Meet Actor Stevie Jay

Stevie Jay’s acting has taken him to Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, New York, Chicago, Cuba, and Los Angeles. UBC Graduate. Stevie received a scholarship at The Second City Chicago for improvisation and writing. He also performs clown, appearing at CanStage in Mike Kennard’s The Hollow, multiple appearances at The Toronto Festival of Clowns, and even a few festivals around Muskoka. In the past year, Stevie has performed the lead in the new feature film Blood Empires, supporting lead in Writing Kim, the feature directorial debut for Continuum’s Luvia Petersen, and the feature FMWBH. Also, the short Farewell (Stevie co-stars and co-wrote), is touring world festivals from Ireland to Niagara Falls, including being part of Telefilm Canada’s ‘Not Short On Talent’. (Source: Stevie Jay)

Hi, Stevie! Thank you for chatting with us about your career. Tell us about Blood Empires.

I know you have a slightly different logline, but the most concise one for Blood Empires is “Star-crossed lovers walk opposite sides of the law, struggling to rise as the world pushes them down.  Murder may destroy them.”  Of course, there are quite a few other incredible characters and actors that are wound into the story.  I kind of feel you should be interviewing Kassandra Santos, as well, who plays Elena, the female lead, she was great, maybe you can interview her next.  Anyway, I play the unassuming enforcer and hitman Daniel Lloyd.  This was my first ever lead in a feature film; I’d done some smaller parts, and lead in tons of great short films, but never a feature.  The film was an amazing project.  I got to play a 70’s crime novel type character with evil tendencies, but not like “ooo, I’m evil”, but more “doing the best I can to survive”.  Daniel does have a level of sociopathy, but he is also an anti-hero, a bit of sympathy for the devil.

Well, congrats on the feature. We would love to interview Kassandra, if she’s available. Feel free to pass along our request! According to IMDB, “Blood Empires is about pride, family, redemption, and above all love; struggling people on either side of the law, rise out of pain and misery.” How did you prepare for the role of Daniel?

I drank a lot and then killed a few people; no I did not.  I worked with Peter, our director a lot; he also really knew how to bring out the aspects of me that are Daniel and I worked at not denying psychological impulses that would normally be considered negative.  I also talked with my Mom (that sounds a bit Norman Bates like), about Daniel’s personality traits and potential actions, but that is because she is a psychiatrist and my sister, because she is a psychologist . . .  I probably shouldn’t have made that joke about killing people, seems a bit psycho now.  But, for some of the more violent scenes or conflicted scenes, I opened my psyche up to the buried joy one gets when killing an annoying fly or bug or remembering beating a bully when I was young.  I also spent a few days alone away where I kept a big sheet of paper on the wall and every time I had a Daniel thought I would run over and write it down.  I still have that sheet and I am not sure why.

We know you meant getting into character. Playing that type of role can be mind-bending. With that thought, what should the audience expect to see, when they watch the movie?

People should expect some great twisted shockers and some cool shots near the beginning.  I am a big fan of all the characters/actors in this film.  We had a game going during filming, if someone could steal the scene, they were encouraged to go for it, we were an ensemble really.  I already mentioned Kassandra, but also there was Christopher Sawchyn, who played Allicia, a transgendered woman, he won “best supporting” for the role at The Macabre Faire Film Festival, then, of course, Walter Alza as Detective Guzman, Jerry Schaefer as Captain Desmond, Kelly Fanson as Sgt. Brown, Jessica Nichols, Philip Marshall, I want to name everyone, but finally I’ll mention Steven L. Bird, who played my father, James Lloyd, he was incredible and a pillar in this film; sadly he passed almost exactly a year ago.

I feel Blood Empires is a very interesting film that builds relationships and story line for the first 25 minutes, and then the film takes off, and before you realize it is over with an explosive twist near the end.  There are also some surprise laughs while delivering the crime drama with some good gunshots, blood, stunts, and a little bit of barf.  I believe this is the film for people who like to be surprised by a micro-budget indie film that never feels like it is and a bunch of amazing actors where you keep trying to figure out what you have seen them in; most likely a commercial for topical cream.  And, I can’t forget that the film has a very strong vision that is evident by Peter’s direction.  Also, I would say there is homage and archetypes, but the twist is this film shows glimpses of the humanity or at least human reaction with these archetypes in heightened situations.  I think I have made it sound confusing, strange, and complicated enough to sound like we knew what we were doing and no one can criticize (wink emoji).

We sorry to hear about the passing of Steven L. Bird. You have our condolences. So, you’re also starring in You Don’t Know Dick, where you play Detective Joseph. Tell us about your role.

I can’t really.  The film has an NDA until release.  I can tell you I am another archetype, a disheveled detective named Joshua Joseph.  I have seen some footage and I am shocked, I am an amazing disheveled detective; I am joking of course.  However, I did wonder whether I read old enough to be this archetype and it seems I do.  When I do these type of roles, I focus on what I want, rising, the person I am encountering, and never “grrr, I am tough”.  But, it’s a fun surprise when I see a scene and am shocked that I read that threatening or gruff.  Ha.

