Actor Marshal Hilton Chats With Us About Primal Rage – Bigfoot Reborn and His Upcoming Projects

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PRIMAL RAGE screens for one night only (see below) at theatres across the U.S before a home video release a little later on.

Hilton, whose many credits include THE PERFECT WEAPON, BEETLEBORGS METALLIX, and ASSASSIN X, plays B.D, the leader of a group of boisterous, gun-toting locals who go after Bigfoot, in the Patrick Magee directed the film. B.D cuts an imposing figure but he’s foolish, ultimately letting his team become the hunted as opposed to the hunted.

Hilton says, “PRIMAL RAGE has stunning forest visuals, action, suspense and a thundering soundtrack. It’s an intense experience. The best description I can give you is, think Arnold’s “Predator”, in the deep forest, with angry fur and carnage. I’m confident in saying that the legend of Bigfoot will never again be seen in the same light.”

We had the opportunity to interview Marshal. Check out the interview below.

Hi, Marshal! You have an impressive resume, and we can’t wait to speak with you about your projects! Let’s start with PRIMAL RAGE – Bigfoot Reborn. You play B.D. This film is taking Bigfoot lore to the next level. Tell us more.

Primal Rage is the story of Max and Ashley lost in the forest trying to get back to the road after an accident with their car. Along with their journey, they stumble upon my character “BD” and his band of merry men in the deep woods. They are a rude and somewhat obnoxious bunch that serves up more frustration to Max and Ashley rather than actual help. Outgunned, and hopelessly lost, they are forced to endure BD in his gang as he leads them back to safety. A local Sheriff and his Deputy come across Max and Ashley’s wrecked car and begin searching to find them as well. And then, well, as you can probably imagine, BD and his crew are least of their worries. Things go from bad to worse, much, much worse.

Do you feel that this film delivers a unique twist on the Bigfoot subgenre?

Yes, it’s a very different and unique version of Bigfoot from what has been presented previously. Not to throw shade on other Bigfoot offerings, but this version of Bigfoot is a completely different beast. He’s intelligent, ancient, cunning and brutal. He’s very much a missing-link type of beast. The closest thing I can compare it too as far as a creature archetype would be “Predator”. There is also a Native American spiritual slant to the story that breaks away from your typical Bigfoot film. Most films tend to shy away from showing Bigfoot front and center. But Patrick Magee’s version is breathtaking in the quality of the practical FX and the execution. I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like it.

What should the audience expect?

I hope they have a fun ride. It’s truly an action-adventure thriller film. There’s no political or social message underneath the narrative. It’s just a beautifully shot urban legend movie that takes you on a pretty intense ride.

What did you do to prepare for the role?

With this character, I really didn’t have a lot of details on B.D. as far as scripted elements. What we do know is that “B.D.” is the leader of a group of cantankerous and somewhat hostile locals that Max and Ashley have the unpleasant pleasure of crossing paths with while they are making their way back to town. He’s a bit of a blowhard and definitely full of himself. Kind of like a Politician. He’s the mouthpiece of his crew. He wasn’t a “Bad Guy” per say, he just found pleasure playing mind games with people. Patrick and I figured that he was the kind of guy that probably owned the local Hardware Store, the car dealership, the Liquor Store, and his band of merry men were most likely guys that worked for him. He’s definitely the Alpha dog in his town.

So for me, I just tried to look at the actions of what the character actually does, his scripted actions. In life, people are what they do, not what they say. B.D. is most definitely an enigma. We don’t know much about him, but we certainly get a sense about him. His pace, his style, his cigar, his jewelry, they all say something about him. I think what says even more about B.D. is how his crew reacts to him. Know one ever challenges him, so you never know for certain if he’s just a narcissist or a guy that could possibly be dangerous. And that’s the key to B.D., the element of uncertainty. The only person that dares to get in his face is Ashley. And there’s a moment when he doesn’t take kindly to her attitude, and he puts his foot down. But in another moment he also offers her his coat as a sign of grace and empathy. And yet another moment when he feels kind of like he’s a pervert. He’s just hard to figure out and that’s his power. So that’s how I took him. Unpredictable…

Horror films can evoke all kinds of emotions. How do you unwind after starring in a horror movie, where blood and gore is the focus?

To be honest, I don’t see this film as a true Horror film. It’s really is more of an Adventure Action Thriller, with horror elements. Patrick’s unique Bigfoot is brutal for sure, and there is definitely carnage, but there’s a lot more going on in this film. As for unwinding, it’s not really that hard to unwind unless the character is carrying a lot of emotional trauma. From my perspective as an actor, we’re creating the gag, so it’s very technical and the terror of the moment is staged. The most difficult and uncomfortable thing about filming them is getting the damn theatrical blood out of places it wasn’t intended to be.

