I can’t lose this call because of bad reception! And Robert told me I got the role, and we talked for a couple of minutes. And I went inside, and I asked ‘Mom, where’s that bottle of wine you picked up today?’ So, we opened up a bottle of her favorite wine, and we all toasted and celebrated—it was so exciting! And, how could it be any better than to be with my family when I got that news.”
BUZZ: Besides, being excited and grateful for your family, how else did you feel about the film, since it was your first one?
JULIA: “I kind of went in just ready to absorb everything I could. Also, to give my best performance possible.”
BUZZ: How old are you?
JULIA: “I’m twenty-five.”
BUZZ: Oh, that’s great—you have the world by the balls, then!
JULIA: “I say ‘I’m too old, I’m too old to act,’ and my boyfriend reassures me. And, then I see older actors [whose careers’ are just starting, and that makes me feel better too]. I’m always like comparing, and I know I shouldn’t do that. It’s like the little ‘Nerd’ in me asking ‘Am I too old, Am I too young, Am I…’ That’s the thing about going into auditioning for roles that you might quite not fit. They might not know you’re what they want until you go in and show them. So, that’s something I try to keep in mind. So, it’s just like ‘Go for it—no matter what—go for it!’ who’s gonna stop you other than you. And, I’m confident in my abilities—it’s a matter of finding the right thing for you, and the right thing for that project.”
BUZZ: How inspiring—I feel like I could fly to the moon, now! But before I do, I have another question for you: “What was the funniest thing that happened on set?”
JULIA: “Oh, we had a lot of fun. There were these two actors, who play Martin and Bruce in the film, and if they found a third, they could be the ‘Three stooges.’ There’s a scene where one of them had a little body odor, and the other reacts to it. And, the faces they make are just hilarious! I had a lot of giggle retakes during that. So, they’re my favorite duo.”
BUZZ: What’s one of the things you love about “You Don’t Say?”
JULIA: “I love the fact that there’s a strong female character at the center of the story.”
GARY GOW (Jerry Brownwell)
BUZZ: What were you like in high school?
GARY: “Actually, the first three years, I was painfully shy. And, I discovered acting, thanks to my Freshmen English teacher. And unbenounced to me, he was doing the fall play that year and didn’t know who he was going to have play the child in the play. And I walked in [to the room] and he said ‘Kid, I’m gonna make you a star.’ And I said ‘What do you mean?’ And he said ‘You wanna be in ma play?’ And I was in all of the high school plays after that.”
“Yeah, but in high school I was pretty shy. And, it was actually the acting that got attention for me, or even respect. I played the role of male leading role in Oklahoma in my junior year, and it was a real popular play and popular role. So I had this newborn-like popularity, and I was elected Student Body President for the following year. It was all through the play, because no one knew me otherwise.”
“And about ten years ago, I met Robert--he was auditioning for his first film. And I got the lead role in the film ‘Timeserver.’ That kind of led me down another road, where I got an agent and did some commercials and TV.”
BUZZ: Yeah, such a great actor, like yourself, I bet is swamped with Showbiz work.
GARY: “I teach locally, and that keeps me pretty busy. So, I haven’t really tried” [to get anymore acting jobs yet.]
BUZZ: What can you say about your new film ‘You Don’t Say?’
GARY: “The movie makes you think it’s the things that you don’t say, that really matter the most. Yeah, it makes you look at things differently. This film has a lot to offer, too--there are a lot of different stories going on. It pokes fun at things that are ridiculous in society, you know. And, I think it really has something to say.”
BUZZ: What’s the first thing that pops into your head when I say “Larry Thomas?”
GARY: “Fun, nice guy. I got a chance to speak with him on set between scenes, and boy he’ll just sit and talk with ya and share stories. And, he’s a very, gracious gentleman. Yeah, he’s been a lot of fun. And that’s not always the case when you get to meet someone who’s been on a higher level as an actor. Sometimes, they’ll disappoint you. So, I was very happy to see he is very grounded and down-to-earth, amazing.”
BUZZ: What do you like to do in your spare time besides acting?
