NEW INTERVIEW
Published: September 20, 2008 4:53 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
(Juniorscave.com)
JC Interview Exclusive: Matt Riddlehoover
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Matt
Riddlehover
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Matt Riddlehoover has worn many hats including film director, screenwriter, editor, actor and producer. The versatile entertainer, who is heavily influenced by the works of Woody Allen, recently took some time from a hectic schedule to answers some questions. I hope everyone enjoys the outcome.
Isaac: It is a pleasure to have you featured in our online magazine Matt. Let's talk about your upbringing. Where is your hometown and at what age did you decide that you wanted to go into showbiz?
Matt: I was born in Bermuda, but grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. I was always a ham. Always interested in entertaining and telling stories. If I'd had it my way, I would've been making movies when I was five.
Isaac: You have served as a film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and producer. Of these various roles, which one do you prefer doing and why?
Matt: I get really passionate about writing. Editing, too. They're really the two most important storytelling elements, I think. I love acting, though. It's so freeing. I like to play make believe.
Isaac: You have quite an impressive resume. How important is it for you to stay busy and why?
Matt: I just have to keep busy! (laughs) Otherwise, I don't know what I'd be doing. I don't know how to do anything else - and sometimes that terrifies me.
Isaac: MySpace has helped you in many ways. Name some of the benefits that you have received from having a profile on that site?
Matt: I can't believe a couple of years ago I hadn't even heard of the damn thing! I was at dinner with Matthew Ryan and he and some of the other guys from Stray Don't Sleep were talking about their MySpace pages - accepting friends, denying friends and so forth. So I went home and logged on to find out what the hell they were talking about. And then I won a user's choice award just days after signing up for my account. It kind of propelled me and my first feature To a Tee into the stratosphere. It's funny how MySpace makes it all seem so effortless.
Isaac: How important is it for you to be able to reach out to your fans? And why?
Matt: Very important. Fans have been instrumental in determining my path. MySpace: case in point.
Isaac: I read in your bio that you are heavily influenced by Woody Allen. He has created many masterpieces. What have been some of your favorites and why?
Matt: I love his late 80s stuff: Another Woman, September, Hannah and Her Sisters. In the past decade, I really enjoyed Anything Else and Match Point... more recently, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Oh and, duh, then there's Annie Hall. He's incredible and so prolific. Love him!
Isaac: If you had the opportunity to work side by side with Wood Allen, describe the type of project you would want to do with him?
Matt: (laughs) It'd be Woody's first stroll down gay lane! I'd act for him, of course, and be the typical Woody girl, but a guy. A flighty, moody, adulterous struggling actor. Well, I guess that's what I played in To a Tee. But under Woody's fine direction, I'd do it all with a brilliant stutter and a lit cigarette. (sighs, laughs) What a dream!
Isaac: Let's talk about one of your newer projects, Watch Out. It is basically about a man who falls in love with himself. Elaborate a tad more about this project and where folks can go to see it.
Matt: It's outrageous. It's based on the novel by Joseph Suglia. I play Jonathan Barrows and he's certainly a piece of work. And yes, he falls in love with himself, literally! The film travels around the globe this fall as part of the Stop Turning Me On world tour which kicks off at Raindance in London. So, Watch Out!
Isaac: Filmmaker Magazine contacted you recently to write a piece about MySpace. What type of feedback have you been receiving since writing this article?
Matt: Positive feedback, I suppose... I'm still running in this little marathon.
Isaac: Which one of your movie parts have you enjoyed playing the most and why?
Matt: Jonathan Barrows, by far. Making Watch Out was an insanely good time. Steve Balderson knows how to host one hell of a party.
Isaac: What is the one thing that you fear about being in showbiz?
Matt: I dunno. Good question.
Isaac: How do you handle rejection especially concerning parts that you had worked hard to get and did not?
Matt: I'll let you know as soon as it happens. (laughs) The lead in Watch Out is the only part I've ever gone after and I didn't really even have to audition. Sometimes things just line up at the right time and happen.
Isaac: In ten years, I will......