Did it involve any weapons training on your behalf?

On this film no. I have had training on other films, and I also train with my own personal firearms regularly. On this film, the gunplay was fairly minimal.

You continuously hone your craft. What keeps you inspired?

Reading good material with characters that speak to me, or characters that present a new challenge. I tend to play rural and rough around the edges country type characters. It fits my face and voice. Or, I play educated, slick, manipulative villains. There’s not a whole lot in between these types that fit my look and vibe. You won’t see this mug with a nice sweater driving a minivan full of kids to school. It just doesn’t fit. So I often get material that is kind of recycling the same sort of characters that I’ve done before. But when you get something that is out of the box per say, and the character speaks to you, that get’s me juiced. If the character and the material don’t inspire me, it’s hard for me to do the work in the manner in which I like to prepare. I have presented a character a year ago that needed an oxygen tank on wheels and had that little breathing tub under his nose to help him breathe. But he also smoked cigarettes. Things like that get my curiosity going needlessly to say.

Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?

Well, working on this film was up there for sure. I’ve always said that it is not the size of the movie, it’s the size of the heart in the movie, and this production had a very large heart. Everyone in the cast and crew was into it 100%. Patrick’s passion, attention to detail, and commitment to his vision was extraordinary, and it plays in every frame of the film. When a Director is that prepared and knows exactly what he wants, it makes the filming process easy and enjoyable.

Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?

Several actually. I have a number of projects in various stages of Post Production but these are the nearest to completion.

I just finished shooting a Dramady Episodic Pilot titled “FLICKS” that will be pitched to FX, Netflix, Amazon, and all the usual suspects. It’s a quirky character-driven story about a struggling screenwriter whose been bumping around town for 10 years and just can’t seem to break through Hollywood. I play his agent Elan, a rough and tumble, foul-mouthed, bull in a china shop Talent Agent. He’s an animal. It very much has the Indie feel of a show like the Jim Gaffigan show. It’s a small intimate slice of life piece. My description of the story theme is something along the lines of “Entourage”, except the main characters are still eating Top Ramen and can’t seem to catch a break. It’s about all the insanity and failures people deal with on the “lower levels” of the Hollywood swamp. There’s definitely no lack of storylines.

I Co-Starred in a Sci-Fi Adventure Drama feature with Gary Daniels, titled ‘ASTRO”, co-written by Asif Akbar and Bernard Selling. It was Directed by Asif Akbar and the film is in the final stages of Post Production and should be released sometime this year. We shot it in Roswell New Mexico. Also in the ensemble cast are Louis Mandylor, Michael Pare’, Randy Wayne, Dominique Swain, Max Wasa and others. I play “Alexander Biggs” a mysterious billionaire space entrepreneur who recruits an old friend and colleague to help him discover the mysteries of an extraterrestrial life form he’s discovered in another solar system.

I also had a chance to hook up with an old friend Writer-Director Jesse V. Johnson with a little Cameo appearance in his upcoming Action Drama “The Debt Collector”, Starring Scott Adkins and Louis Mandylor, produced by Deborah Del Prete and Charles Berg. It also features Tony Todd, Vladimir Kulich, and Michael Pare’, and true to Jesse Johnson fare, I’m certain that it will be a kick-ass movie!

I also will have a Supernatural Thriller Film hitting the Festival circuit mid-2018 titled ‘Echoes of Fear”.It’s a Supernatural Thriller by husband and wife team Brian and Laurence Avenet-Bradley, the creative team behind “GHOST OF THE NEEDLE”, “DARK REMAINS” and “MALIGNANT”. I can’t give you too much here, other than to say I play “David”, a kind-hearted yet nosy next door neighbor who Alysa ( Trista Robinson ) keeps running into as she confronts the haunting of her grandfather’s house.

Complete this sentence; if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.

Go to an Elephant Sanctuary in Africa
Go to an Orangutan & Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Africa
Adopt as many stray dogs as possible
Carve out a nice piece of sustainable property off the grid with livestock, a lake, and Ponderosa Pines.

It’s been a pleasure and thanks to you for reaching out. Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew, I just want to say thank you for supporting this film. It was a passion project for everyone involved. I hope you and your readers enjoy the film. And remember; be careful when walking in the woods. Just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it is not there…