Actorslife.com Interview

Tell us about Low and Behold—what is the movie about?
Low And Behold is about Turner Stull, an aimless young man who arrives in New Orleans ready to work for his Uncle Stully, a seasoned pro in the claims business. But the shy, reticent Turner is unprepared to deal with people who have lost everything and feels overwhelmed by the utter devastation and personal loss everywhere around him. In a moment of crisis, Turner agrees to help a boisterous, freespirited local man, Nixon, search for his lost dog. In exchange, Nixon lends his comedic charms and people skills to helping the bewildered young adjuster complete his insurance claims. Their informal partnership grows into an unlikely friendship as they navigate their way through the storm-damaged city on a journey that will change Turner's life.

The film grew out of your experiences working a short-term job as a claims adjuster in the Coastal South area after the Katrina disaster. What prompted you to open up your laptop and start writing the film script?
New Orleans was my home. After Katrina I was broke, homeless and asking the same question so many other people in the city were asking, ‘What now?’ I got a call from a family friend who suggested I drive to Texas and get a temporary claim adjusters license and come work for him in South Florida. Though I was a little skeptical, I didn’t know what else to do, so I drove to Texas. I went through five days of intensive training and was baptized into the world of claim adjusting. It was an insane week and I filled up an entire notebook of stories- quotes- conversations- character descriptions.

After Katrina, I was asking a lot of questions, trying to grasp the enormity of the events that were unfolding around me. I believed a story about a young claim adjuster would be the perfect way to wrestle with those questions. So I moved to South Florida and became a claim adjuster. I worked twenty hours a day- seven days a week for three months. By the time I returned to New Orleans I had enough experience and money to make Low And Behold.

While I was claim adjusting I was faced with moments extreme tragedy, but was surprised to find that there were also moments of profound comedy. Zack and I wanted to flesh that out in Low And Behold. We were not using comedy as a form of relief from the world that surrounded us, but as a form of redemption. We also found much of this ‘comedy’ when working with the non-actors while shooting unscripted scenes that make up a large portion of the film. Life in post Katrina New Orleans is extremely complex it is those complexities that made Low And Behold such an intriguing film to write and make.

Had you collaborated with director and co-writer Zack Godshall before? How did you two work together during the writing process?
Zack and I met when he cast me as the lead in his UCLA thesis film that he shot in Lafayette, LA where he grew up. Both Zack and I were interested in the type of films that were experimenting with the mixture of reality and fiction. Directors like John Cassevetes, Robert Flaherty, and Werrner Hertzog had been a major influence for both of us. We had many conversations of how documentary elements could be used in a narrative story- not separately- but as one unit, forming a special hybrid that would propel a story reach its maximum potential. It was during that time that I ran across a quote by James Agee. He explained, “The films I most eagerly look forward to will not be documentaries but works of pure fiction, played against, and into, and in collaboration with unrehearsed and univented reality.” Agee provided the definition for what Low And Behold would become.

What was the pre-production phase like? Were people eager to get involved? In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently during pre-prod?
Pre-production was crazy because we were trying to do so much in a condensed amount of time. We knew from the start our biggest issues were going to be finding and securing locations and casting. It was important to Zack and I that we handle both of these elements with extreme sensitivity and care.

We felt like the media coverage did not fully encompass the total destruction of the city. It was not just the 9th Ward that was destroyed- there was Lakeview- New Orleans East- all of St. Bernard Parish. We spent two months- every day driving around New Orleans and greater New Orleans introducing ourselves to people- listening to anyone who was willing to talk. We ended up casting many of these people in our film.

We vowed not to shoot on any location we didn’t have permission to shoot on. In no way did we want to disrespect these people who had lost so much. Many of the local churches and missionary groups helped us track down the owners of the property we filmed on.

I only hired friends or friends of friends to work on the film, most of who were living in New Orleans. It was exciting because all of these elements lent to Low And Behold reaching its maximum potential. I watched our cast and crew, some still living in FEMA trailers, come to set with the purpose of telling not only our story, but also their personal story.

This was the first project you’ve done where you took on the role of writer, actor, and producer. What were some of the more surprising lessons you learned during the process, that you may never have anticipated, in taking on such an ambitious project?
It’s a hell of a lot of work. I’ve been writing and acting for a long time. But this was the first time I’ve produced anything. There was steep learning curve. The greatest thing about producing is that you are the final word on everything. There was no one above me telling me what to do- we did whatever we wanted. We were taking a lot of big risks that most producers would never let happen. It’s a small miracle we were able to pull it off. Zack and I had an idea of the film we wanted to make, but weren’t sure if it would be possible to make it a reality. It was exciting to make a film and discover it was better then we could have ever imagined. Low And Behold is the film Zack and I wanted to make and I don’t think that would have been possible if I hadn’t also been the producer. Not because I’m such a great producer, but because I don’t think anybody else would have been crazy enough finance this movie.

