Making Pondo with Bradford Trojan

 In this episode we talk to Bradford Trojan. Bradford played Billy Shaw in two of our films, "Revenge of Zoe" and "The Love Song of William H. Shaw." He is also a father, musician, yoga instructor and all around great person.

Love Song Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz4VOHtdid0

Bradford Trojan-Game Day Music Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUHgzhM4sEY&pp=ygUpQnJhZGZvcmQgVHJvamFuLUdhbWUgRGF5IE11c2ljIFZpZGVvIExpbms%3D

Dr. Dog:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dog

Tombstone Rashomon Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w_cd94noGA&t=6s&pp=ygUaVG9tYnN0b25lIFJhc2hvbW9uIFRyYWlsZXI%3D

Bradford's Mellow Yellow Commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmaNi_DoBso&list=PL39BRMBl9re7IFast47G-AD91GSYn0OpH&index=4

Bradford Trojan & Friends Podcast:
https://www.bradfordtrojan.com/podcast

Decline of Western Civilization Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiCTq_AHcqw&pp=ygUnRGVjbGluZSBvZiBXZXN0ZXJuIENpdmlsaXphdGlvbiBUcmFpbGVy

Forbidden Zone (1980) Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_WKItgD_Ng&pp=ygUVRm9yYmlkZGVuIFpvbmUgKDE5ODAp

A Tuesday Wedding Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqOp9UU6F8g&pp=ygUZQSBUdWVzZGF5IFdlZGRpbmcgVHJhaWxlcg%3D%3D

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to Making Pondo and Talking Pondo. Talking Pondo is a podcast where we pick out two movies each week and talk about them in detail. Making Pondo is a podcast where we talk to people we've made films with and we discuss all their experiences on set. Today on Making Pondo, we interview Bradford Trojan, who has acted in two of our feature films.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

And we're back. And we sure are. And here we are with our good friend, uh actor, extraordinaire, musician, Bradford Trojan.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Ahoy Made. A puppeteer. What other did we miss any of the others?

SPEAKER_01 0:46

What other stuff? Yeah, what other they could put titles in. Uh a BA. I have a BA. Podcaster. Podcaster. Um somatic therapist. Um yoga instructor. Yoga instructor. Herbalist. Herbalist.

SPEAKER_03 1:05

Kombucha enthusiast.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Kombucha enthusiast. Choc chocolatier.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

VHS connoisseur. VHS connoisseur. Yes. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Yes. Dad.

unknown 1:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Yeah, that's the most important role of your life. It's the role of a lifetime.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

The role of a lifetime.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

So I didn't have to audition too hard for it.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

You got that one easy. You're a little hot, Marty. Just lean on lean back.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Oh, so I always want to lean into the microphone, but I should be coming in hot on the show.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

I'm coming in hot, guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

I'm coming in. Bradford's a distinguished actor, and we've had the pleasure of working with him. Uh geez, it feels like more than two times, but it has just been the two movies. We did a music video together. Well, I'm going to edit it for you, but uh it feels like we've we made all five movies with Bradford, but we we've got Revenge of Zoe and the new love song of William H. Shaw. And well, Bradford, how how did you find Pondo Enterprises and start working with this?

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Well, it was it was great because I was just kind of coming back into um, and I want to say this is so much fun to be doing this with you guys. I just want to say that also to be able to appreciate it. I want to front load it and come in hot here. So um I was just kind of getting back into acting after a long, kind of long break. Um, and so this was 20 uh when when when Zoe, that was was this 2017, right? I think. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:53

Revenge of Zoe was 2017, yep.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah, so auditions were happening. So prior to that, um I had gone back like uh two years previous and had kind of gone back and done a show, uh, this really fun live show with this theater group I worked with in Philadelphia called Pig Iron Theater, with this uh and they collaborated with this band that I was in and super friends with, super friends, um with Dr. Dog, great band from Philadelphia. And I went back for that for a few weeks for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Live Arts Fest, and um just really was like loving it, being back on, you know, and acting and just getting in the the zone. And so I came back to to Tucson. I was living here, but came back and was like, I'm gonna really like I'm going for it, I'm gonna get an agent, I'm gonna try this, you know. So I got an agent up in Phoenix, and um and then uh as I did that, um Alex Cox was coming here with the movie Tombstone Rashimon. And so um I auditioned for that, and I was like just kind of really coming back in. So, you know, I was my chops weren't super up, but I like went out for one par, but I I got something, you know, I got a supporting role in the film. It was amazing, super fun, really great. Um, and this is you're in the shoot you're in the shootout, right? I'm in the shootout. I am uh Tom McLarrie, one of the McLarie brothers, and um I'm in the shootout, so there's many different ways that I get shot in that in that movie. And I think one time I don't, I get away. But there was uh basically on that, I met Eric Schumacher, and he got he was Doc Holiday. So we had just a lot of time together on set and got to develop a friendship with him along with all the other local folks. Um Rahelio, who um who's who's a local actor, he's in LA now. Um Eric, uh a few other folks who've just kind of like they're right outside of town. But anyway, we got to be buddies, and I'm pretty sure that Eric told me about you guys and that there was gonna be a movie being filmed, you know, Revenge of Zoe, that uh there's gonna be some auditions. I'm not sure if that's what happened, well, if it was him that told me that, or if it was just it popped up on Facebook, you know, just like whatever the uh local film, you know, whenever some auditions pop up. I think that so one of those two things, either Eric kind of prompt pre preempted it, or I saw it pop up on the old the old Facebook. Anyway, ah, God bless you, Facebook. I I saw that, I was like, man, yeah, this is great. This looks super fun, just a really great premise, you know, because I'm um, yeah, I'm not always like uh, yeah, there's just some things that I'm just you know, like, okay, that's that that's this one's speaking my language, you know. I love it, it sounds great. And I remember coming down and uh just auditioning, you know. I think it was like uh it was with Marty. Marty was there and we just read, right? We just had some side. I got sides like that that day, like right there on the spot. I think we just read um the scene and down at somewhere south Tucson, a little bit in that in that cool space.