GARY: “ In my summers, I like to spend it with my wife and dog. He helped me shovel snow today (CHUCKLES). It was like two shovels and throw the ball (CHUCKLES).”
BUZZ: Yup, dogs can really keep you on your toes!
GARY: “Our’s is a Rescue dog. The previous owner didn’t treat him very well. He ran over his tail. So, his tail doesn’t work. It doesn’t seem to be stressful for him, so we didn’t have it cut off or anything. So he can’t wag, so when we come home, he smiles.”
BUZZ: I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOUR DOG THAT HE HAS SUCH KIND PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND YOUR WIFE.
GARY: “And, we’re happy for us—he’s a good boy, and you know what dogs can add to your life.”
DANI WILKIN (Teresa Temptin)
BUZZ: You have a degree form Columbia College inchi-town.
DANI: “Yes, my degree was in Fine Arts with a Minor in Acting”
BUZZ: It costs a bunch of dough to go there, right?
DANI: “Yeah, I’m still paying for it now, that’s for sure. And just when I was thinking Columbia wasn’t that worthwhile, I did a short film and met some people. It was a student film that we all didn’t even see the ending of. We all still talk and do films together. It’s all so strange that little film, that I didn’t see the product of, made it all worthwhile.”
BUZZ: What kind of roles do you want to play the most?
DANI: “Something that challenges me to the point of having a breakdown. I would love to do something that would make me research day in and day out, that would make me work so hard, they put me through a breakdown, to make me someone I’m completely not.”
BUZZ: Wow!
DANI: “ ’You Don’t Say’ has given me probably the one of the most far away roles I have ever played. I have played a couple of parts in movies, but in ‘You Don’t Say,’ it was really one of the ones that made me go: This person is nothing like me. She’s the ditz, she’s the slut, she’s supposed to be sleeping with the boss. All things I pride myself against. Not like I don’t like [that] type of person. I’m just not [that] type of person. I’m not slutty or dressing inappropriately at work, and those sorts of things. But, I think it makes you rationalize why someone would do something like that.”
BUZZ: Besides, it can make you have empathy for all sorts of folks.
DANI: “Exactly. I played an ex-heroin addict in “Arthouse Junkies,” And, when I was preparing for that role, I watched a lot of different films about drugs. And, I still watch those shows, about anyone with an addiction. I watch those shows constantly because you do empathize with them—you almost feel a part of you was that person.” [You can identify with their struggling.]
BUZZ: Are you a Method Actor?
DANI: “I think in ‘Arthouse Junkies’ I was method. In fact, It took me a couple of weeks to really shake her from me. Because, she was so strong—silently strong. With ‘You Don’t Say,’ I didn’t do Method Acting because she drove me nuts so badly (LAUGHS). [I’d say to myself,] ‘I’m so excited, she’s so sassy. I love her,’ and then like an hour later, I would say something silly or ditzy, and I would be like, ‘Okay, I really don’t want to be her anymore (LAUGHS)! ’ “
“I would show up on set in my pajamas, without my hair done, and I would spend an hour or two hours getting hair and make-up done. I had worn the tightest clothes, I had hair extensions in, I had tons of make-up done--I was so uncomfortable.”
BUZZ: Knowing sex sells, how do you feel about actresses doing nudity?
DANI: “There’s just certain things where you go, they just wanted to slip a boob in there. You need to really question, [as an actor, “Is showing your breasts, buttocks, vagina and/or penis] really necessary? Is this really going to change the film? Is it relevant to the story?” I would rather sell strength, and sell ambition over that--I’m working towards it.”
DAVID BRANIGAN (Eugene Evans)
BUZZ: I read in your bio you‘ve done a lot of theatre work.
DAVID: “I didn’t necessarily act in all the plays, I’ve done sound for plays as well. I’ve been primarily doing Gaelic Park plays, and doing some producing of plays.”
BUZZ: What turned you on to acting?
DAVID: “About 6 or 7 years ago, I auditioned for a play called ‘Gaelic Park Players.’ And got a small role. In 2003, there was an audition call for a movie filming in the area [Chicago]. Robert Alaniz was filming his first movie ‘Timeserver.’ So, I went there, and got a bit part as a lawyer. You see me for about 40 seconds in the beginning of the movie. Which is good because it had been cut out at first.”
