In what’s been described as a “bracingly honest” interview with BlackBook, VFS Advisory Board Member Matthew Lillard spoke about his career and what being cast in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants meant for him:
“Nobody ever comes to me. Nobody in the history of filmmaking has ever gone, ‘You know who we need for this? Matt Lillard.” That’s the truth. It was an audition. I read the audition and I was like, ‘Dude, there’s no way I’m going to be this guy. There’s no way I’m George Clooney’s wife’s lover. That’s not happening.”
And yet it did happen. According to this behind the scenes video shot on set in Hawaii, Lillard said he did the audition quickly with his kids waiting in the car, which actually played a part in him landing the role, according to Payne. Once he was cast in “one of 2011′s best” movies — a role that could potentially blow the doors off of the legacy of successful franchises like Scooby-Doo! and Scream — Lillard turned to his friend and colleague, Head of Acting for Film & Television Bill Marchant, for coaching help leading up to production.
Considering the many hours Lillard has dedicated to weekend workshops with VFS Acting alumni, not to mention his previous guest speaker engagements, working with the passionate veteran actor seemed like a no-brainer for Bill, who was kind enough to share his thoughts on the entire experience:
On Matthew Lillard, the Actor
“Matthew Lillard is very much an actor’s actor. He is classically trained and very professional in his attitude toward the work. Because he spent most of his youth and early adulthood immersed in the slacker oeuvre, he is too often dismissed as being a slight character, a goof, a man-child. Yes, he is all those things but they represent a very small part of his palette. He is very much a masculine force of tremendous power and charisma with a surprising depth of sensitivity. He is also like mercury, silvered and quick and electric, ultimately impossible to pin down.”
“I think it is Alexander Payne’s great genius to recognize this wild cactus flower, the outrageous beauty of bloom where we expected none. What a remarkable eye to know that behind the archetype that Matthew represents, lies an actor of extraordinary substance.”
The Coaching Process
“Matt was excited about The Descendants, obviously, but he was calm compared to me. I am a huge fan of both Lillard and Payne. I knew that this bit of inspired casting was akin to the masterstroke of using Paul Giamatti as the hero in Sideways. I am sure Matt did have his concerns about flying to Hawaii and doing the gig but he remained fairly casual through out the process. It is never wise to do a project of this scope without working on it with a coach. It was my honour to play that role.”
“[VFS instructor] Matt Fentiman and I flew down to the Lillard home in Pasadena ready to work. But we didn’t get right to it. We talked over the script and major scenes casually during the course of the next few days as Matt [Lillard] took care of his kids and wrangled busy schedules with his wife. I was chomping at the bit to play. Matt Lillard prefers to simmer. Slow.”
“The day before we left for home, we finally got down to it. We started by walking for miles in beautiful suburban Pasadena down tree-lined avenues, just going over the lines, over and over again, letting them seep deep into the tissue of the actor’s body. On breaks we would ramble and debate about the truth of love and relationships and betrayal and getting caught. These are all the major hurdles his character faces in The Descendants.”
“Finally, we took it back to the ‘work’ room of Matthew’s house and got the scene up on its feet. Matt Fentiman took on the Clooney role and we let it fly. Lillard is all animal impulse. He censors nothing as he repeats the scene, honing and tweaking and pushing at the edges of the scene until the ragged but glorious truth emerges. It’s not pretty. It’s not easy. But it is outrageously fun. Within a couple of hours we were done and wisely let it go. I knew Matthew could remain constant in the scene while adapting to all change regardless of the circumstance. His key strengths are energy, permission, and the connective sinew of love that defines the great actor. He brings it every time. That’s who he is.”
Thanks for the insight, Bill! And a big congrats to Matthew Lillard on a wonderful performance!
UPDATE (1/16/12): The Descendants has won the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Drama).
2011 has been a year of incredible accomplishments by VFS students and alumni. For the first time, we saw a Writing for Film & Television student screenplay produced on a global stage with grad Seth Lochhead’s Hanna. A team of Entertainment Business Management students took their Compendium short down to Screamfest LA and beat out seasoned pros for the Best Short Film award. And Digital Character Animation grad Rafael Cardenas took home his first Ariel Award – Mexico’s answer to the Oscars. As any regular reader of this blog knows, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for VFS alumni achievements this year. Students and grads from all programs raised the bar even higher for the next wave of artists to come out of VFS, and we’ve pulled all of their stories together at vfs.com/2011. Browse through the milestones of 2011, month by month. You’ll see a special video feature, VFS Blog and In Focus magazine stories, YouTube highlights, and what the wider VFS community had to say about it all. Congratulations to everyone on an amazing year – and thanks for letting us tell your inspiring stories!
