Category Archives: Interview

Interview with Timothy V. Murphy

Timothy V. Murphy loves staying busy so much that we had to grab him on the run for a short but sweet interview regarding his return to NCIS Los Angeles. It looks like we haven’t seen the last of Sidorov but hopefully we will get to watch Tim reprise his guest star role as the Russian arms dealer sometime in the future. Here’s what he told us about his time spent on the set of Wanted:

What was it like to return again to NCISLA to play this wonderfully layered and multi-dimensional character?

It was great…they are a great bunch of actors and crew…very welcoming.

Sidorov was described (by CIA Officer Michael Synder) in the episode Rude Awakening as a disciplined sociopath. How do you get into the mind of such a character?

I play “bad guys” but I don’t ever look on them as bad…they always have a reason for doing what they do.

Did you have to work with a language/dialogue coach?

There was a great dialect coach on set.

How do you prepare for a procedural drama such as NCISLA?

I read the script, learn my lines and treat the other actors with respect. They are so talented; they make my job very easy!

What was your experience working on the set with this group of actors and crew? Any stories you can share with our readers?

It was great working with Chris as a director. I’ve been a fan of his work since Circle of Friends and Scent of a Woman.

Can you tell us a little bit regarding your next role, The Frankenstein Theory and any projects you are currently working on?

The Frankenstein Theory is a found footage movie I shot in Alaska being released this month. I haven’t seen it yet but hopefully it’s scary! Also out in limited release this month a great film I actually shot a few years ago called The Treasure of the Black Jaguar. I love a good western and have a few coming out this year including Disney’s The Lone Ranger this summer and the indies To Hell With a Bullet and Hot Drink Stiff Bath. I just shot a wonderful short by the Funk Brothers called Looms in Osage, Iowa. Iowa in February is freezing! And in addition to going back on NCIS LA, I’m also shooting a spoof on Taken called Tooken and developing a TV show. I love staying busy!

Thanks go out to Timothy V. Murphy for taking some time out of his busy day to speak with NCISLA Magazine.

You can find out more about Tim by going to his IMDB site: Timothy V. Murphy

Callen’s Corner: The Prickly Pear Interview

Keviana: Hi! I’m grateful you’re taking time out of your day to talk to us!

The Prickly Pear: It’s my pleasure! This should be fun.

First, please tell us how you became a fan of NCIS LA.

I was introduced to JAG at a very young age (it’s still one of my all time favourite shows, particularly the earlier seasons,) came to love the original NCIS through the backdoor pilot and history repeated itself with NCIS LA. Legend parts 1 and 2 came at just the right time for me, some of my other shows had become most disappointing so I was more than happy to hop onto a new bandwagon, and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the show and its characters.

Since then I’ve grown to thoroughly enjoy the program and it’s currently my favourite show on television. The undercover aspect of the show fascinates me, as do the type of people who are able to pull it off, and that sets the show apart from the other crime dramas on TV and keeps me coming back week after week.

So, who’s your fave character? If it isn’t Callen, you’re going to have to explain yourself…

Hmm… Good question… I guess the best answer I can give you is that I have a top three and one of them might come as a bit of a surprise.

I’m sure anyone who has read my fanfiction knows that I like Callen. He’s fascinated me since the first episode. The idea of a character who literally has no idea who he is or where he comes from, who doesn’t even have something we all take for granted, a first name, and yet still manages to function and contribute to society… I bow to whichever writer came up with that character sketch.

Then there’s Hetty, a former undercover specialist who happens to be one of the most recognizable people out there. I mean, come on, she’s all of four feet tall! But you know what, it works, somehow, and she’s one of the most entertaining characters on the show. I spend every episode trying to sort out the double meanings in most of her dialogue. But mostly, it’s so incredibly refreshing to see a powerful, confident, and intimidating woman who does it all without sex appeal and sexual tension.

Finally, the surprise and the character who has risen into my top three (and even the position of “favourite” during several episodes) faster than any of the others. Owen Granger. Yes, he’s (to quote Callen) a son-of-a-** and no, I don’t trust him fully, but then, I don’t trust Hetty (or even Callen some episodes) fully either. But that’s what I love about all of them. They know how to play the game, and they play it better than anyone else. The three of them, to me, have so much in common and I can only hope that the show chooses to address that at some point.

