You spent a period of
time in Paris filming "Dead Shadows," how was the
experience?
On the whole it was a
positive one. Got to kick some mutant ass, got to
act in French, which was a new challenge for me and
met a lot of good people. Just like any other shoot
there were some frustrations and the random
egocentric
“begging
for my fist”
a-hole... but no point in getting into that. Just
how it is.
What was your fondest
memory of Paris?
Tough one. I can't
really pinpoint one specific thing to be honest. But
living there for a month and a half was a blast. I
went from tourist to dude that lives there. I had my
friends and got to know my way around. The place
almost felt like home by the time I left. Too bad
they don't have hockey up there :). In one's life we
live a lot of different lives and what I do for a
living has given me the opportunity to live a larger
amount of lives than the norm, so I am grateful for
that and never take it for granted.
In spite of your status
as a celebrity and online journalist you're known
for being very welcoming to your fans. Why is that?
Without peeps who dig
what you do, a person in my line of work is nothing.
They read you, they watch/rent/buy your films, they
back you up when people badmouth ya online and they
make you feel good when you're having shitty day.
Why wouldn't I be welcoming?! I even appreciate the
haters since they often bring a smile to my face due
to their inane comments and ludicrous debates about
me. So yeah, I try to keep a constant contact with
folks who dig my work (through Twitter, Facebook, my
Inbox etc) and I try to answer all of the fan mail I
get.
Do you think the "action
hero" has become an antiquated cinema term?
No, but what the term
means to me, doesn't seem to equal the same thing to
the current generation. I grew up on Arnold, Sly,
Chuck Norris, Seagal, men's men. Today a man's man
is often looked down upon, he's regarded as dated,
he doesn't fit with the current social climate.
Times are changing. You know you're getting older
when you start to say
“In
my days we bla bla bla”.
Funnily enough, I got a piece of hate mail a couple
of months ago and this broad called me a macho
dinosaur or something like that... I wrote her back
and thanked her for the compliment.
As a follow up, the
perception of action heroes has changed over the
years. The clean shaven lean man is much more common
than thick brawny men once were. Do you ever feel
you have to change yourself to fit that standard?
No. I change my look in
accordance to the role I have to play not due to any
social pressure. The only way I'd
“have
to”
change my look is if the people that hired me asked
me to.
Why do you think we need
the sensitive hero in action films?
I'll speak for myself,
not sure if I need them. They are just a result of
our times if ya ask me. In this day and age, men are
becoming more effeminate and political correctness
is at an all time puke inducing high. I guess it was
a matter of time before that leaked into action
cinema.
Is there any actor today
you think is a successor to Stallone or
Schwarzenneger?
The closest we have is
Jason Statham in my opinion. He's one of them rare
man's man, who does action well and stays true to
his action hero persona and somehow remains popular,
even with the new generation. I have much respect
for that guy. I doubt you'll ever see him play a
Toothfairy or a Nanny in a movie.
Do you think there's a
decrease of action pictures being released in
theaters? And what about the genre would you change?
In terms of the types of
action films I like; yes. I was raised on Cannon
man; they did it right. Action on the big screen is
too big for my liking nowadays. The action sequences
are too outlandish, the CGI too abundant and the
heroes come off more like superheroes than action
heroes. I'll take The Rock in FASTER, which leaned
towards more the type of action I like (grounded,
gritty and simple) over say Bruce Willis in DIE HARD
4, which was too farfetched and CG heavy for my
liking. Thank god I can still sometimes find the
type of action films I dig via straight to DVD
stuff. Dolph Lundgren, JCVD and Steve Austin still
churn them out with varied success.
Too often, action stars
venture in to dramas, or horror, or even kids films,
why do you think actors are so opposed to being
confined to one genre?
Am
assuming it's because they get tired of doing the
same thing and want to try something different,
stretch, challenge themselves further or/and show a
another side of themselves to their public. I can
understand that to some degree, doesn't mean it's
always the best career move though. You risk
alienating your audience or simply making a fool of
yourself. But hey, you don't get if you don't try.
What film genres and
sub-genres beyond action would you like to dabble in
eventually?
Horror and action are my
forte; I know the inner workings of both genres very
well and am passionate about them. For me in terms
of screenplays I always write what I know and write
what I love (unless I'm hired to write something
that falls out of that rule, which has happened
twice in the past). With that, I am presently
developing a sports drama, centred around hockey, so
that will be a different animal for me. Am
researching the sport a lot at the moment through
books, DVDs and playing ice hockey. So in this case
I'm writing what I love and what I'm in the process
of knowing.
What can you
tell us about "Dead Shadows"?
It's an
hybrid flick; part horror, part sci-fi,
part action and part drama. It's a very
ambitious film as it tries to accomplish
a lot at the same time; time will tell
if it succeeds in its goals. With that,
I have seen some rough footage from the
film recently and it looked fantastic!
What about
the film inspired you to travel halfway
around the world for a role?
I loved the
role, I already knew David Cholewa and
dug him as a person and I liked the idea
of living in Paris for a month and a
half. I'm the type of guy that yearns
for new experiences, am all about making
the most out of life. So when a good
opportunity arises, I don't think it
through too much, I grab it and see what
happens. Just how I function.
Are you
still raising money for "Dead Shadows,"
or is it completed?
I only acted
in the film, did my own stunts and
choreographed one fight scene. I didn't
write it, didn't produce it, didn't
finance it. But yes the film is done
shooting and is presently in Post
Production.
How long did
filming take for "Dead Shadows"?
A bit over a
month if memory serves me right.
|
 |
How would you pitch
"Dead Shadows" to fans?
It's Night of the Comet
meets Demons 2 by way of The Thing and Pitch Black.
What has acting taught
you in terms of your professional and personal life?
Professionally, am happy
that I went to acting school and worked on many
sets; I understand actors and the acting process and
that will be a very useful tool when I direct my
feature. Lots of directors don't have a fucking clue
as to directing actors, they either do it badly or
don't do it at all, I won't have that problem. On a
personal standpoint; well them 3 years of acting
school basically acted as therapy for me, as I got
to know myself, learned to not lie to myself (which
is a very common human trait that most are not aware
of) and deal with a lot of the issues I had at the
time. At the end of the day we're all works in
progress as individuals and personally I become a
better person after every shoot.
Besides "Dead Shadows,"
do you have any new projects in the horizon?
Yes. Am finishing up an
action script that I'm also slated to act in for a
US production company. We should be shooting in
February in LA. Am also slated to act in a Spanish
slasher next year, contract hasn't be signed yet,
but it looks good. Donny Broussard (who shot and co
produced The Red Hours)and I are teaming up to get
my action script Trigger off the ground. I will star
in it and direct it. Finally, am working that hockey
script and a sci-fi/action flick that I will also
direct in time.
Where can fans of yours
look for you next?
Well Dead Shadows will
be the first one out the hatch, its due to hit the
Festival circuit sometime next year. So that will be
the next time you'll see my sorry ass on-screen.
Thanks a lot for your
time, Mr. Fallon!
No prob bro! Thanks for
having me!
To
bone up on John Fallon's acting adventures and his
honest views on horror and action, check out
Arrow in the Head! If you're interested in
"Dead Shadows," check out the official
Facebook homepage, and to follow John
Fallon's exploits in show business and behind the
scenes, visit
his official homepage! |
