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

Masked Cast Interviews: Arthur Clifford (Paul Reynard)

Arthur Clifford plays Paul Reynard in Masked.  

(Paul's character is based on Citizen Armand Chauvelin.)

From his bio on our website--

Arthur found acting later in life, but at the age of 33 started to become involved with theater because of his son's involvement at The Culture House. Luckily, he was given an opportunity to audition for The King and I and was cast as the Kralahome. Once he got on stage and found out how fun entertaining people is, he changed from a sports-only person to someone who really loves and enjoys the arts. Some of his favorite roles have been Marcellus in The Music Man, Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof and Monsieur Thenardier in Les Miserables.  Arthur is married to Kerstin who is an amazing person and not only puts up with him, but actually loves him despite the fact that mentally he's still 14. His son is pursuing a BFA in Musical Theater at UCM in Warrensburg, MO. In his free time Arthur is a Jayhawk, Royals and Chiefs fan, and last year got to knock a bucket list item off by going to the World Series. Let's hope he can do it again this year!

Arthur was the very last principal actor to be cast in the show, and found our casting call through a friend's recommendation.  At the time of his casting, we were literally down to the wire before shooting was to begin, and a bit apprehensive about casting such an important character in such a last-minute fashion.  But his audition seriously impressed our casting team, so we went for it.  I actually ended up interviewing Arthur over the phone while I was on vacation with Melody (so professional, I know :P) and was incredibly pleased by how well he seemed to understand the character, so I offered him the role-- and he proceeded to blow us all away with his interpretation of Paul.  I'm thrilled to have him as part of this show and I think you're all going to be delighted by his portrayal of the guy everyone loves to hate.  (He's really a very nice person though.  Despite Paul being Very Decidedly Not.)  It was great to work with him and he did a fantastic job of juggling commitments to this show along with appearing in a large-scale production of Into the Woods at the same time.  (Now that's dedication!)

Okay, so, here's what I asked him and what he said.

How’d you get interested in acting?

Actually it was my son who got me into acting. He started going to The Culture House (which is a performing arts academy in Olathe) when he was 9. He had done a couple of musicals there and fell in love with theater. When I got the chance to get out on stage with my son, I jumped at the chance to see what it was all about. I never though I could be a person who could perform in front of people because I am naturally introverted, but I auditioned for The King and I and got a lead as the Kralahome. I was so nervous about the very first show, but as soon as the scene started I went into my character and transformed from myself to someone else. That feeling is why I fell in love with acting and why I still pursue it today.

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

I would have to say the last night of filming because I really enjoyed working with Alexandra Rovirosa. Getting to work with her has been a real treat because she is an amazingly talented actress but she's also goofy and fun to get to know in between takes. We had so much fun and at one point she burst into song and had us all cracking up.

 

What was the hardest scene to shoot?

It was the first scene I did. We filmed at my house and in the scene I was supposed to be talking to the character Margot on the phone. I have never done film work before and I knew my lines, but if you have never acted in front of a camera it can be more intimidating than a theater full of people. I started to freeze and my mind went blank on when I was supposed to come in on my lines and then I kept forgetting my lines. Luckily there was a wall off camera where I could tape up my script and remind me of my lines as I "acted" like I was listening to her. It was a life saver and as I got more comfortable with the camera the day went a lot better and we got through 3 scenes that day.

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

I like Paul because he's a bad guy, it's always more fun when you get to be the bad guy, but Paul is also interesting because there are some different levels to him. He tends to blend in and smuggle drugs under the radar so he has to be an actor himself so that people don't suspect him of anything. He shows his dark side and his creepiness throughout the show, but he has to fool Margot to get what he wants. 

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

Getting used to film work. When you are on stage it's pretty easy to stay in character because you rehearse and play the character over and over. When you film it could get weeks in between shoots and sometimes it's difficult to remember what you did before and how you played the character. 

Have you read any of the Scarlet Pimpernel books or seen the films prior to this project?

I have never been exposed to The Scarlet Pimpernel, I watched some on youtube, but I have never watched the movies or read the books. Because this was a modern adaptation I wanted to create my character without influence of the books or movies.  

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

I love comedies so I immediately thought of King Arthur in Spamalot, but after thinking about it if I could be anything in Star Wars that would be the ultimate for me. I am such a Star Wars geek and I can't wait for December 18th.

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

I hope that people will appreciate all of the hard work that has been put into this project. Everyone involved from Amy and Sydney to the crew and other actors has put their hearts and soul into this. I have only been involved for the past few months but this has been in the works for a long time and I am so proud to be apart of it.

Arthur as Monsieur Thenardier in Les Mis

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

I have been in several theater shows with both The Culture House and Jewish Community Center. Some of my favorite roles has been Monsieur Thenardier in Les Mis, Marcellus in Music Man and I just got done being Milky White the Cow in Into the Woods. But If you want to watch my other performances you would have to come to my house and watch the DVDs of the theater shows. You bring the popcorn and I'll supply the entertainment!!! But hopefully we do another season of Masked and you can see more of me then.

Thanks for joining us here today, Arthur! Everyone, stay tuned for more interviews featuring other members of our cast!

Masked Cast Interviews: Isabella Rovirosa

Isabella Rovirosa plays Suzanne James in Masked.   (Suzanne's character, for the curious, is based partly on Armand St. Just and partly on Suzanne de Tournay in the original novel.)

From her bio on our website--

A high school student and drama queen extraordinaire, Isabella has had many varied roles in plays over the years.  Masked marks her screen debut, following appearances in such productions as Ms. Scrooge, Pajama Party and It's a Wonderful Life: The Musical, etc.  Isabella has been a devoted fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel since 2012 when she first saw the film starring Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, and she is overjoyed to be a part of reinventing this classic story for a modern audience.

When she's not acting, singing or orchestrating shenanigans (a hobby at which she excels), Isabella enjoys fangirling over Doctor Who and Sherlock, dabbling in art, reading good books, dancing anywhere and everywhere, making her famous pancakes and doing flawless impressions of Miranda Sings and Martha Mahinsky.  She's a little bit bonkers... but then, all the best people are.  

Isabella (Belle, or Martha, or the child... or whatever I choose to call her as the fancy strikes me) is kindly joining me here today for an interview! I've known Belle since she was... um, a good bit younger than she is now... and I'm proud to call her my friend as well as my colleague in putting together this show!  She's extraordinarily talented, basically born to play the role of Suzanne, and I'm really thrilled to have her as part of this project.  (Also, she has the most utterly amazing hair I have ever had the privilege of seeing in real life.  Seriously what even.  Like Rapunzel or something.)

Now, without further ado, The Interview.

How’d you get interested in acting?

Well I originally fell in love with acting around three or four, but (besides being a little four-year-old diva at home ;)) my family and I performed for three years solid all over the U.S. Then I joined a drama group a year or two back and did plays with that group. Then I moved on to community theater, did plays there and others here and there, but mostly community theater. And of course Masked. :) And then on the side projects...

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

Honestly any scene where I can eat cake, pretzels, etc. I get so hungry while on set, I don't know what it is. :)

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

Suzanne's character has definitely developed a lot since when I was first cast for her. She relates to me a lot I think, and I relate to her. I like the independent vibe she has and how she strives to make everything right and encourage people to follow their dreams. She's a very big believer in that.

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

Understanding the characters and trying to bring them to life on screen.

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

Well, the 1982 movie was a girls' night classic in our family, and I have read the first book.  Very good book, very much recommend.

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

Probably the villain or misunderstood character, it would be so much fun building layers to those kind of characters. I would definitely love to be in a movie based off of a really good book for sure! But probably more of an adventure type book. :)

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

I hope they can really relate to Suz and the other characters on the show, and be able to relate the story to the TSP story for sure! I also really hope they enjoy the modern aspects to it.

What was the hardest scene to shoot?

