GREG

INTERVIEW

Greg: Well, I first met Donald - what was it, two years ago - at Tyler's, with a friend having some beers, and he came over and introduced himself and said he was interested in putting together a film project and honest-to-god, I have enough people approach me about creative things that I'll admit I thought, well, okay, that's great. I kind of thought this was just a dreamer, but he surprised and impressed me by getting together Dog Nights and a year and a half later, that was going up, so I knew him from that project. But he said he was interested in doing something else and would I be interested and I said sure, and a couple weeks later we were doing it - I thought he was thinking down the road or half a year or something, but obviously we just dove right in.

Lisa: So, how did he know you when he saw you at Tyler's?

Greg: He knew me from Transactors, so he knew I was an improv guy.

Lisa: When he approached you for Bulkhead, he wanted you to be, like, an improv director, or a member of the cast -

Greg: What did he talk to me about? Um - he talked to me about being a member of the cast, and then it kind of - that relationship kind of evolved so that I became more of…I like to think of it kind of like a sergeant in an army. You know, he's the general, but I'm the guy who teaches the soldiers how to march. I didn't want to be in charge of the creative aspect of the project, really. It was his vision - so…I think he was hip to that idea too, so that's kind of how it worked out.

Lisa: How was the shooting of this film, in terms of only having a weekend - those three days to shoot it, instead of a shooting schedule that drags on longer.

Greg: Well, it was undoubtedly the most arduous film task I've ever been involved with. A very physically demanding film, and obviously, you know the environment was very challenging. The whole idea of doing a 45 minute take is - I mean, I've never done anything close to that. What else? I don't know - in that way, it was definitely different and easily the most challenging thing I've done. The improvisational aspect puts that much more pressure on you. It was really more like a stage performance that was recorded, and not just one, but like, a few shows in a night. Multiple shows. You know, usually when you're on a film set, you spend so much time sitting around waiting. You might spend three to five takes of something, then maybe change the angle and do it a few more times, but you don't work like that. You're always going back and revisiting and refining things. So that wasn't the case here. And the general set-up of where we were - usually there was kind of a base camp where you can go and cool your heels, maybe sleep somewhere. And there we were - we're just on the ship, you know?

Lisa: What did you think of the room itself?

Greg: I was about to have a panic attack before I saw it

Lisa: Before?

Greg: Yes. And when we got in, it wasn't that bad. The color wasn't that bad. Somehow the curving roof eased tension…it was a little lighter, a little bigger. I at least got to stretch out a little bit. I'm claustrophobic - I think everyone is, at least to some degree. So I was really just about ready to piss my pants before we got in, and then when we got in, you know, it was like, okay (sigh of relief) I got to feel reasonably comfortable in there, and I think that you know, that kind of progressed. I think it changed for people, you know some people got less comfortable as time went on - I think what's-his-name, Torrey. Torrey obviously got less and less comfortable as time went on - I think most everybody else, though, was just sort of like - well, whatever. So I got to know that room really well. Got to know where the sharp things were and to stay away from those.

Greg: Well, it was fun, but I didn't really get it. I didn't know why we were doing that, I think we were all a little bit tired at that point, so it was kind of like….yeah…what's this all about. Yeah, it was fun playing with Regina - it totally cracked me up when I was coming on to someone else and this "Pauly"(or some strange noise with a Jersey accent) …like, ooh shit, I'm in trouble now with Regina - I just knew what she was going to do, and. So I just wasn't - but hey, you know, it's my job. So I'm going to go do that and try to have a good time. As for the happy scene, I loved it. I really liked that - it was such a welcome release and a different approach, you know, it's like what I tell people in improv - go ahead and try to get along for as long as you can, because conflict is going to happen anyway, and what usually will happen is the conflict that comes out of agreement after agreement after agreement is going to be really interesting and have some depth to it as opposed to 'You suck' "Says who?' 'Me' 'Oh yeah?' 'Yeah.' You know…I thought it was really cool and it felt good, and I felt like people not only were kind of feeling at peace and trying to enjoy the work, but that it made it that way for their characters and a real different kind of energy and I found it really inspiring, on a philosophical level.

No one's going to want to walk into this bulkhead and lock the door themselves. So, you know, I realized that I could open the door and get out. So that's what I did. So it was an interesting, you know, conjunction of the artistic and the real in my life and I did feel inspired, somehow, by that. Looking back it seems a little naïve, but, maybe - or maybe not. I'm not sure, who knows. But that was really really interesting and I was certainly very much on edge emotionally, for that. I mean I didn't feel like I was out of control, like some people (laugh) But it was, yeah, it was powerful and it was interesting. I was thinking a lot about, you know - how people get laong and you know, a huge problem was that we weren't able to resolve conflicts - we were always in a very small room with all these people that weren't able to resolve conflict. Not only that, but who seemed to want to keep generating conflict. And so I think after that violent take, that's when I said - ok, that's got to stop. You know, we got enough nasty stuff. Let's get some happy stuff. Sesame Street sinks and drowns, you know. Grover gets asphyxiated.

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