Do you have any advice for actors who are thinking about creating their own films?
Not really. I like to write and I like to act. With Low And Behold I was able to combine the two. I think if anyone has a project they want to make they should do it. The biggest thing separating the people who are making films from those who aren’t are the people actually doing it. That may sound over simplified, but I think it’s that easy. I’m not saying the process is easy, there is a lot of hard work and sacrifice, with no guarantee for success, but you’ll never know if it is possible until you try.

Talk about the relationship New Orleans has with the various cameras and film crews that have covered the Katrina aftermath. Did people have expectations or prejudices about you when you came to film non-actors in their actual storm-damaged homes, based on their previous experiences with media since the disaster?
Almost our entire cast and crew was from New Orleans or Louisiana. I think that was key when we were approaching locals about filming them in there storm damaged homes. We started filming eight months after Katrina. Initially Zack and I wanted to shoot in March (two months earlier), but I think that would have been too soon. We started filming at a unique time- when people were just starting to wear their heart on their sleeve. They were ready to share- to express loss- anger and sometimes even joy and thankfulness. I don’t think I could have justified making this film if I hadn’t been living here before the storm

What is the acting community like in New Orleans, both pre and post-Katrina? Is there theatre in the area, or is it mostly film and television?
There is definitely an active film and theater community in New Orleans. I think it was much larger, especially for film and television, pre-Katrina. There was somewhere around a hundred and twenty film and or television pilots slotted to shoot in New Orleans from September- December in 2005. The acting community was quickly growing. Since the storm everyone has scattered, but I believe it is slowly growing again.

You used a cast and crew of mostly Louisiana natives. How did you embark on the casting process? Did you hold auditions?
Most of Low And Behold, outside of myself, Eddie Rouse and Robert Longstreet is made up of non-actors. We did have auditions, but I think only two other actors ended up in the final cut. It was important to Zack and I that we cast people that had felt the full impact of Katrina. We only wanted to cast locally because we knew even if they were actors; they had still been affected by the storm and would be able to draw from those experiences.

Tell us about your background. When did you first come to live in New Orleans? And when did you first begin acting?
I’m from Lookout Mountain, TN. I’ve been fascinated with New Orleans since I was a little kid. After my uncle was arrested for drug charges in New Orleans, he came to live with my family. That was my baby sitter growing up. I heard all these amazing stories about this place called New Orleans. As I grew older many the books and writers that were impacting me were from New Orleans. Writers like Tennessee Williams and Walker Percy. Books like Lancelot, The Movie Goer and A Confederacy of Dunces only intensified my fascination with the city. So really, since I was a kid I felt like I was on my way to New Orleans. It finally happened four years ago.

My pursuit of acting has been pretty ass-backwards. I decided against moving to New York or LA to ‘make it’ as an actor and writer. I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with a group of gifted filmmakers, who have cast me in films that I was passionate about. I hope that I continue to have the opportunity to act in challenging projects that I believe in.

You lost your home in Katrina. Tell us about that time, and how your career decisions were influenced by your new circumstances.
When you watch an event like Katrina unfold, whether you are from the Gulf Coast are not, it forces you to step back a reevaluate things. I don’t think I was thinking about how it would influence my career as much as how it was influencing my life. I am still trying to figure that out.

What expectations do you have about the Sundance Film Festival? How do you plan to maximize your time there?
I’m excited to bring Low And Behold to Sundance. I’m also in another film at the festival called Great World of Sound, directed by my dear friend Craig Zobel. My friend David Green’s movie, Snow Angels, will also in the festival. It’s an honor to be accepted to Sundance and to be able to share that honor with your friends is an amazing feeling. I look forward to meeting other filmmakers at the festival and seeing their work. I am not sure what to expect. Getting into Sundance this year has been one of our goals since day one. Our next goal was selling Low And Behold at Sundance. A lot of my time will be focused on reaching that goal.

What are your favorite New Orleans-based films?
New Orleans may be the greatest place in the United States to make a movie. Unfortunately, there have been few good films made here. The landscape, architecture and look of the people is so fascinating- yet most films that come to New Orleans head straight for St. Charles or Bourbon Street and make all the actors talk with a funny southern accent that doesn’t exist in this city.

The only New Orleans based film I like is Down By Law. Jim Jarmusch didn’t make a ‘New Orleans movie’, he made a movie in New Orleans. I wish more people would do that, instead of coming here to re-making every John Grisham and Anne Rice book ever written.

Someone should give David Gordon Green a lot of money to make “Confederacy of Dunces.” He is the only living director who would do that book justice.

How can readers of this site help out the people of the Coastal South? Can you tell us about some under-reported needs?
Where do I start? Everything is under reported. I don’t think people can grasp the scope of the damage unless they come and see it for themselves. This was not a couple of blocks that were destroyed; it was entire cities up down the Gulf Coast totally whipped out. I think people see on the news that Bourbon Street is up and running and assume that the entire city must be the same way. The best way anyone could help is donating time and prayer for New Orleans. There are many religious groups and non-profits like Habitat For Humanity that are doing amazing things in this city. It has been exciting to see people coming from all over the world to lend a hand and I pray to continue to see more of that.