00:00You talked about preparing yourself for this role and Adrienne references the five stages of grief and what we all
00:05kind of feel responsible for as our actions. Who is Joseph Doucette and how does he kind of resign himself
00:11to his imprisonment?
00:13Well, I don't know who Joseph Doucette is. I don't think Joseph Doucette knows who Joseph Doucette is and that's
00:18kind of the point of the film is he's put in this, you know, he comes across as a very
00:22selfish, you know, self-centered guy who's put in this position with this makeshift prison to confront himself and he's
00:31not let out until somebody else decides but until he fully confronts himself.
00:35And I think when you're, you know, given a mirror and not able to turn away from it, you know,
00:43it's interesting the stuff that manifests and all the anger and resentment and shame and all that stuff that this,
00:50you know, plays with and the insanity of him being in there, the loneliness of him being in there and
00:55then actually finding some kind of escape in his head and then that not working anymore.
01:00So he goes through every emotion there is to go through. That's interesting to me. You know, I remember when
01:05just being a writer and going to prisons and talking to inmates and people who had been there for like
01:11credit card fraud and having three strikes and suddenly doing 20 years in prison, you go, how do you make
01:16that adjustment? How is that possible?
01:18So that was really informative to me. But I don't know, man. It's weird and it's morbid, but it's interesting
01:24to me.
01:25You worked on this with a great ensemble cast. What was it like kind of creating the chemistry?
01:31You don't create chemistry. You can act chemistry. You can act as if you like somebody.
01:37But it's much easier when there's just natural chemistry there. And with Elizabeth, there absolutely was.
01:44I wish we could have kind of delved into if it had been a, you know, 30 minute longer film,
01:49we could have delved into that relationship more only because I liked it.
01:52You know, I think she's a phenomenal actress who I have a load of respect for, especially because of her
01:58age.
02:00She has these emotional depths that I don't know how she's able to do that at her age.
02:04But, you know, and Charlto went for it and, you know, he did something very extreme, which I think was
02:10amazing.
02:11You know, it's walking a razor's edge. And yeah, I have a lot of respect for all the people that
02:15were involved.
02:16Your intensity and conviction in the film is absolutely striking and raw.
02:22Could you easily walk away from that character after a seance set?
02:26I can't wait to walk away from that character. That's the thing. It's like some people want to stay in
02:30that.
02:31And I appreciate that totally. And other people want to do what I do and just kind of like get
02:37as far away from it as possible.
02:38So I feel like there's something that you're delving into because then it hits you harder for me, you know.
02:44So if I'm popping out of a trunk or whatever that is, conceptually, you have an idea of how you
02:50want it to be.
02:51But then when you're in it and the thing is closed and you're inside and you hear rolling and, you
02:57know, you're like, what am I going to do?
02:59And you just try and make that switch and hope that it's as real as possible, as embarrassing as it
03:06may feel.
03:06So I try to have as good a time as I can.
03:08And so I'm, I'm, I'm as affected as an actor in the story as hopefully the audience is watching the
03:15movie.
03:16Interesting.
03:17I know.
03:17Um, I know you and Spike have been working, we were trying to figure out what you guys were working
03:22on together and it ended up being this.
03:24How was it working with Spike and why was it this project you guys chose?
03:29I think just because of the extremes of the project, I mean, it's just, it's, it's behaviorally, it's the craziest
03:35thing we could possibly do together.
03:36And I love him and I love the extremes of his personality.
03:40And I think vice versa, um, we couldn't wait to find a project together.
03:44So it could have been, you know, the story of Mickey Mouse and I'm sure we would have done it,
03:48but it was this, you know, it was just, uh, it just seemed right.
03:55When we got together, when we were both presented with this, we got together and we just started kind of
03:59riffing on what it could possibly be.
04:01And, and, uh, it just seemed, uh, right.
04:05I know you mentioned while having fun, having to be in, you know, whether it's a trunk or whatnot, but
04:10was there a particularly challenging scene that you had to film?
04:15Everything was challenging in a very different way.
04:17And I don't mean to generalize it, but, you know, the, the, the makeshift motel was extremely challenging just because
04:23it was exposing physically and emotionally.
04:27And, uh, that was kind of not new, but just to, to that extent was, I think was new.
04:34And then Spike would, you know, put an 11 minute mag in and just, you know, play a certain song
04:40over the loudspeaker and then just let me go, which is really unnerving because, you know, you have a crew
04:46sitting there going, oh, this is so dumb, you know, or whatever.
04:49Or, wow, this is, you know, compelling, you know, and you don't know because you're off on your own, you're
04:54on your own planet.
04:55And, uh, I think physically the, the fight was tough for me.
05:00I think I'm still, and, and I'm not joking.
05:03I'm still like reaping the benefits, if you will, of that.
05:09I still have muscles that haven't bounced back and it's been a year.
05:13Um, so I, I pushed it.
05:15I was willing to push it and mostly because of Spike.
05:19Great.
05:19Yeah.
05:20To that, how did you train to become a fighting machine?
05:24Waking up really early, working out.
05:27I, I panic is what it was because I was smoking and I stopped because I just couldn't do it.
05:33I literally couldn't do it.
05:35So I got in the, probably the best, best health and best shape I've ever been in in my life.
05:40That was the only way I could have done it.
05:4244 year old guy trying to be 25, you know, it was stupid.
05:46What was it like filming those fight scenes and the stylish kind of vision that you guys thought up together?
05:52It wasn't even, even though I know it's exaggerated in fighting, you know, 35 guys or whatever.
05:58All I know is that the, the, the fight was long enough for the guys that I fought on the
06:04top level were able to leave, dress up in different wardrobe and be the guys that I met on the
06:11bottom level.
06:12So when I heard, when that became a reality, I thought, what am I doing here?
06:17It's a long fight.
06:18It was, it's, I don't, I don't, I don't know how it ended up in the final film because I
06:21haven't seen it, but it's a very long fight and something that, uh, in the beginning I really wasn't sure
06:28I could pull off.
06:29I mean, I was almost positive I couldn't pull off and needed a stunt double for, but ultimately we, we
06:35pulled it off.
06:36You killed it.
06:37Thanks.
06:37Uh, if you were locked up for 20 years, what is the first thing you'd do when you get out?
06:41You can't even, you know, I heard a great story by Damien Eccles, who was very sweet to talk to
06:46me.
06:46And he's, he was in, he was locked up in solitary for 19 years.
06:50And he said the first thing he did was touch grass and start crying.
06:54And I don't mean to be morbid about it, but that was his very visceral experience, which comes out of
07:00this.
07:01Whatever I, when I grabbed the grass and put it to my face, that's a direct, um, um, influence of,
07:07uh, Damien Eccles.
07:08That's my honor to him.
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