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  • ‘The Flood’ Interview: Casper Van Dien

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    Opening in theaters, On Demand and digital beginning July 14th is the new action thriller ‘The Flood,’ which was directed by Brandon Slagle (‘Frost’).

    What is the plot of ‘The Flood’?

    A horde of giant hungry alligators is unleashed on a group of in-transit prisoners and their guards after a massive hurricane floods Louisiana.

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    Who is in the cast of ‘The Flood’?

    ‘The Flood’ stars Nicky Whelan (‘Hall Pass’) as Sheriff Jo Newman, Casper Van Dien (‘Starship Troopers’) as Russell Cody, Louis Mandylor (‘Rambo: Last Blood’) as Rafe Calderon, Randy Wayne (‘Megan’) as Dale Elkins, Ryan Francis (‘Hook’) as Jay Stamper, Kim DeLonghi (‘Marlowe‘) as Eva Carter, Bear Williams (‘Sheroes’) as Angela Cooper, Randall J. Bacon (‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’) as Jonathan ‘Jox’ Apone, Mike Ferguson (‘Amityville Uprising’) as Floyd McGraw, and Eoin O’Brien (‘Kate’) as ‘Big Jim’ Pruett.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Casper Van Dien about his work on ‘The Flood,’ similarities with ‘Con Air,’ fighting alligators, the VFX, acting in water, and working with Nicky Whelan, Louis Mandylor, and the rest of the cast.

    Casper Van Dien as Russell Cody in the action thriller, 'The Flood,' a Saban Films release.
    Casper Van Dien as Russell Cody in the action thriller, ‘The Flood,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction when you read the screenplay for ‘The Flood’?

    Casper Van Dien: When I read it, I was like, “Oh, it’s ‘Con Air’ with alligators.” That’s how they promoted it. I think they also said ‘Anaconda’ but with alligators. That’s how it was pitched to me. Then I read the script and I said, “Okay, this looks like it’d be fun.” I Love Nikki, and I love Louis Mandylor and the guy that directed it, Brandon Slagle. I did another movie with him before, so I was excited about doing that. Thailand is an amazing place and that’s where we filmed it all and I had a lot of fun working with those people.

    MF: What was it like working with Nicky Whelan?

    CVD: Nikki is an amazing actress, and she’s a lot of fun. Just a sweetheart of a person. My wife and I adore her. We love her. She’s really all in. That’s the thing that’s good about her. So she’s all in and when she gets there, she’s just a joy to work with. I didn’t see all of her fights, so I don’t even know how they all went. I just know what I did with her when I was working with her. I was like, “Oh, this girl’s got something,” so that was awesome for me. She’s not just a pretty face. She’s got everything going for her. Now, my wife and her are really good friends and my wife just adores her. I mean, if we lived closer, I’m sure we’d hang out more. But she’s just a great person.

    Nicky Whelan as Sheriff Newman in the action thriller, 'The Flood,' a Saban Films release.
    Nicky Whelan as Sheriff Newman in the action thriller, ‘The Flood,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    MF: Sheriff Newman and Russell are at odds when the film begins but eventually form an alliance together. Can you talk about the moment when she realizes she can trust him?

    CVD: Well, I think that she does see eventually that he has her back and I think that that’s questionable up until that point. That could go either way and I like that. Then in the end, I liked it all the way through. I hope it all worked. You never know. You come in. You throw this in as an actor, you try and the writing had it in there, but then we could add our other layers onto it and the director adds his layer onto it. Then, of course, the editor gets his in the end too.

    MF: Was it fun working with all the other actors that play the inmates?

    CVD: It was. I like all of them. I mean, all these guys are good. Eoin and I worked together also with Louis in ‘Battle for Saipan,’ so we had all worked together before. But that group was great. They’re a cool bunch of guys and they really got into it. It was fun working with all of them. I loved working with them. The other actors are always key. Every actor’s key in it. It is the relationships you have with them and everybody’s different story. I hate the movies back where, I’m not going to mention any names, but when actors would want to have all the lines and everything. I don’t think that’s as important. I think it’s better when you have all the developed characters and everybody putting their all into it, and feeling like it’s their story. I think it makes it more interesting and a lot more fun.