SPEAKER_03 6:17

Oh, that's right. That was that little area that you got from Marty.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

I forget where that was, but yeah, it was the remnants of access to it.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Yes. Love it. So that was like that was it. That was the that was the time I got I auditioned.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

So I met you, and then um I guess I did I do a callback or do we I think we had the callback and then Cliff was on the zoom on the laptop at that point, right?

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Yes, yes, which was really nice. Yeah, I was it was nice to do the laptop in you know, zoom sort of auditions because for the first one, which was uh writing frenzy, I just had to watch tape. Oh yeah, and then and then do hey, have him try this and send me another tape.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Yeah, so it's great. You could say you could give me some feedback. I don't so I don't remember all the details of that there, you know, the callback for sure. I was also like nervous coming back in. I mean, anything, any actor, you know, that I feel like I heard this somewhat recently in the past couple years, but like Paul Rubin, you know, Pee-wee, he's just like, I hate auditions, I am terrified of auditions. I mean, you hear this from like the top actors everywhere, you know, like they it's hard. Auditioning is hard, it's super stressful. I mean, there's ways you can be really prepped and go in, and I feel like I feel more capable of that now, you know, coming, but it doesn't matter. It's just like whenever you're coming into an audition, it is like, you know, yeah, you get nervous. So it's like, how can you be as relaxed as you can coming in and you know, just like giving it your all, but also just, you know, relaxed.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

You know, after many rounds of auditions throughout the years, uh, and I know other people have these same feelings about it too, but I'm coming around to it more each time that it's I mean, you can do great in the room and then read terrible on on tape or or be great on tape, but read horrible in the room. And I feel like these auditions more now, it's about meeting the person and seeing if you vibe with the person because that's gonna carry on further under the set rather than yeah, you know, I mean performance is important too, but it's more about meeting and there's a dinner for five episode like that.

SPEAKER_03 8:40

So yeah, Luis Guzman was on a dinner for five episode, and he said, Yeah, he doesn't audition anymore, but he says, just get me in a room with whoever and I'll get the part. Yeah, because he he said he just you know, you start vibing with the director, you start vibing with whoever, and then they're like, Oh, but we we want this guy onstead, he gets it, he's gonna be we know, and we've seen his work, so we know he can act, right? And so I've I've he said that there's several actors like that where they're just like just I don't just get me on the phone or get me in the room and then I'll get the part.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

That makes total sense. And I same thing I've I've heard, you know, it's just like a lot of times, like, how much do the does the director that they're gonna hang out with you? If they're shooting for a while, especially a feature, three, four you're gonna be cool. Hey man, are you cool? Is it cool? Are we cool? You know, if the person's gonna be a a handful, and you know, I might come in and I want you know the red MMs of my in my green room and I want everything, you know, you know, polished brass monkeys, you know, all over the uh are you gonna be disappointed on our set?

SPEAKER_00 9:42

That is yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

We don't have the money for any of that.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

Auditions are also weird because you just barely got the sides and you don't know the character or the full range. And like it's like, look, if you give me the whole script and let me go home for a month, I can come back and really show you the character. But all I know is this little thing, and I'm hoping to impress you in like five minutes.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Gosh. I have to extract so much, and I I remember that. Yeah, just like oh, what can I extract and and see that what's happening here, you know, and just really go in. And so um that was such a special like time. I just remember that everything extraordinarily fondly of doing that, you know, like coming in with you guys. You were an established crew and team that had been working for a long time together. And I know I was coming in kind of as uh as a replacement for for who's my character.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

And um that was that was a very nervous thing for us because we we we really loved the dude who played the first time, and he was good and and we just couldn't get him. He was he was union and we couldn't afford him. Yeah, and it's you were you were a great second. I mean, you were a great choice. Fantastic cast.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Second to none. Literally.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

I I I I I I literally don't see it any other way now. Like when I think of that character, it's you it's you in that part, it's not the other way around.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

It's it's especially by the time you get the love song, you know, as if you're writing that with you in mind at that point. So yeah, you are Billy.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

Well, and and interestingly, how quickly you fell into that while you were on set. It didn't take long. I I said the same thing to Eric. It didn't take long for most of them, actually. It didn't take long to get them there at all. They knew what they were doing real quickly. Oh, yeah, okay. I'm Billy again. Yeah, you gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

I was I had a blast um getting into that character and just like it was so much fun. Billy is uh Billy's a blast.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

It's always fun to play the out of control. You know, the the you know, crazy people, the wild people that are out of control you because you get to do a lot, you know, you get it's a lot more range there, right?