If you could choose a role you would like to play, what would it be?

This is a difficult question, because there are so many roles I would like to play.  I always wanted to play Eddie in Shepard’s Fool for Love, or Hal in Proof.  However, those are a bit young for me now maybe, and I think I might like to play a role more like the Monster in Frankenstein, a being fighting for its own humanity, but undeniably dangerous.  Or, a controversial historical figure that would require a ton of research and studying of the person as a character, physicality, instinctive reactions, and maybe bring an issue to the forefront again to change the world for the positive, if just a little bit, that would be challenging.

You have starred in several productions throughout your career. What has been your favorite takeaways?

Commit, commit, commit, don’t think, and never take oneself too seriously.  Listen intently and learn how to listen without doing it.  Listening more than talking in life is usually better as well.  Physical tactics are always better.  Previous films where I had medium size roles, the characters were more immediate and the arcs were almost more for the character than the foundation of the films.  Also, those characters were the twist or the screw in the scenes and for the main characters.  Playing Daniel, the lead, in Blood Empires, his arc is part of what the whole film rests on; scene by scene there are mini arcs, but it is the weight of the very slow overall arc that is incredible to feel.  This film long arc applies to supporting leads as well; it is a slow burn and requires a lot of trust in the script, the character, the director, the editor, and believing in oneself (that is a tough one); and of course all the cast and crew to help each other look good.

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

I don’t think I could name a “best”, but I have many favourite experiences.  Everything about the actual shooting of Blood Empires and working with Peter and all the crew and, of course, so many of my friends and colleagues was magic.  I was in a clown play called The Hollow, again with so many talented people that I learned so much from and just a brilliant director and mentor Mike Kennard.  Writing, shooting, and acting in this fantastic little short, myself and my friend Mathieu Alepin did, going to a bunch of festivals and being part of Telefilm Canada’s ‘Not Short On Talent’.  Meeting the amazingly talented people on You Don’t Know Dick and becoming fast friends and family; nobody spent any time in the green room or hotel, because everyone wanted to be together all the time.  Finally, getting cast in my old sketch partner and good friend’s feature Writing Kim was a highlight; Alison Ward is a brilliant performer and writer.  Also, working with Luvia Petersen (Continuum), on her directorial debut with Alison giving co-direction support, was incredible.  The production had some roots in Kelowna, so the infrastructure for the shoot was there, friends, family, colleagues, and we shot in June.  If anyone has a chance to shoot in Kelowna in the summer, do it!  It is so beautiful there, just stunning.  I am forgetting so many things and people, oh Fucking My Way Back Home, was a great experience too; Kathryn and Shawn the co-directors are a brilliant team and lots of fun.

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

I do have some upcoming projects, Theo written and directed by Peter R Joachim, where I play the lead Theo; this might be my Frankenstein’s monster film.  Also, Beardman, a film I co-wrote with a great performer friend of mine, Geoff Mays, is almost done development; I will play supporting lead as a web show producer.  The most immediate film will be The Intervention, where I play co-lead in a not very successful intervention.  This is a dark dark dark offensive comedy.  We begin shooting in June.  I am also in a great Fringe play called “Falling Angel”, involving Erica Wood, Jamillah Ross, Caroline Azar, Bruce Hunter, and Andrea Ouellette.  And, you can probably see me around town doing stand up or performance clown somewhere.

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

Time travel, you know, to find out how this whole thing turns out… not my own life, but the whole thing: existence.  But, for real, I would say travel the world volunteering in conflict and disaster areas, bringing experts who have innovative solutions to provide food, water, and healthcare, building a data base of these innovations to pass onto each new area.  A sort of compounding relief system; it may not apply in all areas, but just bring what help I could.  And, listen.  Always important to listen to the people.  My parents have always worked in the service of people; as I mentioned my mother is a psychiatrist, but my father is also an Anglican minister.  Together we always do meals on wheels deliveries on Christmas day; they are on the weekly bread delivery roster.  Also, both my parents have been involved with L’Arche International working in communities for people with special needs, including traveling on their own dollar to work in L’Arche’s communities in India called Asha Niketan.  I want to do more of that… and time travel.

Connect with Stevie Jay:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/realsteviejay
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevie.jay.714
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fakesteviejay
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user5397187
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnjhjvUm_wFgVMKIA_UP-Rw 
Web: https://steviejay.workbooklive.com

Connect with Blood Empires:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/bloodempires
Web: http://bloodempires.com
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user23753469
Web: https://bloodempires.wordpress.com

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Occhi

Film. Music. Art. Culture. Entertainment. Interviews. Reviews. Media. News. Journalism. Based in New York. Accessed Globally. Pronounced (OH-KEE).

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