Interview done by:
Nightmare Child
Nightmare Child
Posted on:
September 10th, 2007
September 10th, 2007
HF: Hello Dave, thanks for taking time out to chat with us. I like to start with a
little history about you. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where you were
born and where you currently reside?
David: Danny, thanks so much for the opportunity and congratulations on a
great site. I was born in small college town, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. There
weren’t many opportunities to be creative and I often felt stymied. Although I
looked like a typical all-American boy, blonde hair, freckles, etc. I really marched
to my own drummer. Like a lot of actors, I was a sensitive little kid. Mostly, I
daydreamed about being someone else. So I was always playacting and escaping
the real world. These days I live in the greater Boston area and will be heading
back to California very soon after wrapping up everything with this film.
HF: What brought you into theatre? How did your passion for acting come about?
David: You know, I think it chose me. But also, my mom was involved in
modeling and is very creative and at one point was very involved in politics. I
always thought she was a great speaker. So I definitely think I get some of this
from her. At the same time, my father was a great athlete. I think I get some of
his discipline and focus from him. I guess I am the perfect combination of both
my parents. At a very young age, I knew I wanted to be an actor and started
doing theater in Boston as a kid.
HF: Who or what inspires you?
David: I love that question because it has so much of an influence on our own
lives. Barrier breakers and underdogs. This could be anyone from an struggling
actor, songwriter, artist to a politician, to the boy with big dreams that no one
pays any attention to or people who stand up in the face of adversity. I admire
Vincent Van Gogh’s passion for his work, which was ignored in his lifetime. Talk
about someone who was ahead of their time. I admire Ruth Gordon who hung in
there and got her Oscar much later in life in an industry that is so focused on
youth.
I admire Hillary Clinton and I have taken some flack for this but she is a barrier
breaker. She also takes an extraordinary amount of abuse and is constantly
under a high-powered microscope just because she is a strong, smart, capable
woman. The same standards of criticism are not applied to all of the male
candidates. Finally, I admire all of those filmmakers who dare to go into
unchartered territory and take on unpopular social issues that break new ground!
HF: You wrote, acted, produced, directed and edited Little Erin Merryweather. Did
fitting all these roles prove to be a challenge? If so how did you overcome it?
David: Well, first of all, I am a fighter and that’s how I got through it. Sometimes
you have to put on your boxing gloves and fight the good fight to get to where
you want to be. I did that a lot on this film. I think what a lot of people think is
that I took on all of these roles because of my ego or I wanted it to be a one-
man show. What they don’t realize is that I was forced to take on all of these
roles like so many others who make independent films. And, like so many
independent films, people would drop the ball and walk away from the project and
I was left to pick up the pieces. Most people don’t’ have the will and the stamina
for an undertaking like this.
HF: How was the casting process for the film?
David: Yet again, this was another battle to fight for what I wanted. If you can
believe it, some people did not want Vigdis to play Erin which is just hilarious to
me. To quote Rob Galluzo of Icons of Fright, “Vigdis simply owned that role. . .” I
knew exactly what I was looking for in each part.
HF: I understand that it was hell trying to raise money for the film. May I ask how
you were able to get it done?
David: Well, you’ve heard of child abuse, this was pure parent abuse. (laughs)
Most of the major money came from my family, which they didn’t have. I owe so
much to them. The money was raised in stages because I didn’t have any studio
backing me.
HF: I know this is a pretty common question but what's your greatest strength?
What keeps you going?
David: DETERMINATION! I never gave up. Believe me when I tell you that others
wanted to see me give up (competitiveness, jealousy, etc) In fact, I remember
one person saying to me, “I’ll eat my words if you get this movie made. . .” I
guess I get the last laugh on that one. My family and a few good friends keep me
going.
HF: Originally did you see yourself in the directors chair?
David: In a way, yes because I had the whole movie playing out in my head.
HF: Can you tell me what it was like on set? Any funny moments you can share
with us?
David: Vigdis, and I always shared a laugh in between takes because we are so
close. Brandon, Marcus and I always had a lot of laughs. One thing I remember is
that Liz Callahan had such a great sense of humor. She was such a pro and had
so much serious dialoge to deliver as the abnormal psych professor. In between
takes, she was so much fun and kept me going.
HF: It must have been a lot of work having to fit roles in front and behind
camera. You wrote the picture so I take it you didn't have to worry about
memorizing lines. Which role proved to be the most challenging for you?
David: (Laughs) It was difficult to memorize lines because I had so much else to
worry about. The role that was the most challenging was HOLDING MY GROUND
!! I fought to have Vigdis in this picture. I fought to have Kelly Murphy as the artist
which to me is crazy, given how talented she is. I went through several different
sound teams to get all of the sound I needed to get a complete sound design.
Editing the film was also another area where I fought to get the best that I could.
HF: How long did it take you to complete the film?
David: It took a good four to five years. That is the case with most indie films. If
a film is “truly independent” and what I mean by that is they are not attached to a
studio they don’t have a star(s) in them and they are not made for millions, then
that is typically how long it takes..
little history about you. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where you were
born and where you currently reside?
