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Justin Alvarez Interview

Justin Alvarez: The Next Great American Hero. By Brian Kirst

William Katt better move on out! (If he hasn’t already that is.) Justin Alvarez is in the house! Besides recent appearances on some of the hottest television shows (CSI Miami, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty to name a few), Alvarez has also been busy giving the monsters a licking in such features as The Wickeds and Holler Creek Canyon. With a scheduled appearance in the upcoming horror opus Stronger Than Death, Alvarez has definitely proven himself to be a fright flick regular with major potential. Alvarez recently took some time out from beating up the undead baddies to answer some quick n cool questions. Read on below – but just remember this guy is on good terms with none other than Big Foot – so you best watch out!

www.justinalvarez.net

Brian: Who were your first performing influences – Yogi Bear “Boo-Boo-ing” down the lane – Sylvester Stallone teaching John Travolta that sweat bands were necessary for ‘Staying Alive’ – an obnoxious tap dancing, fire cracker throwing cousin?

Justin: Great question! I was very partial to Kermit the Frog actually.  I really enjoyed watching him break into his occasional song and dance numbers, running away from Miss Piggy, and keeping his Muppet clan nice and happy. I remember that I was always very pleased when I watched him. I thought he was very cool.  Also, Bruce Willis as “John McClane” in Die Hard. That was the first R-rated film my parents let me watch as a young boy, to their detriment really. I would stalk my family members with my toy gun and plant notes around the house that said; “Now I have a Machine Gun, HO HO HO.”

Brian: You operated camera, produced and appeared in Silver Scream. (I’m exhausted just writing that!) What was that experience like? 

Justin: Filming Silver Scream was a blast! It’s a Horror Musical Comedy, if you can imagine that. It’s a movie, about a play, about other movies – really silly tongue-in-cheek fun that pays homage to horror films of the past. It’s a comedy so everyone was having a good time filming and Jimmy O Burril, the director, was a riot and kept everyone laughing from start to finish. I produced and operated camera because I had just started taking some film classes at Cecil College.  When Silver Scream, the play, (its original incarnation) was to be put on hold due to a theater closure, I suggested to Jimmy O that we turn the staged Silver Scream into Silver Scream, the movie.  So part of my pitch to him was that I would help run cameras, scout locations, build sets, cook food – that sort of thing.  It was great.

Brian: What was the most memorable part about filming The Wickeds? It seems like fun, fast, guerilla filmmaking at its finest.

Justin: That whole experience was really exciting for me. It was the first movie that I had a lead role in. So, just waking up in the morning and having breakfast with everyone in the crew was very enjoyable. I also met my good friend, Michael Todd Schneider, on the set. He was doing special makeup FX and played “Teufel.” We stayed up late most nights after working all day talking about movies and what we hoped to accomplish in our careers. Michael and I are still in constant contact and have worked together recently on some of his film projects. – Besides bonding with the crew, I had the most fun in the movie’s fight scenes. Let’s see…I enjoyed ripping off that zombie’s head next to the open grave; blood and goo came out of his head after I ripped it off. That was sweet.  And then there was killing a zombie with a tree limb to the stomach!  Getting close-lined was also memorable, especially after the third or fourth time when I landed on my back and it cracked from my neck all the way down to my tailbone.  That felt weird but good, in that “I just got back from the chiropractor” kind of way. 

Brian: Ouch! Can you name one secret (life or otherwise) that you learned on the set of Desperate Housewives?

Justin: I can’t say this is really a “secret,” but I remember Felicity Huffman being extremely nice and courteous.  My time on set was brief – I was only there for a day and had the one scene – but Felicity was very pleasant and gracious with me when we met.  She went out of her way to say goodbye to me at the end of the day, which she really didn’t have to do. That’s the type of thing a young actor – well anyone one for that matter – will remember for the rest of his life.  It certainly made my day.

Brian: Dude, after appearing in a film originally titled Bigfoot at Holler Creek Canyon; I think you can just retire. I mean, how cool is that? So, villain or hero here and did you get to duke it out with the big guy himself?

