Actor-Writer Holt Boggs is a Houston, Texas native. He is well known for the action-crime-drama film, The Prodigy. Holt appeared in FX’s television series Son’s of Anarchy and in the soon to be released movie, Sinners and Saints. He's also slated to star in the upcoming paranormal thriller, Hostage. Holt took time out of his busy schedule to chat with me a bit about the exciting new projects he has in the works.
The release date is under wraps, but I can say early next year.
William Kaufman, the writer/director of Sinners and Saints, is a long time friend of yours. You also worked with William on a number of previous projects; what was it like working with him on Sinners and Saints?
Will's great to work with. We've been close friends for a long time and so the working relationship is easy. It's cool for me because I remember back when both of us were broke, I was sleeping on his floor and we were shooting little no budget short films with a borrowed camera. Now, to walk on a set, a much bigger set and see him directing Tom Berenger or Cuba Gooding Jr is really cool. I'm so proud of him.
My role in Sinners is more of a cameo, but it was a ton of fun to shoot. It was Will's first film since we shot The Prodigy together and so it was like old times.
Sinners and Saints had you working alongside an impressive cast. Would you share with us a little bit about what it was like working with them?
Although I didn't have a lot of on-screen time with the cast, I got to know a lot of them and really cool people. Johnny Strong did an amazing job and Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy, Waterworld) was the coolest guy ever. It was funny, I remember one of the extras, just being nice went and introduced herself to Tom Berenger while he was eating breakfast. She said, "Hi, I'm one of the extras. Are you an actor too or part of the crew." Tom was really cool about it and just replied, "Yeah, I'm one of the actors." On a side note, I think one of the standout performances in the film is my buddy Louis Mandylor. Really great stuff and fun to watch.
I understand that you are currently working on a new script called Ohana with hit man, Shane Stant. How and why did you team up with Shane on this project?
I had met Shane a few years back and he's been one of my best friends in the world. A super great guy, but the funny thing is that I had known him for a couple of years before I found out about his past. We were hanging out in his garage working on my motorcycle one day when his brother mentioned something about Shane's interview with E! True Hollywood Story. My ears perked up and then he told me that he was involved with the Nancy Kerrigan saga. It blew my mind to say the least.
Long story short, he's paid his debt to society and has turned his life around in a major way. He's also a huge movie buff and interestingly enough, more into indy films and romantic comedies then the expected action or martial arts flicks. We started talking and out came the idea for Ohana.
What else can you tell us about this new project, Ohana?
The story is 100% Shane's idea, and I'm cleaning it up and penning the screenplay. It's basically about a guy who comes from money and always had a silver spoon in his mouth. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he's taking a bus trip across the country and along the way, he makes some new friends and learns a lot about life, but more importantly, about himself. It's an amazing heartfelt story that I think we can all relate to in one form or another. It's funny at times an sad at times, but it's definitely a message movie too.
You recently got cast in the upcoming film, Hostage, by director Michael Yurinko and producer Robert Gordon Spencer, correct? How did that come about? You know, I've been a big fan Of Michael's (Yurinko) for several years. He wrote a film called, For the Love of Jade and it was one of the best screenplays I'd ever read. I was attached to that, but it got shelved for a while and I'd heard about Hostage through my friend Robert Spencer. When I heard that Michael was writing and directing it, I read the first draft and was blown away! I knew I was right for it, so I gave Michael a call and started begging. There were several people considered and I wasn't really what Michael was looking for initially, but I put a screen test together and fought for it. Whether it was my screen test of the fact that I kept bugging the hell out of Michael, he gave me the part.
Hostage is a paranormal thriller in the vein of The Exorcist and Paranormal Activity correct? What else can you share with us about the story?
Yeah, that's a great comparison. I play Eugene, a man pained by the death of his wife and young daughter. He wakes up alone in a cabin in the middle of the night and takes a look out the window. He sees nothing but snow to the top of the window sill. In a panic, he goes into the attic and tries to break through the roof and finds his cabin is completely engulfed in snow. He's being held hostage by the elements, but we also find that he's not alone. There's something else in the cabin with him.
What drew you to the script and the character you’re set to play in the film?
First and foremost, the script scared the shit out of me on the first pass. Michael is very specific in his writing and you can almost feel the world of the film during the read. The character I play is really complex. As a father of three, I can only imagine the excruciating pain that Eugene is enduring with the loss of his wife and child. He's angry at the world, he's angry at god and more so, he's angry at himself for not being able to save them. Dealing with that loss, that anger and rage within the icy tomb he's trapped in; all the while fighting for his life as this unknown force is destroying his will bit by bit. It got me.
When does production on Hostage start?
We are shooting some footage the first week in December then the main stint of production looks like February up in the Poconos.
www.HoltBoggs.com
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