Chris Hill-CH
Sam Eidson-Sam
CH:I heard that Zero Charisma started as a Indiegogo project?
Sam: Yeah, Katie and Andrew have been working on the project for years. They were going to try and get funding to get everything started. They came to me because they saw me in some films around town. And then we shot this trailer. This kind of mock up trailer for Zero Charisma, and it did really well and got way more than we asked for. And what happened was that got us off the ground to get more money and then we shot the feature in 2012. Then we premiered at South By (SXSW) and everything worked out since then.
CH: How long was the shoot?
Sam: The Shoot was about a month which was crazy, we were shooting like 4 scenes a day, it was pretty intense.
CH: Is that original trailer still available?
Sam: I am sure it is, but none of the original trailer is in the movie. Some people are like “oh I like the original best” Some people liked that better than the new movie we put
CH: You’re based in Austin, how did it feel getting such a wonderful response at SXSW?
Sam: It was pretty surreal, I don’t think it has hit me yet, how awesome people have been. We are all very grateful. We had no idea, we just brought it and it was the right time and people were interested in it, in the material. This project has been on Katie and Andrews radar a while, they wanted to make a movie about these side characters. And people have been really receptive to it and geeks as well.
CH: With Nerdist industries coming aboard that’s kind of a stamp of approval
Sam: Yeah that is amazing, We are so grateful with Tribeca and Nerdist coming aboard
CH: Did you have any input on the character of Scott or was he already fleshed out?
Sam: Oh no he was fleshed out. I might have thought I was going somewhere with him and they would reel me back in. Scott was so intense he is always an 11. It was 90% them, the rest, I can do comedy ok. Even though Scott is very theatrical I tried to find the realistic part of him. He was Andrew and Katie’s Monster they created.
CH: Was the one glove a done deal when you stepped into it?
Sam: Yeah that was a thing. They wanted the one glove. It was kind of similar they referenced the one glove of Judd Nelson in Breakfast Club. Weird things stand out and I think it works out for the character.
CH: The entire film rests on your shoulders. This is your first leading role and it’s all on you.
Sam: I was definitely feeling the pressure when shooting. I am in every scene so if I am not good the movies not good. So that’s why rehearsal is very important. Andrew and Katie really helped me through it. I am also new to acting. So they had to rev me up and get me going. There were times I got the scene right and I felt real good about that. There was a lot of pressure but we got through it somehow.
CH: Any tips or tricks to be at such an intense level?
Sam: I drank lots of Mountain Dew. For the very intense scenes I would methodly run around trying to get pumped up. I would listen to metal because I am really into metal. I didn’t have a real routine. For the more secluded scenes where I was by myself I would hang out by myself and be secluded. I kept to myself. I just want to have fun but I had to stay in the Dustin Hoffman method way of acting.
CH: Did you have any background into role playing games?
Sam: No I didn’t play tabletop RPG’s I played everything but that. I was really into video games and fantasy and sci fi games. I mean I was acting, that’s my larping. I was into movies more. I am more a movie geek. I understand that obsession. I know people who are so obsessed with something they can’t see how crazy they look. I hope I didn’t disappoint anybody.
CH: I knew some people that played and there level of passion you hit on the head. Has anybody from that world given you tips or critiques as a game master?
Sam: I have gotten lots of good receptions. They found parts of Scott and thankful for what I did. It’s overwhelming. We showed it at a screening in Houston and the crowd was into it and they were gamers. we tried to make the genuine article. It has plenty of stereotypes but plenty of genuine moments.