As the Senior Vice President of The Characters Talent Agency (West), you could say he’s well-versed in the inner workings of the film industry. He’s one of the reasons Acting grad Adam DiMarco has had such an incredible year, having made the behind-the-scenes connections that resulted in getting Adam seen by dozens of decision-makers. Seated comfortably for a moderated Q&A, Tyman also reflected on signing Head of Department Bill Marchant: “I remember seeing you… I remember to this day: I am repping you.” Over an hour and a half, he shared a lot of promising stories and hard lessons, as current Acting for Film & Television student John Connolly has been kind enough to recap for us. Guest Post by John Connolly The classroom was filled to the brim with students waiting for Bill Marchant and our guest speaker, Tyman Stewart, to arrive. It was an unprecedented event for the Acting for Film & Television program, and our current three classes were the fortunate ones to be present for it. Tyman Stewart is the Senior VP of The Characters Talent Agency, the second largest agency in Canada, which currently represents VFS faculty members Bill Marchant and Jennifer Clement, as well as quite a few VFS alumni. The agency has branches in Los Angeles and Toronto as well as here in Vancouver. Tyman has also produced a few films, including Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, and the upcoming A Little Bit Zombie. Over the course of an hour and a half, students asked about anything they could think of: outside influences on the industry, work in the US, even haircuts. The questions varied from personal to inclusive, and Tyman would respond with stories and examples from his personal experience as well as the general standard among other agencies. He made it very apparent that he wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything for our benefit. It may have made some students uneasy at first, but that soon passed as they realized how his personality visibly reflects his attitude toward his job: professional, yet personable. The recurring theme throughout the session seemed to be stereotypes, or the fear of being pigeonholed into one specific character. “If your talent surpasses that,” Tyman answered, “then you shouldn’t worry.” Build a reputation as a great actor and possess great skills, then there will be no boundaries. Focus. Make sure you continue your training, learn techniques, and always keep an ear to the ground as to what’s happening in the business. He also made it clear that “you can be as good as you want, but if you’re an ass, no one will want to work with you.” While it may seem obvious, there are indeed actors in the world who may disregard that advice. From beginning to end, the evening was a constant outbreak of overwhelming information and each of us left with something valuable to bring into our future endeavours. Thanks, John! Visit VFS on Flickr to see photos from Tyman’s visit.
Even the most epic tales must come to an end, and on Friday The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 will bring the tale of vampires versus werewolves versus teen love to its (first half) conclusion. As with the previous films, the crew was peppered with alumni from 3D Animation & Visual Effects and Film Production. Well done! Carrie Wilson – Second Assistant Camera To celebrate, we’re offering two tickets to an exclusive private screening, courtesy of Cineplex Media, at the Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver on November 17th, 2011 at 7:00pm. Update (1/17/12): We neglected to mention Acting for Film & Television grad Tanaya Beatty is also featured in this movie as “Rachel Black”.
During the one-year Acting for Film & Television program, students vie for a chance to compete in a monologue competition. It’s a great opportunity to prove your evolving acting chops and apply lessons learned in the first part of the year. For Mayumi Yoshida — a student who first encountered VFS as a Summer Intensives participant and continued her journey through Acting Essentials to Acting for Film & Television — it was an aligning of the stars. She initially wasn’t listed to compete, but a generous fellow student withdrew so she could enter. At the end of the day, it was Mayumi who came in first place! Jason Mireau also made a lasting impression on the judging panel of VFS faculty and staff. His at-times manic performance, as you’ll see, is captivating and reflects the hours of preparation that students put into these pieces. We’ve captured both performances — in single takes — and you can watch them below, or click here to find out more. Mayumi Yoshida performs an excerpt of “Sixty Years to Life” by Nick Zagone. Jason Mireau performs an excerpt from “House” by Daniel MacIvor.
