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At what age did you see yourself
as an entertainer?
As a young lonely introverted kid, I just liked
playing pretend--dressing up as Superman and
Batman. I didn't see until later that this
was called 'being an actor' and that you could
essentially get paid for putting on a costume and
acting silly like on Halloween.
Did you see yourself acting in horror flicks?
No, not at all. When you're an
aspiring actor...you don't have the luxury
of picking and choosing parts. You're just
happy to get ANY paying job--be it 'Horror',
'Drama', 'Comedy', 'Action' or etc. 99% of
the time I'm unemployed. I happy to get any
job in any genre! But my preference would
be ANY of the 'big budget escapist fantasy action
and/or super-hero/ sci-fi crap'. This is
what made me want to be an actor. But like
I said...being out of work most of the time...I'm
happy to get ANY paying gig. I'm just glad
I haven't had to do porno........yet.
What was your first acting gig?
My first job was a modeling gig for
Coca-Cola. I think my first acting job was
public service ad for teen pregnancy for PBS.
What was your first horror film?
My first horror movie was Sleepaway III. It
was my first time working on any movie as a
'principal'.
How
did you hear about the auditions for 'Sleepaway
Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland'?
We got the auditions through our agent.
What parts did you read for at the auditions?
I read for the character who was putting
firecrackers everywhere. I really wanted
that role...and thought they would cast me for
that instead of 'Riff'. I didn't think I
was tough enough for 'Riff'. I've always
seen myself playing more 'introverted nerdy
types'. This is easier, because this is
closer to my real persona.
Who were you up against for the role as Riff?
I don't really remember this. It was kinda
a 'mass audition' with them juggling kids and
having them read different roles to see who would
fit which part best.
Did you ever see the original 1983 cult classic
flick before audtioning?
No...actually I
didn't. I had heard about
the 'shocking ending'...but didn't see the movie
until after I got involved with the franchise.
How did you feel when
you found out you won the part as Riff?
Very happy! It was my first
movie role...so I was happy to be a paid
actor working in anything!
You played that part well. What made you relate
to a bad ass role like that?
Honestly, I don't know. Like I said, I've
never seen myself as a 'tough guy'. (I'm
actually a pretty wimpy 'geek-nerd'!) As a
child, I lived for a few years in the rough
parts of Detroit, Michigan, (Ironically, Riff's
hometown!?!), so, I just roughly based him on
alot of the badass kids who lived in my
neighborhood at that time.
I understood it was pretty cold on set what month
and year did you start acting on set?
I don't remember the month...I can't even
remember the year. But I do remember that
it was really fucking COLD!!! I hated this
part of it! Especially at night when the
temperature would really drop. They keep us
on the exterior sets and sometimes wouldn't let
us go into the cabins to warm up...even between
shot set-ups. I really hated that
shit. We were all huddled around those
industrial sized gas powered heaters that looked
like rocket engines and could incinerate you if
you got to close. But there was one actor
who had to be tied to a tree with no coat on
during one set-up. I thought he was really
lucky because he had these two sexy female P.A.'s
in overcoats who were forced to 'hug him' and
snuggle their coats and bodies around him in
between shots to keep him warm! (Lucky
Bastard!!)
Tell
me what it was like doing the fight scene with
Mark Oliver as another gang member in Los Angeles
named Tony DeRaro in the canteen room?
That was
alot of fun! Mark was really cool to work
with. The scene was plotted out carefully
by stunt coordiantors to make sure we wouldn't
get hurt. We had arm and knee pads on to
protect us. Both Mark and i were really
jacked--we weren't worried about getting hurt--we
were having too much fun. I'm no action
star--but for the small moment in time--i could
pretend to be Bruce Willis, Rambo, or
Arnold! When Mark and I took our tumble
over the table during the cafeteria fight...we
landed with a thud! But it was a piece of
cake! We were more worried about hurting
each other rather than ourselves.
As soon as we landed, and they yelled
'CUT'! We both jumped up, grabbed each
other...and at the SAME TIME asked each other:
"Are you Okay??!"
Did you know about Pamela Springsteen being the
younger sister of the Boss and seen her in shows
like 'Fast Times at Ridgemont
High', 'Reckless' and
'Scene from the Goldmine'?
I had no idea who she was. I didn't find
out she was Bruce's sister until after we started
shooting. I think i said something stupid
to her like, "Maybe Bruce can contribute
some music to this movie!" I know she
probably thought I was an idiot...but she was SO
SWEET and soft-spoken. Actually...I really
AM an idiot! I really didn't know that the
hair Pamela had was a wig!?! I never saw
Pamela without her 'Angela costume' during the
shoot--so, I was real surprised that she was
wearing a wig!
What memorable experiences do you have on set of
the filming?
