Watching any indie short film or feature coming out of Kentucky, invariably the name of Stacey Gillespie will be found somewhere in the credits, and maybe more than once! Stacey epitomizes the indie film actor: hard-working, resilient, patient, able to put up with rough conditions for hours on end, and passionate about independent film. Without a doubt, he is one of the individuals that one can say has paid his dues, and then some.
With literally several hundred credits to his name over the past several years, I wanted to get a better look into the mind of Stacey Gillespie. With a humble and down to earth nature that is not altogether common in the entertainment industry, Stacey comes across as a soft-spoken and very laid back individual. Under that mild demeanor, however, is a guy that is zealous about indie film, and who is absolutely dedicated to improving his skills as an actor.
With no formal acting background, Stacey is one of those people who honed his craft by simply jumping into the deep end of the pool and doing it. From his legendary 17 acting parts in Zombie Planet, on up to the film he is working on now, Santa Vs. Zombies, Stacey has answered the call of director after director, becoming a real asset to any project that he is a part of.
Stacey is also a burgeoning filmmaker as well, currently immersed in the post-production phase of his fantasy feature Eyes of Darkness.
So without further delay, let's make a little foray into the world of Stacey Gillespie, from his acting roles, to his feature, his thoughts on indie film, and even a bit about the rumored Gillespie Fest coming this fall!
-Stephen Zimmer for Indie Movie Masters Blog, June 3, 2010
SZ: What inspired you to pursue acting?
SG: I sorta became an actor by accident. A good friend of mine asked me to go to an audition with him that he had heard about in a newspaper. He had never done any acting before and I did a play or two in elementary and high school. It was for a movie called Zombie Planet. So we went to it and talked to a few people who were cast in it, and some of the crew involved. We talked to the director George Bonilla and he told us a little about the film, and some of the acting roles and crew he had available. At the time I became quite inspired because I had never worked on a movie before, so I was pretty excited and wanted to learn more about it. They were doing a test shot called day for night, where they shoot in the day time, and later use the footage as night shots. I was asked to be a zombie for the shoot as a test subject. So they put me in a makeup chair for 4 hours, where they put latex and tissue paper and painted my entire face and arms. I wore this old torn shirt that said I Saved A Life from the Central Kentucky Blood Center, and we went downtown Lexington in an alleyway where I would have to jerk and growl and stumble and knock over trash cans and furniture, looking for pieces of human flesh to consume. Well I guess the director liked what I did, and he was so encouraging to me that I decided to get more involved in that side of filmmaking. I sorta developed what a lot of actors call the “acting bug”. It is the passion of it that gets in you, and you want more of it. SZ: Did you have any acting background of any kind, in terms of theater or school?
SG: Not really. I mean I did a few things like Snow White And The Seven Dwarves in elementary school, and a play someone wrote in high school, but I didn’t do anything much other than that. I went to Berea College but I didn’t study acting there. Although, I became good friends with Jeffrey Reddick, who asked me to help him with some dialog in some of his screenplays he was writing. Who would have thought then that I was friends with the guy who wrote Final Destination, a Hollywood Horror original. Very cool.
SZ: What is the first independent film role that you had?
SG: Well, the very first was the zombie role that I had mentioned earlier, but the first speaking role I had was Fred the Dregg that was also in Zombie Planet, where I played a radio operator trying to get support and food from the government to survive the zombie plague. I got soup thrown at me by a bunch of bad guys called the Upper Class. My first bad guy role I played, if I may, was a racist redneck who pretended to be best friends with a guy in order to steal coalmining rights in the film Forever In Black Hills.
SZ: How many parts did you play in Zombie Planet?
SG: I played 17 different roles in Zombie Planet, and it started out just being around when they needed some people to play extras in different scenes. They would always grab me and place me somewhere and put me in the appropriate costumes for each scene. Well after about 6 different times doing that, they decided to see how many times they could get away with sticking me in the movie. They used hats and scarfs, coats, zombie makeup and anything to disguise me. The very last role I had a prosthetic nose made, darkened my hair, darkened my skin and put cotton balls in my mouth to make me look Italian where I got shot in the head. Now it is a drinking game too, so that when ever you see me in the film, you take a drink. You are guaranteed to feel pretty good.
SZ: How many film credits do you have today?
SG: I have a scrapbook at home, and I try to remember to log everything that I do. I have been acting for ten years this year, and including acting roles and working on crew I estimate I have around 450 to 500 credits.
SZ: What film are you working on right now?
SG: I am working on Santa vs. The Zombies, a PG Christmas movie, and starting Bunker of Blood, a bloody soldier massacre. I finished up part 2 of a Dumb and Dumber meets American Pie film called Kildo 2 by David Gooslin, a sequel to the first which seemed to be a big hit. A few music videos and educational training videos as well. SZ: What have you discovered to be the most important, in terms of continuing to be an active independent film actor?
SG: Well for me it takes ambition, dedication, passion (the biggest of all) dependability, and most importantly respect. I always try to give the director exactly what he or she wants, and to make sure I know my lines, and to always be there on time. I did a seminar at the World Independent Film Expo talking about different things an actor should remember, and knowing your character and giving respect to each project are two of the things that I touched on the most.