Fair enough. So. I am always on the lookout for fan fiction stories that take G Callen’s character through some interesting twists. Yours did that with vehemence- great vehemence, even. For those who haven’t read your fic “Falling Through Cracks”, can you give us a summary of what your story is about?

Set back in season one, “Falling Through Cracks” deals with some of the darker aspects of Callen’s past. After being confronted with an incident which took place in a former foster home (where one of his foster brothers was murdered) and arrested for the crime, G goes off the grid. While he’s out there attempting to go after the man responsible, the team is left picking up the pieces and warding off an LAPD detective intent bringing Callen in, dead or alive. But there’s far more to the story than the team knows and, despite their best efforts, G is taken to the very edge of his sanity during the final face-off. What’s left is a shell of the man they knew, trying desperately to rebuild his shattered walls and Hetty has no choice but to suspend her lead agent so he can heal. The story ends with the team assuring Hetty that they will not give up on Callen.

And it was that ending that caught my attention! So, tell us, what were you hoping to achieve in this story?

When I started writing this story, I’ll admit I didn’t have much of a plan. There were a few things I knew for sure, however. Callen’s history, for instance, I had completely figured out before I began writing as well as all of the Original Characters who made an appearance. I also knew all along that the ending would not be altogether happy.

I guess my goal was, in essence, to show Callen as I’ve always perceived him. He’s lived a tough life and, in my humble opinion, has showed a natural darkness in several episodes and I wanted to expand on that. I also wanted explain some of the little questions which have been raised over the course of the show. Things like Callen’s fear of needles, and the fact that math surrounding the number of foster homes he lived in (37) over 13 years doesn’t add up if the longest he ever stayed in one place was 3 months…

That, and it was an excuse to write angst, which I love.

You had some serious suspense, crazy action, and fun interaction in your fic. How did you come up with everything you took Callen and the Team through? What parts did you, as a writer, like best?

In all honesty, I just went where my muse took me. Admittedly, it took me there slowly, but I’m pleased with where I ended up. My aim (as cruel as it may be) was always to lead Callen to a breakdown, but he’s such a tough and resilient character that I knew in order to make it plausible, everything that could go wrong would have to go wrong, and then some, so I just let my imagination run wild.

As for which parts I like best, well, I love writing breakdowns. It’s something that’s always come easily to me. In fact, next to first person writing, it’s my favourite thing to write. Something about the altered perception and disjointed thoughts just appeals to me from an author’s standpoint because when you get it right you can actually suck a completely sane person into the insanity you’ve created. Or, at least, that’s what I’ve always aimed for.

I also very much enjoyed writing my OC, Jared Colby. He’s become one of my favourites.

(And Jared Colby was cool.) When you read your fic all the way through, what do you feel? What do you hope readers will experience through your story?

Pride. When I read my story all the way through the predominate feeling I get is pride. “Falling Through the Cracks” is the first story I’ve ever managed to finish and I couldn’t be happier about it.

As for my readers, I hope they descend into madness along with Callen, and then begin to rise back out. I hope they feel the same desperation, hurt, and confusion as the rest of the team as they discover just how much they hadn’t been told. I hope they laugh at some of the interactions (though humour was never the aim, nor is it my strong suit), and worry for the characters’ wellbeing. But mostly, I just hope they enjoy the ride as much as I did.

I know what I felt when I read it! It was a crazy roller-coaster of smiles, anxiety, terror, care, anger, sadness, and relief! I thank you for putting so much heart into this story. How long did it take you to write?

From start to finish, this story took me a little over two years to write. I’m a notoriously slow writer at the best of times, and because I started writing it without any sort of plan, my muse was inconsistent (to put it lightly.) In fact, there were several points where I seriously considered abandoning it altogether. But the reviews kept coming, all the words of encouragement, and I kept getting drawn back to the story. Needless to say, I’ve very glad I saw it through; if not for me, then for all the people who kept me going.

When you are writing Callen, how do you bring his character to life in your stories? Is there anything that you focus on, add, or try to enhance?

Callen is an interesting character to write. My main concern when writing him is keeping the hard edge which so often gets lost in fanfiction, but, at the same time, not allowing that edge to overtake him. There’s also the undercover aspect to work with, taking into account that for every situation, he has different mask up his sleeve. Basically, I try to emphasize the qualities which are needed to be the undercover legend that he is, while still keeping true to the playful banter of the show.

