Neil Anthony D'Monte was born in Chicago, Illinois and was raised
in Chicago's Andersonville area. He has appeared in such films as
RECOIL, VAMPIRES ANONYMOUS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3D
and the upcoming POCAHAUNTUS.
in Chicago's Andersonville area. He has appeared in such films as
RECOIL, VAMPIRES ANONYMOUS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3D
and the upcoming POCAHAUNTUS.
HF: What was it like to get for feet wet for the first time on the film “Vampires
Anonymous”?
ND: It was a little nerve-racking as it was my first acting gig in a long while. I was
originally hired as the film’s storyboard artist and the director, Michael Keller, and I
got along well. During one of our joking sessions, he asked me if I’ve ever acted
before. I mentioned that my only recent experience was in student films at ‘SC.
He had me come in for a reading of ‘Juan Rodrigo’ with about a dozen other
actors and I wound up getting the part. Honestly, I was very nervous the first
day of shooting, but once I got along with the other cast members and crew and
thought of them as friends, it made the scenes much easier! Plus, I had some
friends working on-set who were in the room when I was doing my scenes which
made it more comfortable.
HF: How did you get involved in comic book and storyboard art?
ND: I got involved with comic books mostly on an independent level, mostly
through word of mouth. I had a reputation for being very fast which led to a
number of jobs, particularly my work on “Gate of the Lost Wind” and “Second
Chance”. I got work as a storyboard artist through my friend and co-worker,
Dean Jones, mostly on independent films, videos and video games. I just finished
my first big-budget work on Millenium/Nu-Image Film’s “Day of the Dead”.
HF: Tell us about the horror movie screenplays you’ve been working on. What
are they about, and has any of them gotten a green light?
ND: Yeah, there are three of them and I’m still tearing away at them. Recently,
because of my schedule, it’s been hard to sit down and focus on these so I’m
trying to see when there will be a big enough break in my work schedule for me
to sit down and get all of them done. Two are horror-thrillers and one is an
action/horror flick, reminiscent of ‘Die Hard’ with a supernatural twist. And yes,
one of them was optioned at a well-known horror studio.
HF: I understand your parents are very artistic. Did they inspire you to get
involved in the arts, or is it something you discovered you had a talent for on
your own?
ND: Yeah, my Mom and Dad are both musicians and artists, so they were a
HUGE inspiration on me and never once told me to do anything else like become
a plastic surgeon (which I once considered). Honestly, they nurtured me going
into theatre, music and art and I love them for that!
HF: You did creature design for Universal’s “The Mummy.” What was it like
working on that project?
ND: Working on “The Mummy” as a freelance hire was amazing and was a good
break for me as a conceptual designer! I was brought on to make ‘comic book’-
style renderings of Imhotep and his high priests as the CG guys were having
problems reading the artwork from the photo-realistic samples. It was a cool gig
and I still have the drawings at home. Plus, since it was a bigger budget film, I
loved seeing my work on the big screen at the theatre. It made me realize that
all the struggle to come out here was so worth it!
HF: Are you a fan of the horror genre and how do you compare working on
horror films compared to some of the other types of films that you’ve done?
ND: Oh yeah, … I’m a BIG HORROR/FANTASY MOVIE FAN!!!! More of a ’GEEK’,
actually,…HAHAHA! Well, horror films are very fun, entertaining and challenging to
work on as an actor and an artist. I have only done a few pilots and a TV show
to date, which were very ‘Americana’ and one adventure film, which was
intimidating, but very fun! Horror films are my “thing” as I loved them growing
up. My Mom got me into “Dark Shadows” AND “Kolchak : The Night Stalker”
when I was very young and the Hammer Films were a big reason for wanting to
pursue this as a career!
HF: Tell us a little bit about your role in the film Pocahauntus you’re currently
shooting.
ND: Oh yes,… HAHAHA! Well, my roles in the film ‘Pocahauntus’ were that of the
“intern” and the “male stud”. My friend, Tasha Dixon (who is in the film as well)
referred me to the film’s director, Veronica Craven, as they needed a “boy toy”
to play these roles. I was flattered that I was even asked as I’m usually cast as
Pirates, Vampires, Ghouls and bad guys, but never as a hot guy. I really liked
getting into character for these two parts as they are a huge departure from
what I usually do. Plus it was fun getting to work with my love interests, Lisa
Allen and Juls Bindi. They were comfortable to do the scenes with and were a lot
less nervous than I was as you might remember,…HAHAHA! But yeah, Michelle,
…once the cameras started rolling, I got into it. Lisa and Juls really made it fun
and I’d love to work with them again soon!
HF: Anything you can tell us about Night of the Living Dead 3D? Do you think fans
of the original will enjoy it?
ND: Oh yeah, NOTLD:3-D actually makes its debut at Midnight ON Sept. 8th in
Hollywood at the Egyptian Theatre. I think it’s part of a 3-D horror film fest and I
will be there as I’m sure the director, Jeff Broadstreet and some of the cats and
crew. It’s loosely based on the 1968 Romero classic and very fun! It’s pretty
gory too and there are a lot of varieties of zombies in this one, from fast moving
fresh kills to lumbering dead ones. I think the fans will enjoy this one! Add in the
3-D factor, and hey,…VERY COOL!