Justin: Yes, it was very cool filming that movie. We shot it over 3 weeks in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. We were staying in cabins, trailers, and camping out in this great forested area next to the river. I had worked with some of the cast and crew before so I was like: “I get to camp out, BBQ with my friends, swim in this river AND I get to make a movie?!?!”  I thought it was a pretty sweet deal. – I played Matt, who aside from his frat boy, player-ish ways, was a “good guy” in a bad boy kind of way.  I’m not sure if you mean did I duke it out with the Bigfoot or Ron Jeremy, but it was both in a way.  Ron, who played a country store owner named Gus, and my character squared off in the film briefly.  He pulled a gun on my friends and me to scare some sense in to us about camping out in the woods because there was a dangerous creature lurking nearby…( I guess we should have listened!!! ).  The face off was kind of bland compared to the zombie film I did with Ron the year prior. That time I got to punch him in the mouth!  I did duke it out with the Bigfoot though, and I lost pretty badly.  I was tied up to a tree at the time so I can’t really say it was a “fair” fight. Had I not been tied up when the Bigfoot happened upon my position, I’d say the movie would’ve ended up a bit differently. Just saying…

Brian: I hear ya! –  How long did it take you to learn to walk all foggy and slow-mo for your appearance on CSI Miami as the awesomely named Stefan Bohdan? I mean those are some skills, brother!

Justin: Thanks! I think all those years playing army with my brother and sneaking around the house pretending to be John McClane really paid off here. We only filmed that shootout scene once and I was saying to myself: “Dude, it’s David F-ing Caruso. When he shoots you, you got to go DOWN.”  So when I got shot, I just threw myself back and hoped it looked cool.  That was a really fun experience.  I knew it was going to be a good day when the first thing they did was blow up a brand new Hummer. There were airplanes, explosions, AND they gave me a gun.

Brian: You’ve worked on several horror films at this point – what has been your favorite memory of all the sets you’ve appeared on thus far?

Justin: This is a tough one. Each project I have worked on has been a singular experience with its own special memories, so it’s kind of hard to pick out just one.  But I’d say it was filming Our Devil’s Night. There were a lot of good memories there. – This is more of a quiet one:  I remember shooting a chase scene in a creepy, clown section of an abandoned haunted house on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. We were shooting there all throughout the night. I went outside during a break around 3 a.m. and hung out by myself in this field that was covered with a fresh layer of snow. The air was cold and crisp, the sky was clear, and there was this beautiful forest on the far side of the field.  It was very peaceful. I’m not sure why this stuck out to me, but I felt very at home in this moment. It could’ve just been I appreciated the contrast of the calmness outside to the scenes we were shooting inside, in which I had to run around like a madman.  Sometimes it’s those quiet moments that stand out the most.

Brian: Yeah…. …. … Alright, quiet over! If you could create the perfect project for yourself what would it be and who would you play?

Justin: Starring opposite George Clooney, matching beards, machine guns.  ‘Nuff said.

Brian: Cool! Lastly, any words of advice (IE: Never wrestle Ron Jeremy at a gravesite when the undead are stomping by) or future projects that you’d like to tell us about? And thanks – this has been cooler than bumping into a legendary Yeti any day of the week!

Justin: Dude, Brian, this has been way cool for me too man! Thanks for being so great!

Hmm, one piece of advice:  I don’t regret anything I’ve done, because it has lead me to where I am today.  These people and experiences I’ve had, I needed to have in my life. But, having said that, if I had to do it all over again, I would’ve gotten my butt out here to Los Angeles the day after I graduated high school instead of staying in Maryland for the additional four years that I was there. I would’ve gladly slept in my car or couch-surfed for the first year, no problem. I guess what I’m trying to say is:  if you want something, go get it. No excuses. Even if people tell you that you can’t. When I told my high school guidance counselor that I wanted to be an actor, she said “No, really, what do you really want to do?”

12 Comments

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  1. Justin is a great guy and a wonderful interview! Good looks and personality? Dammit! He's ruining it for the rest of us guys!

  2. I'm from a generation raised on Double Chiller Theather, with host Schocky Doc. Werewolves, mummies and vampires! Now it's the next generation with Justin Alvarez, from Silver Scream to Stronger Than Death. It just gets better and better. Bring on the HORROR!

  3. Always true to yourself and never false leading! Thats the greatest thing about you brother. Next time spank Rons ass for me please.

    Keep up the great work man, the home crew shouts out!!!!

  4. I'm glad I went to school with someone who is getting something done, congrats on all your success man, keep it up.

  5. Expect BIG things from this one. He's got that star quality that only few have! (and a genuine good guy too!)

  6. Fantastic! Justin Alvarez!! Definitely a star – keep up the great work. Look forward to watching all your venues.

  7. That’s awesome and everything, but Justin Alvarez is in jail right now, awaiting trial for breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and beating the crap out of her.

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