David: Danny, thanks so much for the opportunity and congratulations on a
great site. I was born in small college town, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. There
weren’t many opportunities to be creative and I often felt stymied. Although I
looked like a typical all-American boy, blonde hair, freckles, etc. I really marched
to my own drummer. Like a lot of actors, I was a sensitive little kid. Mostly, I
daydreamed about being someone else. So I was always playacting and escaping
the real world. These days I live in the greater Boston area and will be heading
back to California very soon after wrapping up everything with this film.
HF: What brought you into theatre? How did your passion for acting come about?
David: You know, I think it chose me. But also, my mom was involved in
modeling and is very creative and at one point was very involved in politics. I
always thought she was a great speaker. So I definitely think I get some of this
from her. At the same time, my father was a great athlete. I think I get some of
his discipline and focus from him. I guess I am the perfect combination of both
my parents. At a very young age, I knew I wanted to be an actor and started
doing theater in Boston as a kid.
HF: Who or what inspires you?
David: I love that question because it has so much of an influence on our own
lives. Barrier breakers and underdogs. This could be anyone from an struggling
actor, songwriter, artist to a politician, to the boy with big dreams that no one
pays any attention to or people who stand up in the face of adversity. I admire
Vincent Van Gogh’s passion for his work, which was ignored in his lifetime. Talk
about someone who was ahead of their time. I admire Ruth Gordon who hung in
there and got her Oscar much later in life in an industry that is so focused on
youth.
I admire Hillary Clinton and I have taken some flack for this but she is a barrier
breaker. She also takes an extraordinary amount of abuse and is constantly
under a high-powered microscope just because she is a strong, smart, capable
woman. The same standards of criticism are not applied to all of the male
candidates. Finally, I admire all of those filmmakers who dare to go into
unchartered territory and take on unpopular social issues that break new ground!
HF: You wrote, acted, produced, directed and edited Little Erin Merryweather. Did
fitting all these roles prove to be a challenge? If so how did you overcome it?
David: Well, first of all, I am a fighter and that’s how I got through it. Sometimes
you have to put on your boxing gloves and fight the good fight to get to where
you want to be. I did that a lot on this film. I think what a lot of people think is
that I took on all of these roles because of my ego or I wanted it to be a one-
man show. What they don’t realize is that I was forced to take on all of these
roles like so many others who make independent films. And, like so many
independent films, people would drop the ball and walk away from the project and
I was left to pick up the pieces. Most people don’t’ have the will and the stamina
for an undertaking like this.
HF: How was the casting process for the film?
David: Yet again, this was another battle to fight for what I wanted. If you can
believe it, some people did not want Vigdis to play Erin which is just hilarious to
me. To quote Rob Galluzo of Icons of Fright, “Vigdis simply owned that role. . .” I
knew exactly what I was looking for in each part.
HF: I understand that it was hell trying to raise money for the film. May I ask how
you were able to get it done?
David: Well, you’ve heard of child abuse, this was pure parent abuse. (laughs)
Most of the major money came from my family, which they didn’t have. I owe so
much to them. The money was raised in stages because I didn’t have any studio
backing me.
HF: I know this is a pretty common question but what's your greatest strength?
What keeps you going?
David: DETERMINATION! I never gave up. Believe me when I tell you that others
wanted to see me give up (competitiveness, jealousy, etc) In fact, I remember
one person saying to me, “I’ll eat my words if you get this movie made. . .” I
guess I get the last laugh on that one. My family and a few good friends keep me
going.
HF: Originally did you see yourself in the directors chair?
David: In a way, yes because I had the whole movie playing out in my head.
HF: Can you tell me what it was like on set? Any funny moments you can share
with us?
David: Vigdis, and I always shared a laugh in between takes because we are so
close. Brandon, Marcus and I always had a lot of laughs. One thing I remember is
that Liz Callahan had such a great sense of humor. She was such a pro and had
so much serious dialoge to deliver as the abnormal psych professor. In between
takes, she was so much fun and kept me going.
HF: It must have been a lot of work having to fit roles in front and behind
camera. You wrote the picture so I take it you didn't have to worry about
memorizing lines. Which role proved to be the most challenging for you?
David: (Laughs) It was difficult to memorize lines because I had so much else to
worry about. The role that was the most challenging was HOLDING MY GROUND
!! I fought to have Vigdis in this picture. I fought to have Kelly Murphy as the artist
which to me is crazy, given how talented she is. I went through several different
sound teams to get all of the sound I needed to get a complete sound design.
Editing the film was also another area where I fought to get the best that I could.
HF: How long did it take you to complete the film?
David: It took a good four to five years. That is the case with most indie films. If
a film is “truly independent” and what I mean by that is they are not attached to a
studio they don’t have a star(s) in them and they are not made for millions, then
that is typically how long it takes..
David Morwick is a former model turned film maker who
was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He wrote, acted,
produced, directed and edited "Little Erin Merryweather," a
throwback to the classic suspense/horror film. We got the
chance to interview David about his past, present and
future. Read as we got to ask him about his ventures in
acting and the making of Little Erin Merryweather:
was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He wrote, acted,
produced, directed and edited "Little Erin Merryweather," a
throwback to the classic suspense/horror film. We got the
chance to interview David about his past, present and
future. Read as we got to ask him about his ventures in
acting and the making of Little Erin Merryweather: