Actor Interview:

Michael Coe: Bucking the Odds with Urban Legends Unlucky Jock!

Brian: You grew up in the middle of 13 children not the usual growing up experience. Do you have any favorite (or just simply fun) memories about your youth and many siblings?

Michael: My family has been my greatest blessing. I truly have an unlimited supply of wonderful memories. Some as blissful as sitting in the backyard of our Virginia house churning home-made vanilla ice cream with my mother, or as regrettable as drinking the tator tot grease straight from the pan in an awful and foolish attempt to impress the girls my older brother Brandon had over (no success). Some funny, like the time I was warned of the spanking punishment I was to receive after the bath, so I came downstairs with eight pairs of underwear on. Some not so funny, like kneeing my little brother Sam in the mouth on the trampoline forcing his permanent front tooth loose; or when our family dog bit my face as a child leaving me scarred and fearful of dogs. I got over that and the scars are hardly noticeable anymore. Thank goodness I got over my dog fear or my time with my on screen dog Breezie would have been very difficult. I could spend all day on this question, but to try and single one out that is a favorite isn't easy. One of my little brothers, Levi, has Downs Syndrome and has never really developed much speaking ability but he does know some sign language. I remember the first time he signed "I love you" to me like it was yesterday. It's neat how good memories can leave more effective scars then even a dog attack can.

Brian: What twisted beast sent you on this path of reaching for the spotlight? Kermit, the frog? Darth Vader? Gizmo? A cute girl in acting class?

Michael: All of these have had influences in my life at different times. It's safe to say that all of these figures lead me, in some way or another, to have the dreams I have today. My passion for film really began in my elementary years. I would spend all my free time in class and at recess writing the Jurassic Park screenplay straight from memory after I completed that one I moved onto memorizing and writing the screenplay to Tombstone. The most inspiring film to me is Braveheart, and essentially that's what leads me to reach for the spotlight, my love for good movies.

Brian: You played "Buck" the head jock-bad boy in 'Urban Legends: Bloody Mary'. Buck, while a great role is also a stock one in movies like this. You, unlike other actors who often make this type of character too "big," give him a nice naturalness and real sensibility. Do you think having been on camera, previously, on some episodes of 'Everwood' helped you achieve this?

Michael: Without a doubt my bit of previous experience was a huge help in preparing my role for 'Urban Legends'. Acting is a real challenge. It requires you to be entirely natural and in the moment, but yet you need to remember your lines, hit your marks, find the hot spots in lighting, deal with props and pets and kids and continuity. Any moment I have ever had the privilege of being in front of the camera has most definitely helped in my growth as an actor. I wrote several pages of fictitious background for Buck Jacoby and picked his favorite color, band, food and detailed his previous relationships to any relevant character; and I loved every second of it! Acting is phenomenal and even therapeutic; it's a nice challenge with good rewards. I will act the rest of my life even if I never get paid for it ever again. The money is good and essential to survive but the self expression and accomplishment of self control is the real reward.

Brian: You are totally my hero - or at least for the next 10 minutes - because you worked with Mary Lambert. (As a college sophomore I went to see her first movie 'Siesta', at least five times, at the local arts theater!) She's got such style. Any thoughts on Lambert's personality or technique of working that you'd like to share?

Michael: Like you, I am also a huge fan of Mary Lambert. I got hooked with 'Pet Semetary'. I have easily seen that movie over 10 times and watched attentively each time. I've seen the sequel even more. When I got the word that I was going to be working with Mary Lambert I was shocked and speechless. After I hung up with my agent I just sat in my car dumbfounded. Then I screamed really loud and flailed, thanked God and swore four letter words of excitement. Mary was a delight to work with. She was very patient and very down to earth, but at same time she was ambitious with the shooting schedule and was centered in her own mind enough to bring that Lambert touch to this film. She would encourage the actors to improv in character with each other to develop spontaneity in our performance, it worked. My first person experience with Mary has only increased my respect for her and the way she wields her craft, with subtly, respect, and a lot of thought.

Brian: Speaking of the ladies involved with Bloody Mary - what was it like to work with Kate Mara? Like you, she gives her character a great realness. You really buy her as an awkward high school kid - not some supermodel who's smacked glasses on her face and considers that the character.