There were no extremely hard scenes to shoot that I was a part of, but we did have some difficult ones. There was one difficult one that comes to mind... but that would be giving away the story ;)

(note from Amy: I know what she's talking about and just wait until you see the footage. ;))

What are you most looking forward to in the future of the show?

Developing the characters into the characters we all see in our heads and watching them grow through the series. I'm also excited to see what happens in the later episodes and what the final product is, and of course hoping everyone enjoys it.

(I made her promise not to give away any spoilers... so yes, that last answer is purposefully vague!)

You can follow Isabella on Twitter, and check out her character Suzanne's Tumblr if you care to!

Six days till the pilot premieres!

The Scarlet Pimpernel Blog Party: An Introduction

Welcome to the party, fellow humans! The blog party, that is.  Online.  The internet kind.  Virtual, you know.  There aren't actually refreshments or anything like that.  Apologies.

This party, in case you weren't aware, is of purpose twofold.  The first is that any excuse to have a blog party is generally a good one. The second is that I and several friends (quite a lot of people, actually) have been working hard for the last year and a half on a new film adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel, which will premiere one week from today, and a blog party focused on TSP and all things related might be an excellent way to get people excited.  Because, y'know, shameless self-promotion and All That.

What is the Scarlet Pimpernel, exactly? If you're a newcomer to this blog or just a newcomer in general to that term I've been throwing around somewhat extravagantly, let's take just a moment to explain.  (If you already know who and what the Scarlet Pimpernel is, and are a fan, take this moment as an enjoyable refresher course.  If you already know and are NOT a fan... why are you reading this. :P  Well, perhaps I can convince you.  At any rate, please do stay and be comfortable.)

In 1903, a former Hungarian baroness (formerly a baroness, that is, not formerly Hungarian-- she stayed Hungarian all her life but had to leave her baronessy estate in Budapest because of peasant uprisings and the like) fallen on hard times wrote a play about a man who rescued French aristocrats from the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.  Emma Magdolna Rosalia Maria Jozefa Borbala Orczy (that is a MOUTHFUL right there-- she usually went by "Emmuska") had published a few short stories before her play about this dude calling himself the "Scarlet Pimpernel," but had achieved little success.  Overnight, however, the play became a hit, soon moved to London's famed West End, and in response to public demand, Baroness Orczy turned it into a novel.  The Scarlet Pimpernel, published in 1905, became an immediate success and spawned both an entire series of books about the mysterious title character and a genre of literature, film and other media known as-- you might have heard of them-- "superheroes."  (No, seriously. The idea of a masked crusader with a secret identity began with the Scarlet Pimpernel and carried over to Zorro and Batman and Superman and all those guys.  Look it up.)

What happened next? Well, several movie adaptations, for starters.  Of the two best-known, one was made in 1934 and is considered by old-movie buffs to be a true classic (starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon) and another was made in 1982, considered by most fans of TSP to be the best (hey, we're not biased) and stars Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour.

*insert le sigh*

(screencap by Ashley)

There have been a LOT of other movie and TV adaptations as well-- sixteen, if Wikipedia offers correct information-- along with several parodies, a Broadway musical and the aforementioned really extensive book series, and as of September 8th there will also be a modern-day web series adaptation. (I wish I could say that was my last plug.  But, um, it's not and won't be and I don't believe in lying to you. :))

If you're interested in reading the first novel in the series, The Scarlet Pimpernel, you probably need look no further than your local library. It's a classic and there are a ton of different editions.  You can also check out Blakeney Manor, the original Scarlet Pimpernel fan site, for e-texts of ALL the books!  Librivox.org also has several free audio recordings of Scarlet Pimpernel books-- I highly recommend those read by Karen Savage, as she "does all the voices" and reads all the French stuff quite Frenchily.  (I don't speak much French. Full disclosure. So I could be really wrong there.  But it sounds pretty authentic to my limited experience.)

For more discussion of the Scarlet Pimpernel in general, you might want to visit The Day Dream, a Scarlet Pimpernel fan blog.  Full disclosure again, I'm an author on that blog. :P It doesn't get a lot of buzz these days, as most of the authors have moved on to busier lives, but there are piles of archives to comb through if you're looking to learn more about this fandom.
ALSO. Do you know what else is cool?  Well, lots of things, but the one I was going to tell you about is the fact that there have been several people in real life who were directly inspired by the Scarlet Pimpernel to do some very dangerous rescue work during WWII.  Raoul Wallenberg is perhaps the most famous (my friend Maribeth can tell you more about him than I can), but you might also care to look up Donald Caskie, Hugh O'Flaherty and Varian Fry.  I think there have been others as well, but that's a start.  The movie Pimpernel Smith, starring Leslie Howard (again...) tells the story, too, of a man who rescued inmates of German concentration camps (and was the film that inspired Raoul Wallenberg to do similar work in Hungary).  Cool beans.

Okay, thus ends this very ramble-y post, and thus beginneth the blog party.

(Oh, and here is a preview for the pilot for Masked which is airing in one week.  And no, I am not going to shut up about that.)

"I thought... a picnic." (In Other Words, a Blog Party)

Original illustration by Adelaide Rovirosa, commissioned for Masked (2015)

Masked premieres in less than two weeks.  Which is why I've been so scarce around here of late. (Well, that and a few other things. More on that later.)

(If you haven't heard about Masked before this, it's a new literary web series based on The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.  You can check out our website here, visit our IMDb page here, follow us on Twitter and Tumblr, or like our Facebook page.  Oh, and we're also on Pinterest.  Was that a sufficient social media dump? :P)

In light of this exciting news (I feel like I should have inserted a few more exclamation points in that opening sentence....), I thought it might be fun to have a Scarlet Pimpernel themed blog party in preparation for the premiere.  The pilot episode of Masked will air on YouTube on September 8th, and beginning September 1st, I'll be hosting a myriad of fun stuff here on this blog!  Watch out for trivia quizzes, movie reviews, production stills from the upcoming modern-day adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel (cough cough... this is all about shameless product placement) and even some interviews with the cast of said modern adaptation!  And possibly a giveaway... one never knows...

If you're interested in participating, please grab the HTML code for the button below in the handy little box that's below THAT.  Paste it on your blog in a post or on the sidebar to spread the word, and then check back here on September 1st for the party launch! See you then!

<center> <a href="http://miss-dashwood.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Yet Another Period Drama Blog" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpSR3L-rbihLOIpIT5R_5HD-ZjI5cYVVP2Mnfjy5Dk4xXCw8CzJ8TCwQ6n9x_Spzq_kMWcbbHg1WgsGdp2qy1dhlW4v-ckI9s5SaAEpjDOB26VIIfGgT8TNuNYEqy2KtNyNdzzkZKTRc/s349-Ic42/blogparty.jpg"/></a></center>

(Oh, and just in case you haven't seen the trailer yet...)

a wee announcement

Have you checked out the Cast & Creative page on the Masked website recently?  Because, you know... you should...

(also did you know we had a photoshoot for Margot and the League guys and you can see all those photos in one handy location here)

Thanks for your time, you can stop scrolling now. :)

"Nobody's talking to me except a bunch of dead French politicians who I'm pretty sure are just in my head."

Remember Masked?

That project I talked about back in October and have brought up occasionally on here since then, but haven't gone into a whole lot of detail about?  Yeah, that one.

Turns out I've been working pretty steadily on it all this time, and it's getting pretty close to what they call actual production.  That is, pre-production's almost over.  Filming will begin soon.  (Then comes post-production.  Yip yop yoop.  ...I have no idea what that means. It's supposed to be a Noise of Apprehension, I guess.)