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Yeah. I you know, for me, I'm I'm not someone who is a a party animal, and so it's a it's a something that I could tap into that really is like, you know, you can bring catharsis to these to these roles where it's someone that okay, yeah, I'm not like unhinged and on on uh drug benders, you know. But I get to play it and it's super fun because it's like a really uh interesting and like funny life, you know, that you get to have a perspective on and and play and play with and just have fun with, especially in this in uh Revenge of Zoe and um yeah, love song. It's it's great.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

You get to tap into your inner hunters Thompson.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

Exactly. Yeah, so he was a huge inspiration for that, for that um that sh that movie. And and um yeah, and just anything, you know. I just love I we were talking right before we started here about like it's I I feel like I'm a collection of influences in in kind of every area of my life in uh in acting, in music. It's like yeah, okay, maybe some things come through sort of original, but I know they're it's and I I really like there was one of my uh acting teachers from last fall um was just talking about it that way. You know, it's like, yeah, it's great. Like take and you know borrow and steal what you are really drawn towards and what you're um you love and you know you find passion in, you know, what characters and who who can you use as a uh as a reference point? And it's like it feels like that with um especially with acting, yeah. It's like I am definitely gonna look at this movie, this actor, this director, like how all those pieces come in, and uh, you know, what do what do I become from that, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Well speaking of that, is there like a dream role that you would want to do? Like something from all of your influences, like if there was a specific role you could play.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

I do like the idea of um a recurring character, somebody that's I I don't even know if I would say the the star lead role. I think a a support uh a regular, what do I say? Uh series regular, you know? Um I like the idea of a series like I don't know, I think about just coming off the top of my head, like the Stranger Things, the last season of Stranger Things, if you've ever seen it. Eddie, um the metalhead, it's like what a great freaking character. I won't do any spoilers, but he's he's in this season, you know. And like that's great. Like, if I was in a if I was in like a season, you know, I'm not even saying a whole series for many seasons, but like, yeah, one season as a series regular. I think that would be kind of like and and then as far as genre, like, yeah, probably like something more to the like comedy sci-fi, comedy sci-fi horror zone, like mixed as one thing. I do, I think that's like my that's my favorite stuff. That's what I love.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

You fit perfect with us then. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Exactly. That makes sense, yeah. Yeah, no wonder it works so well. And then, you know, just like and then a character actor who's just like if there's movies, like I again we're we're saying it's like I'm not I don't need to be like a lead, or you know, I don't need to be a full like lead star. Hey, this is a star the star-studded dude. It's just like somebody who's a character actor who shows up and it's like, yeah, you know this person, they they're in the shows. Do you see them? Charles Derning or uh Dare. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

Yeah, that's Brian Denny.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Brian Denny. Yeah, I love that. I love the I love that kind of world of acting, you know.

SPEAKER_03 16:15

For me, those are the true kind of craftsmen.

SPEAKER_04 16:18

That's great.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

I mean, movies, movie stars are great and and they're they're good at what they do, but those those ones who do, you know, 40 roles or 50 roles over 10 years, you know, all these different pictures and they're uh you know and they're different people every time. And you but there's yeah, it's it's really a craft. I like that a lot. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, they are the clue. Yeah, I like that. Hey, do you so I have a question? How hard was it for you to get an agent when you got out? Like you you because you kind of were just like, yeah, I went out and got an agent. Yep. No problem.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

I I had like I didn't have a ton of film. I had some film experience. Like I had my my film experience was was small, but like I it was uh there was some stuff over the years, and then I think the training I had done in the theater group in Philly, and just like kind of being in that and some class, you know, it was like it's it's like your cred, you know, your your resume, if there's like a little bit, it's kind of there was enough there, I think, that I could hand it over and be like, yeah, there I I have I'm not just like a total novice, you know, but I'm not an expert at all. And so that was kind of it. And I think they took me in and they saw that like, okay, yeah, there's uh there's in a smaller market, like a regional market, like I'm we're at here in Arizona, you don't have as many bigger, you know, like LA or something's a vast amount of projects happening, but there's so many people. And here there's not as many projects, but like if the people look all the same, then so that was kind of my uh my little like strong point is like, yeah, I had a different look that I think they could use for a wacky kind of guy that I am. And that's when yeah, I started uh I got them as my agent. They're still my agent in Arizona, and I started auditioning, and oh man, I mean the the one of the benefits of the pandemic is now everything is Zoom, so I've done like a lot of auditions through self-tape and just Zoom like live casting, you know, over the past two years. But for like many years, I was driving up from Tucson to Phoenix. So anybody that knows Tucson of Phoenix is about like two hours, and I'd go up like I was just straight straight through the desert. I go straight through the freaking desert. There's not it's not a pleasant drive. You have to really like bank out what podcasts do you have, who phone calls you want to make and catch up on, and uh, and then just look at the same you know, Dust Bowl area, you know. But it was like I go up and drive up two hours for a five-minute audition and then turn around and come back. And I did that a lot, and I was dedicated to that. Like I did it eventually. This was kind of right before Zoe. Um, where I hit a point where I was like, they they called me up for one. Oh, you got an audition. I was like, I just don't want to do this. I don't, I don't want to do it. And my agent was like, you should come up for this. This is a a national. I didn't know the difference with all the stuff with like regional, national. And so then um, I think my mom was visiting and she's like, she's like, Yeah, just go up. Like, I'll let's just go up, I'll drive you up. And so we drove up, uh, which my mom loves doing, she's super supportive. She's totally like she's so this is great because uh she drove me up, she was visiting. We uh we went up, I auditioned. I didn't know what it was for, you didn't know, but it was just like 70s dude yelling something, that's it. And uh I came back, then I got a call back, and it's it's like kind of nice ignorance in a way about all this because now when I I know how things work and I get way more nervous when this stuff happens. But this was for it was for a national commercial, and then so I got the role and it was for Mellow Yellow, the Mellow Yellow commercial, which was like you know, 70s guy holding holding the can super quick, but like Nash, I was a principal in a national commercial, so that's like really big. And and again, now it's like I just didn't know, I didn't realize the stakes at the time, but thank God I went. And so my you know, it was really great. And um, anyway, my agent was like, yeah, super cool, and then stuff has come from that since, and it's you know been really great. But anyway, that's kind of the thing with the agents. Like, I've I've actually helped uh some folks I know in Tucson. I'm like, go to them, get them, you know, tell them refer because I want to help people, you know. Well, I love when people start getting jobs and you know, whatever competition. I mean, that happens, you know, people like you maybe going after the same thing, and you know, you see them in the in the room, and you're like, okay, well, uh, just try to good luck, but like, you know, it's you want the whole crew, but everybody also you want to help each other, and it's like a it's it's just kind of good karma, you know. You want it's it's yeah, just don't worry. And then I got a I got an agent in New Mexico and um and you know, have had some stuff with that, which is cool. But anyway, that's kind of the thing. It's agents like uh it's definitely harder in the bigger market like LA. So that was um yeah, tougher one. That's the long answer for the agent.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

