Interview With Bill Oberst Jr.
Bill Oberst Jr. is literally a work horse in the indie movie
scene. He’s been able to churn out a large amount of work these past few years.
As with any bunch of movies you get some gems and some not so good, I hope you
don’t mind me saying that Bill.
One thing I have noticed in any of the films I have watched
whether good or not so good is that Bill’s performances are always on track. I
would say he is a shining star in the Indie Movie genre and having him play a
role in a film is a good choice.
A few of his movies I have seen are Abraham Lincoln vs.
Zombies, Scary or Die, Gone Dark, Nude Nuns With Big Guns and A Haunting in
Salem. There’s quite a few out soon that I can’t get hold of yet and also want
to see.
So without further delay let’s get on with the interview.
Q: Hi Bill how’s life treating you these days?
A: Dan, greetings from Hollywood. I want to say first that I
do not mind at all your saying that some of the movies I am in are good and
some not so good. Being honest with the fans is #1 with me because the audience
is my employer. So you tell it like it is! Secondly, I envy you because you get
to live in Wales up on the hill there! I have family in the U.K. but have never
visited Wales. I'd like to come and make a movie there. Any good ideas for horror
scripts set in Wales? Ask your readers to send me some!
Q: Can you tell, for those of them that don’t know you well
Bill, a bit about yourself and what you do?
A: I'm an actor - have been all my life. I spent 14 years
making my living onstage on the east coast of the USA. 5 years ago I moved out
to Los Angeles and switched to film and TV work. Since then I have done about
100 projects. Folks can see what I have done and am doing on IMDb at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2454994/
Q: Bill I’m not sure how accurate IMDb is but they have
movies going back to 2007. I would say this makes you makes you a little bit of
a late comer to the movie scene, is this right or have you just been over looked
until then?
A: I was strictly a professional stage actor for 14 years
until by a fluke, I ended up doing the lead role in a docudrama about the
American Civil War General W.T. Sherman for The History Channel. It did well
and an agent in Los Angeles signed me. So I decided to give film a go, although
I had no experience in it at all. I did not come to the screen until I was
already 40 years old, which has turned out to be a good thing for the roles I
have ended up playing. I was never the romantic lead type, anyway. Even when I
was 25 I'm afraid I was not much of a looker! And "Take
This Lollipop" kind of solidified my image as the creepy-faced guy.
Q: Indie films seem to be your forte and you seem to be in
high demand with a work schedule very full all the way through to 2014! Do you
enjoy this work or can you just not say no?
A: I can say no and I do say no. Of course, in this
business, that sometimes makes people want you more. It's a bit like dating; if
one is too available there is less interest than if one is not. I'm not famous
by any means, but I have gotten to the point where I do get scripts sent to me.
That started happening after "Take This Lollipop" won the Emmy Award last summer.
I do read everything I get and when a role is good for me, I get interested. I
like to work. Acting is not only my means of support; it is my passion; so while
I don't do just anything that comes along anymore, I don't like to pass up
things that really appeal to me.
Q: One of my favourite roles I’ve seen you in is Abraham
Lincoln Vs.Zombies. How was it making that film and playing such an iconic
character (also did you get to keep that cool little mini scythe)?
A: Playing a badass Abraham Lincoln was a highlight of my
career so far, Dan! I loved every minute of it. Lincoln was a boyhood hero of
mine so I wanted to honor him by playing him straight even while he was
swinging that scythe (which, sadly, I did not get to keep, perhaps
because I broke two of them while filming and there was only one left!)
Q: A large repertoire of your films are thrillers and horrors. Is this your favourite area to work in?
A: It is. I am drawn to the darker cinematic genres and to
the darker side of human nature. Even though I am a man of faith, a follower of
Jesus and an optimist by nature, I'm still drawn to that dark side. It seems to
be what I am meant to do and it feels right. I wouldn't play the darkness if I
did not believe in the light. I think it is cathartic and healthy for all of us
to live out bad human behavior in the safe confines of a story told well. All
of the people I know who work in or love the horror genre are good, kind and
gentle people in real life. I think there is a connection there.
Q: What current projects are you working on at the moment?
A: I have just wrapped a really fun horror film called
"Ditch" (a teaser trailer is here.) I'm an axe murderer in that.
Next week I start a role as a serial rapist/murderer with some bizarre physical
deformities who gets more than he bargained for when he kidnaps a model's child
in "The Fetish Set" (here's a shot of the pigeon-chest prosthetic I will be wearing
for that role.) Then I prep for a role as the leader of the surviving
humans in Todd E. Freeman's sequel to his hit "Cell Count" which is
titled "Cell Count II: Blood Count" (here's an artist's conception of how that character will look.)
Then a role as a backwoods cult leader in a found-footage horror film called
"The Hunt" (a great script.) Later this year comes a lead role in
director Mark Savage's "Circus of Dread," set in an underworld
carnival where freak shows are taken to a new level (here's an early poster image for that one.) I'm co-writing
the script for my red devil movie "Lord Bateman" with director Joe
Hendrick (character concept here.) And I have about 7 more projects
lined up for this year - all on my IMDb page at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2454994/ I
like to work.
Q: What have been some of the highlights of your job?