Michael: Kate is as genuine and intriguing in real life as you would imagine she is. She had no element of snootiness or self indulgence. She makes solid and intelligent acting choices, but also stays flexible to react naturally to the choices of the other actors. She's great and has an incredibly bright future. Acting along side of her was inspiring and quite frankly it made my job easier. It was entirely my privilege and I'm just thankful to have had the chance to act with tomorrow's Julia Roberts.

Brian: They say not to work with children, dogs or - the ghosts of drugged up female prom dates! You do the latter two in Bloody Mary. - Any thoughts on working with the Breezie, the pooch, and with Lillith Fields who played Mary?

Michael: No pun intended but Breezie was a breeze. Just give her a heart felt scratching behind the ears and you've got a new best friend. Lillith Fields was great. If only people knew how quiet and humble she is in real life it would make her Bloody Mary rendition all that more impressive. It was really a fun experience to have such a petite and sweet girl stabbing into my chest over and over so... violently. We shot that sequence several times and it was comfortable each time. Mary would say "cut" and Lillith would smile and make small chat with me, keeping things light. All her ghastly make up just made the experience very amusing. I really hope to work with her again one day.

Brian: Buck's death involves reenactments of two urban legends, a vengeful ghost with a wicked sharp broken bottle and lots and lots of blood! Keen! (I'm telling Elvis to move on over because you are now, officially, the King!) - Any distinct memories about working with the special effects on this scene?

Michael: Oh yeah! Shooting my death scene was a 16 hour shooting day, very long and very intensive. We had multiple locations to shoot at including a set and an outdoor location. Lots of special effects and stunt work too, great day! Despite the knee pads I had on, I still got bruised up a bit from doing multiple takes of falling to the ground. The stunt coordinator, and my on screen dad, Don Shanks, was awesome. He's very experienced but he's a big guy and has a muscle man grip. So just from grabbing my arm to help show the correct way to throw my punch at Bloody Mary he left me with some pretty unsightly bruises, but hey, I'm not complaining by any means. Thanks for the aggressive and effective coaching Don! It worked, unlike the blood squirting from my arm, which was just a cold and semi-staining experience for me. When Bloody Mary snaps my arm there was suppose to be some blood squirting out; but the tube that was in my sleeve didn't get enough pressure to project the blood enough. Therefore the blood just grizzled out within my clothes enough to run down my arm and all down my chest and back and was entirely ineffective for the camera. Despite the cold blood or the missing arms hairs from taping the bone mechanism to my body, I loved my experience and I loved any discomfort right along with it. I experienced worse arm hair loss just recently in a short film for Spielberg's 'On the Lot' contest. The fake blood stuck my arm to the plastic chair that soon claimed a good few inches of my hair. You can see the short film 'A New Medium' at this web address http://films.thelot.com/films/17898/\cf1 .

Brian: Another quirky question just for the sake of quirky questions - What were you actually drinking in that beer bottle?

Michael: No, it wasn't real beer. It was real gross though. It was called "near beer." It was in a glass bottle when I was drinking but they had clones of the bottle made in candy glass. We shot the head smash twice. Taking a hit to the head is always alarming but the bottle broke pretty easy and I was having so much fun I didn't notice if it hurt or not.

Brian: You recently worked on one of the longest running syndicated shows ever - 'America's Most Wanted'. What was that like? Did you continue your reign of evil dudes - or were you the good guy, this time?

Michael: Well, I'm evil again... It's the episode about Warren Jeffs and I play one of his "missionaries." Jeffs likes to spy on his followers with hidden cameras and I'm the method of delivery. We speak in private and he informs me to "check up" on this certain family and of course I know what he really means. So, I get a few of my cronies and we go pay that family a visit. I bring a plant as a gift from Warren Jeffs and inside it is a candid camera. Jeffs then uses that privileged footage to call the family on their specific sins, as if he's omniscient. Twisted, I know.

Brian: Lastly - any future plans, hopes, dreams, life insurance policies... that you'd like to share with us?

Michael: Well, I'm soon to finish my A.A.S. in Motion Picture Production at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. I've been making short films and learning what it takes behind the camera. Everything I've learned in front of the camera has helped me learn and respect what happens behind the camera all the more. After my education at SCC I may very well move to California. That really is the area of opportunity for this industry. Once in LA I'll be seeking both acting work and crew work. I love movies, they are truly magical and to be a part of that magic is my life long passion. Please visit my personal website at www.michael-coe.com to learn more about me.