Matt: Be thirty-three! Yikes!
Isaac: Final Thoughts--
Matt: I really want some milk and cookies now.
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Matt Riddlehoover's Website
http://www.MATTRIDDLEHOOVER.COM
Beige Magazine (UK) photo shoot by Ethan James
Main photo used in this story was provided by Matt Riddlehoover.
NEW INTERVIEW
Published: September 19, 2008 10:12 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
(Juniorscave.com)
JC Interview Exclusive: Jack Plotnick
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Jack Plotnick
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Junior's Cave recently caught up with the funny, charming, and extremely talented Author/Actor/Producer, Jack Plotnick, as he allowed us to enter into his world. We had a great time interviewing him and think you will have a blast reading this exclusive spotlight. Enjoy!
Isaac: Hello Jack, it is a pleasure to feature you in our magazine. I read your bio and was very impressed with all you have accomplished. Elaborate a little about how you first got started with acting.
Jack: Well thanks for having me in your "cave". By the way, I've always wondered, "Which are the ones that go UP…are they 'stalagmites' or '-tites'?" I can never remember!
Anyway, my first acting role was The Evil Witch's Mirror in "Snow White" in third grade. And I recall that I was quite good. Very convincing!
When I was 16, I told my parents that I wanted to be an actor, to which they responded, "No, f'in way." But by the time I was graduating high school, I had wracked up so many hours of theater that it just became obvious that this was what I was going to do. Plus, they were so busy divorcing that no one had the energy to argue.
Isaac: Name your first big project that you did and what you learned from that project that you have used with other projects.
Jack: I really was thrown to the lions in my first filmed project. I appeared eight times on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" as a strange character named Slim Organbody (poking fun at "Slim Goodbody"). All my organs were on the outside and I would teach people about the human body through song and dance. The reason it was so scary was that it was filmed LIVE! A terrifying thing for a beginner. The second reason it was scary was because the real Slim Goodbody threatened to sue my ass! The people at Conan assured me that he couldn't, but from that job I've learned to watch my back…he may get his revenge yet!
Isaac: (laughs)
Isaac: You have a ton of films/TV shows under your belt? What has been your favorite project to work on so far and why?
Jack: The porn films. Definitely. Although no one warns you how boring sex becomes once you're getting paid for it. Kidding! I guess my favorite project was "Lovespring International", because I helped to create it. I was a supervising producer and director as well as one of the lead characters. It really was a dream come true to have Lifetime pick it up for 12 episodes! And we were so proud of how funny it was! And then it was a bad dream come true when they cancelled it! But you can still see the episodes online at:
http://www.apple.com/search/ipoditunes/?q=lovespring+international
Isaac: You executive produced and starred in the feature film GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS. How was that experience serving as executive producer and main star for that film? What did you learned as an executive producer that you feel will help you in future endeavors?
Jack: That movie truly was a work of love for all involved. We did it all ourselves on a shoestring budget. I was hammering crap to the walls and schlepping furniture right up to the moment we started filming. And then to have it become such a cult hit has been a huge thrill! We've tried to get a TV deal at LOGO but they're not interested (Letter writing campaign, anyone?) But we enjoy the characters so much that we just recently made three episodes of a web series that you can watch online at:
www.girlswillbegirlsonline.com
From that experience, I learned to "just do it." If you're passionate about something, take the leap, because somehow you can get it done!
Isaac: You graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. Describe what life lessons you took from your time at CMU that you incorporated into acting?
Jack: Hmmm. Typical college stuff, I guess:
"Liquor, beer - never fear. Beer, liquor - never sicker."
"Turn the water on if you don't want your roommate to hear you masturbating"
"Acting is reacting"
…Stuff like that.
Isaac: Who have been your biggest influences and why?
Jack: Carol Burnett! I was obsessed with her show as a kid! I'd just die if I met her. And if I met Meryl Streep, I would just crumple to the ground in front of her. They'd have to resuscitate me with the shock paddles. Other than them, I would say that I was very influenced by the self help gurus: Marianne Williamson (I used to listen to her audiotapes constantly) and writer Peter McWilliams.
