Owen: So first off, did you always
consider "cult superstar" as
a job option?
Joel: Actually, I just wanted to make movies. It
wasn't till later when Tim told me
"youre getting quite a following,
people like seeing you in movies man."
Now its cool!!!! I want people to like the
stuff I do.
Owen:
Did it happen by accident?
Joel: Yes, like I said, one day Tim just told me,
"Look whats happening man, people
really like to see you in these
things." I'm doing these movies
because theyre fun to do but I want the
people that watch them to enjoy them
also.
Owen:
And how did that label come into place
to describe you?
Joel: I think it
was on the back of "WICKED GAMES"
first, it said something like CULT ACTOR and then
my work for other film makers started
showing up on their work as well, things
like B MOVIE STAR and CULT ICON which I
don't know how true that is but its very
flattering.
Owen:
Hey, tell me about your new movie 'I
Am Vengeance' now in post-production.
Joel: I did this
along time ago and I'm not really sure when this
is coming out or if I'm even still in it. I
reprised the DIRTY COP role in
this flick and it was a lot of fun and the
director (Richard Anasky) was really cool to work
for. It must have been three or four years
ago when I did my scenes but I know either way
when this movie comes out it will be a COOL watch
with Anasky's direction.
Owen: Is it true there is an upcoming bio of you
being written by Frank Wales?
Joel: Yes, I am slowly working on it now, in fact I
have to get back to it soon or Frank will kill
me. I am actually recounting my life from
around the age of 15 up until now. Personal
struggles and the moviemaking, how it started
what I was going through at the time, I think it
will be pretty cool and be a good read. I
think for the people that like my movies will
enjoy it but it will also be an eye-opener to
filmmakers starting in the business but it has
something for everyone as well, I think enough to
compete with any of the books out there now, and
mine is real!!!!! Everything in the book
happened to me including me having to fight for
my first wife, I had to kick the door down and
take her from the people that were trying to sell
her and when the cops pulled there guns on me and
I turned to face them with a prop gun on my hand
when they yelled "FREEZE". In
other words, I think anyone that likes to read
would pick up the book and say "Man, what a
life this guy led to make his dream come true and
he is still working at it." Just my
personal opinion.
Owen: You are a frequent guest at various horror
conventions throughout the year...is there a best
and a worst part of the experience?
Joel: So far there
has been no bad about any of it. I
love doing these things and can't wait to do
SCREAMFEST 2005. Last year I had a line of
people coming by saying things like I loved you
in CREEP and DIRTY COP is my favorite. I don't know what it is
about DIRTY COP NO DONUT but a
lot of people seem to love that thing. I
had a lot of fun doing that movie, that and the
sequel, and the special edition. One girl
in particular came by and got my picture with her
twice, she came by at the end of the con and said
"Mr. Wynkoop, could I get another picture
with you?" Just makes you feel good ya
know? Or, if they don't know me
they do by the time they leave my table, I try to
say hello to everyone that walks by me, if they
know my movies they'll stop, if I say hello
they'll usually stop and talk, its a great
experience all around.
Owen: What do the fans usually expect when they meet
you?
Joel: I think they
expect a madman. I remember sending some
footage to Phil Herman of Falcon Video once to
put in his anthology movie TALES TILL THE
END and his partner Ben Stanski said
"I've got to edit Joel's part perfect or
he'll come up here and kill me, he's a CREEP."
Phil had to convince him that I really wasn't a CREEP
and went around killing people. He
still said to Phil "No, he's really like
that, he's a CREEP and he'll
kill me if I edit it wrong." I'd like
to think I'm one of the nicest guys around, I
open doors for people, have something nice to say
at all times, pretty much get along with
everybody. I've done a lot of
characters now and there all pretty bizarre,
people probably don't know which one is closest
to me.
Owen:
Going along with that -- you were Angus Lynch in
'Creep', The Butcher in 'Serial
Killer', Cope Ransom in 'Alien
Agenda: Endangered Species', Hess in 'Addicted
to Murder', Officer Friendly in 'Dirty
Cop No Donut', plus your work in 'Horrortales
666', 'Rot', 'Screaming
for Sanity', etc. What film do
fans most usually comment or ask about?
Joel: I'd say DIRTY
COP NO DONUT, I had so many requests for
that last year I felt bad because I forgot to
bring any with me because it was a horror con and
I didn't think anybody would want that, I was
wrong, I can think of at least ten that asked for
it. Next would be CREEP,
that was a movie that I think caught a lot of
people attention, I really got to go off the wall
on that one. Cope Ransom from the ALIEN
SERIES people like because I got to do
the tough guy role of a SNAKE PLISSKEN type
character. SERIAL KILLER I
havent heard too much about from folks, I
loved that role and it would be cool to hear
someones reaction to it.
Owen: One of your most famous characters is Mr.
Longfellow from the 'Scary Tales'
film series. What were the main things you
wanted to keep in mind when creating that
character?
