RACKS AND RAZORS: Did you always have
stars in your eyes as a kid growing up in
Indianapolis?
JEFF PARISE:
Always. As a kid, it was hard to draw a
distinction between fantasy and reality. So, as
an adult, I've made a living at combining the
two.
RR: What
qualities do you think you have that have made
this amazing acting career possible for you?
JP: Naivet'e for one. I have no reference in my
family as to what it takes or "how to"
be an artist for a living, so I think it was the
stars in my eyes we talked of earlier. Also, a
curiosity about this life. I'm so curious about
the human race. I try and translate what I've
learned and what I'm learning about our behavior
in the characters I play.
RR:
Jeff, you've had such an extensive career on TV
and in films. I want to hear about your work as
Derek Deeds in the upcoming horror flick
'Dark Reel' costarring some scare flick
heavyweights - Lance Henrickson, Tiffany Shepis,
Alexandra Holden, Edward Furlong, and Tony Todd?
How did that come about?
JP:
Well, I had a juicy lead in another feature film
named "Callback"
(directed by Eric Wolfson), where Joe Lorenzo,
the casting director for Dark Reel. (and now my
manager) saw me. He called me in to audition and
BOOM! I got the part.
I played the part
of Derek Deeds, a horror film director, prone to
volatile outbursts. It was great working with the
ever and always cool Edward Furlong. Lance
Henricksen is plainly and simply "The
man". He told some great stories, gave some
great advice, did some great work and split.
Tiffany Shepis and Mercedes McNab (Buffy the
vampire slayer) were both so much fun to work
with, hell, everyone on that shoot was fun!
RR: Can
you give me a teaser that will make it
irresistible to Racks and Razors readers?
JP: There's
blood and boobies... and Tiffany Shepis and
Mercedes McNab.
RR:
Jeff I also want to hear about your work as Bobo
in Phil Creager's 'Death By Engagement'.
Was it fun to be the sort of comic relief in a
horror film?
JP:
It was great working with Phil. It felt like a
real creative collaboration. He let me have a lot
of fun with character. To me, that is always the
sign of a good director. Once they know you have
a good handle on the character, they allow. Then
you feel trusted, that's when some magic can
happen. As far as the comic relief/horror movie
thing. I always take it case by case. Character
by character. If they happen to be a funny
character, awesome! If it happens to be in a
horror movie, great! I usually just focus on the
human characteristics and let the director piece
me into the puzzle.
RR: Did
you mold or base the character Bobo on anyone in
particular?
JP:
Well, I had a few people in mind but not one
specifically. It was sort of a stew of shady
individuals I've known and witnessed throughout
the years.
RR: What
is unique about acting in horror films as opposed
to other genres?
JP: Well,
in the two horror films I've done, there hasn't
been much of a difference in the approach to my
acting. I pretty much just think back on all the
times I've been chased by a masked, ax wielding
serial killer in my real life and I go from
there.
RR:
I also want to hear about your experience of
working with the amazing director Wim Weders in
'Don't Come Knocking' with Sam Shepard,
Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, Eva Marie Saint, Fairuza
Balk, George Kennedy, and Sarah Polley. So do you
have some memory of working with that amazing
cast you would care to put in a timecapsule for
posterity?
JP: That
experience has been one of the very best so far.
To be surrounded by your heroes is quite a
surreal experience. It was my third time working
with Wim Wenders. About 10 years ago I had made a
list of directors I wanted to work with and he
was number one on that list. No shit. Wings of
Desire is my all time favorite film. And he's
just the Zen master director I'd hoped he's be.
What a kind a generous man he is. Not only did I
get to work with Wim again, but I found myself in
an airport drinking a beer with Tim Roth talking
about his approach to playing Vincent Van
Gough... I mean, come on! And just when I didn't
think it could get any better, I then find myself
in a dive bar in Utah, bellied up with Sam
Shepard talking about what it means to live your
life as an artist over a beer and tequila shot.
Priceless.
RR:
In addition to acting you also have written a
couple of screenplays and are a very sought after
painter. Does the kernel of inspiration for all
your artistic expression come from the same
place? And if it differs how so?
JP:
I think all the inspiration comes from the same
place, the approach however is much different.
Kind of like doing yoga. The whole body is used,
but different poses require different muscles.
The yoga in this case is creative expression. I
think I have the same goal as most... to be fully
self-expressed. I find I express myself best by
being a well-rounded artist.
RR: I
want to hear about your painting and when and why
it started and where you see it going?
JP:
I've been painting now for about 15 years. About
8 years ago I was cast in a Buddy Giovinazzo (The
Unscarred, No Way Home)
film that shot in Berlin and it changed
everything. I had never been to Europe, so I
asked them to pay me in cash and fly me out of
Prague 2 months later. I back-packed Europe, saw
all the great painters and their paintings and
began to understand "the game of art".
I was looking at paintings that were hundreds of
years old in some cases, the artist long dead,
but his paintings were alive and well. The
paintings and I were having an energy exchange. I
was moved by something made hundreds of years
ago. I want my work to do that to someone
hundreds of years from now. That\rquote s were
I'd like to see my painting go. But the fun part
about that is, it\rquote s out of my hands. I
have no idea how many people will or won't see my
work after I die. The only responsibility I have
to it is to leave as many paintings behind as
possible before I go. I have hundreds of
paintings. In one on going series I'm working on
called Naked and Famous, I paint life-sized
portraits of friends and family. It's really
capturing a community of people in the early
2000's. As of today, I have just over 85 in this
series.
RR: Okay
Jeff, what was the first movie you saw that
scared the shit out of you?
JP: The
Exorcist.
RR: We're
pulling the car into the Jeff Parise Drive In.
What three horror flicks are on the triple bill
for the night and what goodies are they going to
be serving up at the conession stand?
JP:
Well, I guess that would be 1. The
Exorcist 2. Dark Reel and
3. Death by Engagement. Drive
In's pay residuals, right? And the goodies would
be absinthe, red wine, cheese, olives and dark
chocolate. Ahh, the decadence.
RR:
What scares you in real life?
JP:
Prison.
RR: What
makes you go psycho in real life?
JP: Interviews,
mother fucker! And if you don't stop asking me
personal questions I'm gonna cut off your
extremities with a butter knife and feed them too
you. Then I'll sew up all your exits so you rot
from the inside out! |