Isaac: Let's talk about your project "A Practical Guide to Loving Acting". You have received many positive feedbacks from it. What has been your inspiration to wanting to share your secret with other actors?
Jack: It all started when I was talking with a friend about how I wanted to do charity work and help people. But, I was hesitant because, as I put it "I don't want to hold a dying person's hand". And my friend patiently said, "Don't you think that there may be another way to help people that don't involve cancer wards?" And I finally realized that I could help my fellow actors! I took all the things that I had learned from my years of studying self help techniques, and applied it to acting. And the results have been INCREDIBLE. It feels so good to bring joy to actors who usually are treated so cruelly by their coaches and "the biz".
You can read my book for actors for FREE at:
www.JackPlotnick.com
Isaac: How do you prepare for love scene? If you are involved, does that person ever get jealous?
Jack: I have a fluffer that I keep on payroll for whenever a love scene may come up. …Who are we kidding?! I'm a character actor! Character actors don't do love scenes! America does not want to watch me make out with someone. Although, the strange thing is that I am constantly being hired to do roles in which I have to be almost naked. I just did it again on a new FOX sitcom called "Do Not Disturb". It's the weirdest thing. Thank goodness I kept up my gym membership!
Isaac: Elaborate on some current and upcoming projects you are working on at the moment.
Jack: I am currently in production for a FOX feature called "They Came from Upstairs", in which I play the voice of a cute little alien named "Sparks". I really enjoy voice over work. I was so bummed when Comedy Central cancelled "Drawn Together" (I played Xandir, the gay video game warrior.)
I am appearing on the premier episode of the new CBS drama "The Mentalist".
I did a bunch more appearances on "Reno 911" that just finished airing.
I have a few projects I've created which I'm working on getting produced. Some features and TV show ideas. I try to stay proactive, and not just wait till the next audition.
Isaac: What would you consider to be the ultimate role to play as an actor for you?
Jack: I would like to do a new version of the 70's Sally Field TV movie "Sybil". I'll play Sally's character, the young school teacher who, due to an abusive mother, has 20 personalities. Except in this updated version all my personalities will be well known cereal mascots…and it's a musical! ("Follow your nose! It always knows! Green stars, yellow moons…and blue diamonds!!!")
Isaac: Name one film that you saw that made you proud to be an actor? And why?
Jack: Terms of Endearment, Ordinary People, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. All of these movies I can watch again and again, because the acting is just so incredible. Wait a minute…What the hell? Why isn't Meryl Streep in any of these?! I'm gonna call her agent!
Isaac: What are you hoping to gain from your whole experience in the industry?
Jack: Just lots of terrific artistic experiences and good memories. And if I happen to get a HUGE paycheck…that wouldn't suck either.
Isaac: Final thoughts from Jack Plotnick.
When cows laugh, does milk come out of their nose?
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Photos used in this story were provided by Jack Plotnick.
NEW INTERVIEW
Published: September 18, 2008 6:31 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
(Juniorscave.com)
JC Interview Exclusive: Bobby Trey
A former Marine and an expert in submission fighting, Bobby Trey is charting into new territories these days. With an impressive resume, Bobby is now focusing on acting and stunt work with hopes to have the same results as he has had with other ventures in his life. Bobby took time from his busy schedule to speak with Junior's Cave one on one via email. Here is what formulated.
Isaac: Hello Bobby, thank you for taking the time to complete this Internet interview with our publication. Elaborate a little about your childhood and your upbringing.
Bobby: Thank you for giving this interview. I appreciate you taking an inte
rest in my career, and giving me this opportunity. I grew up in central Illinois in a small town. When I think of my childhood, it makes me laugh. I went through school being forced to take Ritalin to control my ADD and free spirit. My parents put me in Karate, then Tae Kwon Do, and I went to Judo Classes through high school.
Isaac: I read in your bio that you are an expert submission fighter trained in Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, American Submission Grappling, Mui Thia Kickboxing, Boxing, and Marine Corps Martial Arts. Have you ever thought about a professional career in Mixed Martial Arts? Why or Why not?