For those of you listening, uh yeah, contact us if you'd like to represent us. We're looking for an agent. Sure, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yeah. Agents and then managers and the difference between agents and managers and all that. That work is uh yeah, you know, you want so you want people rooting for you and and they have your best interests and like you know, and you also, if you're putting in the work, it shows and they'll see, you know, hey, you're you are working, you're getting credit. Credits and you know, you're just busy and keeping your chops up.

SPEAKER_02 22:06

Do any of the other jobs in film uh interest you other than acting?

SPEAKER_01 22:11

You know, that's that's a really good question. I feel like uh I've really only been interested in like I'm an actor, I'm doing my my role, getting into it. But I love watching on set. I I love seeing everything. I love seeing all the parts from you know sound, lighting, uh production assistance, directing. I I do think that um I would be interested, yeah, directing. I think directing would be something that would be fun, it would be a cool uh experience, you know. And yeah, I forget who who was I just listened. I watched, I just recently like caught, I forget the the guy who has this show, but it was he was interviewing uh William H. Macy, and it's a fantastic interview. I would like feel like I learned so much about acting and the industry and just and directing because he started directing and he talks about that the role of like what he saw and how much how hard it is in directing, and he's just like it's insane, like the how intense and hard it is, which I I don't doubt. I mean, it's like I totally can see that, even on like lower budget shoots that he was he was doing, and um, but I really got into that. I was like, Yeah, I really that would be interesting, like a directing role. That'd be that'd be cool. I mean, I there'll be a ton of work.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

So base so going off of that theme, I've got a couple questions. So do you have any favorite feedback that you've gotten from a director? You know, is there is there some piece of feedback that you that always sticks with you? Is it's like wow, it was a great piece of direction, or that really that really had an impact on me.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

I I think that when when uh a director like when you or any anyone I've worked with is just kind of gives that like yeah, that's it. Just that's it, you know? And you know that that works, you know, you know it works. Um that's great. I mean, I also love to be told I love to be told what to do and sculpted in on a shoot. If like that the more the better. If somebody's giving me as much detail as possible and really like nitpicking and like do it again, like I love doing that. I just love to have that happen. So um getting getting crucial.

SPEAKER_03 24:42

I would imagine that would drive an actor crazy if I was as the director, I'd be like, I'm I'm driving you crazy, right? Like making you do this 9,000 times and telling you to, you know, hold your hand like this and maybe.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Maybe if Kubrick made me open a door 80 times, that would be probably nuts.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

But like uh Billy Wilder having Marilyn Monroe knock on that door. There's a there's a movie about her having to do knock on a door and do one line, and it's like 82 takes or something like that. It's I can't remember. There's a whole there's an entire movie about it, like her breaking down and saying, I can't give him what he wants, and it's all about not not knocking a line.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

I mean that yeah, that seems kind of nuts. Like that, I don't know what there's something deeper in the happening there. Some like someone's maybe having a mental break, but it's like I think that I just yeah, I love getting told. I love getting like broken down and really dissecting something to see like all the areas like that's fascinating to me. And but really there's just the when it's like that's it, yeah, that's it. And it like feels like it clicks on all ends, like that that I love. So it's it's might not be something super specific, but just when that feeling is there, when there's a feeling in the air and it it becomes palpable.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

So, Bradford, um, when you get the script, do you normally I've heard it both ways from actors. Some read the whole script, some just read for their parts. How about what where do you stand on that?

SPEAKER_01 26:03

Well, I will say it is all about me. And with that, I look at my parts first, for sure. I definitely do that. Where are they at? What's happening? But to get the whole context, I want to read the whole script. So if it's if it's something where, if we're at the point where um, okay, you got the part, then I'm reading the script though right away. You know, if you get if it's an audition, I don't know if I have time to get you know read the whole script for for that. You know, some people have time for that. I I don't usually do that. Um, but I'll get as much as I can from whatever scene or like couple scenes that I see and do that. But yeah, though I want to read the whole script because I want to know what's happening, you know, and then see what other characters are doing, what can I base that off of, and yeah, kind of look for any things you can mine for information.

SPEAKER_03 26:58

Mine for that acting gold. That's gonna be a good thing. Minecraft gold.

