Interview: Bill Sage Talks Welcome to Willits, Practical vs CGI, Hap and Leonard, and More!https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/25209 ... p-leonard/Dread Central: You’re no stranger to horror, especially in the last several years. What’s the appeal of the genre?
Bill Sage: It’s independent. It belongs to the fans. They own it. Much of my career has included indy film and no other genre keeps to the spirit of indy filmmaking quite like this genre. What’s really incredible about horror and sci-fi that I absolutely love, is the way you can sneak a substantial story into a genre that a lot of snobs think is a substandard genre.
DC: Tell me a bit about Welcome to Willits and working with the cast and crew.
BS: Yes, “Welcome To Willits” is about aliens, burnouts, clueless campers and shit, but you’ve also got a story about the horror of our great divide as a people and the insanity of it. Our mentality seems to have gone back to the Civil War. Not to get political, but we’re building a wall! What? This film is about the “us and them” mentality. At least thats how I saw it.
Working with Trevor Ryan, we were on the same page as far as the allegory, the humor, and trying to keep it just right without beating people over the head with it. Sabina Gadecki who plays my wife, Peg, and Anastasia Baranova who plays my niece, Courtney, were angels. The three of us would get together after each days shooting and prep for the next. I think that’s where a lot of the spontaneous humor came from. That, and Tim Ryan’s script, as brutal as it is, is also fucking hysterical.
DC: In the film, you get to portray a character who is high on intense drugs quite often. How does one prep for that kind of role and, additionally, maintain it?
BS: So, yeah, Brock digs the finer things in life without getting all materialistic about it. He’s a man of means. He likes drugs, fucking, and fighting. But, he’s also an inquisitive man and is pretty damn sure he’s already got the answers. A pretty volatile cocktail. Oh, and there’s aliens…
So, there wasn’t much prep for me with Brock. It came to me last minute and sometimes that can be good. I’d like to say I did a lot of sense memory, but I was flying by the seat of my pants. If not for Trevor, Sabina, Anastasia, and Rory Culkin, who I’d worked with before on ‘Electrik Children’, I’m pretty sure I would have sucked, and it’s a distinct possibility that I do anyway. So…
DC: Horror fans absolutely adore practical over CGI when it comes to effects. For an actor, what are the differences of working with both mediums?
BS: Look, when you can share a smoke with one of the aliens your about to shoot, it’s always a plus. I’m with you. As an actor and a fan I prefer the genuine article. The only thing I like about working with a green screen is that you’re usually making more bank when you’re doing it.
DC: What do you think makes Welcome to Willits something fun and exciting for genre fans?
BS: I’ve got to say the humor, and then it turns severe. I think fans will appreciate what we did with so little. If just one person can wet themselves just a little from laughter and terror, we’ll have done our jobs.