A multifaceted actor, radio star and member of an animatronic music band, actor Curt Clendenin has accomplished a lot in his time in the industry with dozens of credits in almost every facet of movie-making under his belt. Now, in honor of the new release of his Black Pumpkin, I talk with him about his beginnings as an actor, his general process on-screen and working on the movie itself.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, where did you get the urge to get into acting?
Curt Clendenin: My Dad helped grow my appreciation for wordplay and funny voices. My Sister Jenny and Brother Josh and I were always playing pranks and different characters. Mom began taking me to auditions throughout Chicago at a very young age. “The Blues Brothers” was the first motion picture job I got, landing the role of an Orphan! My Mom and I met John Belushi at Lake Wauconda, where he taught us how to make bear tracks in the sand, while his and Aykroyd's photo doubles were filmed driving the Bluesmobile on the beach in the distance. I still got my SAG card even though my lines were cut out, “Check it out, Check it out, Tonight only, from Chicago...The Blues Brothers, rhythm and blues revue! One night only! The fabulous Blues Brothers!” My Mom and I had fun hanging out at the wardrobe truck, trying different hats on me. One was worn by Elwood Blues and another belonged to Henry Gibson's character. You can see me two times in the movie: During the scene with Cab Calloway talking to the Orphans on the steps in front of Saint Helen of The Blessed Shroud, my little smiling face pops up on-screen for a split second. Also in a scene when the kids are hopping out of the back of the El Camino and running up to Calloway's door to grab posters. Most of my jobs consisted of modeling for catalogs, cereal boxes, magazines, toys, etc. In high school and college, I continued acting in plays, took classes at Second City, and later co-created my improv groups. When I moved to California, I auditioned for student films and worked as a background extra/photo double for tv shows/movies, meeting wonderful actors who are still fellow collaborators. One day, Central Casting called me to work on “Boston Legal”, starring William Shatner! When I got to set, I learned I'd be standing in for Henry Gibson! During a break in filming, I told him I too, was in “Blues Brothers,” and tried on his character's hat while visiting the wardrobe truck, many Moons ago. We reminisced and celebrated the cosmic connection! One day my friend got me a job as an extra for the movie, “Mysteria”. In the scene, I play a cop placing a prisoner into the backseat of a patrol car, then drive out of frame. Robert Miano was the role of the prisoner. Flash forward a few years to my first day arriving on set for “Legend Of Fall Creek”. It was a scene centered around a mysterious character named “Mr. Granger,” played by Miano! I had no idea he was hired for the job! During lunch, I reminded him we met on “Mysteria”, and how remarkable it was to be working with him again. He observed, “It's interesting that I was the lead in the other movie and you had a small part in it, and now you're the lead in this movie and I have a small part in it!” We marveled at the synchronicity.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
CC: We weren't allowed to watch horror films in our house. However, my brother Josh and I would sleepover at Billy's house on weekends, where he had a VCR and begged his Mom to rent all kinds of gory movies from “Video Nutz” the corner video store: Friday 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Aliens, Halloween, The Toxic Avenger, The Thriller Video, Scanners...oh man, I just had a flashback of that exploding head! Such comical memories...Billy's Italian Nona would be cookin' up a multi-course breakfast while we all chowed down watching scary slashers together!
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing?