SPEAKER_01 27:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

You know, to mine your craft. To step back uh just a little bit in the conversation. Uh both Cliff and I started uh out uh as trying to be actors. So we we kind of I think it's a good thing for people who want to be directors to have done some acting so because then you know what it's like to be on the other side of the camera to go back to you talking about wanting to possibly direct.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

You know, we try to do all the different jobs because the more jobs you do, the more you know what everybody's doing. But I think that one's kind of crucial.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Yes, I that would absolutely make sense. I think you'd have to just be I yeah, it has to be a revolving door there if you're gonna be doing either one of those things, directing or acting. They could be directing, directing or distracting, which is what I like to do on set.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

I like to right before we're about to call action, I like to confuse everybody, all the actors, and then call action because then that way you're not set with what you're doing, you're like, what? Uh yeah, what was that? And I threw you off, so then I get a more genuine performance. That's the goal, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 28:21

I love it. You're like a chaos generator. You just become the uh put random numbers in everyone's head and then make them try to figure it out.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

You know, I'll walk up to uh uh uh Owen, you know, and tell him some weird joke right before action, and he'll be like, What?

SPEAKER_01 28:37

And then be like, action, and it's like, oh yeah, I gotta do my part, but then it's like as if it's hard, if it's it's not it's it's not hard enough to just try to remember everything that's happening and keep the lines going.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

I specifically remember during Revenge of Zoe, we were shooting in the comic book store, and the crew it was a it was a it was a long, it was a rough day. We'd we'd been shooting one scene particularly long, and I think Marty and I were sitting outside talking, we're on quick five or something like that. And and what was it? I told you, you need to put this on your head and go running in there screaming, I've got this on my head, and like kind of break everybody up. And he did it, and he did it, and I yeah, and I'm dying laughing. I thought it was hilarious. And the in I mean, the crew, the cat, everyone was just like, seriously, dude, can we just get on with this? Nobody cares, nobody cares. Like, smile, nothing, like we mean nothing. If they I think if they could have legally punched him, they probably would have.

SPEAKER_02 29:35

And it's just like this is not, and I was like, yeah, that was not a good thought.

SPEAKER_03 29:40

That's okay. So all right, so bad idea.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

You know, I stick to my normal, just you know, keeping everybody on their toes, you know.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

I mean, it is great. I think it's great to have levity and humor on set. That I love that. I mean, that's super fun. I get it. That's kind of how I do it.

SPEAKER_03 29:58

I tend to direct through teasing and a little bit of fear.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

Yeah, I get that from you. I definitely, yeah, it's it's fun though. It's great. Well, what were some of those good moments on set for exactly? Oh boy, I think that like I I mean, I remember the the drug scene in the car for Venge of Zoe where we were filming in the garage. In the garage, yeah. Yes, with green screen behind it. Yeah, and so I got there was a kiss scene with with Zoe, um wonderful Rachel Metherton. Um sorry, her married name now. Um Rachel Miller. Uh Rachel Miller, yes. And uh, and so you know, we we were like talking because it was like, okay, I didn't know her that well. They got a kiss scene. Um, the kiss is gonna happen. It's kind of like, you know, I remember the read-through, we like looked at each other and like uh, you know, okay. And it's you know, hi, hey, you know, but you know, it's just something, yeah, of course, you're gonna like that happens in movies. It's like I've actually I've actually had a lot of kiss scenes over the years, so it's like it's not awkward, but you get to be very close with the person, you know, you get it's like yeah, you're immediately just like really good friends, and um, but you know, it's like it's it's we had the scene coming, and it was like, okay, you know, we're gonna we're gonna kiss, and you know, Rachel's a beautiful woman, and um and so we're doing that, but the slap comes right after, right? Right, right. And you were you had a really tight shot on for this, and it was you were in the front seat, I remember filming, and so is like, you know, kiss slap, do it again, kiss, slap, do it again, kiss, slap. And I mean, Rachel didn't have all of the like, you know, maybe staged combat, you know, uh, where you can you can kind of like try not to die laughing. Fool it a little, you know, and just kind of like uh cheat, cheat it. Um there was some there were some big slaps. So I feel like that night really created a Pavlovian response now to kiss equals pain.

SPEAKER_03 32:25

I swear I swear it sounded like at one point she had knocked a filling loose. One particular slap where I could just see your face and you were a flashing on it.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

That that really hurt. Mercury just popped out of my two. I need to get that mercury filling out anyway. So it's uh it popped out. Uh, but she it was like that was that such a fun time. I mean a great memory of just like super delirious, like very late night shoot doing that while we're doing a delirium scene on while I'm on drugs and drinking. So it's like it's full delirium, you know. And then and then it was like go home, go to sleep for a few hours, come back, and then now we're in the desert doing a like a psychic all like running around the desert.

SPEAKER_03 33:08

Both of those are two of my favorite scenes in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

That was great. That was like that 24-hour period of the shoot was was super fun, and yeah, super delirious. And it's like these really like actually, yeah, no one slept well. It was just yeah, yeah, falling asleep.

SPEAKER_03 33:25

Yeah, that that pulling over on the side of the road just to shoot, like we were in the desert, was insane, and it worked perfectly. That was great, it worked beautifully, and you know, people people pulling over and sitting on rocks to watch us, and drones flying over drones, flipping off drones.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

What is going on? Super fun. Yeah, right. Yeah, it was that was that was super fun. I mean, everything was fun um on all the shoots, everything, both both movies. I mean, I had uh I had a blast.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

Um did you have a favorite for love song? Do you remember do you remember anything particular for that one? Which one for for the for the love song, the reason?