Bobby: Yes, I had thought about a professional career in MMA. I actually have one professional win in a MMA fight. I would have kept competing, but I was deployed to Iraq for a second time. I trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu throughout that deployment with the idea to compete upon returning to the States. Towards the end of that second deployment, I got really sick and had to be Medvac'ed to Germany. I got better and returned to duty in Iraq, but it took a couple of years to fully recover from that.
Isaac: You served in the Marine Corps Reserves for 8 years along with serving two combat tours in Iraq as well as in several countries in Central America. What has been the most difficult part about returning to the civilian world? What do you miss the most about the Marines?
Bobby: You get used to everyone around you abiding by the same rules and regulations. Then you come back to the civilian world and nobody cares about working together towards a common goal. Everyone is on their own agenda. They care about you, but they don't do what they are told. What I miss most about the Marines are definitely specific Marines.
Isaac: You received two Bachelors in 2006, Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, Illinois State University and Bachelors of Science in Finance, ISU. How has obtaining an education afforded you opportunities in life?
Bobby: It hasn't really helped yet at all, but I am more comfortable pursuing acting having a backup plan. However, while I was getting my degree, I had the opportunity to take acting classes from John Ronane. He is an amazing teacher, actor, and just a great guy.
Isaac: You are currently doing both acting and stunts for TV shows and films. Which one do you prefer over the other and why?
Bobby: I want to do a combination of both, but if I had to choose I would choose acting. Though, I think stunts are acting, and they're so intertwined for me. Acting is my passion, and stunts are what I am good at. I feel really good where my acting is at right now. I have had many great acting teachers here in LA, and my acting coach, Fran Montano, has really stretched me as an actor.
Isaac: You are quoted in your bio that your favorite role playing was the role of Teddy in the play, "When you comin' back Red Ryder?"-- What part about playing this role appealed to you the most?
Bobby: Teddy is a psychotic Vietnam War vet who genuinely hates people. It was just fun becoming this character over the span of a couple of months. I drew pieces of his personality from many people from my past, many of whom were similar to this guy. When you play a psycho you can almost go as far as you want to go. The cast and my director, Stan Strikler, were great about allowing and helping me to do that.
Isaac: How do you prepare for your stunts? Have you ever had a stunt that you thought to yourself, "I cannot do this?"-- Have you ever refused to do a stunt?
Bobby: Actually real stunts are so thought out and planned they're kind of lame. Many times the stunt coordinator forces you to be safer and wear more safety equipment than you want to. They actually take most of the danger and adrenalin out of the stunts. It's understandable, though, because it's their career on the line.
Isaac: Name a recent film with a character that you instantly loved and wish you could have played that part and why?
Bobby: There are too many. I would love to do any character like Jason Bourne from the Bourne Identity trilogy, or Leonardo DiCaprio's part in Departed. Also, I would have done any role in Never Back Down, because I love mixed martial arts.
Isaac: Is there any movie or TV role that you would not want to do? Why or why not?
Bobby: Not right now. I'm up for anything. Well… I guess I'm not down with doing porn.
Isaac: What are some current and upcoming projects that you are working on at the moment?
Bobby: Whatever my agent, Christine Williams, brings me. Anyone can see me on stage with the drama team at Calvary Community Church in Thousand Oaks, Ca.
Isaac: Ten years in the future, Bobby Trey will....
Bobby: Hopefully be a successful actor who does his own stunts, goes on mission trips at least twice a year, and spend most of his time with his wife and son. I have a 2 1/2 year old son, named Bobby IV, who is amazing.
Isaac: Final Thoughts from Bobby Trey.
Bobby: I'm only here because I feel like God wants me to be.
Christine Williams
Peak Models & Talent
(661) 609-6776
Bobby Trey
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Bobby Trey's Website
http://www.bobbytrey.com/
photo by shootwithroman.com
Photos used in this story by shootwithroman.com.
