A: Up until 2005, I thought I was headed toward a career on Broadway so most of my acting experience came from being on stage. I was in my last semester at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville when I saw a poster in the hallway of the main theater building seeking cast for a feature film from Rebound Entertainment. My mind was blown. Up until that time, though I’d thought about doing film for a long time, I had never seen any film really being done in the St. Louis area. Though at the time, I didn’t know any of the people in the film community or where to look. It was for an indie feature called “The Book” which was essentially about a young woman being called upon by the powers that be to write what would become the next testament to The Bible. Though it sounds Christiany, it certainly was not. It was an action thriller with bits of theology, sci-fi, and mystery thrown in. It was sort of Indiana Jones meets Encounters of the Third Kind. I landed a supporting role as Lewis (a guardian angel with mad skills) and ended up working on the project back and forth for over three years till it was finally abandoned. In between the time I wasn’t working on The Book, I started being involved in as many projects as I could find, no matter how big or small. (mostly small) The more projects I did, the larger my pool of connections and resources became. Sometime in 2008, I had worked on so many projects in/around St. Louis, I was jokingly given the title of “Kevin Bacon of the St. Louis area” and the label has stuck ever since.

          A: I play P.T. who is the Shaggy of the Scooby Gang that is the makeup of the characters in The Man in the Maze. He is the jester of the group, the guy who makes everyone laugh but runs screaming when faced with any real danger. His love interest (and also the Velma of the group) is Christi played by the phenomenal Stephanie Lomenick. Like me, most of her background is in theater but she has swiftly become an amazing television and film actress as she has worked on two other projects since doing MITM. One of those is Scarecrow’s Last Dance which I’ll talk more about later. Anyway, I had a great time playing P.T. as it was the first time I’ve portrayed a character with facial hair. The director wanted it that way from our first phone conversations and I’ve received so many compliments on wearing it, that I haven’t shaved it off since then.

          A: The Man in the Maze is a mind-bending and mysterious sci-fi action thriller that will have the audience watching with mouths agape and hearts palpitating. It takes place around four college friends who go on a trek into the woods researching the Trail of Tears and end up finding an ancient burial mound cursed with strange powers. Anyone who disturbs the grounds unleashes an evil that follows the trespassers and sends them into a time loop forcing them to repeat their journey over and over while being stalked by the imposing attacker. Think Groundhog Day meets Donnie Darko. All sorts of info on the film including production videos, pics, and a trailer can be found on the official site http://www.themaninthemaze.net as well as on Facebook by searching “The Man in the Maze – Movie.” The film will be released to limited theatres in the U.S. Spring of 2011 through R-Squared Films and in India through Mowgli Productions. It will then be released on DVD later in the year.

          A: There is a scene where (and forgive me for tiptoeing here but I don’t want to release any spoilers) where I am beating someone up and I had to do it over and over and over again. It was a complicated matter if there ever was one. First, I had to strike in an exact spot against another object off camera so as to not hit the person directly. I also had to hit with a certain intensity so that there would be a breaking sound and so that the camera could catch my swing into the shot. As you might guess, I ended up hitting the other actor a number of times accidentally. (Thankfully, he’s quite a sport and there are no hard feelings.) I also kept breaking the object with which I was using to strike. Finally, I was given something that wouldn’t break but would make the necessary sound and on the first strike which I thought was a rehearsal, I heard “That’s a cut! We got it!” I can’t wait to see that scene in the movie when it comes out.

          A: Production on MITM was the longest consecutive filming schedule I’ve ever been a part of and I loved every minute of it. Sure there were trials and crazy things that occurred as they do on every set, especially on independent projects. But I couldn’t have asked for a more professional, fun, passionate group of people. I realize I’m sort of circling the question but pretty much every day of the five weeks we spent together made for a great film.

          A: I decided to bunch these projects into one place because all of the Hack flicks are similar in their hilarious, vulgar, tasteless awesomeness. In 2006 I worked on a great, as-yet undiscovered masterpiece that is the gamer comedy Gameheads with actor David Wayne Black. He corralled me into being a zombie in Hack’s stoner comedy Dead Shit. I had a fantastic time on set and was so impressed with director Kevin Strange’s passion and ability to actually put out his work in a fully-commercial looking DVD package complete with special features that I was pretty much hooked from then on and went on to work on five more projects with him. Currently you can find Dead Shit, Colonel Kill Motherfuckers, Stiff Jobs, CockHammer, Nixon and Hogan Smoke Christmas as well as Hack’s first feature Dream Reaper on Hack’s official site http://www.hackmovies.com. CockHammer is also available on Amazon through Tempe Video and all the shorts including Hack’s most recent project, Nixon and Hogan Meet Satan, can be found on YouTube as well as being special features on the various DVDs.