Except for the cold...everything was great.
We were all a bunch of kids--just jacked to have
a paying gig and to be actually working in a
movie. Sleepaway Camp III was my 'first',
and was the equivalent of "losing
my cinematic virginity"!
What was the most difficult scene to do?
The dialogue wasn't complex...the acting was
easy...there weren't ANY difficult scenes,
as far as I can remember. Just the
physicality of dealing with a cold exterior set.
One of my favourite
directions was when Pamela Springsteen as Angela
Baker coming into your tent asking you to gut the
fish for dinner and you point a gun at her. What
was racing through your head when you did that?
Ever remind you of a bully in school or any
delinquents?
We just played that scene the way the Director
wanted. I did base Riff on kid's from
Detroit...and I did have my share of
bullies...but I've never had anyone point a gun
at me. In my day, with bullies, you only
had to worry about getting your ass kicked.
Just when kid's stopped fighting with their fists
and started carrying "glocks" and
"uzi's", was about the time I left
Detroit and moved to Atlanta. I was lucky
enough to bypass the whole 'Boyz N' the Hood'
type of violence.
Out of all the actors who did you associate the
most during the shoot?
Probably the guy who played whitebread
'Bobby'. He was a great actor to work
with...and a cool guy. He plays 'the sun'
now, in those 'Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich
& Breakfast Bowl' TV commercials.
After the release of the film did you get any fan
mail or go to horror conventions since your role
was very well remembered to fans?
Nope. I'm actually surprised Sleepaway has
the fanbase that it does. I got a few fan
e-mails...but the most rewarding relationship
I've had...and the best thing to come out of
Sleepaway for me was meeting and becoming friends
with a guy by the name of Jeff Hayes.
He runs an official Sleepaway Camp fan website and
he's become a good friend and a really cool guy!
What kinds of feedback did you get from the part
you played?
Most of it has been positive...because it's come
from (biased) fans of the movie
Of course you got work playing similar characters
in shows such as 'America's Most
Wanted', 'In the
Heat of the Night' and your bit
part in the motion picture
'Freejack'. Were you imagining to
yourself what you did as Riff and went along with
these shows especially 'Freejack' since
your part reminded me totally of that character?
I was totally not thinking of Riff at all.
But I was surprised at always getting these 'bad
guy' roles because I'm such 'a pussy' in real
life. I was really bothered by all the
roles I got that always had me getting killed
off. I started to think that maybe
someone was trying to tell me something.
Were you approached to act in any other horror
flicks due to your role as Riff? I could see you
in a 'Candyman'
film for sure.
I saw a review were someone said I resembled the
guy from 'Candyman'. But, no, I
haven't gotten any roles because of my playing
Riff.
Now
you had a special appearance in Jeff Hayes' short
'Grandma's Sloppy Seconds' as
a newsreporter Riffley Rogers. Where did you
shoot that scene and what was required?
One of my best friends has his own video
production company that shoots music videos and
stage play videos like for Tyler Perry and his
Madea franchise. This guy was supposed to
help me shoot this anchor-reporter footage, but
he forgot. So rather than let Jeff down...I
rigged up a set IN MY KITCHEN and shot the
footage myself using one of those cheap digital
disposable video cameras. I thought the
quality initially looked horrible...but Jeff is a
really talented videographer, and he made it
work.
I just recently saw you as Leviathan in
'Zombeak' which was a stretch
than the roles you usually portrayed in other
shows. How did you hear about that film?
Zombeak's casting dept. posted an ad for
'Open Auditions' on a 24 hour
automated phone casting hotline put out by
the Georgia Film Commission.
Did this film help you become a versatile actor?
Oh, come on...this WASN'T Shakespeare!
It was just over the top campy fun!! Sam
Drogg was a hoot to work with...he had that manic
'mad scientist' vibe! This pale,
frail, rail thin guy, who looked
perpetually semi-panicked and semi-stoned at
the same time. I was amazed that this guy
pulled this film off with the resources that he
had. A true: "down n'
dirty-in-the-trenches-zero budget- guerrilla
filmmaker"!
I loved the moment
where you came across as a mobster like to
Melissa Gilbert's role. Tell me about your
experience doing that scene?
I have to give alot of the credit for that to
Melissa. She was really courageous and when
I asked her what I could and couldn't do with
her...she didn't set any limitations. When
it came time for us to shoot the scene where
she's strapped down spread-eagled on a pentagram
and assaulted...she came up to me and broke the
tension by snickering: "So Daryl, you ready
to rape me?!"
My favourite part was when you become possessed
briefly by the antichrist as you reminded me of a
Freddy Krueger or Angela of 'Night
of the Demons' type of character.
Was this your favourite moment of all time? Do
share the nitty gritty details.