BUZZ: Do you have any other showbiz projects in the works?
DAVID: “I’m trying to get my retirement for June of last year from teaching. And, I’m trying to get something going, playing guitar and singing. I do a one man 50s and 60s act [all oldies].”
BUZZ: Do you have any chillins’?
DAVID: “No, it’s just my wife and I. And, we have a dog (Smiles big, and has no teeth missing)!”
BUZZ: I also have a baby dog.
DAVID: “So, the dog’s the kid (LAUGHS)?”
BUZZ: Yes, and my Angel (Smiles big, and with no teeth missing yet—thank goodness)!
BUZZ: Why in detail do you think it’s said theater is so much harder to act in than films?
DAVID: “It’s actually a lot harder to do theater than to do movies because you screw up onstage, and then all the other people around you are screwed up as well. If you screw something up in a movie they just take another cut. “
BUZZ: I could be wrong, but I think I heard theater actors are more respected than any other actors. Plus, I’ve definitely heard there are a lot of film actors and television actors that wish to do theater.
DAVID: “Yes, there are a lot of movie actors who want to do theatre, and some of them succeed, some of them don’t.”
BUZZ: That just shows how difficult acting in plays is!
DAVID: “Yeah, you really have to memorize everything. You have to memorize your lines. You have to memorize your blocking, you have to memorize your movements, your interactions with other people and emotions.”
BUZZ: Do you think there are many differences between Community plays and Professional ones?”
DAVID: “My wife and I go to a lot of Broadway plays, and in just the acting and performance part of things, there’s really not that much of a difference.”
BUZZ: What is the best thing you think you have ever said?
DAVID: “Saying ‘I love you’ to my wife every morning.”
LAURA ANN PARRY (Madelyne Evans)
BUZZ: I read that you are an attorney, and have two kids who are into acting?
LAURA: “Yes, I am [and] uh, ha.”
BUZZ: Did your kids want to pursue acting because of mom and dad?
LAURA: “No, actually, my 14-year-old wanted to pursue acting, and she was taking Acting classes, and she turned to me at dinner one day. And was saying something about her acting class, and then said to me ‘Never mind--you don’t understand.’ And I thought, wait a minute, so I took an Acting class. She inspired me! I initially took the Acting class to bond with her. I followed her, and then the little one followed too, because she thought it was a lot of fun.”
BUZZ: Did anything strange happen on the set of “You Don’t Say?”
LAURA: “The first day of filming, a light fell on me, right before the first take (LAUGHS)! One of the Set lights.”
BUZZ: Oh, no! Did it hit you in the head?
LAURA: “Yes, it hit me in the head, but not with the hot part. I was lucky, but yeah, quite an interesting experience for my first day on set (LAUGHS).
BUZZ: So, since “You Don’t Say” is your first film, were you intimidated at all?
LAURA: “I wasn’t intimidated—I was eager and somewhat anxious. I didn’t quite know what was expected of me. Until, I threw it out there and just did my thing.”
BUZZ: Maybe, you were hesitant to ask any questions?
LAURA: “Right, because everybody is going about their business, setting up the lights…doing the sound. You know, checking things. And I finally figured out, if they want anything, a little more or a little less, they’ll tell me.”
BUZZ: Do Chicago actors walk with their nose in the air, and a stuck out dairy air?
LAURA: “The Chicago acting scene is a lot different than you might find in other cities. We let each other know when auditions are coming up. Even when you walk into an audition, and you see the person that beat you in the last role, you’re still friends.”
BUZZ: Yeah, I believe everything you just said. I have had nothing but incredibly good experiences with Chicago actors.
LAURA: “Trademark attorneys are like that, too! They’re very helpful to each other. I’m a bit of a geek.”
BUZZ: That brings me to the question: “How were you in high school?”
LAURA: “Okay, guess.”
BUZZ: A cheerleader?
LAURA: “Yes! That’s how I live my life. I know that sounds really ridiculous, but I am a huge cheerleader for other people!”