    Mike Ferguson as Floyd McGraw, Randall Bacon as Jonathan ‘Jox’ Apone, Bear Williams as Angelo Cooper, Eoin O’Brien as 'Big Jim’ Pruett, Nicky Whelan as Sheriff Newman, Ryan Francis as Jay Stamper, and Alexander Winters as Deputy Whitlock in the action thriller, 'The Flood,' a Saban Films release.
    (L to R) Mike Ferguson as Floyd McGraw, Randall Bacon as Jonathan ‘Jox’ Apone, Bear Williams as Angelo Cooper, Eoin O’Brien as ‘Big Jim’ Pruett, Nicky Whelan as Sheriff Newman, Ryan Francis as Jay Stamper, and Alexander Winters as Deputy Whitlock in the action thriller, ‘The Flood,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    MF: What was your experience like working with Louis Mandylor on this movie?

    CVD: Louis’s always magnificent to work with. I think he’s super talented. I mean, he’s a great fighter, but I think he’s an even better actor and I love working with him.

    MF: Your characters have a history together, did you and Louis workout a backstory for their relationship?

    CVD: Well, we really wanted it to be like we had worked together and we wanted it to come across that maybe things weren’t so great, but we did like each other. It’s just that maybe I don’t like all of his principles and I’m a little bit worried about him. I don’t think it’s better if I just hate him and he is all horrible. There’s things I did like about him, but then, when push comes to shove, I’m not willing to take the chances. His character made a big mistake, and my character just can’t come to terms with that. But I think that before that, we had liked each other and then when it came to that turning point, I wanted it to be real. He and I, like I said, have we’ve worked together before and so we had a relationship. We knew of each other beforehand too. So that makes it all interesting, I think, and I’m hoping it came across. That’s what we were hoping for and that’s what I liked about the script because I don’t want it to be all black and white, and there are gray areas. I wanted to have those relationships and hopefully, that all comes across.

    Related Article: ‘Starship Troopers’ Casper Van Dien Talks New Thriller ‘Daughter’

    Louis Mandylor as Rafe Calderon and Casper Van Dien as Russell Cody in the action thriller, 'The Flood,' a Saban Films release.
    (L to R) Louis Mandylor as Rafe Calderon and Casper Van Dien as Russell Cody in the action thriller, ‘The Flood,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    MF: Can you talk about the VFX used for the alligators and what it was like for you shooting those sequences?

    CVD: I was just acting, so there was nothing whatsoever. We didn’t have any practical effects. I didn’t see any. I just had the descriptions of what was going on in the set and then what the director was telling me. I had to trust that and then watch also the other actors’ performances. There was different things that different people had with them and how they were going to react, and they had to have the visual effects guy there with all that too. So it’s always fun. All that’s fun. I mean, in ‘Starship Troopers,’ we didn’t have the big giant bugs either, they did have some practical in that, but most of it was all us just visualizing what they were telling us, and what they were going to put in afterwards. It was just us fighting against dirt, the ships, and the blue screen and green screens. But other than that, it was just dirt.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about the challenges of working in water?

    CVD: That was not fun. I mean, parts of it were fun and in the beginning, it’s fun. But then the water has all these people in it, and then it gets dirty and people are coming up coughing and you’re in that water. It starts out clean but at the end of the day, I don’t care what they’re putting in it, it isn’t clean anymore. Louis and I, doing that fight sequence, that was in the dirtiest water at the end of the day after everything had been through. So I mean, we’d been through some things, and it was that way every day. Every day you’re in the water. It starts out clean, and then gets real dirty because you have the entire crew in there. You have the equipment coming in and out. You have all the actors coming in and out and you try to keep it clean. You try to do these things, but it just gets dirty and you’re in Thailand. So they’re filling up these things with just big water trucks, filling it up, and it’s just this makeshift water place. It’s a building that they then had to waterproof, and then have rain coming through the ceilings and that’s dirt coming through that. So then you’re in water that I wouldn’t swim in, but I am now acting in it, I’m fighting in it and I’m getting drowned in it, while other people are acting like they are dying in it. Blood is going in there, dirty water, dirty shoes, dirty people and people are sweating and then they’re coming in there and it’s kind of hard to keep it all clean. So that part of it is difficult. I think that on bigger movies, they have water tanks that they can do more stuff with. There’s no way they were being able to measure it out for this. Just all the variables that you were throwing in, and also, we’re in Thailand. We’re not in the States, so the control’s probably not the same as it would be over here. I think they tried to do their best and they would keep changing the water. The water also would drain out because it’s splashing and going around different things. But then, we’d also fill it up at different levels. So there’d be different scenes where it’d be like, “This is ankle deep today. This is waist deep and now, you’re in it.” But it was so much fun, though.

