Reflections on making this movie...
...from the Lead Actor
In General
When I started writing Tripping Forward I was determined to make this movie no
matter what. My whole career I feel I have been overlooked and underrated. When
I met Marcus and he helped me restructure it and eventually helped me rewrite
it. He seemed to have the same determination. As we shot this movie in July it
was the happiest and most at peace I have been since living in Hollywood.
Funding
As I said Marcus and I were determined to make this movie no matter what. I was
going to max out my credit cards if I had to and Marcus was also going to use
his own money. Yes there were a lot of “no’s” along the way, but being an actor
I have grown accustomed to that.
We whipped up a great business plan. It got in the hands of Bolaji Akran at
Island Gateway. We got a lot more money than I expected. I guess I thought that
only happens to other people. Well, it doesn’t. I think the key was that we were
going to make the movie no matter what and didn’t seem desperate. I don’t know
for sure. I’m just glad we got the money. It changed the whole project. We were
able to shoot on film and the whole production became bigger.
Casting
It was interesting to me to be on the other end of the casting session. Usually
I am the guy going in and having my work rated. Now I was rating. You really see
how actors kill themselves. It’s tough and you just got to let it go. We saw a
lot of great actors. I wasn’t able to use everyone I wanted. There’s only so
many parts and you got to do what is best for the film.
My girlfriend Michelle Gold and Betty Lousarian came in and helped with the
casting. Michelle single-handedly pulled William Gregory Lee, Ezra Buzzington,
and Billy Morrison’s pics. She has a great eye.
Then Lisa Hamil came aboard and brought her casting awesomeness to the project.
She got us name actors that I never even dreamed we would have a shot at.
Obviously, this really legitimized our casting process.
I wanted Greg Lee from the beginning. It took us a while to make him an offer. I
was scared we might lose him, but everything worked out.
Pre-Production
Pre-production for me was getting into shape. Marcus wanted me to lose ten
pounds so I started working out everyday. A week before the shoot, Michelle and
I went to Vermont for a friend’s wedding. It was so relaxing. I didn’t even get
cell phone reception. I think had I stayed in L.A. I would have started
stressing about the shoot. Instead I spent the day before the shoot flying cross
country. I was exhausted. But instead of spending that night tossing and turning
I got a great night’s sleep and was ready for the shoot.
Production
I had two big concerns. Stamina and spontaneity. I’m in every scene in the movie
so I had hardly any down time the whole shoot. I couldn’t afford to get tired. I
held up pretty well, but after the shoot I decompressed for a couple weeks to
recover. Also, because I wrote the script I wanted to keep Ford spontaneous. I
wanted to separate me the writer from me the actor. I didn’t want to have any
preconceived ideas on where each scene would go. It wouldn’t be organic that
way. For the most part I was able to do that.
The script was written somewhat cartoonish so the co-stars had to be big. I
really think the cast we put together is awesome. Cathy Cahn, Eric-Peter Kaiser,
Craig Shoemaker (who by the way gave me a hot tip for my fantasy baseball team
that helped me secure a championship) Zack Selwyn, John Kapelos, Sung Hi Lee,
Chris Chauncey, Paul Zies, Angela Kinsey, Koji Kataoka, Yves Bright, and the
incredibly sexy Danielle Roberts all came in and were unique and awesome. All of
them really put their own little stamp on this film.
Billy Morrison is like the coolest dude you’ll ever meet in your life. All the
chicks were hot for him. He took a call from Ozzy Osbourne while all on set. How
cool is that? This was his first movie, first audition ever, and he rocked it.
Ezra Buzzington, whose star is on the rise with a bullet, was flat brilliant as
Joe, a cynical casting director. I’m sure he drew on some real life experiences
for that one.
Ed Begley, Jr. is the nicest guy ever. As the writer, he would ask me questions
like “can I change this word?” or “what if I say this?” I said “No Ed you’ll say
the dialogue as it’s written and you’ll like it!” I’m just kidding. I told him
he could do whatever he wanted. It was a really neat feeling.
M.C. Gainey has the kind of career character actors dream of. Is there a movie
he’s not in? Yet he came in with no attitude whatsoever. I had a lot in common
with him. We talked a lot of sports. He told me being #1 on the callsheet is a
big responsibility and that I was handling it well. He said it all starts with
the director and lead actor. How they act will trickle down to the rest of the
crew. If they show up smiling it sets the tone for the whole shoot. M.C. told a
couple of stories of his time in Hollywood that I’ve now repeated many times at
parties. When I think of him I think of Johnny Cash singing “I’ve Been
Everywhere.” He is a really interesting human being. I couldn’t ask for a better
Jim Rose. He told me “enjoy every fucking second of every fucking day”!
Amber Benson said Gwen reminded her of Annie Hall. I took that as a big
complement. I think Gwen was a tough role. If not performed properly the
character might have come off as hollow. Amber really brought her to life. She
had a great mix of playfulness and sincerity. She is also beautiful. I’m really
glad she came aboard to do this part. She made me feel really comfortable being
intimate with her.
And this brings me to William Gregory Lee. If the relationship between Ford and
Tripp doesn’t play this movie is dead before it even starts. The audience has to
love Tripp to buy why I’m hanging out with this guy through all the shit he is
dragging me through. Greg played this role to precision. My biggest fear in
casting was the chemistry with the Tripp character. I couldn’t have asked for
better chemistry than I had with Greg. We seemed to play off each other really
well, with neither ever upstaging the other. Greg told me he almost didn’t take
the role. He said he hadn’t done much comedy and feared he couldn’t deliver the
goods for this character thus destroying our movie. I’m so glad he decided to
take the part because now I can’t imagine the movie without him.
Post
I have taken a couple steps back since production ended, started writing some
new scripts. Of course I give my feedback, being a very opinionated person, but
I believe in giving people space to do their thing. This is not my area of
expertise. I’m not an editor. I’m not a music composer. I think Mark Hosack did
a great job with the editing. He really found some moments that aren’t
necessarily in the script. In particular there is a scene with Amber and I in a
supermarket. Mark edited it to really make it feel awkward and cute between us.
As I am writing this the music is being composed and I am anxiously waiting to
see a final cut.
I’ve seen a rough cut of this movie and am really happy. Pat Dolan is an awesome
cinematographer. Marcus really did a great job seeing his vision come to life.
I’m so proud of this movie. It has become bigger than me now, but it makes me
feel really good to know that it all started with me sitting down at the
computer and writing the first words.
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