Still, I know my version of Callen is generally slightly darker than that of other fans I’ve spoken too and I’m just fine with that.

Any chance of new stories from you? Or, will we maybe see a sequel to “Falling Through the Cracks”?

I’m currently working on a few stories, three of which are collections of related one-shots and one is another team-centric, multi-chapter story.

As for a sequel to “Falling Through Cracks,” well, that’s still up for debate. I have a few basic ideas floating around, but I refuse to make the same mistake twice and start another story without planning it out first. There is one thing I know for certain, however, and that is there will be an epilogue. It won’t be posted for a while, but when it is, I will let you all know. I’ll also let you know if and when a sequel will be on its way.

I’m grateful we were able to catch up with you!

Thank you for taking an interest! This was actually quite fun!

Any parting words for aspiring fan fiction writers?

Plan out your story before you get started. That was the single most important thing I learned while writing this particular piece because I hadn’t done it and it came back to bite me. Now, I’m not saying that you have to have every little thing planned out and then follow it to the letter, not at all, but at the very least know where you’re headed and have a few stops pre-planned along the way. Apart from that, say true to the characters and let them dictate where the story goes. Don’t try to bend a character’s personality just to fit into a certain situation. Each one of them is complex enough that there’s more than enough you can do with them without having to resort to that sort of thing.

Oh, and trust your instincts. Write what you believe in. If you see something clearly in your head, chances are, we readers will, too.

This has been an interview with The Prickly Pear about her NCIS: Los Angeles fan fiction story “Falling Through Cracks” which can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5832255/1/Falling-Through-Cracks

Don’t forget to thank The Prickly Pear for joining us!

Interview with Marcus Giamatti

When Marcus Giamatti found out that LL Cool J would be tossing him around in the Pacific surf, his first reaction was: You’ve got to be kidding! But Giamatti survived the ordeal and is back again this week to play CIA Agent, Michael Snyder in the follow up episode to Rude Awakening. From soaps to a series regular in Judging Amy, Giamatti is an accomplished television, film and stage actor, on and off Broadway. Marcus is also a professional guitarist and for the past 30 years has been a member of various Los Angeles bands. He has lent his talents to live and session work with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, and Dwight Yoakum. In this exclusive interview with NCISLA Magazine, we sat down with Marcus to talk specifically about his recurring role on the episode Wanted and how he enjoyed being directed by Chris O’Donnell.

What was it like to return to NCISLA as the CIA agent we all love to hate, Michael Snyder?

First of all, from an actor stand point, it’s a great part. When you do bad guys like this or guys you love to hate, although I wouldn’t call him a bad guy…he’s a little unsavory but they are always fun to play. You can really sink your teeth into something within him and it’s really cool doing those kind of parts on this show. So from an actor’s stand point, to be able to go back and play him again is terrific as opposed to just a onetime guest spot which is also great but then you get into the character and for an actor it’s fantastic. Also as an actor who supports his family, it’s always wonderful to get a couple of episodes to be earning money and I’m very appreciative having all those things.

I love the show too and the guys are all fantastic. Chris O’Donnell directed this episode and he was just really, really a quality person and a really good director and it was the first episode he ever directed and I didn’t know that and he was excellent. He is a great guy and fun and he has a wonderful attitude…they all do. And all those things coming together made it a great job.

Did you find that being an actor really helped O’Donnell as a director?

It always does because of the language that we speak but as an actor he knows what it is totally like on the other side. He was easy to communicate with…very clear and like I said, he had a great attitude about it and he was so relaxed for first time ever directing. That makes me more relaxed when there is a confidence coming from the director and a good attitude and we know we’re not reinventing the wheel and we’re having fun and you can feel it throughout the entire set, crew and the actors. I can’t say enough about what a wonderful person he is…very down to earth…just a great guy.

You had a lot of pivotal scenes with LL Cool J in Rude Awakening. What was it like to be thrown around in the Pacific surf by this guy?