That actually was my favorite scene in the
movie. I had no idea what the special
effects would look like...and Sam Drog didn't
give me alot of direction...so I just had fun
with it. I actually fooled Sam (and myself)
into thinking that I really was a real actor who
knew what the hell he was doing. I tried to
do a 180' and play 'the Devil' as 'powerful' as i
could--the opposite of Leviathan...who was a
complete fraud. I'm a big Batman movie
fan. People joke that both Michael Keaton
and Christian Bale stole their 'Batman voices'
from Clint Eastwood's 'Dirty Harry'. So I
decided the only thing I could do was change my
voice and make it as deep and gravelly as I
could. I copied Batman who was copying
Clint Eastwood. Of course, after
post-production, the vocal and sound effects
were amped up made to sound 100 times better than
anything I could have ever done. I also
tensed all the muscles in my body. this was
an attempt to convey strength...but it was also
my attempt to 'clamp down' and not fart! (I
had really bad gas that day!)
What
scene were you mostly fond of during the shoot?
Again, the 'devil possession'. That and the
scene where the cowardly Leviathan has his
breakdown scene. The look on Vascara's face
when she looks at him with disgust as he starts
'sermonizing' is priceless!
What was Sam Drog like to work with?
Sam was great. He just had that funny
"mad scientist" vibe. He's such a
normal looking guy...and it was weird to think
that this 'zombie satanic chicken' thing came out
of his head. He's got kids now. Can
you just imagine the type of bedtime stories
this guy reads to his children?!?
Lots of actors from SC3 have acted in slapstick
zombie flicks like Kyle Holman in
'Hide and Creep' and Mark Oliver
in 'Dance of the Dead'.
Do you feel this film will help you get exposure
other than in SC3 like it did them?
We'll see. Drogg says he has distribution
lined up. But this is a weird little movie
that will have to find an audience. There
are no guarantees for success and/or
profit in the video business...unless
you're doing porn.
Did you ever see 'Night of the
Demons' as it co-starred Jill
Terashita from 'SC3'.
This film very much reminded me a parody of that
and other retro horror films. What was your
feelings on this one?
I didn't see this one. I may have to
now. Jill Terashita was a hottie! Did
she take anything off?
Will you be reprising
your role in the sequel?
There's a sequel? If they offer...and it
pays...like in the old Michael Jackson
song: "I'll be There"!!
Where did this film show at? Any festivals?
I'm not sure what type of exhibitions the film
was screened at. Urban legend has
it, that it went to, and was screened at,
Cannes.
What other acting projects do you have lined up?
None. I work a 'real job'. (Very
boring and depressed...but it pays the
bills) I got discouraged and dropped
out of the industry for awhile...but am now
trying to restart a career. My agent's
sending me out on auditions--so we'll see what
happens.
Now alot of the action in movies is sually places
like Hollywood as I thought you'd be great in a
'Big Mommas House' sequel. Have
you thought of trying to relocate there for work
like that?
I'd love to. But it's a cutthroat
environment and you either have to have alot of
connections to help you when you make the
transition...and/or a tidy 'nest-egg stockpile of
ca$h' to act as a safety net till you get
situated. I've got neither. I'm too
old for that whole cliched,
'hustling-struggling-sleeping on somebodies
sofa-waiting tables-eating peanut butter
sandwiches" struggling, broke starving actor
thing. So, I'm still stuck in the
southeast.
Now heres some fun stuff: What are your favourite
horror films?
I'm not really a horror fan. I'm more into
sci-fi and fantasy. But 'The Exorcist'
really disturbed me as a child. I
absolutely loved both the first and second
'Alien' movies. I've got a couple of
collectible 'Alien' and 'Alien vs. Predator'
action figure dolls all over my home.
If you were a horror film actor whether he was
alive or dead who would he be?
Does 'Blade' count? I loved Wesley Snipes
as 'Blade'!! Super cool badass vampire, with
killer kung-fu moves, who didn't take shit off of
anybody!
What show were you in that you cherished the mist
and look back at?
I really don't have that extensive of a
resume. I'll have to add more credits
to my resume to answer that question.
Getting acting work is like winning the
lotto. It has those kinda odds. When
you get a job--ANY job, it's memorable, and
you're happy to just be working.
If you were in a show that you'd like to change
what would it be?
Two of my favorite shows on televison have both
just stopped production in 2008:
"Battlestar Galactica" and Boston
Legal". I'd love to be involved
performing in that type of programming.
Boths shows had great acting, great drama...and
were both intelligently written and focused on
important, powerful issues that were
happening in real life.
What is you idea of a perfect happiness?
Complete Emotional, Spiritual, ARTISTIC and
FINANCIAL FREEDOM!!!
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