A: Oh my gosh - where do I start? I get to play for living,
so it's all pretty much a highlight. I will tell you, though, the one role that
was the most difficult for me and that I think I poured the most of my
real-life personality into, was that of Father Simon in director Jourdan
McClure's "Children Of Sorrow" (see the
trailer here.) It was the first time I went off the grid for a role. We
shot out in the desert. With Jourdan's support, I isolated myself and lived in
character as much as possible. The film won the top awards last fall at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival and
at the Shockfest Film Festival in Hollywood. I expect a distribution
deal will be announced for "Children Of Sorrow" soon. It's a
disturbing film and was definitely a highlight for me as an actor so far.
Q: Some of your work requires some heavy make-up or other
such things as prosthetics how are you with those?
A: Are you kidding me? I'm in heaven when I am in
prosthetics and bizarre make-up! When I was a kid I was heavily into monster
make-up...I took Dick Smith's course by mail and made my own latex appliances
in my mom's oven; ran molds and everything. So anytime I can work with an
artist to create a unique character, I could care less about my own comfort. It
is all about what is on the screen! I love my work so I try never to bitch
about anything. Anytime I am on set, I'm lucky to be there and happy to be
there.
Q: Like I said earlier you seem to be a very busy bee, is
there anything you can tell us here at THN about your future?
A: I've just signed with a major talent agent, Gloria Hinojosa at Amsel,
Eisenstadt and Frazier here in Los Angeles, who also represents Danny Trejo
and Sid Haig, among other luminaries. I'm excited about that. This business is
all about relationships, so I am grateful for the new connections that being
associated with AEF will bring.
Q: In my eyes in Indie films lately you and Stephen McHattie
are two shining examples of people who despite the type of
movies/budget/writing you’re acting in. You put 100% into the role; do you have
any words of wisdom for aspiring actors out there?
A: Thank you for mentioning me in the same sentence as
Stephen McHattie! I'm a big fan of his. My advice to anyone who says "I
think it would be fun to be an actor" is "Don't." It is a very
tough business and a very tough life. A lot of times it is not fun at all. On
the other hand, to anyone who says "I think I was born to be an actor;
it's all I have ever wanted to do and I have to do it to be who I am..."
my advice is "Do it!" This is a profession for the poor bastards who
can't do anything else and be happy. If that's you, come on into the pool! Get
the best education you can, but realize that the only way to learn to act is to
actually act and to be willing to fail. Fall flat on your ass and get back up
and try to figure out what you did wrong and do it again. That's the business
and that's the only way to live the dream. If you can make a fool out of
yourself and deal with constant rejection and not bitch about it, you've got
the stamina it takes to make it. Tenacity pays off in this game.
Q: You seem like a down to earth guy as well, some people
can let this lifestyle get to their heads how do you keep yourself grounded?
A: I have a terrific family that does a pretty good job of
keeping me in my place :) Also, I truly believe that having a faith in
something bigger than one's self is important if you are going to be in a
profession like this. Every Ash Wednesday, when we get the ashes put on our
foreheads and I hear those words "Remember that thou art dust, and unto
dust thou shalt return," I think "Thank you God that I am dust and
that You are God." It helps to keeps everything in perspective. Only love
matters in the end.
Q: Bill how long can you see yourself in this business now?
A: Until I die. I don't know how to do anything else but
act. I expect to happily drop dead in character on a set or a stage one day.
Bela Lugosi was buried in his Dracula cape. Boris Karloff was on oxygen in his
last films but he kept on working. Lon Chaney died from ingesting artificial
snow on a movie job. I understand. Actors can never really retire because it is
not an occupation - it's a vocation.
Q: Thank you very much for doing this interview Bill, as
always I like to ask this comedy question at the end to see peoples responses,
Do you have a zombie apocalypse plan for when the dead inevitably rise?
A: I do. I will argue with them until they eat me. That is
my great fatal flaw; I believe that I can convince anyone of anything with
logic, given enough time. Big mistake when it comes to zombies!!
Thanks from THN for this opportunity Bill it’s been another
breakthrough to interview an actor for my blog, is there anything else you
would like to add here, links, words of wisdom, a goodbye it’s up to you:
Dan, I'd like to invite people to say hello; leave a message
on my IMDb page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2454994/ or my
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ActorBillOberstJr and my
Twitter https://twitter.com/billoberstjr I
love sharing ideas with people who love horror like I do. The next great horror
film idea will come, I am convinced, from somewhere out there in the world, not
from Hollywood. So let's dream together. I thank you for this great opportunity
to speak to your readers!
Bill was one of the most down to earth people i have talked
too, his beliefs keep grounded and i hope they do forever. He is dedicated to
his work which he intends to do for a long time to come, fine by me i say as
i'll watch anything with him in.
As said he's interested in any work so if you want to
contact him with any ideas i think he'd love that, i've already sent word to a
welsh production company i am friends with for him, so who knows i may get to
be on set one day and shake his hand in the flesh, thank you Bill!
Bill Oberst Jr.
Management: Matt
Chassin
as always follow me on twitter @TheHorrorNation and like my facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/TheHorrorNation
as always follow me on twitter @TheHorrorNation and like my facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/TheHorrorNation
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