SPEAKER_01 34:04

For love song? Well, it was funny with Love Song because like uh we were talking about this earlier. We were filming that, and uh well, we started filming in the fall 2019, kicked in the spring, and it was right when the pandemic came. So it was literally we're saying every day something was new was happening. We're like, should we keep doing this? Should we keep doing this? It was like exponential like fear factor and everything coming. But man, looking back on that right now, just a blast, you know, and like so fun, so fun doing that. I would probably say uh just for that one, um at Tuscan, yeah, that was probably that might have been just my favorite, just because we were take we took over the convention and filming there, just like really fun, fun scenes and having a blast uh filming during that, you know, the convention. That might have been, yeah, maybe my maybe my favorite part of that for love song. But I mean everything else, you know, there's like a there's a scene, like a a scene with the pottery, and that was like that was really fun and enjoyable.

SPEAKER_03 35:21

Fantastic. Another really good scene in that that's yeah. I can't wait for the people to see that when that one's gonna be.

SPEAKER_02 35:31

Guess what? It's in the house right where we're shooting. It's just amazing.

SPEAKER_03 35:35

And she's gonna and she's willing to have me come over and take lessons. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:38

It's a cra I remember taking lessons. I had to lessons years before years before, but I had to get some refreshers, and she was very, very great to uh I remember her just laughing at you while you were doing that.

SPEAKER_03 35:49

She's standing, she's standing off camera, just laughing at this like none of that is right. I know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Make it look like it's real. I eventually got it so I could sort of form a a pot, uh a bowl again. Like a uh something you give your your grandparents when you were in like fifth grade.

SPEAKER_03 36:10

Yeah, that's why we that's why we asked her to do that evolution of pottery, like the evolution of man, you know. It's like what is that kind of coming together until it's oh look, it's an ashtray, fourth, fourth rendition.

SPEAKER_01 36:22

But you know, just it's just the general like camaraderie on set with everybody, you know, coming from Renge of Zoe, where it did feel like a um a troop, you know, there's like a troop vibe, everybody's and came back for the next one for love song. So just this like the feeling of like, you know, familiar faces, being able to like let loose, be comfortable, have fun, joke around, you know, goof, and then try to try to really make some uh some good acting and and scenes.

SPEAKER_03 36:55

Make some movie magic.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Movie magic. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

Well everybody has you know their secondary career interests, and I know you have many, many, Bradford, but out out of all of those, if it wasn't for film, what would be your big one? Is it is it probably music?

SPEAKER_01 37:17

Yeah, I think so I think music. Um music would that was pr those like what I that's what I started um when I was younger, you know, starting like learning piano, um piano lessons, guitar, and like when I was really young with piano. Actually, I trombone, I think came before piano. And then um yeah, like guitar and just starting to play in bands and you know, been playing in bands and making music and writing songs for like oh gosh, 25 I mean almost 30 years now. God, really? Wow Jesus, oh boy. But that's like um, yeah, that's it's music. Music's a huge, huge part of my life. It still is. Um that's like yeah, that's my other my other life.

SPEAKER_03 38:11

Um do you have a favorite film that would be based on music or maybe a favorite musical? Um maybe maybe a little one of both.

SPEAKER_01 38:21

I mean, I love uh I do love the classics. I love classics, I mean as much as much of like Annie. Um Rocky Horror.

SPEAKER_04 38:31

Well, that's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

Yeah, Rocky Horror for me came out later though. I like came into that later. My one friend in Delaware, Marin, she I remember inviting me down for the like the live show, you know, the midnight showing. Yeah. Um and but I was I was probably like 21 by then or something. So that's my first experience with Rocky Horror and I loved it. So I love Rocky Horror. I also think that just a couple notable ones that like are interesting, which I don't know how much it's not like a musical, but uh decline of Western civilization as far as punk rock and like sort of it's a documentary, but there's like there's a feeling of acting going on there um performance-wise, you know, at least the some of the bands. Yeah, especially some of the weirder ones, yeah. Yeah, like I don't know, yeah, I definitely I think like fear, fear was probably a big one for me because like leaving crossed into punk to acting. So I remember seeing him in movies and some of those like early, you know, yeah, like Dickens and he was in dudes and yeah, yeah, clue, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:35

That's right. He was Mr. Body and Clue. Mr.

SPEAKER_01 39:37

Body and Clue, and I I love Fear. I love like, yeah. Actually met him, I met him up in New York. I got to see Fear at the Continental, and they closed the show after two songs because there was a uh they were over capacity, so the fire marshal shut it down. We drive all the way from Philly there, and so I saw them and met him, and that was it, but it was amazing. And I think that at that point it was like, oh wow, he's like you can act and do music too, and like do both, and that's really cool. Um, but yeah, another probably one more other musical that uh my friend Sharon introduced me to uh is Forbidden Zone. And Forbidden Zone, Danny Elfman's brother made it. He directed it, and Danny Elfman did the music for it. I think it was pre-oingo boingo.

SPEAKER_02 40:24

And it's probably is it's like 1980, I think.

SPEAKER_01 40:28

Yeah, I and so that is a freaking weird movie, musical movie.

SPEAKER_02 40:33

It's very funny because I've never seen the film, but Cliff and Eyes, or is that is that proper English? Cliff and Eyes. Old uh public access show was called the Forbidden Zone, but we named it after Planet of the Apes.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

So you guys have never seen it?

