Masked Cast Interview: Michael Reiser

Michael Reiser plays Tony Dewhurst in Masked. (Tony's character is based on Lord Anthony Dewhurst. Like you couldn't have figured that out...)

From his bio on our website--

Michael Reiser considers the Scarlet Pimpernel to essentially be the Batman of the late 1700's, and is excited to see the story get merged into today's society. Michael is a recent grad of Missouri State University where he got his BFA in Acting. Michael was heavily involved with student films at MSU, co-founded the premiere improv troupe at MSU: Missouri State Improv, and participated in mainstage productions such as Our Town where he portrayed George Gibbs and Man/Daniel in Almost, Maine. He is excited to continue pursuing his acting career in Los Angeles, CA where he will be stationed at the beginning of 2016.

Michael is the second oldest in a family of 7, and has a soft spot for his puppies Lucy Lu and Molly Mae, both proud Boston Terriers. When Michael isn't on camera you can find him partaking in shenanigans with friends and cracking the worst pun you've ever heard. To get in touch and up to date with all his projects check out his website: www.michaelareiser.com.

Michael has the distinction of being the very first person to respond to our casting call back at the end of the winter (has it been that long??? wow), and as soon as the casting team saw his video audition, we were completely convinced that we'd found Tony.  He's been a great sport throughout all the ups and downs of filming this project, and has been exceptionally dedicated to focus and details.  It's been fun to work with him and I'm positive that you'll all enjoy his performance!  (By the way, if you're a fan of literary web series in general, you may have spotted Michael in Grimm Reflections, where he plays the Huntsman.)  

Also, he was homeschooled. Fun fact. :P  (I get way too excited when I find out people were/are homeschooled... sheesh, there are far too few of us in the world.)

So! Interview!

How’d you get interested in acting?  

My parents were involved with the arts and so I did my very first stage production at the age of 9. I guess it just stuck with me!

What was your favorite scene to shoot? 

My favorite scene to shoot was my date scene! It was my first time on set with the crew and I loved the script, so it was a blast!


What was the hardest scene to shoot? 

Definitely the scene where I am in my pajamas, haha. The most difficult was probably the scene when Angelo comes to Drew's house. It was the most dramatic scene I was a part of, and while I love doing it, living in those circumstances can be hard.

What do you like best about Tony's character? What do you find the most interesting? 

I love his demeanor and his commitment to his friends. He really loves them, and has a high sense of loyalty. The most interesting was how he dealt with hard situations and just how little finesse he had in those situations.

What’s been the biggest challenge for you with this role? 

The biggest challenge for me was working the balancing act he had when dealing with tough situations. Doing what I can  to keep those moments honest and real.


How’d you find out about The Scarlet Pimpernel? Have you read any of the books or seen the films prior to this project? 

I had heard of the musical adaptation before, but I never saw the movie until I heard about the auditions; and as of yet I still haven't read the book all the way through, haha.


If you could play any role in any movie, play, TV show, etc., ever, who would it be? 

Spiderman. It's a theory of mine that the reason they've done so many reboots because they haven't cast me as Spiderman yet, haha.

What do you hope people will take away from your performance in the show? 

Well, I hope they liked it! If I could make one person feel something or affect them in some way, that is what I love about acting.


What else have you appeared in, to date? If people would like to watch another of your performances, where should they go? 

I'm going into filming in October for a film, and I have a couple projects currently in post. They are welcome to go to my website to look at some of my other projects! www.michaelareiser.com