NEW INTERVIEW
Published: September 17, 2008 8:37 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
(Juniorscave.com)
JC Interview Exclusive: Matthew Montgomery
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Junior's Cave is proud to present to our pages Actor/Producer Matthew Montgomery who has starred and co-produced in some of the hottest Indie films currently out. He took time from his extremely busy schedule to answer some questions in this fun interview. Enjoy!
Isaac: Hello Matthew, it is a pleasure to feature you in our magazine. I read in your bio that you were born in Houston but raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. Elaborate a little about growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Matt: Hey there! Thanks so much for spot lighting my career and having me featured on your magazine. Appreciate it. Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas was something that I most certainly felt fortunate with. It's a quaint beach town with beautiful weather and everyone running around in flip-flops and shorts that are way too short. It's peaceful and friendly, albeit right-wing conservative and very Republican. However, when you're a kid, you really don't give a shit about stuff like that. You just wanna hit the beach. And gawk at the surfers.
Isaac: Your father was a big role model. You were surrounded by your father's friends who all were actors, film makers, artists, and writers. How did this help shape your decision to become an actor and producer?
Matt: I think it gave me sense of comfort with diversity in people and culture. However, I would say my decision to become an actor was more shaped by something more elusive that I have no definition of nor can even really recall. It was something I wanted which was engrained in me long before I was exposed to that environment. I've wanted to be an actor ever since I could crawl, speak, or blink for that matter. I decided to be an actor when I was a fetus.
Isaac: You received your first taste of being in front of the stage in a 6th grade production of E. B. White's "Charlotte's Web". What were your first thoughts running through your head after you completed this play?
Matt: I will never play another character where I have to wear a tail. Ever.
Isaac: You went on later to do a high school rendition in which you went from side character to lead in Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun" as Frank Butler. How did you prepare for this role? And did you think that this would lead to were you are at now?
Matt: As much fun as doing that play was, I don't exactly consider it a pivotal moment in my life to be honest. And since I can't sing worth a damn, it's a good thing. I guess, if anything, it was a reiteration that this was something I really wanted to pursue in the long run and be serious about. It wasn't ever just a hobby for me - even in grade school. It was always something I took far more seriously than other people around and I believe that was because I saw it as preparation for a potential career instead of something to pass the time at school. I rehearsed longer hours, was always the first off book and memorized, and spent my nights going over subtext and intention instead of watching reruns of ALF and Growing Pains on prime time TV. It's always been my life. But I did love watching ALF!
Isaac: You went on to study theater at U. S. C. under the guidance of Eve Roberts. What did you learn from this experience?
Matt: She was a tough cookie, that one. I loved studying with her. She was the first coach to introduce me to the importance of looking at text and understanding what the writer is trying to convey. What he/she wants to say. She also taught me how not to laugh on stage - something I had an embarrassing problem with for some strange reason. I would be in the middle of the scene, it would be going amazing and then I'd start cracking up. I think it was a nervous tick when I felt things were going too well - it scared me in a weird way. And she would slam her script down on the floor and scream at me. It was hysterical at first but eventually I knew I needed to knock it off and focus. That was what she taught me. Focus. And to believe in myself. She very much believed in me.
Isaac: Let's talk about your first feature film role as Mark Reeves. The film has received many great reviews and was "Top Ten Best Seller" for TLA Video for 2003 and 2004. How did you prepared for your first role in a film? How did it differ from performing live on stage?
Matt: I was nervous as hell when I did this movie since it was to be my feature film debut and only had my little experience and instincts to work off of. In a way, I think I over prepared for Mark. I did an insane amount of technical research and medical research of head trauma and memory loss. I could've earned a medical degree with the amount of work I did. In a sense, it gave me an idea of what could have happened to Mark. But in the end, it's not like I was writing the script. I found that the thing that helped me the most was really just listening to the other person in the scene and playing off that. It didn't matter what kind of amnesia I had. What mattered was that my character was falling in love with another man for the first time in his life. That's a pretty big deal on its own.
Isaac: Talk about your role as Glen Phillips in Rob Williams' gay romantic comedy "Long-Term Relationship" in which you served as co-producer. How did you prepare for this role? What was the most difficult part about this role? What was the best part about playing this character?