First of all, he’s a great guy and he takes his work very seriously. He is very focused and is very present for you to work with and he is another really good guy and so prepared. He was great to work with. In terms of the fight scene, from a cynical stand point I was like…”You got to be kidding!” It’s like grabbing on to a rock face of a cliff. He’s a big guy but he is like a rock. When you are with someone like that who you are fighting with (and I’ve done martial arts)…with a guy like that you just let him run the show and you don’t try to push back. He was very respectful and controlled and excellent at the physicality of fighting which is a tricky thing especially on television because you got to make it look like it’s real. So you got to go for it. It’s my job to let him do that, because you can’t really fight back against a guy like that…I was never worried or scared because he was so good and so in control and respectful. It was easy. I had to go into the water a lot with a tie and shoes which was interesting and we did that for a couple of hours. But hey! It’s a job and a good pay check and you do what you got to do but it was fun.

What was it like to choreograph that whole scene?

We kind of set what we were going to do once we were in the ocean and how he was going to throw me around but once we were in the water it all goes out the window because the waves kept tossing me around like a rag doll. Then of course, you move for the close up on stuff and he’s got me by the scruff of the collar and he’s holding me under water and he did that to me for a couple of hours and my shoes filled with sand and my pockets were filled with sand and of course when you see that on TV it goes by so fast and it took six or seven hours to shoot.

Giamatti as CIA Agent Michael Snyder

Did you do any specific preparation in preparing for this role?

I was really, really excited to have the audition for this kind of character and I’ve been doing more and more of those types of guys so I was really excited when I got the opportunity to do it. I think the wonderful thing in playing a guy like this, he is incredibly confident and he is arrogant, but you can’t really play the arrogance. He’s so really confident that he knows what he’s doing in his job with his intimidation of people and how he pushes people around. He’s kind of pathological in that sense. He does what he has to do to win. It’s so great to know I have free range to play this guy like he’s a James Bond who is so confident and focused…and has no doubt in his mind at all and that’s how I approach him. It’s really cool to play someone like that who is that sure of himself.

In Wanted, who do you share the screen with?

On this one I was with Eric Christian Olsen and Danielle Ruah who are wonderful and really easy to work with. I have a scene with Eric in a car and he’s a very loose, funny guy so most of my stuff was with them.

What was it like working on the set of NCISLA?

They are all really different. This one is great because I worked on NCIS with Mark Harmon too and it’s similar in that you have very successful shows and everybody is very relaxed. There’s a confidence and relaxation throughout the entire place because we all have a job. It’s also successful and popular and you can smell it when you walk in within 10 seconds and it’s a great vibe to have. No one is worried that they have to prove too much because it’s already done. It puts you at ease and there’s no worry about it. For me, I’ve already gotten the job and I know I have a couple of episodes. So it’s just a relaxed environment as opposed to ones where you go on and you’re not sure if you are going to be picked up or what’s going to happen next week. But this one’s a dream gig and it’s all about the confidence knowing that it’s just going to keep going.

Did you know in the first episode you were going to be returning?

Yes, I did. You often go on auditions and you don’t know if it’s possible and in this one they told me right away and they gave me dates and put me on hold which was fantastic…and to be on one that is such a good show and a popular one is really great!

You are an actor and professional musician. Was it hard to decide what career track to pursue?

I’m also a writer, I write features for a couple of baseball magazines. So there are a bunch of things I do. But these are all things I’ve always done. I started playing music when I was seven with the classical guitar and kept playing music. Then there was acting and there was no other thing I ever wanted to do. I went to drama school and you hope your life will go a certain way that you envision and it really doesn’t go that way but to keep your life creative I fell back on something else to do. Whether it was music or whether it was writing, 25 years later I’m still doing it and I’ve gotten work doing all those things which is great because I’m blessed being able to work doing all three. There wasn’t any question that it was what I wanted to do…not that it hasn’t been a struggle because it’s very difficult. But I was lucky and when things weren’t going as well, I was able to do more music and when that dipped I was able to do more acting.

I love doing it all. I come from the theater world and I loved doing plays like Shakespeare, and I thought that when I got out of school I would be doing that and movies and then it turns out that you find the business dictates where you are going to find your work. I got work in television which is fantastic because I’m a character actor and I get to play all different parts. I’m just as fulfilled doing that as I would have been doing theatre. With music it’s the same thing. I’m classically trained as a musician on the guitar and again, you think you are going to be doing that kind of stuff but I wound up doing more country and western which led to rock and roll which I love.