CC: It was a dream to play Max Neptune in John Garside's “Max Neptune and the Menacing Squid,” a retro sci-fi where I fly the X-1 and chase a UFO through skyscrapers in The Future City of Whittier! Despite rapidly-stacking troubles and impossible probabilities, Max follows his intuition and synchronicities unexpectedly pop up, saving him just in the nick of time. While attending College of DuPage, they held auditions for a stage production of Franz Kafka's “The Trial.” Director Craig Berger explained there were 20 parts and one of us would perform 6 of them. After a series of improv games, I was the lucky actor chosen to play these multiple personalities. It was an enjoyable shapeshifting exercise! When Ryan McGonagle cast me as Brothers Reggie and Alex for “LOFC” and “Black Pumpkin,” it was my mission to find distinguishable qualities between them. One twin allows the past to haunt him and one allows himself to keep moving forward. Ryan encouraged experimentation, which helped fit pieces together.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
CC: Artistic Director of Columbia College, Sheldon Patinkin, taught us “Yes: and” improvisation philosophies and the joys of Ensemble collaboration. We learned how to grow sketches organically from the ideas of the team, surrender pre-conceived expectations, and apply give-and-take methods enhancing intuition. The idea is everyone joyfully buzzes in their element, harmonically. These are the vibrations and open minds that magnetize me. Imagine it's like a mental equivalent of the “Game of Trust”. It's also been highly satisfying to write/direct/edit/etc my own Youtube/Instagram, etc videos. Each platform offers its effects! I can quickly improvise a 15-second surreal cinema with my face in an Extraterrestrial filter, add voiceover with stickers and a soundtrack, and quickly upload it to TikTok. It's important to experience a series of artistic victories, with very little forethought or expectation attached. Unapologetic sloppiness.
Me: Having worked on plenty of sitcoms and TV shows early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
CC: Improv unlocks secret doors of imagination helping us roll with the falls when tripping. It enables us to appreciate the value of potentiality for what is in front of us and doing with it the best we can. It transforms mundane situations into blissful enthusiasm. With every project exists what David Lynch and Bob Ross affectionately title “Happy Accidents”. They are opportunities the universe gives us to incorporate its contribution. I've found satisfaction in giving the act of “doodling” the same artistic merit, as one would for a 15-year project of fragile construction.
Me: What do you do to stay in character while on-set? When you're not filming, how do you pass the time between takes?
CC: In “LOFC” we were about to shoot a scene where my character just arrived at a house after running there from another place a couple of blocks away. As the crew set their lighting and cameras, I jogged up and down a hilly street rehearsing my lines so I would be winded for the shot. Between filming scenes, I like rehearsing my lines with the other actors so we fit into the groove. In one instance, Anita Leeman Torres and I discovered memories our characters shared as kids, through improvising stories together. Developing a designated vocal inflection, particular mannerisms, or having distinct accessories, are great permission slips in helping commit deeper to the character. Listening on headphones to songs reflecting their psychology is very valuable for setting the mood. I look for the goldmine of information behind or between the words. What does my character want and what tactics does he use to try and accomplish it?
Me: That brings us to your latest project, "Black Pumpkin." What can you tell us about the project?
CC: “Black Pumpkin” takes place in Fall Creek Valley, where strange things are bound to happen, particularly in the curse-ed area known as “Diablo's Den”. It's a mystical portal responsible for cryptid sightings, paranormal activity, and ancient sorcery. One of the mysteries involves a boy named Robert Maxwell who goes missing from a party in those woods on Halloween night, 1988. After calling off their search squadrons, the small town is turned upside down. They suppress this rotten shame until a Halloween party incident befell them in 2008. The movie begins a decade after that when the old wounds are accidentally re-opened, spilling secrets like candy.
Me: Where did the inspiration for your character, Alex Griffin, come from?