Matt: Long-Term Relationship was the first time I produced as well as starred in a film. I had apprehensions in the beginning about my capability and competence in a dual role like this but found it was something that came quite naturally to me. The most difficult thing is trying to juggle being the lead in a film and also trying to put it all together as the producer at the same time. You sort of feel like a bobble head with your head going every which way and it makes you kinda dizzy. The best part about playing Glen was his light heartedness and sort of naïve way of initially looking at love and relationships and then guiding him through his arc as he changed into someone quite different by the end of the movie. I mean….he was kind of a mess.
Isaac: You also co-produced and stared in Rob Williams' second feature for Guest House Films' "Back Soon" as Guillermo 'Gil" Ramirez. Please outline what is your character all about in this film and what made you decided to star in and co-produce this film.
Matt: Same director, same cast, same producers - TOTALLY DIFFERENT MOVIE. This was the first draw. I loved the team on LTR. We all worked great together and had a blast putting together that movie. So it felt instantly nostalgic and a perfect fit for us to come back and do it again with a completely different story to tell. Back Soon is a gay romantic drama with a supernatural twist and is very deliberate, slow and methodical. Gil is someone that's been down the wrong side of the tracks and now struggling to make his way to a better life when his past catches up with him and sends him around some unexpected turns involving another man he begins to find himself surprisingly drawn to.
Isaac: How do you prepare for love scene? If you are involved, does that person ever get jealous?
Matt: Intimate scenes are typically discussed in great detail between all actors and the director involved. By the time we make it to the set, everyone is on the same page and it becomes more about making sure we visually capture what we discussed. It's very mechanical. Luckily, I've never been in a situation where my boyfriends have been jealous of what I do. I mean, after all, a blow job is still a job.
Isaac: Elaborate on some current and upcoming projects you are working on at the moment.
Matt: I'm producing a gay Christmas comedy appropriately titled Make the Yuletide Gay starring Adamo Ruggiero (Degrassi), and we go into production this coming December. I'm currently in a play called WeHo at the Celebration Theatre in West Hollywood - a ridiculous commentary on what a gay soap opera would be like on prime time TV. It's hilarious. Also, I starred in a couple of films that will come out next year - one called Pornography: A Thriller, a psychological thriller about a fictional urban legend surrounding the death of a former porn star, and The Redwoods, a gay romantic tragedy revolving around two strangers who fall in love under not the best circumstances. And, finally, I've produced a film that's just left theatres and will hit DVD shelves in November called 3-Day Weekend, a sexy gay comedy drama about a group of guys that get away for a long weekend and come back a little more changed than they anticipated.
Isaac: What would you consider to be the ultimate role to play as an actor for you?
Matt: Blind.
Isaac: Name one film that you saw that made you proud to be an actor? And why?
Matt: I recently watched this little indie film called August Evening that takes place in Southwest Texas and centers around this Mexican family and their journey and struggles after losing a family member and what this does to their relationships with each other and their own self -reliance and faith. It was done on a shoe string budget in an area that I'm very familiar with and with characters that I know quite well and grew up with. It reminded me why I not only love being an actor, but why I love working in the independent film industry. Everyone has a story, something they want, something they need to say. I'm grateful that I have the chance to be heard, and that my own creative voice can be just as strong as the next persons' and doesn't have to be determined by budget restrictions or lack of studio support. I just love telling and watching great stories. August Evening is one of my favorite movies because it reminded me to have faith.
Isaac: What are you hoping to gain from your whole experience in the industry?
Matt: I hope to be gained from, not necessarily to gain for myself. Sure, I'd like to be successful and respected by my peers and colleagues, but moreover, I want for what I say to have an affect on people and make them think. Maybe open their minds, or their hearts. A little idealistic, I know.
Isaac: Final thoughts from Matthew Montgomery.
Matt: Vote!
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Matthew Montgomery's Websites
www.Matt-Montgomery.com
www.GuestHouseFilms.com
www.imdb.com/name/nm1343042/
Photos used in this story were provided by Mike Drobinski.
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