But anyways! Things are progressing pretty well now and I'm pleased to inform you (if you didn't know already) that we've already cast almost all of the lead roles!  We haven't announced all their names yet... there's one particular chap who's being kept in reserve as of now, muwahahaha... but if you're curious about the few who are Out and About already, here they are.  (Just for fun, see if you can figure out who these characters' counterparts are in the novel, and leave a comment with your deductions. :D)

Alexandra Rovirosa is playing Margot James 

Isabella Rovirosa is playing Suzanne James

Jacob Funke is playing Drew Ffoulkes

Kristian Jett is playing Angelo St. Cyr

Michael Reiser is playing Tony Dewhurst

Maggie O'Neal is playing Julie Denman

(Julie is a character with a difficult-to-discern counterpart, as she's a blend of several different novel characters, haha. So don't bother trying to figure hers out.  ;))

Bonus puzzle-- the quote in the post title is an actual line from one of the scripts and it's spoken by one of the characters pictured here.  Care to guess which one?

To read more about the cast and the creative team, visit our website (oh yeah! we have a website!) and check out the Cast & Creative page.

Also we're on Twitter and Tumblr and Facebook and Pinterest.  Just so ya know.

...Yeah, this post is pretty shamelessly show-promoting.  But if you've stuck with it until now, thank you muchly, and here's a tidbit of Interestingness at the end.   Though most of our main roles are cast, we ARE still looking for at least two actors to play supporting roles... and we have a way in which you might be able to get involved, if you're interested.  So go check out this post on The Day Dream. Seriously, go do it.

(Also, while I'm at the business of self-promoting, go check out all the spring stuff in my Etsy shop, too.  Please.  Because all the proceeds from that are going toward Masked.  Worthy cause and all that. Just sayin'.)

(Also, I promise my next post on here will be an actual real thoughtful-and-intelligent piece of writing.  Like, a review or something.  Or a Musing.  Or something remotely intellectual.  But my brain's a little zapped right now. So I leave you.)

A Big, Grand, Glorious Announcement

Ka-blam.

I tried for a while to come up with a really good sound effect to express how excited I am for this day, and "ka-blam" was the best one I could think of.  "Huzzah" also came to mind but that's probably because I've been steeped in Julius Caesar for the past six weeks-- and you're probably sick of hearing about that by now, so that's why I didn't go with "huzzah."  So "ka-blam" it is.  Ka-blam.

Have I said ka-blam enough?
Good.

Okay, moving forward.

...I can't hold it in any longer.

GUYS I'M CO-PRODUCING A LITERARY WEB SERIES AND I'M FREAKING OUT EXCITED.

It all started back in January, when I started thinking about how much I'd enjoyed several of the literary web series on YouTube, and what a cool way that was to adapt classic works of fiction, and wouldn't it be fun if someone did that with one of my favorite books, The Scarlet Pimpernel.  But then, what if someone decided to adapt TSP into a modern setting with a new storyline and I didn't like it?  What if they weren't true to the spirit of the book and ended up changing everything in horrific ways and absolutely ruined Percy and Marguerite and the League?????

Once I'd calmed down a little, it occurred to me that if I wanted a good modern adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel, maybe I needed to write one myself.  And that's how Masked was born.

...Well, a lot more work came after that, of course.  I approached two good friends of mine to ask for help and off we went.  Storyboarding, working out plot holes, character development, scriptwriting, scouting out filming locations, casting, long frustrated phone calls... yeah, it's been a journey.  But now, today, on Julie Andrews' 79th birthday (happy birthday, Mary Poppins!), we've decided it's finally time to announce it to the world.

World, meet Masked, an innovative, online, modern-day film adaptation of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Masked, look at the world.  Just take a peek for now, of course, because you won't actually be released to the General Public until summer 2015.  (I know, it's a long wait, but patience makes the heart grow anticipatory, or something like that.)

There's a lot more information (including a storyline teaser!) over here at The Day Dream, the Scarlet Pimpernel blog that I help run... and if you want to stay updated even more, please check out the show's official Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook page.

Oh.  And if you'd like to grab this little advertising button for your own blog, that would be splendiferously magnificent and I will be grateful to you forevermore.  

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