He’s once again teaming up with Foundation Visual Art & Design grad Ryan Copple (Co-Creator and Writer of Riese), who will serve as Writer-Producer for a new wedding-themed horror feature entitled Death Do Us Part. Acting for Film & Television grad Peter Benson is also a Writer-Producer on this project and will be starring as well. Some other familiar VFS faces include Makeup Design for Film & Television grad Sarah Elizabeth, EBM grad Sandra Gonzalez, and Film Production grad Greg Brown. A press release for the film hints at the horror to come: “What started out as a celebration quickly descends into a bloody nightmare. Friendships are ripped apart and accusations fly in this blood-filled psychological horror with a whodunit twist.” Principal photography begins this month. We’ll bring you more details as they become available. Until then, visit DeathDoUsPart.com for more info! Break legs, everyone!
The eighth year of the contest came to a close last night, with VFS faculty and grads taking the lead with some shocking (and surprisingly funny) horror films. You can currently see all the entered films on the competition website — however, we strongly advise viewer discretion. If you’re not a fan of the horror genre, well, let’s just say you might be spending Halloween hiding out in a safe place with a favourite blanket after watching these. According to VFS Blog sources, we’ve learned that Acting for Film & Television instructor Andrew Moxham picked up the Jury Prize honours for “my guitar gently weeps”, which featured Acting grad Steve Bradley – who also received an award for Best Actor. Makeup Design for Film & Television grads Leah Cuff and Malin Sjostrom-Ewan, meanwhile, won the Best Makeup award for their work in “Full Moon Tonight” and the VFS Acting program-heavy “All Saints Day” won Best Score Congrats, all! Here’s the list of all teams featuring VFS faculty and grads – if you’re not on this list, let us know and we’ll add you! “Just One More” “my guitar gently weeps” “Full Moon Tonight” “All Saints Day” “Cerebral Static” “Satan’s Sideshow” “Nailed”
Congratulations to the students, grads, and faculty of Entertainment Business Management, Writing for Film & Television, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Digital Design, Film Production, Acting for Film & Television, and everyone else who took part in the creation of The Little Mermaid. Part of Compendium IV: Psycho Princess, this project was honoured as Best Short at the world-renowned Screamfest LA Film Festival this past weekend — something we were anticipating since we announced the screening earlier this month. We’ll have the full scoop very soon, so stay tuned! Itching to see a glimpse of The Little Mermaid while the short makes the festival rounds? Check out the teaser, courtesy of Digital Design grad Kim Oxlund. Update: We’ve created a two-part blog post with tons of behind-the-scenes info about The Little Mermaid. Read Part One, focused on the producers’ point of view, and Part Two, which looks at the makeup and writing.
While the Acting for Film & Television program focuses specifically on acting in front of the camera, the skills and techniques students discover over one year of intense exploration can be applicable to other avenues, such as theatre. Alumnus William C. Vaughan, whose young career already boasts credits like Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy, Defying Gravity, and Men with Brooms, describes why he’s drawn to theatre: “I do it for the experience and to build something that people can experience live with us. No one can edit my performance, or cut a scene, or ‘fix’ anything afterward. That’s the real thrill of it. A tiny, freezing theatre where the audience has no idea what they’re in for and will never forget what they’ve seen. And once it’s done, it’s done. When it was meant to be done. And I can truly be proud of what I’ve accomplished.” Fellow grad Paul Piaskowski (Shattered), when asked how acting in theatre affects his film and television work, answered with this: “Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Whether you’re doing this in front of a crew of 50 on a film set, or in front of an audience of 500 in a theatre, it makes no difference. There are some technical things that need to be adjusted, but the art of it, the art remains the same; that truth you feel in yourself, it never changes.” “The reward of the work is the work. If you’re doing this for the right reasons, the passion you feel working on a multi-million dollar Hollywood blockbuster will be the same passion you feel working on a no-budget independent theatre production in some tiny black box theatre in the middle of nowhere.” Both William and Paul will be joined by another VFS Acting grad, Jessica Charbonneau, as well as Senior Instructor Cara McDowell, in the upcoming production of Asymmetry at Vancouver’s Havana Theatre (1212 Commercial Drive) on October 25-30. Want to win two tickets to see Asymmetry on Wednesday, October 26 at 8pm? Hit the Like button on this post, or on Facebook, by Friday, October 14.