    Nicky Whelan as Sheriff Newman in the action thriller, 'The Flood,' a Saban Films release.
    Nicky Whelan as Sheriff Newman in the action thriller, ‘The Flood,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘The Flood’:

    Buy Tickets: ‘The Flood’ Movie Showtimes

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    ‘The Flood’ is produced by Hillin Entertainment, Ashland Hill Media Finance, BGG Capital, Benetone Films, Red Phoenix Productions, and The Video Store. It is scheduled to release in theaters, On Demand and digital beginning July 14th, 2023.

  • ‘The Best Man’ Interview: Brendan Fehr Talks New Action Movie

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    Opening in theaters, On Demand and digital April 21st is the new action movie ‘The Best Man,’ from writer and director Shane Dax Taylor (‘Bloodworth’).

    What is the plot of ‘The Best Man?’

    In ‘The Best Man,’ a team of ruthless mercenaries violently seize control of a remote resort hotel looking for revenge. Former Special Ops soldiers Bradley (Brendan Fehr) and Anders (Dolph Lundgren), who are attending their best friend Cal’s (Luke Wilson) wedding to Brook (Nicky Whelan), along with the bride’s sister Hailey (Scout Taylor-Compton), must rely only on their wits and training to combat the terrorists and save the hostages held for ransom.

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    Who is in the cast of ‘The Best Man?’

    ‘The Best Man’ stars Brendan Fehr (‘X-Men: First Class,’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’), Nicky Whelan (‘Hall Pass’), Scout Taylor-Compton (‘The Runaways’), Scott Martin (‘Big Kill’), Dolph Lundgren (‘Rocky IV,’ ‘The Expendables’), and Luke Wilson (‘The Royal Tenenbaums,’ ‘Old School’).

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Brendan Fehr about his work on ‘The Best Man,’ the ‘Die Hard‘ type plot, his character, the stunts and weapons training, and working with Luke Wilson and Dolph Lundgren.

    Brendan Fehr as Bradley in the action film, 'The Best Man,' a Saban Films release.
    Brendan Fehr as Bradley in the action film, ‘The Best Man,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Brendan Fehr about ‘The Best Man.’

    Moviefone: To begin with, the movie is sort of “’Die Hard’ at a wedding.” What was your first reaction to the screenplay?

    Brendan Fehr: Action movies are always fun. You never exactly know how it is going to turn out. For me, obviously it has to do with the story and ‘The Best Man,’ and I’m the Best Man. So, I was like, “Oh, that’s cool. Let’s go.” Every kid dreams of being a hero of some sort and saving the day. As an adult, I think we still have those delusions of grandeur, I suppose, of being put in that situation. Fortunately in my career, I get to sometimes, not actually do that, but play out those fantasies. So, that’s always fun. Then you’re looking at the people that are involved as well and getting to work alongside Luke, and I knew Scout from earlier. It’s always just an opportunity to do something fun and learn, and with all the ingredients put in there, see what comes out on the other side.

    Luke Wilson as Cal in the action film, 'The Best Man,' a Saban Films release.
    Luke Wilson as Cal in the action film, ‘The Best Man,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    Related Article: ‘The Best Man’ Exclusive Clip

    MF: What was it like working with Hollywood legends like Luke Wilson and Dolph Lundgren?

    BF: I mean, they definitely have their different process. Actually, it was funny, I was thinking about this today. I don’t think I say anything to Dolph in the entire movie. I don’t think I actually talk to him. We do all hug in a group setting. I have scenes with him, but I actually don’t think I ever chat with him the entire movie, which is interesting. So, I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with either of them. It was a very quick shoot. It was kind of in and out. The movie’s a little bit of a run and gun, and so was the actual filming of it. But it’s one of those things where you realize everybody has just a different process. Having done this for 30 years, you’re always just kind of observing what’s their process. Do they like to talk a lot before the scene? Do they like to do this? Okay, that person goes off into the corner and they do this, and they got their scene. So for me, if the opportunity obviously presents itself, then you ask questions and you kind of get into it, but you don’t want to really talk about acting necessarily when you’re acting. You don’t know if that’s going to throw the other person off. So, it’s just more about observing and you kind of pick and choose what you think works for you or, “Oh, that’s interesting how they go from that to that.” Some people transform, some people want to stay in character. So, you never stop learning in this business.

    Dolph Lundgren as Anders in the action film, 'The Best Man,' a Saban Films release.
    Dolph Lundgren as Anders in the action film, ‘The Best Man,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    MF: A lot of your scenes are with Scout Taylor-Compton, and you mentioned that you knew her previously, did that make it easier to perform the action sequences with her?

