Recently I got to speak with actor Chad Lindberg about his roles in the NBC hit The Cape and the remake of the Horror Classic I Spit On Your Grave. I want to thank Chad for answering our questions and David for arranging the interview.
GVK: How did you become involved With Spit and The Cape and what can you tell us about your characters?
CL: With SPIT, I read the script and thought it was an extremely dark and twisted story. I tend to respond to dark material. I’ve played a lot of dark characters in my career. However the role of Matthew stuck out to me while reading the script. Matthew is slow and mentally challenged. I’d never done a role like that and felt like this one was it. After getting cast I was so excited. Then I got home, got online and realized it was a remake!! I had no idea until after the fact. Then I was like…Whoa….this movie has a SERIOUS history. And with “The Cape” I get to play a Villian. “Hicks”, an Assassin that is hired to go after The Cape. I got to do things on this show I’ve never done before. It was a real thrill. Fans have never seen me quite like this;)
GVK: What sort of research did you do for the parts and what challenges did each present?
CL: For “Spit” I watched a lot of YouTube videos to study stuttering. Matthew has a stutter in the Film when he gets nervous. The challenge for me was to walk the fine line. It’s a fine line character. I didnt want to go over the top with it and I wanted to make him as sympathetic as possible, regardless of the actions he took. For “The Cape” I went a whole different way and brought my performance down with “Hicks”. I wanted to make him “still”. Creepy and odd.
GVK: What were some of the more memorable moments from filming and what are some of your fondest memories?
CL: There were a couple of scenes that were just gnarley to film. The kind that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I’ve never experienced that in my work before. It was when we first started filming the 20 minutes up to the rape. Then we did that scene the next day. Both those days of filming were extremely surreal for all of us, a creative high for an Actor. Fondest memory is hanging out with cast when we were not shooting. We were really close and had so much fun together. Not all sets are like that.
GVK: Spit is sure to evoke controversy as the original did. Do you think audiences are so jaded now that the subject matter in the film is not as shocking as it was in the past, if so why or why not?
CL: I don’t think audiences are jaded…just more exposed to “shocking” movies these days. I think the content in this alone is still shocking and uncomfortable no matter what the time period is.
GVK: Are you a fan of Horror and Comics and if so, what are some of your favorites?
CL: I actually never read Comics when I was a kid. I was one of the very few I think. I mean, I loved Batman and Superman but never really got into “Comics” very big time. I was never a real Horror buff either. I do appreciate and have a better knowledge of the Genre now. Horror Movies that I liked growing up were movies like “Poltergeist”, “Nightmare on Elm Street”, and “The Exorcist”.
GVK: What can you tell the readers about your training in acting and about your big break in the film?
CL: I just took Acting classes in High School. I did lots of plays and started acting in back then. I had not actually taken any acting class until recently. I realized I needed to grow and study and improve my craft. I now train with Acting Coach Marjorie Ballentine who has really opened up my World as an Artist.
My advice for upcoming actors is to never give up. If it’s in you keep following your dream no matter what. Perserverence is the key. I took part in a Documentary called “My Big Break”. A true story about 4 actors living in a house pursing their dreams in Hollywood, which was shot over ten years. www.mybigbreakmovie.com My Big Break.
GVK: If you can, tell the readers about your time on set and how you found the whole experience of making a movie vs Television. I know many people often say that they are surprised how much waiting goes on but that they cant believe how much is going on.
CL: Haha!! Yep!! “Hurry up and wait”!! Filming Movies and TV are vastly different. Film is more of slower pace. You usually have more time to develop characters and it sometimes takes up to 3 months to film one Movie. Sometimes you’ll spend half the day filming one scene. TV moves MUCH faster. It takes about 10 days to film an Episode. You usually get cast about a week and a half before filming.
GVK: What future projects do you have coming up that the readers can look forward to?
CL: A Documentary called “My Big Break”. A Movie called “Once Fallen” with Ed Harris. I’m auditioning right now like crazy and hoping to get a show of my own 🙂
GVK: What movies have you seen recently and what do you have on your to see list?
CL: I just saw “True Grit” which was amazing. I love Jeff Bridges. You can never go wrong with that guy. I hope to work with him one day. On the list..? “The Fighter”. That’s next 🙂
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