Hello, Steve! I reviewed Hells Kitchen earlier this year and loved it! For those who haven’t seen it, can you give the film a brief introduction?
“It’s Carlito’s Way meets Goodfellas.
“Hells Kitchen captures a moment in time, New York City, 1978, and explores the power struggle inside New York’s crime families. When mobsters and business associates start vanishing or turning up dead, Jimmy’ The Don’ Gallo tasks his enforcer and underboss Johnny Santorelli to find who’s responsible. As Johnny, who perfected debauchery and gluttony for the mafia, starts making inquiries and accusations, the carnage begins to pile up. But as shipments continue to go missing, paranoia starts to get the better of Jimmy.
“The film blurs the line between fiction and fact and plays on the purported connection certain celebrities, politicians, and corporate power brokers had with the mob and with each other. Hells Kitchen is a film that might have some truth to it!”
How has the film been doing over the last months? Are you still working towards turning the short film into a feature?
“Yes, the feature film is in early script development. The current short film is 17 minutes of the feature film shot as a short proof of concept to raise awareness prior to the feature. This was the same path taken by several filmmakers such as Whiplash, Saw, District 9 and Sin City.
“The film has been doing great, receiving many 5-star reviews. It has screened at three of the world’s top 50 film festivals, including an Oscar and BAFTA qualifying festival and has so far been nominated for Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Ensemble Cast. The film is also currently being considered by up to 50 of the world’s top 100 film festivals for their 2022 festival run.”
Tell me more about your inspiration for Hells Kitchen!
“The writer in me said, ‘write about a subject you love’. The actor in me said, ‘create a character you know you could play’, and the director in me said, ‘if I truly understand the vision of the film, I have nothing to worry about’.
“It’s my love of the genre, The Sopranos, movies like Carlitos’s Way, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, The Irishman, these are the films that inspired me. Plus, I have family from New Jersey and spent many years living and working in New York which helped me capture the essence of New Yorkers. It’s the best city in the world.
“The feature will introduce us to my fictional five families of New York, the Palumbo, Lombardi, Bonetti, Costello and Valentino families, who replace the Gambino, Bonanno, Genovese, Columbo and Luchesse families who ran the city in the 1970s. I want to be able to make a sequel, prequal, or a spin show that follows any of these fictional mob families, possibly inspiring the next Sopranos style show.”
What was the filming process like? It must have been difficult writing, directing, producing AND starring in the film!
“Not easy! I started writing the script and refined it over a six month period. During this time I was also travelling around Australia visiting vintage and second hand stores to create the costumes for the characters. I had some items like the flare pants custom made and some of the boots shipped in from overseas, including the Red Vines, but everything else was handpicked to match my vision.
“Juggling the director and actor roles was tough. I briefed all the actors individually on how I saw their character, how I wanted the performance played, their backstories, the hidden meanings in the text etc. By the time we got to filming, I felt I hadn’t spent enough time working on my own acting/character because I was so focused on everything else I was doing, including producing and directing. But once I stepped in front of the camera and we started rolling, the character found me. It was that amazing feeling you get as an actor when you do things and feel things that were never there in practice, you just behave and become the character. So much of my words and actions were impulse, and it reminded me that this is what acting is and how amazing it feels to no longer be yourself. I was like, there’s Johnny, that’s him.”
Now: some more about you! Tell me a bit about your story and yourself as a person. What sort of things are you excited and passionate about?
“Like most actors, I struggled for years and had a fear of auditioning which just crippled my ability to act at auditions. Strangely, I could do stand up comedy but couldn’t audition! I’ve overcome this to now, but it never came naturally to me. My timeline was a slow learning trajectory.
“In 2009, I graduated from the renowned T Schreiber acting studio in New York and attended the Manhattan School of Comedy. I then performed stand-up for years at New York’s top comedy clubs in the same line-up as comics such as Louis C.K and Jim Gaffigan.
“In 2015 I was nominated for the best supporting actor for playing Damien in the theatre show Ruben Guthrie, which won best theatre show that year. Then in 2017, I won Best Actor in a comedy in a short film for Things That Go Bump at the Auckland International Film Festival.
“In 2020, I appeared in my first major feature film, Blood Vessel, appearing alongside Alyssa Southerland (Vikings, The Mist), Robert Taylor (Longmire, The Matrix, Focus), and Nathan Phillips (Wolf Creek, These Final Hours), and directed by Justin Dix.
This year, I appeared in my second feature film, The Siege of Robin Hood, which hits streaming channels early 2022. Also next year, Hells Kitchen has its festival runs, and while this is taking place, I plan to develop the feature.”
Tell me about yourself as a filmmaker. What prompted you to turn to film? Why do you want to make films?
“I initially only wanted to do it to create my own work and to showcase my acting abilities. You always hear from agents and others in the industry that you need to create your own work. This can be hard for many as it takes money and the right team around you, and lets not forget the skills and natural talent to create a professional level project, it’s easier said than done.
I got frustrated and took that advice, but I was confident I could do it. I’m very thankful I did, because I’ve discovered so much more about myself and other skills that I can put to the test. I honestly believe that I will make a good director, and this is an area I will try and pursue other than acting.
Directing felt natural to me but I think the reason it feels this way is because of my background. When I was a late teenager, I used to work as a dancer and also choreographed cabaret style shows for years. I also spent decades managing people in a corporate environment. Add this to my acting training, my acting experience and my outgoing way with people, then it sort of makes more sense.”
Is there anything you’ve learnt about yourself through the filmmaking process?
“You need the right team around you, it’s absolutely crucial. The quality and the success of Hells Kitchen could not have been achieved without my friend and exceptionally talented Joshua Hoareau. He was the Director of Photography, and did all the editing and colour grading on the film, and helped co-produce. As for me personally, I now have a newfound appreciation for every facet that goes into the production of a film and the people that do the work, from casting, continuity, wardrobe, makeup, sound, editing, post production, electrical and lighting department, directing, to producing.”
What advice would you give to other people starting out in the business of filmmaking?
“Like anything in life, you won’t know until you try it. It’s okay to do something and fail or be bad at it, just dont live with the regret of not trying. Although I never trained officially, I feel I had decades of training leading up to it. I have always had a backup plan, I have never just focused on one thing, be that an actor, a director, or filmmaker. I have always had multiple passions and money making funnels, that would be my advice, never have all your eggs in one basket.
“Also, aim to work within the business, for example, if you’re an actor, become a crew member also and work on projects that allow you to network and get known in the industry. Another good piece of advice, is to give back to the industry to stay connected; I helped my fellow creatives by writing the eBook ‘Actors Guide To Hollywood’ and the online accent audio training programs, which can be found at www.actorsaccent.com “
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!! Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers?
“Yes, thank you for reading and I wish you all a long life, health and happiness.”
Read my review of Hells Kitchen here!