    BF: Yeah. I had kind of a cameo in a movie that’s not out yet that she stars in. I actually play the father of her boyfriend or love interest, which is hilarious. Now we’re playing a couple of sorts. So, we had briefly met on that movie, and I really got along with her in the short time I was there. So, when I knew she was on this and then the role she was playing, I thought that would be a lot of fun. But with this one I saw the way she worked and she took it seriously and just very collaborative. So, ultimately we spent this entire movie together. All our days, the long days, it was a lot of me and her. She’s always looking to, how do we make this scene better? How do we elevate it? What can we do that’s fun? I’m very much the same way. When you have a partner throughout a movie that you spend a lot of time with, you hope that you do get along naturally. Sometimes you don’t, and that’s just the way it works. But this one, we were really open with each other. So, it’s that kind of creative spirit that I think I’m looking for in any project I do. We worked really well together in that respect.

    Scout Taylor-Compton as Hailey in the action film, 'The Best Man,' a Saban Films release.
    Scout Taylor-Compton as Hailey in the action film, ‘The Best Man,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    MF: You play a Special Ops soldier, but he’s not invincible, he gets hurt a lot in this movie and does not win every fight. Do you think that added the realism of the film?

    BF: Yeah. Obviously it opens up the movie establishing that, in this case, these are men that have seen a lot and been through a lot. That can go a couple different ways. That can bond people, or it could be, even though you’re bonded, there’s trauma there but you don’t necessarily have the capacity to deal with. My character, Bradley, goes off on the ranch, kind of lives alone, doing his own thing. Dolph’s character travels the beaches all around the world, kind of living it up with what appears to be a little bit of an alcohol problem. Then Luke falls in love with the person that we rescue. So, everyone’s kind of got their different coping mechanism with it, which you hoped those establish the characters a little bit early on, giving them their own journey and then obviously being thrown back into it with the ambush at the wedding. So, yeah, it was just a great way, I thought, to, in an action way, give them their own sense of where that led them. Then they’re all thrown back together again in what’s going to happen from there.

    Brendan Fehr as Bradley in the action film, 'The Best Man,' a Saban Films release.
    Brendan Fehr as Bradley in the action film, ‘The Best Man,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about the weapons training you had for the film, and the attention to safety on set?

    BF: Safety’s always a priority. I’ve worked with a bunch of experts in guns and armor throughout my career, and I go through my own checklists. So, everyone’s extra careful. It’s not like I’m a massive gun guy, but you’re always looking to make it as realistic as possible. So, you ask the armorer and other people around who have that experience, but I’ve been doing this long enough that I kind of know most everything I do. Then as far as the fights, again, I’ve done a couple fighting movies. So, I enjoy doing those kinds of things. It’s fun and you learn it on the day. It’s a real run and gun thing, like I said. So it’s just like, “Okay, this is what we’re doing.” The fight scene in the hotel that I have, there’s a couple of pieces to it. I always say that I learn it three moves at a time. So, you practice the first three moves and you go through that. It’s like a phone number, you get that sequence down. Okay, now the next three moves are this. Okay, now you put that together. So, now you got the first six down and once you got that, you move on to the next three. That’s a really good way to quickly learn something so that everyone’s in sync, no one gets hurt, and you look like someone who knows what they’re doing.

    Brendan Fehr as Bradley in the action film, 'The Best Man,' a Saban Films release.
    Brendan Fehr as Bradley in the action film, ‘The Best Man,’ a Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Saban Films.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘The Best Man:’

    Buy Tickets: ‘The Best Man’ Movie Showtimes

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    ‘The Best Man’ is produced by Saban Films. It is set to release in theaters, On Demand and digital on April 21st.

  • Musician Trace Adkins Talks New Shark Movie ‘Maneater’

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    Opening in theaters and available on Demand and Digital beginning August 26th is the new shark movie ‘Maneater,’ from director Justin Lee (‘Final Kill’).

    The movie stars musician Trace Adkins (‘The Lincoln Lawyer’) as Harlan, a local man that has recently lost his daughter to a shark attack. When Jessie (Nicky Whelan) and her friends come to the island for a quick get-away, it quickly becomes a nightmare when the same shark terrorizes their vacation.

    Now, Harlan will team with Nicky to hunt down the shark and get revenge for his daughter’s death. In addition to Adkins and Whelan, the cast also includes Shane West (‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’), and Jeff Fahey (‘Silverado).