What are you working on next?

I’m doing a film in the next couple of weeks called the Curse of Elmers Grove. It’s an independent film. I’m doing another guest spot soon that I’m really excited about too. Eddie Murphy is doing a pilot of Beverly Hills Cop. They are making a TV show of it so I’m excited to get to work with all those guys. I just did another episode of Bunheads with ABC Family and it’s a different part in that I’m playing the uptight Jewish dad….it’s a teenage comedy kind of thing and very different and a recurring role. I also have written a piece for MLB.com for spring training. In terms of music I was just sent something from a girl by the name of Robin O’Brien and her producer from Chicago is doing her records so I’ll be doing some session work on her music.

Would you enjoy getting back into a full time series like Judging Amy?

Sure. I would love to. I was on Judging Amy for six seasons and it was an incredible experience working with Tyne Daily and it was a great cast. After a couple of years you know you are going to keep having a job and it helps your pocket book obviously, and you have a place to go all the time and when you get to play a character for six years like that there are so many things you can do with it and there is nothing else like it.

Thanks go out to Marcus for taking the time to sit down and chat about his return visit to NCISLA. You can follow Marcus on his web site: www.marcusgiamatti.net

Interview with Cas Anvar

Cas Anvar loves playing the bad guy….as long as they are richly textured, complicated and never two dimensional. This week on NCIS Los Angeles, Anvar gets to play exactly that kind of character as he guest stars as Haakim Habib (the Amassador) on the latest episode Lokhay. We had the pleasure to spend some time getting to know Cas and finding out more about his time spent on the NICSLA set. Although playing the villain is fun, Cas really has a yearning to star as the heroic, unwilling action hero. Very shortly….this wish will come true. Let’s welcome Cas Anvar to the NCISLA familia and get to know more about this talented actor, director, writer and producer.

Can you tell us what drew you to a career in acting?

I used to teach acting when I lived in Canada and I used to tell my students if you can imagine doing anything else in life that will make you happy other than acting…do it. The only way to thrive in this industry and this craft is that it has to be your one sole passion. It has to be able to get you out of bed in the morning.

I got started in high school…I played the lead role in Hamlet…the first role I ever played and I was completely terrified. My English teacher threatened to fail me in English if I didn’t try out for the audition so I was basically extorted into auditioning! I’m a bit of a geek and comic book, science fiction lover, video gaming and because I was so into this world, Shakespeare kind of came naturally. I really loved it and did really well. Once I got bitten by that, it’s kind of hard to go back to normal life. I tried to make my parents happy. I tried to go into the sciences, I tried to go into psychology, or to become a doctor, biochemist, chemical engineer and all that stuff which I love but I couldn’t stop thinking of acting and I couldn’t get off the stage. Finally my parents said “Look, if you are going to do this, you may as well do it right” so they let me go to the best school in Canada. It’s called the NationalTheatreSchool. I started my own Shakespeare company after that and I acted and directed and did a lot of movies and shows and came out to LA and the rest is history.

Like Anthony Azizi, another NCISLA alum, you come from a very exotic background…can this help or hurt a career?

Anthony is a great friend of mine. It is a double edge sword. Anthony, myself and probably about a half a dozen guys are all each other’s competition. We’re all going up for the same part or the same project. That’s kind of a blessing in LA in the sense that the average blond, blue-eyed American boy is going to be going up against hundreds of others who are their competition. But because we are a small niche market we all know each other and the completion isn’t that fierce. But the other side of that sword is that there are not that many roles. When we get a nice role that is written for us then we have a great chance of getting it. One of the things that is hard is to try and break down the stereo types and try to get in there and play some characters that are Middle Eastern or Asian and I do a lot of East Indian roles as well. And they are not always terrorists or bad guys or corner store owners or doctors. We’re romantic leads and leading men, but it takes time for the ethnic minorities to work their way through the general media.

The good news is in the last ten years, after 9-11, the media had to pay serious attention to the stories that it was writing and it became incredibly in-depth, textured, layered and real. Since there is so much focus in that part of the world (Middle East) everyone wants to know what’s going on. For actors it’s a kind of artistic blessing because we are now getting roles that we never thought to have before. Even the role I’m playing in NCISLA is a sophisticated, intelligent, complicated role. Regardless of what type of character he is, he’s not a two dimensional character.