          A: This incredible short was written by Evan Marquisee and directed by Michael Jamal Mitchell of Light Productions. Michael wrote the screenplay for The Man in the Maze and when he asked me to be a part of this wonderful project, I wasn’t going to say no. I play Evan, a man who’s in way over his head with a wife who gets caught in the middle of his past mistakes. When his former transgressions catch up to him, they will both find themselves having a night they’d rather forget. The film is currently in post and will be making the festival circuit in the coming year.

          A: Logan and Johnny's relationship has weathered many storms but now lightning has struck in the form of a spirited young woman who works at the local sandwich shop. It’s a journey to show what the human soul is willing to risk in pursuit of lasting love. Other than MITM, this is the project I am most excited about because I was given a rare opportunity to play a character so far outside myself. As of the writing of this interview, the film has just been completed and will also be making the festival circuit very soon.

          A: This project came from a script I found on the screenplay site InkTip from a gifted dramedy writer named Brandt Kubo. It is about two young urbanites that fall in love in the real world but unknowingly tear each other apart as sworn enemies in the veiled realm of the online. I am producing the film with Josh Hodgins who was the director of photography for MITM as well as playing the lead role. This project is currently in development with big casting announcements coming very soon.

          A: I’ve had this horror comedy idea swirling around in my brain pan for a while now. It’s about a woman with psychic powers that unwittingly brings her parents back to life as zombies. It’s kindof Zombieland meets X-Men. I am producing this one as well and will be appearing in it somewhere also. My good friend Joe Hammerstone (Jealousy, Bubba Moon Face) is attached as well as Monique Dupree (Satan Hates You, Tromeo and Juliet) and I am currently in talks with the lovely Jessica Cameron (Cut, Waiting Fear, Girl Scout Cookies). The tagline is “A mind is a terrible thing to baste.” Please check out the IndieGoGo page at http://www.indiegogo.com/Brain-Stew for more info and ways you can be a part of the film.

          **All the above projects besides Brain Stew can be found on IMDb including photos, behind-the-scenes footage, and trailers.**

          A: There are two. Though I’ve worked with her on a very small scale as an extra in Whip It, my life would be officially complete if I could work one on one with Drew Barrymore. Not only is she an amazing actress with impeccable comedic timing but she is a brilliant producer and director. In the short time working on set for Whip It, I was blown away by her calm and professional demeanor for everyone taking part in the production. I admit I’ve also had a crush on her since The Wedding Singer.

          The other is the supremely talented Joss Whedon. If I was ever given the chance to work with him directly, I would need to have an ambulance on standby for my impending and total nerdgasm. I fell in man love with him after Buffy and have never looked back.

Couch left to right: Erik A. Williams, Joe Hammerstone, Eileen Dietz (The Exorcist), Kathleen Kinmont (Halloween 3), Spaz Roeck

          A: Up until recently, my only real prerequisite for seeking projects was a script in which I could play a character I hadn’t played before or at very least a project which was going to be a lot of fun. After working on nearly ninety projects (about sixty not counting extra work), I am much more careful in how I spend my time in front of the camera. For one, I have pretty much a “no pay, no way” stance as it is simply too hard for me to make it to the next gig if I don’t receive at least a little cash for my work. Also, I always make sure the filmmaker is going to release the project once completed. I cannot express to you how infuriatingly frustrating it is to put my literal blood, sweat, and tears into a project, not to mention gas money, to have it never see the light of day. So many projects I’ve done have been caught in the never-ending post production web or have been completed (and in one case given to cast and crew in a fully-packaged DVD) and never officially released. Nowadays I have to have a signed payment contract in front of me before I ever agree to work on a project.

          A: I am the master of IMDb and have a magic touch when it comes to getting titles live on the site. I have submitting titles and updates/corrections to the site for some time now and am able to navigate the site’s many workarounds. I have become so good at doing it, I have a side business called Title Submissions, Inc. For any filmmakers out there that have a project they would like to have listed, email me at rockyoursocks27@yahoo.com or hit me up on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/weirdalrules with all the info on your film and I’ll make it happen…for a nominal fee of course.

          A: Sadly the last horror movie I saw was The Box with Cameron Diaz. I’m not sure you can really call it a horror movie, in fact I’m not sure you can call it a movie at all as it is mostly a monotony of mindless drivel with Cameron Diaz thrown in for to make box office (which it didn’t). It was horrible alright but not in a good way.

          My favorite horror movie of all time would have to go to Poultergeist as it has held a place in my psyche as the most terrifying piece of cinema my eyes have ever beheld, even to this day.

          A: No problem! I very much appreciate the opportunity!