SZ: What are the most common mistakes made by independent film actors, in your opinion?
SG: Gosh, I guess some of the common things I see is being late for the shoot, not knowing your lines or what scene is being shot, or blatantly not showing up at all, and not calling anyone to let them know. I have seen issues of money get in the way of actors and projects. I have seen some actors deal with overbooking themselves with 2 or more shoots at the same time, which can cause relational problems in the future with them and the director. And occasionally, you will run across an actor that who has developed what I call “gone Hollywood”, where they get the Hollywood syndrome and tend to act as though they are on the same status as a Hollywood actor, and respect for the project has left the building in terms of the director and other actors. These are some of the things that I have seen over the years.
SZ: What are your long term goals?
SG: I guess the same as many other fellow actors, to perhaps one day make this a fulltime career, and try to grow to become a better actor, and taking on challenges that have not been explored yet, be it larger projects, more difficult roles, or roles that have not been done. For me I can’t put the money first, for I want it to remain a passion first. I don’t want to lose that “love for acting as an art”. I think one can lose who they are if this escapes them. I would love to perhaps move to New York or California and try my luck there. I want to try working with some national commercials, TV, and Hollywood film, perhaps even become SAG.
SZ: Rumor has it that there is a Stacey Gillespie Fest in the works, which will have films that you have appeared in. Is this rumor true, and if so, where is this very interesting project at right now?
SG: Ha ha yes, this is true although it may not involve me in every film, but Belinda Cook came up with the idea, and this year I decided to go forth with it. I plan to have it in Sept. around my birthday to celebrate that and my tenth year as an actor. My hopes are to have it at the Kentucky Theater on a weekend, and to have a possible premier of a film, some comedians, and a live band. But since I am passionate about the cancer society I want to donate some money to a cancer charity, because my mother had cancer back in ’97, which she was fortunate to survive. But I want to support that cause using this event. It will be more or less a celebration. I will even include the best Stacey joke contest where a prize will be given.SZ: What are you favorite films as a movie fan?
SG: My all time favorite film is Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Love that genre. I own any movie that deals in that genre. But I like anything that has to do with action, sci-fi, comedy and even drama. And of course, I like a good horror film involving either intellect or just straight out blood and gore.
SZ: Who are your favorite actors?
SG: My favorite actors would include Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Swartzenagger, Ashley Judd, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Scarlet Johanson.
SZ: What actors in Hollywood would you compare your style and look to?
SG: My aunt always says I look like Nicholas Cage or Bruce Willis. Charles Shouse, director of Forever In Black Hills always says I favor Jason Statum. I think my style would mostly represent, depending on the role, would be Harrison Ford for his great facial expressions, Jim Carrey for his outrageous extreme comic behavior, Bruce Willis for his sarcasm, and ability to play various roles, and Liam Neeson for his serious delivery.
SZ: Tell us a little about your fantasy feature In The Eyes Of Darkness. What is it, and when will it be premiered?
SG: Well, after about 3 years into being apart of the independent Kentucky film culture, I had gained a lot of experience in front of the camera and behind, so I decide to tackle a film of my own. So I bought a camera and asked a few writers about how they chose the film that they did. From what I gathered, I learned to write what you know, and are passionate about. My passion was in the fantasy realm, and Lord Of The Rings was my favorite film, so I decided to do a fantasy feature. I titled it In The Eyes Of Darkness. It is about a kingdom called Graystone, where all is peaceful and good until people of the region start to disappear. Well, men were sent out to investigate the problem and they would end up missing as well. Therefore, even more people such as soldiers and rangers were sent to investigate as well and, of course, they would not return either. So within a monk village an elf and his sister decide to go and figure things out for themselves knowing they have no experience in such things. However, one of the monks of the village demand that an experienced holy warrior go with them. So along their journey they team up with a cocky barbarian and his strange sidekick dwarf, as they go seek to find the evil taking over the land. They come across the evil lair of an ancient creature, where they find themselves helpless as they battle the evil force, trying to survive themselves. But that is the premise of the film, and it is, as I have been told, the first attempt to do a fantasy feature on a independent level. The film is in the editing stage, and I hope to have a premiere date sometime in early 2011. The film is encased with swords magic, battle scenes, drama, gore, unique creatures, and mind-blowing scenery. The films website is geocities/eyesdarknessmovie.com.
SZ: Where can people find you or connect to you on the internet?
SG: I can be found on Myspace, Facebook or Twitter under my name Stacey Gillespie. My email address is staceytgill@hotmail.com. I am working on a Man Of A Thousand Faces website, to be available soon. I was given the nickname earlier in my acting career.
I wanted to thank Stephen Zimmer for his interest in the independent film community in Kentucky, and wanted to encourage anyone to check out his ingenious writing abilities, including his new book The Storm Guardians, Book Two of the epic urban fantasy series The Rising Dawn Saga. Stephen is a very talented writer, and is now doing book signings across the country. Thanks Stephen for the wonderful interview, and look forward to connecting with you again.
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