Joel: I think Mike
Hoffman gave me the chance to create a new
character, he didn't want an ANGUS from CREEP
or a DR. OLSEN from ROT, he
wanted me to come up with someone new and
fresh. I just played around with some
different voices and came up with that. In
part one he was more repressed but by the second
one he was really out there, I think Mike and I
decided he changed because there was time for him
to become more demented. Mr. Longfellow was
one of my more fun characters to play
also.
Owen: Have there
been any repercussions to your starring work as
Officer Friendly and Gus Kimball in the hilarious
'Dirty Cop' parody
films? Meaning, have you ever been
pulled over and had some cop say, "Hey
asshole, you're that guy making fun of
us!"
Joel: No, at least
not that I know of, there is something in the
book Frank is writing but I don't think that had
anything to do with it, but, you never
know. I have had my run ins though, on the
set of movies, on THE PART I had
a cop call me over in the middle of a shoot,
watch the credits in TWISTED ILLUSIONS
TWO THE PART segment for "See ya
dork, we were just making a movie."
Plus I'm prepared for that, its my failsafe, Gus
was never a cop he just thought he was, he is
just a guy that thinks hes a cop.
Owen:
What do you tend to think when you watch
yourself in a movie? Are you proud,
embarrassed, hypercritical, objective and able to
see things you can improve in future film
work...?
Joel:
I do it with every part I finish, I look at THE
BITE now and say "Man, I should
have kept in character better", or "I
should have blocked that fight scene
better." I think youre always
your worst critic. I have done some things
that were embarrassing which I won't talk about
because there that bad, I am proud of the 9
minute fight scene I did in THE BITE,
I don't think I'll ever be able to top
that. I always see things I can improve
upon, that will never stop. I'm watching
things from "KILL HER, ARNOLD"
for "ALWAYS MIDNIGHT"
for Phil Herman and I'm already saying, "I
should have done this or done that better."
Owen:
So Joel, what does it for you or gives you that
thrill factor - vampires, zombies, werewolves,
psychos, cannibals, aliens, creatures, mummies,
bad cops?
Joel: I guess
everything!! Its cool to play the
straight guy trying to fight off the aliens or
monsters and its cool to be the hero with powers
that has been chosen to fight off the
monsters. I've done a couple roles where I
was just the regular guy like when I did a short
for a friend called "ACCIDENTAL
MEMORIES" I played a guard and it
was okay but I wasnt saving people or
stalking women or fighting monsters, but the way
I look at it its all acting and thats what
an actor does. I try to make any role I am
in a BLAST, because thats what it's all
about, having fun with your craft.
Owen: What projects do you have lined up in the
future?
Joel:
Right now with KILL HER, ARNOLD finished for Falcon Video I'm just taking it easy
and waiting for the next project to pop up, I
have no plans for anything I'm doing except for
SCREAMFEST 2005. However I am always open
to any offers. Oh, and of course the book
with Franklin E Wales, who can be checked out at www.franklinewales.com
Owen: Frequently actors want to get into
different areas of film production. Do
you have aspirations of writing and directing
your own starring vehicle somewhere down the line
and if so what sort of role would you like it to
be?
Joel: Like they
say on the MOUNTAIN DEW commercials "DONE THAT I directed
LOST FAITH as well as produced and
wrote. I co produced WICKED GAMES and
was assistant director the same for SCREAMING
FOR SANITY. THE BITE I wrote into a 30m-page script that originated
from a 3-page synopsis from Phil Herman. I
also directed THE BITE along
with newcomer Chris Conklin. THE
BITE I also produced with Cathy
Holseybrook who recently became Cathy
Wynkoop. "KILL HER, ARNOLD was
also written by myself and produced by Cathy and
myself as well as starring the two of us.
I'd still like to do LOST FAITH 2 that has been a dream of mine since I finished
the first one. I'm open to all writing and
acting as long as theyre not too boring,
I'd want something to be going on at all times,
keep it interesting.
Owen: So if you were going to give someone advice on
how to be a "cult superstar" what would
you tell them?
Joel: Do as much stuff as you can, don't sit around
waiting for someone to give you thousands of
dollars to act because it probably won't
happen. If you get a chance to do a movie
and the guy says "I can't pay you but you'll
be the lead DO IT!!!!! Don't sit
around and say, "I'M an actor and I need to
be paid." If I waited to get paid on TWISTED
ILLUSIONS I wouldn't have gotten the
part of myself or Mike Strauber which never would
have lead to Truth or Dare which never would have
lead to KILLING SPREE which
never would have lead to LOST FAITH
which never would have lead to WICKED
GAMES, see where I'm going with
this? If I had waited to be paid I'd have
done nothing, period. Because I have done
so much now I do get paid, you have to do a
little or sometimes a lot before it starts to pay
off.
Owen: What is something that scares you in real
life?
Joel: People drunk driving, I worry for my family on
the road -- people racing and zipping through
traffic. Things that are out of my control
like being on a plane and the engines die.
Long painful death, let me go in my sleep and
wake up with my Dad. Being a regular guy,
not having my interests in moviemaking and just
being content with life. I have to always
be doing things towards my acting career or I
feel like a failure, sometimes I wish I never got
interested in acting and learned about cars
instead, but I was bit by the acting bug and now
its hear to stay so I'm doing the best I can. |