Anonymous”?
ND: It was a little nerve-racking as it was my first acting gig in a long while. I was
originally hired as the film’s storyboard artist and the director, Michael Keller, and I
got along well. During one of our joking sessions, he asked me if I’ve ever acted
before. I mentioned that my only recent experience was in student films at ‘SC.
He had me come in for a reading of ‘Juan Rodrigo’ with about a dozen other
actors and I wound up getting the part. Honestly, I was very nervous the first
day of shooting, but once I got along with the other cast members and crew and
thought of them as friends, it made the scenes much easier! Plus, I had some
friends working on-set who were in the room when I was doing my scenes which
made it more comfortable.
HF: How did you get involved in comic book and storyboard art?
ND: I got involved with comic books mostly on an independent level, mostly
through word of mouth. I had a reputation for being very fast which led to a
number of jobs, particularly my work on “Gate of the Lost Wind” and “Second
Chance”. I got work as a storyboard artist through my friend and co-worker,
Dean Jones, mostly on independent films, videos and video games. I just finished
my first big-budget work on Millenium/Nu-Image Film’s “Day of the Dead”.
HF: Tell us about the horror movie screenplays you’ve been working on. What
are they about, and has any of them gotten a green light?
ND: Yeah, there are three of them and I’m still tearing away at them. Recently,
because of my schedule, it’s been hard to sit down and focus on these so I’m
trying to see when there will be a big enough break in my work schedule for me
to sit down and get all of them done. Two are horror-thrillers and one is an
action/horror flick, reminiscent of ‘Die Hard’ with a supernatural twist. And yes,
one of them was optioned at a well-known horror studio.
HF: I understand your parents are very artistic. Did they inspire you to get
involved in the arts, or is it something you discovered you had a talent for on
your own?
ND: Yeah, my Mom and Dad are both musicians and artists, so they were a
HUGE inspiration on me and never once told me to do anything else like become
a plastic surgeon (which I once considered). Honestly, they nurtured me going
into theatre, music and art and I love them for that!
HF: You did creature design for Universal’s “The Mummy.” What was it like
working on that project?
ND: Working on “The Mummy” as a freelance hire was amazing and was a good
break for me as a conceptual designer! I was brought on to make ‘comic book’-
style renderings of Imhotep and his high priests as the CG guys were having
problems reading the artwork from the photo-realistic samples. It was a cool gig
and I still have the drawings at home. Plus, since it was a bigger budget film, I
loved seeing my work on the big screen at the theatre. It made me realize that
all the struggle to come out here was so worth it!
HF: Are you a fan of the horror genre and how do you compare working on
horror films compared to some of the other types of films that you’ve done?
ND: Oh yeah, … I’m a BIG HORROR/FANTASY MOVIE FAN!!!! More of a ’GEEK’,
actually,…HAHAHA! Well, horror films are very fun, entertaining and challenging to
work on as an actor and an artist. I have only done a few pilots and a TV show
to date, which were very ‘Americana’ and one adventure film, which was
intimidating, but very fun! Horror films are my “thing” as I loved them growing
up. My Mom got me into “Dark Shadows” AND “Kolchak : The Night Stalker”
when I was very young and the Hammer Films were a big reason for wanting to
pursue this as a career!
HF: Tell us a little bit about your role in the film Pocahauntus you’re currently
shooting.
ND: Oh yes,… HAHAHA! Well, my roles in the film ‘Pocahauntus’ were that of the
“intern” and the “male stud”. My friend, Tasha Dixon (who is in the film as well)
referred me to the film’s director, Veronica Craven, as they needed a “boy toy”
to play these roles. I was flattered that I was even asked as I’m usually cast as
Pirates, Vampires, Ghouls and bad guys, but never as a hot guy. I really liked
getting into character for these two parts as they are a huge departure from
what I usually do. Plus it was fun getting to work with my love interests, Lisa
Allen and Juls Bindi. They were comfortable to do the scenes with and were a lot
less nervous than I was as you might remember,…HAHAHA! But yeah, Michelle,
…once the cameras started rolling, I got into it. Lisa and Juls really made it fun
and I’d love to work with them again soon!
HF: Anything you can tell us about Night of the Living Dead 3D? Do you think fans
of the original will enjoy it?
ND: Oh yeah, NOTLD:3-D actually makes its debut at Midnight ON Sept. 8th in
Hollywood at the Egyptian Theatre. I think it’s part of a 3-D horror film fest and I
will be there as I’m sure the director, Jeff Broadstreet and some of the cats and
crew. It’s loosely based on the 1968 Romero classic and very fun! It’s pretty
gory too and there are a lot of varieties of zombies in this one, from fast moving
fresh kills to lumbering dead ones. I think the fans will enjoy this one! Add in the
3-D factor, and hey,…VERY COOL!
The End!
Interview done by:
Michelle Fatale
Michelle Fatale
Posted on:
October 6th, 2006
October 6th, 2006