CC: Alex first appears in “Legend of Fall Creek,” as a journalist on the verge of receiving a Pulitzer, until a Family emergency brings him back to his hometown. Since then, he's stayed there in Fall Creek Valley racking his brain trying to figure out who or what was responsible for terrorizing its inhabitants. The townspeople consider him an ultra-paranoid conspiracy theorist, and even if they believe what Alex says is true, they deny it strictly on principle. Many of us have had conundrums in life causing us to chase our tales with no closure, feeling confused about certain events or trying to solve missing pieces others unacknowledge. In Alex, I see bits of Roddy Piper's character from “They Live” trying to save a populace from their demise, mixed with Jack Torrance from “The Shining” pent up with his hauntings. BloodyBobby.com contains an interesting archive.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
CC: In addition to being Executive Producer, Shaeda Moghaddam cooked delicious dishes and availed her estate for shooting key scenes. Her graciousness set the tone for harmonizing cast and crew. Grayson's Dad Charles helped build important setpieces and also acted as an extra in a trick-or-treat scene, where his hand is seen giving candy to his Son. We needed young students for Jacques Derosena's classroom scene as Mr. Carpenter, so Dave Uchansky made some quick phone calls to his friends, who immediately drove out very far with their excited kids, to play the parts needed! On her days off and even after she finished shooting her final scenes, Ellie visited the set to soak in the friendly atmosphere while recording her infamous behind-the-scenes comedy vids. We shared a mutual love for synchronicities, inspiring her to gift me “Into The Magic Shop”, a book about manifesting reality. “Black Pumpkin” was a truly independent film experience, with cast/crew bartering favors and deftly activating resources. Hollywood Veteran John Marshall, cast his Production Design wizard spells: Halloween decorations peeking out from various nooks, skeletons draped over the porch furniture, cotton cobwebs and glowing neon bats clinging to the garage...it was Halloween in the Summer! Our truck the “Stabbin' Cabin” is a character unto itself. Craftsman Michael Schlie cleaned out an old locksmith van and dressed it up to look like it time traveled from the 1970s. We started shooting several “Diablo's Den” scenes with it, up in this beautiful wooded mountainscape during the daytime. As darkness crept in so did the heebie-jeebies. The phantom was felt by everyone which heightened the weirdness of those outdoor scenes. We found out later that the owner of the property is a pet psychic and occult enthusiast.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
CC: Grayson Thorne Kilpatrick (“Pork Chop”) and Dogen Eyeler (“Elliot”) constantly cracked me up. In a past life, they must've been a classic comedy duo from a 1920s vaudeville show, as they are quick-witted with their improv and timing as if they grew up on the same block! They kept calling me “Jesus,” along with our expert Surrealist costume designer, Vika Teplinskaya! Because of those rascals, I choked on my mashed potatoes. If I died that day, I would've come back to haunt the rest of the filming!
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
CC: Thank YOU for interviewing me! Since 2017, I've been playing a psychedelic animatronic named “Stoney Shores” in the yacht rock band, Yachtley Crew. He's a cross between Keith Emerson, Jimi Hendrix, and Animal from Sesame Street. We perform high-vibrating soft rock love songs from the 70s & 80s, where we co-create time travel pleasure cruise experiences with the attendees (aka “Crewpies”)! We've had the pleasure of playing a few drive-in shows, live-streamed, and made some music videos during the past few months. Also, during the pandemic, I've been interviewing Uber drivers and other insightful personalities on my podcast, Inspirado Projecto. The variety show features the process of creation, dreams, epiphanies, UFO encounters, synchronicities, celebrity-types, cryptids, improv, etc. Listeners contributing their audioscape to the Inspirado Hotline: 561-203-9179 are included in future episodicals! Micky Dolenz from The Monkees even endorses the show, which still boggles my brain. Another fun project I co-create is the KaPow Intergalactic Film Festival, happening right around the corner: Feb 19 – 28, 2021. It's our first time producing the event completely online and hosted through Filmocracy.com. Viewers will review/rate projects, visit virtual meet-n-greets, participate in live streaming seminars, movie trivia game players will have chances to win festival passes, and more! Also, Ryan McGonagle has several projects up his sleeve, one of which is “The House in the Middle of Nowhere.” It is the most terrifying story I've ever been a part of, portraying the most troubled character I've ever played, “Moondawg.” He's a “raised by wolves” kind of role. The movie slowly builds its supernatural claustrophobia, wrapping the viewer tighter without realizing how packed into the spookiness they truly are. Here's the last morsel I'll mention...at the beginning of quarantine, Director Samantha Light and I joined together our centrifugal farces, in birthing the online store: WISEFINGERLAB.threadless.com . She designs her majestic photographs and my absurd art onto skateboards, coffee cups, t-shirts, shoes, journals, socks...a prism of assortments. It's like a fusion of MAD Magazine meets Lewis Carroll. I've often dreamt of seeing my drawings on skateboards and now this is a reality! I feel these moments being at home with ourselves taught us so much about becoming our entertainment and creating the Media we wish to see in the world. Thank you for letting me spill the beans, and we can't wait to see Black Pumpkin get released on December 8 on DVD/VOD everywhere!
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