©casanvar

We’ve seen the pictures you tweeted when you were on the set of NCIS Los Angeles and you look ominous! Can you tell us a little bit about your character….who did you work with on screen…

This is my second NCIS show. I did the original one with Mark Harmon. But on NCISLA, I had a tough crew with me, and he (The Ambassador) is pretty bad ass. I worked with everyone on screen, but mainly with LL Cool J. He was the one I had the most action with. I got Chris coming in and we had a bit of an altercation and Daniela and Eric come in at the end of the scene.

There is a difference in working on NCISLA versus NCIS. Although both were great, the team was great, and the people were great. When I went on NCIS it had already been around twice as long, so you had a little bit more of a well-oiled machine going on and Mark Harmon is a seasoned tv guy. He kind of runs that ship with a velvet glove. When I walked on the set, I hadn’t met Mark Harmon before, so I was kind of nervous and he looks at me and says, “Hey, Cas! How ya doing? I hear you ran a Shakespeare company.” I don’t know how or why, he had completely researched me! He was shooting the breeze with me talking about Shakespeare, talking about acting, and he made me feel like totally one of the family. Which was such a smart thing to do because my nerves disappeared instantly and when we were rehearsing scenes he would say “Come here Cas, when we’re rehearsing this scene, here’s what we want to do.” He totally brought me into the scene and asked me how I envisioned it, and that rarely happens.

On NCISLA it’s a much younger vibe. All the leads are much younger, vibrant feel. It had a much different feeling like being with your friends at school. There is a lot of creativity, energy and fire. Everyone is trying to top one another, and they are doing a great job but there is definitely a different energy.

Can you tell us any stories about your time on set?

When I went into the meeting with the costumers and the stunt coordinator, Troy popped his head and said he was wracking his brains because he had to find a stunt double for me and LL Cool J is a big guy and he said you don’t want to take that hit yourself. I told him though I was really comfortable doing all my own stunts and everyone was raising their eyes because I don’t know if you have ever met LL Cool J but he’s a big guy, a very well built guy and apparently he enjoys the action scenes and they were advising me to let the stunt guy do the scene because he has to kick me in the chest…so I thought maybe I will let the stunt guy do the scene!

©casanvar

How do you prepare for a procedural show like this?

One of the benefits of doing a guest star role, by the time you audition, you have gone through all of your scenes during the audition. So once you get the role, you have worked your butt off to get it and you have made all your choices and decisions then you put it all out there in an audition. So if you get the role, you know you performed the way they envisioned. All your homework is done by that time. In order to prepare to do a bad guy, I have to find something inside me that I could feel as passionately about and do the things that this character has to do (in the role). If this character is doing something religious or for a cause, normally those things would not affect me to the point where I may commit an extreme act. So I have to find something inside me that would make me behave in that way. What would make me sacrifice my life? What would make me act in such a way that my life wouldn’t matter? So it’s really deep and dark and personal and then you find that one little thing that you could possibly grab on to and fan that fire and turn it into a flame. So you have to constantly try to find out what my character is passionate about or not passionate about. I then use the lines in the script and go from there.

What type of roles do your gravitate towards?

I have been very blessed in my career because when you are a minority it’s so easy to be slotted as a terrorist or East Indian store owner and I got a lot of those roles to be honest…and I have fought really hard. I’m lucky because I don’t have an accent but I can do all sorts of accents. I’ve done doctors, and lawyers, and I’ve played a Kramer-type character once in this piece, Are you Afraid of the Dark? I love comedy and I don’t get to do comedy anymore because I guess I don’t look funny when I walk into a room…but I am! I won’t lie…because I love playing villains and bad guys as long as they are rich and textured and have a lot to do. I love the character in NCISLA because he was a really tasty character to play. I didn’t get to be just two dimensional and evil. There was a lot of layers to him and shades of gray and I love that!

I am working on a film that is in development right now where I want to play an action hero. I want to play a kick ass, every man; unsuspecting guy who gets thrown into a world that he has no idea about and has to rise to the occasion to become a hero in order to save the world. That kind of character, the heroic, unwilling hero, that’s my next objective. I want to play the unwilling action hero.

Director or actor…what role are you more comfortable in?

