Interview with Josh Grote, star of Die-ner (Get It?)

It seems like it is Die-ner (Get It?) week at The Man-Cave. But if you read yesterday's post, you know that I loved this little indie zom-com and contacted both the director and lead actor Josh Grote for interviews that I saved for this site's relaunch.

Now the thing about Josh, besides being an another talent from my home state which I had no idea about until this interview, is that this is his first lead acting gig and one of the reasons that this film works on so many levels. He plays Ken, who is not your stereotypical sociopath. He starts out as the villain and then he, well he stays the villain, but one you can't help but root for throughout the film.

I was amazed by Josh's acting skill, so I was really surprised to learn how and why Josh landed the role in the first place since he originally pursued screenwriting. And the fact that he worked on The Apprentice some time back! It was also a good thing that he appreciates the vocal chord comparison to Ed Norton because even though I mentioned that he was not physically intimdating in his role as Ken, I'm sure he can probably whoop my ass. Glad I'm on his good side.

After this brief introduction, let's learn more about Josh Grote.

The Man-Cave (TMC): Considering that Die-ner (Get It?) is listed as your first acting credit, how exactly did you land the lead role?

Josh Grote (JG): It's funny because I moved to Los Angeles with zero acting ambition. My goal was/is to become a screenwriter, and at the time (March 2008) I was laid off from my job and had plenty of time to kill, so was spending my days on Craigslist, looking for screenwriting gigs. Long story short, that's when I saw the ad for Die-ner and thought, "Well, that sounds like fun." So I contacted the people in charge of casting, was sent my lines and spent the next few hours memorizing them as best I could before heading off to the audition. After that, I guess I just lucked out.

TMC: I read that you were a production assistant on NBC'S The Apprentice. Any interesting stories from that show? Does The Donald's dead badger hair look as ridiculous in real life as it does on television?

JG: Looking back, the funniest thing about The Apprentice was how excited I was just to get the job. I'm from a small town about forty miles south of Pittsburgh, and I remember freaking out after I was hired. It was like, "I've made it! Just give me a few months and I'll be writing Jurassic Park 4!" Obviously, it didn't (and never) works out that way, but what did I know? I mean seriously, I've been out here for just shy of five years and still have no idea how it's done.

In terms of Donald, you very rarely saw him. He'd show up once every four days or so, tell someone they're fired and that would be it. There was one time, though, when we were shooting at a newspaper printing factory that I turned a corner and literally bumped into him. He apologized and I apologized and that was that. I'll never forget he apologized first, though. I thought that was a nice gesture. As for his hair, I guess I should have seen it coming.

TMC: Are you a big horror genre fan? Favorite film of that genre?

JG: I'm a fan of pretty much every genre, but what really gets me going is Sci-fi. I suppose that's why if I had to name my favorite horror film, it would be a tie between crossovers like Alien and John Carpenter's The Thing.

TMC: What was your first reaction to the script and the sociopathic role of Ken?

JG: To be honest, I was so thrilled to have a part in a feature-length movie that I don't even know if I had a reaction to the role, at least at first. I just thought it was awesome and wanted to make sure I did everything I could not to screw it up. Upon the second and third read, though, I became very impressed with the economy of Patrick's [Horvath] writing and how he was able to paint a picture of exactly who this guy was with just a line or two of description. But in the end, it was just cool to know I'd be playing a serial killer.

TMC: In my review of the film on The Man-Cave in September, I stated that your voice sounds exactly like Ed Norton, which is a compliment. Has anyone told you that before? I'm thinking of hiring you for some prank calls.

JG: You know, ever since Primal Fear was released (and especially American History X), countless people have told me that "Oh, my God...you look like the white supremacist from that X-rated movie!" But until Die-ner came out, I've never heard that I actually sound like him, too. So yeah, I'm not sure if it's actually true or people just see my face and associate his voice. Either way, does he have a movie coming up where they need someone to play his little brother?

TMC: Well I enjoy his thespian talents, but I heard he's difficult to work with, Josh. You might want to stay clear. But I'm not one to gossip, so you didn't hear that from me. If I were you, i'd get in contact with the creators of the upcoming New Avengers flick since he does not want to be a part of it. You have my vote as Banner.

Ok back to being serious...any interesting stories you would like to discuss from the set?

JG: Since I have absolutely no training as an actor, I had no idea how to simply switch my character on and off in-between takes. That's what impresses me about people like Liesel, Parker, Maria and everyone else involved with Die-ner. They can totally become someone else the moment "Action!" is called, and then after "Cut!" go right back to being themselves. For me, the only way I could keep things straight was to become Ken at the beginning of production and try to stay in that mindset for the duration of shooting. Because of that, I pretty much kept to myself when I wasn't needed so that I could focus on whatever scene was coming next.

TMC: Ken is a character that the audience should despise but your portrayal made him out to be the driving force of this film. Did you use any other actors/characters to help mold the character of Ken?

JG: I don't know if I used any pre-existing characters to mold Ken, but knowing that actors out there like Daniel-Day Lewis or Klaus Kinski weren't afraid to stay in crazy-land for the duration of their productions (although I suppose it's debatable as to whether or not Kinski ever left crazy-land once he stepped foot inside), it made me feel less self-conscious or silly or whatever you want to call it for trying to do things the same way.

TMC: You and the other two leads (Liesel Kopp and Parker Quinn) have great chemistry and stage some really hilarious scenes. Was this chemistry just a natural occurrence or did you spend a lot of time getting to know each other before the shoot?

JG: Luckily, the chemistry must have been a natural occurrence, because other than a quick meeting where we all had the chance to say hello to one another and read over the script, we only rehearsed as a group twice.

TMC: Do you personally have a rope and duct tape bag?Your reaction in the film flowed rather believably.

JG: I'm confused. Doesn't everybody?

TMC: Well I certainly do now, haha. What is in the pipeline for you right now? Any upcoming projects you would like to promote?

JG: I'm not sure about when it'll be available for a wider audience, but Liesel Kopp and I had roles in another horror feature called Entrance from the makers of Die-ner (Patrick Horvath and Dallas Hallam), and in the next few months Patrick and I will begin working on another project together...but you'll have to ask him for the details!

I'd like to thank Josh for his time to hang out in The Man-Cave for an interview and for having a great sense of humor. Keep an eye out for him and his upcoming projects because if his presence in Die-ner is any indication, Josh has a great career in front of the camera ahead of him.

Die-ner (Get It?) is available from Osirius Entertainment and Amazon.