SPEAKER_02 40:49

No, it's always just been on that periphery. Well, that's your homework. I always felt weird about watching something else called Forbidden Zone. Yeah. But I'm sure at some point I will have to take that.

SPEAKER_01 41:01

You're gonna have to watch that movie. It's you could take you could you don't need drugs. The movie is the drugs, the movie is the drug. It's a it's a weird movie, yeah. It's very weird, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

So not like it's a s uh a Sophie's choice or something, but it if it was music or film, it you'd probably be happy if either one popped, right? I I would think.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

Yeah, I I the these days, um film. Yeah. You know, film. And I I was I was saying this like I I don't I am not in a in a headspace of uh of like yeah, I want to be the lead the the famous lead actor, you know, like total superstar. Um I just love doing it. And if it's something where it'd be a consistent thing that could happen um more, just more often. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 41:59

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean by that. Yeah, I feel kind of the same way. I I'm not looking to be Spielberg. I'm looking to just just you know, put some movies out and and keep working. Yeah, I like the process. Yeah, I I love I love being on set more than I think anything else in the world.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

I love it. I love it too. The feeling, the the the feeling of it, the the environment, the atmosphere it's created, living and creating these these things and worlds and and characters. And um and it's such a strange thing that happens because it's so dependent a lot of times on uh a lot of people, time, money. Um and it's like, but you love doing it, and it's something that's like it's it's hard to do a lot of times to just like m materialize those things on small budget, on large budget. And and it's like uh it's just kind of a really I've done so many auditions the past couple years, you know, you get so many rejections and just or nothing, you don't hear anything, and you keep doing it because you love it. And people that are in the business are just like out doing it. I mean, there is ideas of like fame and stardom, but they also just love doing it, but you keep doing something. I mean, what is the I forget, what is the definition of an insanity?

SPEAKER_03 43:18

You keep doing the same doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, right?

SPEAKER_01 43:24

It's weird. So it's almost everyone's insane who does or doing this, but they love their craft, they really something, you know. The artist I I I wish there was more of a a place in art culture and society for the arts that m allowed people to just really live and breathe it more, you know, because it is, it's such a a huge part of people's uh passion and and and heart. And um it's uh yeah, it's it's hard when they don't get to do that and you don't get to fully um you know yeah, make that happen.

SPEAKER_03 44:00

Yeah, it takes so long to get one, you know, if you're the writer or director or something, getting one onto its feet where you can actually finally do the thing that you want to do, which is show up on set and shoot the thing.

SPEAKER_00 44:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:13

I I mean it's a it's a it's a Herculean effort just to get to there. And then you've got, you know, God knows how many days, weeks, or months to shoot the thing. Um but I I but I I again, you know, you struggle through it every time because that's once you get there, you're like, ah, here we are.

SPEAKER_01 44:31

It's all part of it. That's why people do it. That's why we love doing it.

SPEAKER_02 44:36

Even those aggravating parts, you're making a movie, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:41

Yeah. And it's really fascinating that you know this happens from the low budgets to the big budgets, and they're dealing with the same thing. It's some maybe on a bigger scale, but it's it's even that they're having to hustle and and get it all going, and it's just wild.

SPEAKER_02 44:58

That's what I'm hoping. People will listen to this pod and and relate to it for being also other filmmakers and be like, well, no matter what the budget, the experiences and the stuff that happens, it uh you're always running into the same complications.

SPEAKER_01 45:15

Yeah. Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_02 45:19

Yeah. And just because you have more money doesn't necessarily, you know, that that does more money stifle creativity? Uh, some people think it might, uh, you know, because you can just throw money at a problem, but does it always fix the problem? I don't know. But then we start to drift into talking about movies that we didn't work on at that point.

SPEAKER_01 45:38

So that's the thing. You see that happen so many times, and like a uh I I don't know the whole story, but with like my sister was telling me about that with um Batgirl, you know, it's like okay, I don't know why, but ninety million dollars and they scrap it, and it's like how that's unfathomable, you know, just to think like wow, I can't imagine that either.

SPEAKER_03 46:03

90 million dollars. I was that's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

That's crazy. We we could have made uh 90 million movies.

SPEAKER_03 46:13

Yeah, you give me 90 million dollars, and I'm yeah, yeah, I'm probably gonna make 900 movies at$100,000 a piece or something like that. Just keep cranking out those scripts, boys. We'll stay on set forever.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 46:25

Unbelievable. You have anything that that you wanted to plug? Oh, plug.

SPEAKER_01 46:34

Oh, I'll probably plug my computer in because it's about to die. Um always helps. Is your computer plugged in? What up is it's on go to you can go to brandford.com for any new things that might be there, or just see some stuff that I'm doing and find my links to all kinds of stuff, you know. I I am like not active very much right now on social media or anything. I just I'm so tired of it, but I know it's a way to see people and and do things. I I I let people know when like something's coming up. So, you know, love song coming out in months, whatever the where how it's gonna come out. Like, I'm really excited for that. Um I did also did a feature of rom com last year that's I think will be coming out this next year, and then I did a short film. Um that one is called the the rom com is a Tuesday wedding, and then there's a short film uh sci-fi that Constantine, who worked on set for love song, um, that he did, uh called Lucid Dreams, and that's gonna be out I think this next year. There's gonna be all these things coming out next year, which is funny because there's always the delay, the lag, right? Because it's like not doing anything now, but then I'll look really busy and then they'll be like Face. Yeah, but yeah, just you could see me, whatever, reach out. I'm happy to see you. I was doing a podcast which I have have really loved. We've had a couple of the folks that you guys have all worked with, uh Eric Schumacher, Jeff Notkin, and um then other people from all areas of my life. And I might I might jump back into the podcast world. I love podcasts, these are so fun, these are great to do.