It goes in stages….each one of those things requires a different part of your brain, and is all consuming. I go through the stage where I’ve had enough acting, I can’t handle anymore rejection, I can’t handle any more of putting my heart out on a chopping block…I just want to tell a story. So I’ll write and I’ll direct and that uses a completely different part of your brain. It gives you control and you have way more control and power to realize your vision when you are behind the camera. And then after you do that for a few years you are completely drained from all the money procuring and the long hours and you just want to get up there and be a character. I don’t want to have to worry about anyone else’s lines, the schedule, the story. I just want to worry about my character and do it as best as I can. So for me it’s a beautiful kind of balance…a dance that goes back and forth. Sometimes I do it all at the same time like this movie that I am working on now which I am acting, directing and producing. Sometimes it’s a tough balance but it’s exciting as well.

How did you come up with the idea to produce a feature film of the hit video game series Assassin’s Odyssey?

It’s based on my experience with Assassin’s Creed. I did the voice for Altair who is like the Captain Kirk of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. When I took over the role from another actor, the creators of the game told me, that gamers are really crazy cats. They hate change. They are going to be all over you and I said am I not doing a good job? They told me you can be doing an Oscar winning performance and that doesn’t matter, they won’t care because they hate change. And you are going to get mobbed by them until they play the game and see that you do a really good job and it will pass over. So I was kind of freaked out. People were either loving or hating me. My buddy said to me, ‘You better watch out Cas, one of these gamers is going to put a hit on you’. I thought that would be a really good idea for a movie! So we wrote this script about this guy who is an actor who plays the voice and becomes a huge video game character and changes something that was blasphemous to the gamer world and they put a hit out on him. So the highly trained, highly fanatical gamer assassins come after him and he has to run for his life across the city and he discovers that he has absorbed the powers from the video game characters that he playing…he has to become a hero and collect a team of people who are going to take down this evil organization that is so bent on world domination because they are so obsessive about world order and will do anything to keep order in their video game universe and even kill people.

It’s about 60-70% done and we have a bunch of production companies that are interested in it and they liked the trailer and they also liked that Altair is playing the lead. It should be done in the next couple of months. But the gamers are fantastic…a great group of people.

We would love to know what you are doing next? We hear you are going to be playing Dodi al Fayed in a biopic about the late Princess Diana?

Diana is going to be pretty fantastic. It was directed by Oliver Hirshbiegel who is the Oscar nominated director of Downfall. Naomi Watts is playing Lady Di and she is spectacular and she captures her mannerisms, her voice, her movements and everything about her. She is bang on. It’s about the last two years of her life and all the drama that took place. It really shows her off as this incredible woman, complicated woman. She really was an amazing woman with the biggest heart and the best intentions. That’s coming out at the end of the year and I play Dodi.

I’m also going to be at the San Diego Comic-Con and Wonder-Con meeting all my sci-fi, gamer and comic book fans. And there is another film I’m for that is shooting in April, so I’m just waiting to get the green light on that and I have other Comic-Con in New Zealand and Australia that are coming up later in the year that I’m looking forward to as well.

It was a real pleasure to speak with this versatile actor and we want to thank him for his valuable time in answering our questions regarding his career and time working on the set of NCISLA. We look forward to his upcoming feature film, Assassin’s Odyssey based on the hit video game and the Diana biopic which will be in theatres later in 2013. Make sure you check out Cas’ future guest appearances at upcoming Comic- Con festivals by going to his web site: www.casanvar.com and following him on Twitter @casanvar.

Interview with Jared Hillman

Jared Hillman is a very busy young actor. If he’s not busy working on a procedural drama like NCIS Los Angeles, he is busy writing, directing and producing an award winning short film that is currently making the film festival rounds. We had a chance to ask Jared about his short film Tandem and also his time spend on set with the cast and crew of NCISLA. Let’s find out more about Jared…..

What drew you to a career in acting?

When I was a young kid, I was greatly inspired by children’s stories – from Disney classics to action cartoons. I wanted to immerse myself in those creative, colorful worlds, and that immersion took many forms. I enjoyed drawing, designing costumes out of home goods, shooting short films with my parents’ camcorder, and making stop-motion animation with action figures and Legos. Simple playtime evolved into a real passion, and when I learned it could be the basis of a career, I knew that was for me.