BUZZ: So, what kind of work do you want to do next?
LAURA: “I want to do more films. I like to do stage—I like to do both! I play a very light comedic role in this film, but I just did staged combat, and was a scorned wife trying to create problems for someone else. The play was by Austin Pendleton, who’s a Steppenwolf Theater Ensemble member—he wrote the play.”
BUZZ: He is a tremendously talented man—congratulations on landing that role, too.
LAURA: “Thank you.”
STEVE PARKS (Mr. Adeemus)
BUZZ: You must be “tickled pink” about the premiere of “You Don’t Say!”
STEVE: “Yeah, the premiere is in Chicago on April 6th. I’m gonna be in charge of crowd control. I used to be a Corporate trainer. I was the kind that whenever they would go to a new city, and open a new Lowe’s theater, I was there even though I lived in the Chicago suburbs. I thought with a big crowd like this [for the premiere of “You Don’t Say!”], you need someone with experience. When I was with Lowes, that was when they were opening up ‘Spiderman’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ so I had to deal with those midnight crowds in costume.”
“For D.I.N.K.S (Another Robert Alaniz film), I was sitting at the table to meet people, and I was really shy. Another movie I did was ‘Coin Toss,’ and I played twins, definitely an actor’s dream. One of course, was an evil twin. [And at that premiere], afterwards, people just started coming up and talking to me. And that was so much more comfortable to just hang out in the lobby of the theater and talk to people that way, like normal people because the table isn’t in between you.”
BUZZ: What do you want folks to know about “You Don’t Say?”
STEVE: “I think it’s just as good as a lot of other things I’ve seen in big budget films. Robert had a lot really invested in it, and it’s very well done. And I really love the soundtrack by Alan O’Day.”
CATHERINE HOOD (Donna)
BUZZ: Why did you get into acting?
CATHERINE: “My father put me into dance classes—I used to travel with a company I was dancing for. From there, I think I was in fifth grade, and I was reading a book. And the teacher asked me ‘Have you ever thought about acting?’ And I was like ‘No, what do you mean?’ And my friend said ‘You know, Catherine, you did sound good reading that book.’ So, that just made me think about acting, and I tried out for a high school play. I did a lot of high school plays, and I got a scholarship to go to AMDA in California.”
BUZZ: What other Showbiz work have you done?
CATHERINE: “Last year, I did six or seven films, and today I just got cast in one. And I’m doing a play, ‘Fit to Kill,’ in Park Forest, And I’ll be playing a sexy, devious, evil woman who’s trying to get revenge on a couple.”
BUZZ: You would take a gorgeous mug shot! You have the mug of a model. Have you modeled before?
CATHERINE: “I have modeled, at the moment, I am one of the faces for Devry University. So, you might see me on billboards or buses nationwide, and on the internet.
BUZZ: Is there anything else you would like to add?
CATHERINE: “Just that I’m an actress, publicist and writer. As far as being a publicist goes, I did an internship at WGN for Dean Richards [and am the publicist for ‘You Don’t Say.’ And I write for Examinor.com—I write articles with, Margie Korshak, reviewing Broadway plays.”
It certainly was a fun day interviewing the above actors of “You Don’t Say!” Also, the bound-to- be, laugh-out-loud comedy, should not have any movie attendees going astray--for the entire film of “You Don’t Say,” I bet they’ll all happily stay.
For tickets for the April 6th Chicago premiere of “You Don’t Say,” or additional information on the film and all who worked on it, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/You-Dont-Say-A-Robert-Alaniz-Film/292368020819913www.facebook.com/robert.alaniz.98
“You Don’t Say” was produced by David Branigan, Robert Alaniz, William Wagoner and MaxandIrit Nayden. Other actors in the film include: Toni Pieper, Rebecca O’Connell, Mikhailia Scoville, Andy Clifton, Caitlin Costello, Alison Barnes, Isabella DeCeault, Jayson Bernard, Brandon Galatz, Hayley Camire, Brian Hoolihan, Jeanette DiGiovine, Shavar D. Clark, Matthew Montalvo and Melodye Lorrayne.
