Steve Brachmann: First of all, I really want to know: What is it like to have a name like Blayne Weaver?

Blayne Weaver: (laughs) Honestly, it's a gift. The best thing about having a soap opera name like that is hearing the southern pronounciation of it, which is probably the ugliest sound the human mouth can make. “Blehn”. You've gotta put the redneck into it.

 

SB: What first got you interested in pursuing a film career?

BW: I've been working as an actor since 17. I've been on TV sets, movie sets, blah, blah, blah. What I've found out there is there aren't many good parts out there for actors. Then I wrote a script with Michael Bacall for a movie called “Manic”, which went to Sundance. It was my first foray into the writing world, and I got to see what was entailed with making a movie. I next did a short called “ Losing Lois Lane ” that I co-wrote with Brandon Barrera. Then came “Outside Sales”. No one stepped up to buy it, but I thought it could be a commercially viable movie, so me and Brandon actually sold the house we had been living in at that time to finance it. Having worked as an actor before, I knew a lot of great people who were happy to help out. The crew was amazing, everyone worked for peanuts, and we pulled off some quality work.

 

SB: You appeared in the NBC movie “The Flood” while still in high school. What was that experience like, being in a movie at such a young age?

BW: Well, first, congratulations on doing your homework and being able to pull up “The Flood”.

 

SB: IMDB.com is a good friend of mine.

BW: (laughs) It is a great website. I was brought up in Louisiana , and I had done a lot of theater, so I already felt kind of hot-shotty. But I went to Australia to film this movie, and then my senior year I was a total hot shot. Then I did “The Good Old Boys”, a western with Tommy Lee Jones, a few years later. I worked with him, Matt Damon, Sam Shepard, Frances McDormand. These were serious people, whereas “The Flood” cast was sort of the Club-Med of actors, people who were just stoked to be there. You can't imagine how stupid I felt: 18 years old, public school education, and I knew who Sam Shepard was, but I didn't know him.

 

SB: You've done a bit of work as the voice of Peter Pan in a number of Disney specials. How did your involvement with that begin?

BW: I went to talk to my agent one day because I hadn't been getting a lot of auditions. She basically didn't have anything for me right then, but she told me that Disney was doing a voiceover audition just down the hall. I popped in and went to audition for a lost boy. They wanted a big, goofy voice, however, and I told them that I couldn't do that, but that I could do a little boy's voice. I did that, they loved it, and they signed me up for Peter Pan. Financially, it was a great opportunity, and it helped me buy the home we later sold for “ Losing Lois Lane ”. Also, it was just a fun, silly job. I mean, you go in for an hour and pretend to fight pirates. It was great.

 

SB: You've done a lot of work in many different aspects of filmmaking: acting, writing, directing, and producing. Which of these do you enjoy the most?

BW: There is nothing in the world more fulfilling for me than seeing the finished product of a movie, knowing this is my cast, my script told the way it should be told. I'm responsible for the final product. Sometimes it's fun to act for someone else, but directing would have to be the most fulfilling. It's almost like taking a ride with the actors, especially when you have the opportunity to cast people you trust. Most of the cast of “Outside Sales” has worked extensively, except for Lucas Fleischer, our lead. So I feel sort of like I'm part of his development as an actor, and it's a really cool feeling.

 

SB: When and how did your affiliation with “Outside Sales” begin?

BW: Like I said, Brandon Barrera and I used to be roommates. While we lived at the house, he actually used to work outside sales. And his day was always so amusing to me, whether it was the morning pep talks, having to start all over at zero at the beginning of every month to reach your quota, or being done every day by two o'clock in the afternoon. The whole job is building relationships: part shady, but on the other hand, a lot of fun. It worked out as a great backdrop for a movie.

 

SB: What specific jobs did you fulfill as executive producer for this movie?

BW: As the executive producer, I basically handled the monetary decisions. (Producer) Kendrick Hudson is the real nuts and bolts guy. The question we had to ask ourselves on this was “Alright, we have a $60,000 budget, how are we going to make that into a 90 minute film?” We worry about renting cars, finding locations, and other terrible financial things. My least favorite thing was negotiating with the Screen Actors Guild. I mean, it's my union, I'm part of them, but I had to convince them. But I understand that there are only so many parts for the tons of actors out there.

 

SB: You portray Kirk Hastings in “Outside Sales”. Can you tell me a little bit about his role and what kind of person he is?

BW: There are two archetype salespersons in this movie: Kirk and Cap. Cap is laidback, he's likeable, he genuinely likes people, so his job is easy because he has so many contacts. Kirk, on the other hand, will do anything and everything for the sale. Slimy, backstabbing, duplicitous, every stereotypically bad thing a salesperson could be, that's what Kirk is. He's overcompensating for some very low self-esteem. The movie opens with him having an affair with the main character's wife. Then he gets promoted to boss, putting him in the power seat. He hires the new girl because she's attractive and he wants to fool around with her. All in all, Kirk's just not a nice guy.

 

SB: And, I have to ask, why does he have that moustache?

BW: Well, the first read through, I was supposed to play Cap. It wasn't a lead, so I could step back a little bit. The more we worked on Kirk, however, the more fun I started having. We created Kirk so much that he took on a life of his own. He idolizes Burt Reynolds, sees him as the ultimate man. So in trying to define himself as a man, he grows the moustache. He wants everyone to know he's virile.

 

SB: “Outside Sales” will be shown at the DeadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City , OK . What was the process like to get your film chosen?

BW: We wanted to premier at a nice festival, but we weren't sure where we should go. Vail (Film Festival, CO) was first for us. It's a beautiful, richy town with a great little village, and they really take care of filmmakers there. After Vail, we just wanted to premier all over the place. DeadCENTER is the first place since, and they liked the movie. We'll be in Oklahoma with bells on. The whole cast was excited for Vail, everyone had such a blast, and it's so fulfilling when everyone likes your movie at the world premier. Right now, we're looking forward to packing Oklahoma City .

 

SB: Your character in “Outside Sales” has his own MySpace page. Who came up with the idea for that, or is this some promotional effort you've seen before?

BW: I hadn't seen that before. I'm a big fan of The Onion , and I've always liked editorials written through the voice of the character. Like I said, we had so much fun with the character of Kirk on set that he had this huge backstory to him. Every marketing step we've taken, we've tried to look at it a little from the left. We try to look at ourselves as distinctive and different. Comedy gets you instant gratification, and I love how people comment straight to Kirk. We take ourselves a little less seriously because we're just stoked to be here. We're just going to do the best movie we can with the budget we have. Every new thing is just icing on top of the cake.

 

SB: Anything else we should know?

BW: Right now we're doing pre-production on our next feature, “Six Month Rule”, which is going to be a dark comedy about a single guy living in the city. Basically, the six month rule is part of a set of rules to stop him from getting into a relationship. This particular rule refers to the fact that if you can get over anyone in six months, then you don't really love them and shouldn't date them in the first place. These rules are pretty much in place to keep himself from falling in love.

 

SB: Thanks for your time today Blayne.

BW: Not a problem. Thanks for having me.

The 6 th Annual deadCENTER Film Festival will take place June 7-11, 2006, in Oklahoma City , OK . And if you're going to show up, bring your moustaches. They always make for a sterling fashion statement.