What’s a day in the life like for a working actor like yourself?

It’s a tricky question, because an actual schedule is quite hard to predict. Some days are built around a full shoot (which can start at dawn and finish late at night). Other days are built around an audition, which typically lasts only a few minutes… but there’s a lot of preparation to do beforehand. And many days give an actor no specific task, so it’s important to fill that time with one’s own creative projects – for me, it’s writing, making short films, painting, hiking, and volunteering. If an audition comes up for the next day, it’s time to drop everything and dive in.

You have been in some very popular television series and a widely received movie (The Social Network)…. what other areas of the entertainment industry would you like to spend more time perusing?

I love when I get the opportunity to be a part of any project as an actor. It’s definitely a full-time pursuit. But I also studied film production at the University of Southern California, so I’ve had interests in writing and directing for a long time, too. It all ties into telling stories, inventing new characters or worlds, and by doing so, entertaining people.

How did you enjoy your time spend on the set of NCIS Los Angeles? Can you tell us about your character?….Who did you work with on screen?…Can you share with us any stories about your time on set?

NCIS: Los Angeles was a terrific experience, and the entire team was friendly and welcoming. As far as cast, I worked primarily with Daniela, and I found her to be a very warm, down-to-earth, intelligent actor. In fact, the entire cast seems to get along like old friends and truly enjoy their work together; there’s a lot of laughter between takes. It’s no surprise, considering their great onscreen chemistry every week. Also, the director of this episode was James Whitmore, Jr., who not only directs a lot of the episodes and therefore has a familiar shorthand with the cast, but he’s also an accomplished actor in his own right and creates a trusting, nurturing environment for good work.

How do you prepare for a procedural show like this?

When I first get the material for a new role, I make sure to read it thoroughly and begin finding my own personal similarities with the character and situation. Each role has some element that hooks into my real life, and the rest is extrapolation. For example, on NCIS:LA, my character is an impressionable student looking for guidance, and that’s a foundation I know from experience. So, immediately I start to understand what my character’s daily life looks like, who the key figures are, etc. While the specific events my character experiences are fictional, the underlying emotions parallel my own. A lot of the preparation is figuring out what memories from my own past trigger the strongest and most appropriate responses to the scripted words.

Congratulations on your Hollywood Discovery Award for best short film for Tandem. How did your involvement come about and how did you enjoy being involved in so many different areas of making the short (writer, director, and producer)?

Thank you! I’m really excited about this. Tandem is a short film that I spearheaded with a good friend and partner of mine, Matthew Helfgott. We’ve collaborated on various projects over the years, through screenwriting and commercial directing, and we wanted to go deeper into narrative filmmaking. We sought to make a short that felt like a theatrical feature with high production value, and yet brought a distinct dynamic not before seen. The result is Tandem, which is a buddy comedy set in the world of skydiving. The shared duties of writing, directing, and producing were a lot of work, particularly on an indie scale when bargaining, bartering, and asking for favors are big parts of making it all happen. In the process, we found lots of great collaborators who generously teamed up, and we hope to work with them all again. Of particular interest to your readers: one of the casting directors is Jason Kennedy, who casts NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles with Susan Bluestein. On our film, he and Allen Hooper found a fantastic group of actors to bring our story to life. To read more about the film, see: www.Tandem-theMovie.com

What’s up next for you?

As an actor, I recently shot a new digital series called TSA America, which is a workplace comedy set at an airport security checkpoint. It stars Misha Collins of Supernatural and Colin Ferguson of Eureka. On the other side of the camera, I’m prepping a new short film – more of a darkly comic character study – to direct very soon. Simultaneously, Tandem will be continuing its run on the film festival circuit, with its next screening at the upcoming San Luis Obispo Film Festival on the central coast of California, March 6-10^th. So, I plan to accompany the film there. I encourage film fans in the area to come check it out and say hello! More info on that can be found here: http://slofilmfest.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/tandem_jaredhillman_slofilmfest2013

We look forward to watching TSA America and go out and say hi to Jared at the Obispo Film Festival in March. Thanks again to Jared Hillman for stopping by and letting us know about his time spent on the set of NCIS Los Angeles!

You can follow Jared at the following sites:

Twitter: @HillmanJared

web: www.jaredhillman.com

imdb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169053