Three Acting for Film & Television grads have been cast in an upcoming independent feature film, The Dead Mile. Set in Calgary, Alberta, production of this “romantic zombie-horror” film begins this month and focuses on the annual Zombie Walk in Calgary. Featuring plenty of gore – by the looks of the film’s Facebook page photos – VFS grads Sean Dykink, Wade Sun, and Angelica Janik will likely be zombie grub before shooting wraps. Sean says he’ll be playing “a somewhat cocky farm boy who loves slasher flicks” while Wade describes his character as “the lead character’s boss, Kevin, who has a napoleon complex.” (No word yet on Angelica’s character… which might mean she’s been turned into one of them already.) “I got the part by sending in an audition tape that I filmed when I was visiting family back home in Edmonton,” says Sean. “I received the audition from my agent halfway through vacation and got help from friends and family with running the scenes and then finally taping the audition.” Break legs, everyone! (And don’t get bitten!)
2011 Retrospective: Looking Back on an Amazing Year
Talent Agent Tyman Stewart Visits VFS Acting
“You should always have an agent who thinks you can do everything,” VFS Advisory Board Member Tyman Stewart told a packed room of Acting for Film & Television students this week. Twilight: The Saga Concludes (Part 1)
(Read on to win tickets to an exclusive pre-release screening!)
Henry (Hung-Chi) Peng – Matchmove TD
Alan Fregtman – Rigger
David Yabu – Lead Animator
Yuta Shimizu – Lighting Lead
Biren Venkatraman – Lighting and Asset TD
Daanish Wain – Compositor
Chun-Ping Chao – Digital CompositorTo enter, LIKE this post by tomorrow at noon. This contest is now closed.
VFS Acting Students in Performance!
Wedding-Themed Horror Features VFS Elite
As director of The Little Mermaid – an award-winning short film from Compendium IV: Psycho Princess – Entertainment Business Management instructor Nicholas Humphries is no stranger to working with VFS students and grads.
VFS Faculty and Grads Go “Gore” at Bloodshots 2011
You might’ve heard of the annual Bloodshots 48-hour Horror Filmmaking Contest. Films created during this twisted filmmaking frenzy can be scary, gross, horrifying, or just downright wrong. And that’s the point. ‘Tis the season, right?
Team Awesome
Film Production grads Katelynn Mann (Producer), Jan Floor (Art Direction), and Carson Haight (1st AD), along with Makeup Design grad April Beer (Makeup Artist).
The Studes
Acting grads Andrew Moxham (Director/Editor/Story), Steve Bradley (Story), and Andrew Dunbar (“Driver”/Camera Op), along with Makeup Design grad Jennifer Kaminski (Makeup Artist).
Borrowtime
Acting grads Lauren Martin (“Chloe”) and Tom Belding (“Jeremy”), Film Production grads Darren Borrowman (Director), Joshua Mark Guitar (Editor), Darshan Rickhi (Grip), and Sean Avery (Grip), Entertainment Business Management grad Sebastien Dryland (Assoc. Producer), Writing for Film & Television grads Bob Woolsey and Andrew Menzies (Writers), and Keith Opatovsky (Producer), Makeup Design grads Leah Cuff and Malin Sjostrom-Ewan, and Digital Design grad Ian Berg (Motion Design).
After Shock
Acting grads Matt Fentiman (Director/Writer – also a VFS Acting instructor), Scott Alonzo (Writer/Producer), with VFS instructor Suzanne Hepburn and Head of Acting Bill Marchant appearing on screen as well. Digital Design grads Drew Hutchinson (Editor) and Matthew Lawless (DOP), and Makeup Design grad Jennifer Kaminski (Makeup Artist) also contributed.
Team Lost Boys
Sound Design for Visual Media students Luis Orlando Ruiz (Boom Op, Sound Editor/Mixer), Bryce Raffle (Music/Boom Op/Sound Editor), and Juan Carlos Aguirre (Boom Op/Sound Editor).
Hora Morior
Makeup Design grad Shimona Henry (Producer/Makeup).
Bloodclot
Film Production grad Hope LaVelle (Producer/1st AD).Compendium’s “The Little Mermaid” Wins at Screamfest!
Win Tickets to See VFS Grads & Faculty in ‘Asymmetry’
Acting Grads Walk The Dead Mile