SPEAKER_03 48:27

To our listeners, um so just so if you haven't seen Revenge of Zoe, it's on to be Bradford's in it. He's he's fantastic in watching the film. Watch it. Go, yeah, go watch it. Um, he's also very terrible about self-promotion. And so, as bad as he is at self-promotion right now in this podcast, it's the opposite with his acting ability. So I'm telling you, he's really good. Go see it. It's it's fantastic. And then I I really think Love Song is is the is was the step up for you. You really did a fantastic job on that. There's a lot of I mean, we asked you to do a lot of wild stuff in that movie, you know. We we sort of parried it, parodied a few things that while asking you to kind of play straight. Um you know, you you know, you I mean, I we're not really giving anything away. There's fourth wall breaks in the movie, so you're at you're actually talking to the audience, and that's just different for an actor, you know, to do, I think. And you pulled that stuff off really well.

SPEAKER_01 49:21

Thanks. Thank you. I appreciate that. And uh I am always learning. I am like I I mean, I said earlier, I'm just constantly wanting to learn more and expand my my understanding of acting and uh and characters. So I'm like, yeah, I'm always super grateful to be able to to do anything that I've done already. Um you know, I'm I feel very blessed. And um because it is, it's a it's it's such a gift to be able to do this. And I love doing it, you know.

SPEAKER_03 50:02

So I think we were pretty pretty lucky to have you say yes. So it was it was it was pretty obvious during that first read-through, um, which Marty was good enough. Marty was good enough to record, so Charlie's coming at Charlie's. Yeah, if I ever want to go back to it, I can rewatch it, which is kind of nice to watch that because it's there's all this nervous energy and people reading and oh my god, it's quite good, which you can tell it's gonna be good. You can tell for even early on, it's gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_02 50:28

Yeah, I remember when from looking through the audition tapes and there was a couple other people up for the Billy part, and what it came down to was uh is there is there a choice here? I mean, when when Bradford walks in, that's the guy. Yeah for this part. You go, well, that we can just stop right now.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

Yeah, no, I was it wasn't a Maholland drive, that's the guy. What do you think of him, guys? That's the guy. That's the guy.

SPEAKER_03 51:05

And it was it was I was scared to death. Like I said, uh Jonathan was Northover who played it in in writing frenzy, was very good. Um and you brought you brought a different thing to it, but the same thing, you know, this this uh kind of uh completely unbalanced, massively talented writer who is also just a complete egomaniac and um you know has has massive substance abuse problems, you know. Fantastic. It was really, really good. And that stunt you that stunt you pulled was fantastic too.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

Oh yeah, that was that was super fun. And uh you get to see my butt. Yes, you do. I worked out hard for that scene for a while, actually. No joke. I was I was I was self-conscious, and I'm like, I'm gonna do some workout. I'm gonna tone, I'm gonna tone it up. Billy's gonna do some buns of steel. I'm gonna do some buns of steel. Eight-minute buns of steel workout.

SPEAKER_00 52:08

We really did.

unknown 52:10

Shh.

SPEAKER_02 52:12

It was almost the second mooning, but we never got around to shooting that part. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 52:17

That got scrapped. That got scrapped.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

And now it would seem like, where would that have fit, right? It's like it's it's funny the things like you you think you're you gotta shoot this part for a movie, and it ends up never being shot or deleted scene, and then you you look at the movie and you think, well, where in the hell would that have fit? But at one time it seemed like the movie would have been incomplete without it. It's just strange.

SPEAKER_03 52:38

I I I I re-watched Revenge of Zoe last night in prep preparation for this, and uh I just I remember that scene where because it you throw a really great offhand line, you know, you're the he's not banging on the door, and you're saying, you know, go away, I don't need any more towels, because you think it's the maid, and leave me alone, I swear to God, if you don't, you know, you knock on that door again, you're gonna regret it, and then you all right, and you just turn your back towards the camera, you just drop that towel and you rip the door open, and Paul's reaction is like, oh, geez, it's perfect. And then, of course, you're like, you know, you know, I think your line next is uh it's a game the maid and I like to play. Paul's like, what? And you just sort of threw that line away perfectly, where it's like you didn't hammer it, you just threw it away and let Paul react to it.

SPEAKER_01 53:25

What a game we were playing.

SPEAKER_03 53:27

Yes, what a what kind of game is that? You know, we're gonna fantastic. Oh well, Bradford, we appreciate you come uh taking time out to talk to us.

SPEAKER_01 53:40

Oh man, my pleasure.

SPEAKER_03 53:42

We we admire you so much and and appreciate you being in our films and taking time out to talk to us.

SPEAKER_01 53:48

Giddy app. My pleasure, super grateful. Thank you guys.

SPEAKER_03 53:54

Marty, do you have anything else before we jump out of here?

SPEAKER_02 53:57

Oh no, thank that was a good one. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:00

Bradford again, thank you so much, buddy. Thanks, dudes. Thanks, man. All right, we'll see you next time on making pondo, y'all. Yes, we'll be making more Pondo. Say goodbye, Bradford.

SPEAKER_01 54:12

See you guys.