An accomplished actor, martial artist and stuntman, Joe Hallett has carved a strong niche in the UK indie scene working in a variety of roles utilizing plenty of his past as an action man into his work. Now, in honor of the release of his newest project Paintball Massacre, I talk with him about his early experiences in the industry, his acting techniques and working on the film 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?
Joe Hallett: No worries, my pleasure Don. Since I can remember I have always wanted to act and perform. When I was young my mum would find me dressing up as TV and film characters and re-enacting my favorite scenes. She saw I had a flamboyant side to me, which she wanted to encourage by enrolling me in Stagecoach which I attended every weekend for 2 years. I dropped out of that to commit to my Martial Arts training, which proved the right decision as I’ve become a 5 times World Martial Arts champion and now coach Team England. Because of my love for Martial Arts, I was in my spare time constantly watching action films and imagining fighting my idols Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Hopefully, one day if I work hard enough those dreams will become a reality (Minus the late Bruce Lee). Looking back now I believe what interested me the most about acting is that you can take a person on a journey for a few hours away from everyday life and immerse them in a story that you are telling, something about that is really special and I just wanted to do it.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
JH: My dad has been a huge fan of Horror and genre films, so when I was of an age he felt was ok he introduced me to his favourite Horrors. My first experience was with “The Exorcist” which was a pretty scary film for a young boy, the image of her head-turning full 360 degrees is still in the back of my mind. Now I am drawn to more action horrors with a bit of humour in them such as the Little Monsters, Ready or Not, Happy Death Day, The Hunt etc.. I actually don’t like the feeling of scaring myself half to death so anything that has an unrealistic plot I am fine with haha, something that is too true to real life that freaks me out. (Yes I know, slight wimp)
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing?
JH: I love playing any character that is as different as possible from me. I very much enjoy playing a bad guy or a sinister character, these are the roles you can have loads of fun with. I would hope to think I am a nice guy in real life so a baddie is a complete opposite. This goes with my character Aiden in Paintball Massacre, honestly, I am not like that in person.
Me: Having worked on plenty of short films and TV shows early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
JH: Every project that I have been fortunate to work on, whether it was a really low budget indie production or a large-scale blockbuster like “Fury” I have taken something away from each one which has aided me well. I think the first time I was on a set I learned what each department’s role was in the movie, I was quite shocked to find out how much goes into making a film. Then the next vital skill that I learned very quickly was on set etiquette, which is so important if you want to have longevity in this industry. You need to be prepared, on time, a hard worker, humble and most importantly easy to work with, please don’t be a diva. I have never had the traditional acting training, except the 2 years of Stagecoach. So when I get the chance I do my best to meet fellow actors on our lunch break and pick their brains and ask for advice. Some are willing some prefer to keep their secrets to themselves, either way, you can learn so much from just watching them work. One thing when performing stunts or screen fighting which I also gained is the phrase “Don’t be a hero” meaning don’t throw yourself around and hurt yourself to impress a director or producer, be sensible make sure you wear safety padding and if there is an option to use a landing mat you take it. Remember you only been given one body so take care of it.
I could go on for hours on the skills picked up from previous projects the dos and the don’ts, however, all I would say is if you want to be in movies go out and do it, make a short film with your friends, join a drama club, learn the craft while you work in my opinion the best way, like a filmmakers apprenticeship.
Me: Upon incorporating plenty of stunt work as well as regular acting work, do you have any preference when deciding on roles?
JH: I am not in the fortunate position to be picky with the roles I take on, however, I do have some boxes I like the project or character to tick if possible. Firstly is the script good, does it have a unique story or angle to tell. Secondly, who is the director and producer, what are their previous credits and experience? Thirdly does the character have depth and a backstory, there needs substance to grow from. Fourth who are the other actors involved, hopefully, someone I always wanted to work with. And finally is there some action to utilize my Martial Arts skills and get stuck into. If a project ticks all these boxes them I am on a winner.
Me: So, that brings us to your new film 'Paintball Massacre.' What can you tell us about your character Aiden Jones? How did you approach the role?
JH: This is a really interesting story. Initially, I planned to take the role of Ben Hayes the estate agent who has the gift of the gab, however quite late into pre-production we decided to switch my role with actor Nathan Clough’s, which meant me taking on Aiden Jones instead. I am glad this decision was made for two reasons, one it cut my acting days in half which allowed me more time for my producer role on the production and two Aiden is much further away from my personality than Ben Hayes was.
Aiden is a loud-mouth, cocky, know-it-all who acts like a hard man. In essence, he is a bully however he does have a softer side which you learn about later in the film. He has done time previously in a young offenders institute and he has used Paintball as an avenue for his aggression. On weekdays he is an optician and on weekends he goes Paintballing, which is his thing and he takes it seriously, actually too seriously. Our writer Chris Regan wrote the character of Aiden quite in-your-face and over-the-top, I decided to tone it down a bit as it would have become too forced and over the top in my eyes. I think I did a great job.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
JH: Filming Paintball Massacre was an emotional roller coaster for me taking on the role as producer for the very first time and also acting in the film. We shot the film in September/October 2018 with two main locations, a nice warm country pub and a cold wet unused quarry; two complete opposites. The majority of the film was shot in the quarry, which had no running water or electricity so we had to bring all the facilities in. Shooting in Autumn/Winter meant dark mornings and shorter days, so early call times and a rush to get the scenes in before we lost the light.
The cast and crew really worked well together, as everyone was staying in locals hotels most evenings you could see everyone playing cards or sharing a drink or two at the bar and bonding, as a producer it was lovely to see. The cast responded to the script really well, you could honestly believe that we were all at school together. There was a real connection between us all and the onscreen chemistry between characters is a joy to watch. I believe that is one of our major pluses. The acting in such a low budget like ours is really good. It definitely helped that they all understood the type of film we set out to achieve, bringing it back to the 80’s slasher films with added comedy, not to be taken so seriously.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
JH: There are quite a few, these two spring to mind. The killer is played by the amazing Ian Virgo (Black Hawk Down) brought on fellow talented actor Ryan Winsley to take the role of Matt Wilson. In one scene the killer confronts Matt and fires down an onslaught of paintballs. Now surprisingly we didn’t shoot many paintballs during principle photography, especially at any actors. However, this one moment Ian and Ryan agreed to shoot properly and wow didn’t Ian take the opportunity, so when you watch this scene Ryan took those like a man owchh! Afterward Ian said that was payback not sure what for but must have had to be something painful haha.
The other was my worst day on set. I had to be blinded for a reason you will find out later. This was an awful experience with my fellow cast and crew playing various tricks on me and I had to use the power of my other senses to catch them out however I failed badly, my ninja skills are not as sharp as I thought they were.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
JH: Paintball Massacre has taken 4 years of my life, so I am excited to be moving on to new pastures. I am currently developing a number of projects, one is going back to a genre I am most known for, an Action/Thriller feature film, based upon recent events that have emerged into the public domain. Another is a TV show that I have worked on for many years which is a passionate project about the Sports Martial Arts that I love. With the new skills gained from producing Paintball Massacre I think it is ready to be unleashed to the World.
Plus I am excited about my fellow filmmakers projects that are in the works in the Bristol and South West area of England which hopefully I will be involved in too.
The pleasure is all mine Don, I have enjoyed talking with you and thanks for your support of our film.
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