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Trace Adkins about his work on ‘Maneater,’ his favorite shark movie, his character, the movie’s VFX, working with Jeff Fahey, and the possibility of a sequel.

    Trace Adkins in 'Maneater.'
    Trace Adkins in ‘Maneater.’

    You can read the full interview below or watch the interview by clicking on the video player above.

    Moviefone: To begin with, how did you get involved with this project?

    Trace Adkins: Justin Lee, I’ve done a couple of westerns with Justin and he talked to me. He said, “Man, I’m doing a shark movie and I just want you to come and shoot the shark.” I said, “Where are you shooting it?” He said, “Hawaii.” I said, “Okay, let’s go.” I mean, I like Justin, so I just signed on.

    MF: Are you a fan of shark movies, and if so, which is your favorite?

    TA: Well, I remember when ‘Jaws’ came out, I was still a kid and I didn’t sleep for a week after I watched it. But that movie had the most profound effect on me, more than any movie I’ve ever seen. I mean, I can’t say that I’ve been a fan of all the shark movies, but that one had an effect on me.

    MF: Can you talk about the grief your character is going through after the loss of his daughter and how you approached the role?

    TA: I tried to remember when my baby brother got killed and watching my mother and father go through that. It was tragic. It was horrible. He was 21 years old when he got killed and we just the immense incredible grief. I was able to recall that, and remember what that felt like a little bit.

    So, I tried to remind myself all the way through the movie that that was where I was starting from every day. It also led to his being short tempered with other people that he had to deal with. He was just laser focused on one thing and he didn’t need anybody else getting in his way to accomplishing that.

    MF: Can you talk about the friendship that forms between Harlan and Jessie, and working with Nicky Whelan?

    TA: Well, Nicky was great. But that relationship progressed as quickly as it did because it was forged in fire. I mean, here we were both dealing with this loss. So, that was why I had a little trouble with it at first. Okay, how come we’re so close so quickly? But then I realized, well we’re both dealing with kind of the same thing and so it was a relationship that was forged in fire.

    Nicky Whelan and Trace Adkins in 'Maneater.'
    (L to R) Nicky Whelan and Trace Adkins in ‘Maneater.’

    MF: What was it like working with Jeff Fahey?

    TA: Jeff is just a consummate professional. He’s a journeyman, he’s done everything and he’s such a great actor. I enjoyed every scene I got to do with him. I wish I could have worked with him more. He was just there for a few days, but I really enjoyed my time with Jeff.

    MF: Can you talk about how you actually shot the scenes with the shark?

    TA: Well, they had a shark head and they had some guys back behind it working the jaws and stuff. So, there was something there for me to look at when it was up close and personal, but the rest of it, it was like working with green screen. But at least I was out in a boat. I just had to pretend, and it wasn’t that hard to do.

    MF: What was your experience like working with director Justin Lee?

    TA: This is the longest I’ve ever been on set with Justin. The other couple of westerns that I did with him, I just came in and did a cameo thing. I was just there for a couple of days, but I liked the way he worked. I thought he was efficient and I liked him personally. He’s fun to work with. So, when he called and talked to me about this deal, I said, “Yeah, let’s give it a shot.” He’s a good guy. I really like Justin.

    MF: You play ukulele in the film. Was that in the script or improvised on the set?

    TA: I just walked up on the porch and there was a ukulele sitting there and I’ve never played one. I thought, maybe it’s kind of like a mandolin. So, I just picked it up and it was tuned. So, I pretty quickly figured out what the tuning was on it and then I just sat there and kind of played a little bit. Justin left it in. It wasn’t supposed to be there. There was a ukulele sitting on the porch and so I just picked it up. There you go.

    MF: Finally, the movie ends in a way that it seems like it might be setting up a potential sequel with starring you and Jeff Fahey. Is this a character that you might be interested in revisiting someday?

    TA: Perhaps. I would have to see the script and where we would shoot it. They set it up for Jeff and I, I believe to go off and do something else. I knew what he was doing when he did that. So yeah, it could be interesting.

    I liked the fact that Harlan put that in the end there where he said, “That’s a part of the world that I never wanted to go back to.” I asked Justin, I said, “What’s that about?” He used to be a Navy Seal and he had to go into that part of the world and do some stuff that. I knew he was in the Navy, but Justin told me he was a Navy seal and he did some pretty crazy stuff over in that part of the world.

    Trace Adkins in 'Maneater.'
    Trace Adkins in ‘Maneater.’
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